Learn To Hear God’s Voice

The best way to prepare for disaster prophecies is to learn to hear God’s voice.

I heard the testimony of a missionary who was living in Haiti with his family when the Duvalier administration was being overthrown.  Riots were breaking out; violence could happen anywhere.  One night he woke up hearing God say, “Get on the floor!”  He did so, pulling his wife and children to the floor with him.  Moments later several bullets ripped through the house, leaving holes in the wall behind the beds.  If he had not obeyed God’s voice, he and his family would have been killed.

Then something happened to me.  I was living in Detroit and had conducted a meeting in Ann Arbor, MI.  As I drove home late at night, I was on I-94 in the left lane, closely following a truck – it was a tractor-trailer with no trailer – up a hill.  Suddenly God said, “Drop back.”  Immediately I took my foot off the gas and the truck pulled ahead of me.  Suddenly one of its two back axles flew off the truck and spun wildly in my lane, veering off into the median.  It would have hit me at 70 mph if I hadn’t dropped back.

I could give other testimonies from friends or from my own life, but the principle is very simple:  if we cultivate the art of responding quickly when God speaks, He will save us from danger – and He will save and care for us in many other ways.  But my testimonies come not from super-saints but from ordinary people – people who get impatient in traffic jams, who have to live on a budget, who hope the church service doesn’t run long because they want to eat lunch.

I’ve learned there are three main keys to hearing from God:  quiet your heart, focus on Jesus, and watch for a spontaneous flow of words – see more at You Can Hear From God.  If we start using some of our prayer time to listen to Him, God will speak to us.

But He doesn’t always speak to us in our prayer times.  Often He speaks to us in daily life.  A woman in my church wanted to buy a coat she couldn’t afford; one day as she passed the store God said, “Go in.”  She did, and found the coat she wanted marked down with multiple discounts.

God will use these little things in daily life to teach us.  Frankly, we all seem to get it wrong the first few times.  If we can make our mistakes in small things, we’ll learn to pay attention when God speaks.

By the voice of God I have missed traffic jams, steered around roadblocks, and avoided accidents.  But there have been other times when I’ve ignored His still small voice and had a delay on the highway of half an hour or more.  This is all small stuff, really; but God uses the small stuff to train us so we’ll be ready when we face matters of life and death.

Here’s another example.  I always try to be punctual, but sometimes in spite of myself I’m running late.  More than once I’ve been pushing myself to get to my appointment on time and God has said, “Relax; they’re running late too.” Sometimes I’ve obeyed and sometimes I haven’t; sometimes I’ve arrived frantic and sometimes cool, calm, and collected.  Either way, I’ve always had to wait because the other person was later than I was.

If we can learn to hear from God in the small stuff, we’ll be ready when the major disasters come our way.  Frankly, I’m not afraid of disasters.  It’s written that God will shake all things that can be shaken.  But God delights in speaking to His children and steering us safely through the disasters.

Learn God’s voice.  Get in the habit of listening and obeying.  You’ll be able to go through anything life throws at you — even if it’s a disaster prophecy coming to pass.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2009, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

Is God Ticked?

After I sent out my article about disaster prophecies, I got an email from Teresa in Illinois. I want to quote part of it here:

Were we not told judgment is already upon the earth? (Gospel of John) We just get to warn others of this and introduce the gospel and God’s intervention…I am wondering if we will not see a shift in preaching again…the warning of impending judgment and the good news of salvation for the sinner…

This is a fundamental issue: what do we think God is like? Do we see Him as a God whose moods swing back and forth between blessing and judgment? Perhaps we think He’s happy with America when we elect a president who holds strong family values, and He’s ticked with America if we elect someone who supports abortion or same-sex marriage. But contrast this with John 3:17-19:

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The God whose moods swing to match our choices seems to fit the tone of the Old Testament revelation of God. There is something very fair about His movements in the Old Testament, and He is very clear about the issues that please and displease Him.

But with the Old Testament vision, it’s easy to get the idea that a time of safety and prosperity indicates that God is basically happy with the way things are unfolding on the earth. We might suppose that as long as our sins don’t become too outlandish, God’s mood will remain serene.

John gives us a contrasting vision. He says the whole world is already condemned, and this isn’t because God is mad at it. He isn’t mad at all; He’s broken-hearted, because He loves the world. Therefore He sent His Son, to provide a way of escape and salvation. All we have to do is turn from darkness and run into the open arms of the Son.

In other words, God’s judgment is to let us go our own way. Some of us choose the status quo or the path of least resistance, moving from sin to sin. “What’s the big deal? Everybody else is doing it,” we shrug. But some of us sense that the world is already condemned, and we run to Jesus to find a way of escape.

Luke 13:1-5 shows Jesus’ perspective about two tragedies that were recent news in His day:

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus is the only way to escape judgment. He alone is light; either we run to Him or we are stuck in the darkness.

