Biblical Insights with Dr. Ken Stewart

When we talk about the people mentioned in the Bible we often only recall the good things we know about them. But the good stuff is not the only reason we know their names. Some of them made terrible decisions. The decision to follow God's voice is just the first step. If there is difficulty and you mess things up that does not mean you didn't start out following God. Don't quit! Never quit! Keep listening. Keep following. God is for you and not against you. Never forget that!

It is my desire to eradicate the idea that it is difficult to be "Led By The Spirit" eventhough that seems to be a common belief. While there may be many reasons for wanting to hear and recognize God's voice, I can think of none more important than this. We would make better decisions and live longer and be more fulfilled if we paid more attention to what God desires to say to us. This should be a way of life!

The real key to spiritual balance in the life of every Christian comes from a combination of sources. But, if we take what we have learned from a life experience and consider it to be more authoritative in our life than the Word of God, we have made a huge mistake. We must always judge the accuracy of the prophetic words we hear by the Word of God. Believing unfounded claims about the future can cause us to have serious challenges in our personal relationship with Jesus.

Is it your opinion that all prophecy must contain a prediction about the future for it to be real prophecy? While it is true that many prophecies do predict the future, there are even more that do not. I will tell you more about that in this podcast. Then I will challenge you to consider that the Holy Spirit talks to you about your future on a regular basis. What would you call that?

God has provided many ways to help us understand His Word. I am not talking about the people He uses as much as I am talking about the methods the people use. Paul was very clear about this in one of his letters to the church at Corinth. And if any group ever had a need more understanding it was that church. But we can be the same way if we only rely on human understanding. Listen carefully to these insights.

Who can you depend on? What can you depend on? We live in such a strange and divided society it can be very hard to find anyone or anything you can depend on. Yet, in almost every home there is a very special book filled with guidelines for our lives. It is very reliable. It will teach you how to recognize God's voice. How often do you read that book?

If your life is going to be stable, you must have enough confidence in something, that it has the final say regarding everything in your life. Some people think of this as a person whom they have great respect for. It may be someone who died years ago. It may be a philosophy or a religion. None of these is good enough. The only thing that should have the final word in our lives is the Bible. Let me tell you why.

We can learn a great deal about recognizing the voice of God by considering the different ways the Apostle Paul taught that the Holy Spirit speaks to us. No matter how this may strike you, the most important thing to remember is that when God speaks there can be no question that it is Him. What causes confusion is when people pretend to be speaking words God has said and yet there is no "distinction" in the sound.

We expect to be able to recognize the voice of someone we love by the distinct sound of their voice. There is nothing wrong with this. However, it becomes a problem when we apply the same approach to the voice of God. According to the Bible, God’s voice can be described in many different ways. Yet, the most common sound we have been taught is to listen for a soft whisper. God does not always speak in this way.

We usually depend on the sound of a person’s voice to determine who is speaking to us. We consider this to be so normal that we try to approach God in the same way. Yet, according to what we will discover in God’s Word there are several other ways we should learn to recognize God’s voice. It is all about what happens inside of us when God speaks to us. I will talk later about how the voice of God sounds. But for now, enjoy this foundational material.

Professional guides can be expensive. They have information we do not have. They have been places we have not seen and we may not even know that they exist. Those who hunt and fish often hire these guides because of the success it can bring to them. Think of the Holy Spirit in the same manner. Of course, there is one marvelous exception. This guide does not charge a fee. He wants to guide you, probably more than you want Him too.

The Bible has much to say about the Holy Spirit and the fact that He speaks to us. Has He ever spoken to you? I believe He has. One of the things that convinces me of this is the fact that in one Scripture, our bodies are described as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. So, doesn’t it just make sense that we should hear what the Holy Spirit says? Of course it does! So, my objective is for you to listen to my podcasts so that I can help you learn to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.

It is too easy to give the appearance of listening. A lot of people do it in church every Sunday. However, I have found that when things are being said that are helpful to me, I am eager to hear what is being said. Are you aware that God blesses what you have? That question should provoke you to want to hear more. But who talks about things like that? Jesus did and so do I. Jesus was always looking for people who were eager to hear. So am I.

You will want to check this out. This is a book you can benefit from in a tremendous way. I encourage you get your copy as soon as you can.

There are many teachers who say a lot of things and millions of people appear to be listening. Yet, the results are disappointing. This is true in our churches, and in society. Most Christians do not mature and become the people of God they should be. The fatal flaw is summed up in this phrase. They have no true understanding. Hearing alone is not sufficient. Successful actions only occur when we understand what we have been taught.

As strange as this podcast title may seem to be, it is Biblically correct. Certainly, it flies in the face of what many people want to think about the unborn. But their desire does not nullify the truth. The Bible speaks of this wonderful relationship in several different ways. So, no matter what you may have been told in the past, this insight includes you!

Before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, it seems as though God did all the talking and Adam only listened. And there is every indication that he obeyed what God told him to do. However, after the fall this communication turned into more of a conversation. At the very least it shows us that God talks to people who do not have a relationship with Him. And they also talk to God and He hears them.

According to the story of creation which is found in the book of Genesis our creator designed us so we could hear His voice. The evidence is found in God's actions. The first thing God did after He created Adm was talk to him. After the fall of man, the first thing God did was talk to both Adam and Eve. God's plan has not changed, because God never changes. Listen carefully and I will explain this further.

As I begin this series of messages I will share with you the reasons I believe that God does indeed speak to every person on this planet. I am basing my conclusions on what the Bible says. Then I will also share some of the reasons people do not think they hear God speaking to them and then discuss a few of my thoughts about why this may be. Frankly, I believe most Christians have been led to believe God only speaks to certain, very special people. The Bible does not teach this, but many religious groups certainly imply that this is the case. It should be noted that in this first podcast, I am laying a foundation for the messages that will follow. It might be a good idea to listen to this more than once.