How does God speak to people and how can they discern that it is really his voice? What does it mean to truly listen to God and obey him?
In this episode, Noël, Mark and Esther explore the close connection between listening and obedience in the life and journey of faith.
Beginning with the idea that God listens to his people, they reflect on the wonder of prayer and the two-way nature of relationship with God. Through the story of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, they consider how God speaks, the importance of learning to recognise his voice, and the role of Scripture and community in testing what we hear. They also discuss dreams, openness to God, and the dangers of spiritual abuse when people claim unquestionable authority.
Moving on to Acts 5, the conversation highlights the apostles’ boldness in obeying God rather than bowing to human pressure. They explore how listening to God requires trust, faith and obedience, whether God speaks in dramatic ways or through the ‘ordinary’ means of Scripture, prayer and daily Christian life.
Timestamps
(00:00) - Intro
(01:27) - God listens to us – the foundation of relationship
(03:32) - God speaks to us and we learn to listen to him – 1 Samuel 3: God calls Samuel
(05:39) - The importance of discernment
(07:21) - Are we more open and receptive to hearing from God in dreams?
(09:31) - Checking what we think we’ve heard from God is consistent with his word and character
(11:24) - The dangers of spiritual abuse
(13:24) - Sometimes God does ask people to do ‘crazy’ things, e.g. Noah and Abraham
(14:10) - Obedience flows from what we believe about God and our trust in him
(15:10) - How often should we expect God to speak to us?
(18:54) - Acts 5: The apostles are questioned before the Sanhedrin
(19:54) - Obeying God rather than people – overcoming fear, becoming bold
(22:33) - Listening and obedience require faith
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