God isn’t ticked. He loves the world. But humanity isn’t what He designed us to be, and not even nature is the way He designed it. Will there be disasters in the earth? Of course; all He has to do is let us go our own way and we will bring them on ourselves. But it isn’t what He wants. He wants us to come to Him.

Stan Smith :: © 2009, GospelSmith :: www.GospelSmith.com

The Remnant

When we hear disaster prophecies, we need to remember a principle that runs throughout the Bible:  that when God brings judgment to a whole society, He looks for people on whom He can pour out grace, making them an exception to the general rule.

When He was planning the flood, Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” and God came up with a way to save him and his family.  When He poured out His plagues on Egypt, He found ways to protect and to bless the Israelites.  When God was about to send judgment on Jerusalem, He sent an angel with pen and ink to mark those who sighed for the wickedness of the city so He could provide for them.

There are many more examples in scripture, but the principle is that when God judges a society, He is delighted to cover a godly remnant in a cocoon of His protection.  So when you hear a disaster prophecy, do you expect to be swept away, or do you expect to survive?  And to take it a step further, do you expect to be a rescuer?

Do the promises of God in your life evaporate if you happen to live in a region He judges?  Do His promises to heal you evaporate because Jesus warned that there would be plagues in the last days?  Do His promises to provide for you evaporate because prophets have warned of economic shakings?

The media was warning of a swine flu pandemic a couple of weeks ago; I’m writing this on a plane, and have noticed quite a few people wearing masks in the airport.

Meanwhile, I’ve just gotten a missionary email from Dunamis Ministries in Las Vegas with reports of a recent evangelistic outreach in Mexico.  They took a stand in prayer, and there was no swine flu in Hermasillo. It pleases God to find people who will trust Him for health in spite of the dire warnings of the media and even the last-days prophecies of scripture.

And I remember twenty years ago when Dave Wilkerson prophesied great shakings in New York City – he said it was the Babylon of Revelation 18 – and today I picked up a copy of The New Yorker to read on the plane.  The cover article? “The Fall Of Babylon.”  It told about the financial meltdown in NYC.

Meanwhile, I’m hearing one prophet after another exhort us to do what Isaac did in Genesis 26 – to sow in time of famine.  Isaac reaped a hundredfold.  God is speaking through many that this is the time for His people to find God-given opportunities for His provision.  It may be a famine, but it’s still time to sow.

In my home church, we’ve been stirring ourselves to stand in faith.  We’ve heard a lot of testimonies of people who have gotten promoted when everyone else got laid off, contractors who found work when nobody else could, realtors who sell houses in what everyone is calling a tough market.

Missionary friends A.L. and Joyce Gill told the story of an Indonesian church that survived the tsunami a few years ago.  They wanted to have a special service for Christmas at a spacious facility on the beach, but the local government was Islamic and refused to give them a permit. Instead, they were forced to meet on the mountaintop in a much less desirable facility.  It saved their lives.

God has odd ways of getting us through tough times. He gives each of us a unique story.  His way for you won’t work for me; His way for me won’t work for you.

But God is looking for a remnant who will stay in covenant relationship with Him and will learn to hear and obey His voice.  These are the people who have a testimony of mercy when judgments run through the land.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2009, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

Choose To Become Courageous

When we look at the prophecies Jesus gave in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, we read that the last days will be times when “men’s hearts fail them for fear.” Shortly after He spoke these words, Jesus took the disciples aside and gave them the long farewell address recorded in John 14-16. It begins with this instruction: “Let not your hear be troubled: believe in God, and believe also in Me.”

The prophecies of scripture can be scary, and add to this some of the disaster prophecies that come forth today. Can we learn to live in such a season with untroubled hearts? Can we develop the kind of faith that will carry us through troubled times?

Last summer, a word about a devastating earthquake started circulating on the west coast. I heard of people who frantically tried to get out of town and of children who cried themselves to sleep because of fear. Some have argued that these reactions prove that the word was wrong, because it brought forth bad fruit.

I disagree. There are plenty of disaster prophecies in scripture that are every bit as upsetting as anything today’s prophets proclaim. Ours is not a head-in-the-sand faith that can’t look trouble in the eye.

I have reared a son, and the Bible made it clear that part of my job as a father was to train my son in the ways of God. Sometimes I needed to speak into his fears when he come face-to-face with some of the warnings in scripture. I’m going to share a few principles here that I’m sure I shared with him.

1. When you’re afraid, tell God all about it and let Him speak back to you. He wants to pour His power into our weakness. Our part in the process is to bring our weakness to Him, not to wallow in it but to exchange it for His power. We have to be willing to choose to trust what He tells us.

2. Keep coming to Him with your fears until fear is no longer an issue. It isn’t often a one-shot-deal, with five minutes of prayer setting you free from all fears forever. But it’s like medicine: keep taking the pills until the problem goes away.

