SBC Prayer Leader ~ Hearing God Speak

Obey Willingly

• Obey your parents.
• Respect authority.
• Abide by the law.

The Bible teaches that we’re born with a rebellious spirit that must be subdued if we’re to experience the blessed life God created us for. A person who never learns to obey is a danger to themselves and everyone around them. That’s why disrespect to parents was a capital crime (Leviticus 20:9) in Old Testament law and honoring parents is the first commandment with a promise attached (Exodus 20:12).

Pray Habitually

• Give thanks before meals.
• Have personal and family devotions.
• Pray silently as you meet challenges during the day.

Who were the greatest men in the Old Testament? What criteria would you use to decide? Methuselah lived the longest. Abraham is the patriarch of three world religions. Moses wrote laws that are still the foundations of civilized society. King David was the most powerful. King Solomon was the richest. These men were used of God to do great things, but they also had glaring faults and huge moral failures.

What if you make Jesus the criteria? Who were the most Christ-like men in the Old Testament? The list begins to change doesn’t it? Now men like Joseph, Joshua, Samuel, and Daniel populate that list. These men lived their entire lives in faithful obedience to and conversational relationship with Almighty God. How? They started hearing and obeying God in childhood and continued in habitual prayer all their lives.

That’s not just motivation for your church to have a great children’s ministry. It should motivate you to the importance of habitual prayer at every stage of your life. There will never be a day when you don’t need to pray.

Learn Continually

• Attend a Bible teaching church.
• Practice daily Bible reading.
• Participate in ongoing Bible study.
• Seek out Godly teachers and mentors.

“You learn everything you really need to know in kindergarten – wait your turn and share the toys.” Did you ever hear someone say that? I went to high school with some guys who believed it and if that’s all you want in life; maybe it’s true for you, but I don’t think so.

I know for sure that God’s not satisfied with that. He has big plans for you that require that you continue to mature and learn. There’s just no place for stagnation in the Kingdom of God. There’s another saying that goes like this, ‘An idle mind is the devils workshop.’ Now there is some truth in that.

Cultivating a good conscience should be accomplished in childhood, but many adults still struggle with it. These three basic disciplines help keep your spiritual antenna up and ready to hear from God so you can’t skip them. No matter your stage of life – if you haven’t mastered these minors – you need to go back and do them now.

So the radio’s on and the antenna’s up, but there’s still the issue of tuning in to the right channel. We’ll talk about that next time. >>>MORE