3. God will use today’s troubles to prepare you for the uncertainties of tomorrow. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) Everyone has troubles. Take them to God day by day and watch how He intervenes in them.

In some cases He simply answers prayer and changes your circumstances; at other times He changes you first. Sometimes He answers immediately and sometimes we have to persist in prayer.

Over time, we begin to learn the ways of God and we become comfortable with them. We find Him faithful and trustworthy. Our faith grows.

4. Take time to collect testimonies. Look back at the times when God has protected you, provided for you, helped you, and saved you from the worst in yourself in the past year. Remembering the good things God has done for you in the past will help your faith grow; and where faith is strong, fear can’t work.

5. Remember that Jesus lives in you. If you’ve asked Him to come into your heart, He’s there – and He is not afraid. He not only has perfect trust towards the Father, but He also has an ear to hear His voice. Christ in you is the ear to hear the directions of the Holy Spirit that will steer you out of trouble and into abundant life.

6. Courage grows. Keep walking with Jesus. Be open with Him – you never have to pretend. Believe His promises. Be patient with yourself. Without realizing how it happened, one day you’ll notice that shakings can happen all around you, but they don’t shake you at all.

Stan Smith :: © 2009, GospelSmith :: www.GospelSmith.com

Responding To Disaster Prophecies

Disaster is coming!

We’ve all heard the prophecies – it can be an earthquake, a storm, an economic collapse, riots in the cities, military attacks.

In more than forty years of Christian living, I can think of few seasons when there wasn’t a disaster prophecy floating around. Few came to pass, less than five percent.

There were always a few people who were in an emotional uproar about it, letting the predictions disrupt their lives. Others simply ignored the prophecies, expecting them to blow over.

Whether today’s prophets get it right or not, we need to face the fact that Jesus gave disaster prophecies. Read Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21; then read the book of Revelation. Violent upheavals are sure to strike the earth, especially as we near the end.

But we also need to look to the words of Jesus to put disaster prophecies in context. He identifies a middle-of-the-road response, with a ditch on either side.

On one side is the ditch of skepticism – we ignore the words because so many have not come to pass, or because we don’t believe a loving God will bring judgments, or simply because we find the words unbearable to think about.

On the other side is the ditch of panic – we make extraordinary survival preparations, or we look for a safe place to live in the wilderness, or we lose sleep and develop stress-related illnesses for fear of what will come upon the earth.

There is a highway of holiness between these ditches, and we need to stay on the pavement. This is what Jesus calls us to.

Respond With Courage

The judgments of God may send riots into New York City or hurricanes into the gulf region or earthquakes into California. It may be a matter of life and death for many.

But what exactly can you do if you hear prophecies about these things? Should you move? Not unless God tells you to. God wants faithful witnesses and strong churches in America’s cities, along the gulf coast, and in California. If God has put you there, He is not calling you to panic or to take extraordinary measures for survival; He is calling you to prepare yourself to keep walking with Him even if upheaval comes.

I was in Israel for a 50-hour prayer meeting just before the Gulf War began. Every Israeli citizen had a government-issue gas mask. They expected the US to attack Iraq, and then they expected scuds from Iraq to hit Israel.

I had time to get acquainted with one of the men in the church there. We were out for a walk, and he was witty and lighthearted. He told about the years he had lived in the US, working as a shoe salesman. Finally I felt I knew him well enough to ask:

“I’m sure you’ve thought about the possibility that a missile could take your life at any moment. And yet, it must have crossed your mind that you could move back to the US and avoid all this danger…?”

His face changed immediately, and a steely look came into his eye. “I can speak not just for myself, but for every-one in my church. This is where God has put us, and live or die, this is where we will be.”

May God put this same steel into every one of us, a determination to be where He places us and to fulfill our mission there unflinchingly.

Let God Strengthen You

John the apostle is the one who penned the great words, “God is love.” John also gave us the book of Revelation, the ultimate in disaster prophecies.

The only person I can think of who better knew the love of God is Jesus Himself. He too gave disaster prophecies; the main one is in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

God loves us, but He has not promised to coddle us. If anything, we see from scripture that He often allows His chosen ones to go through extraordinary times of trouble. For Joseph, it was slavery and then imprisonment. For Moses, it was forty years of exile. For David, it was a season of fleeing from Saul, who wanted to take his life. For Saul the apostle, it was years of obscurity before he stepped into his calling.

Soft times produce soft people. If we should live in times when God pours His judgments on the earth, it is because He has chosen to make us into an extraordinary people. There is a side of God’s faithfulness that we can’t see until we get into a predicament where we can’t possibly save ourselves.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers them out of them all.” David knew firsthand that this is what God’s love looks like in hard places; he penned these words hours after his escape from death at the hand of the King of Gath.  When times were tough, he found God unfailingly faithful.

Stay In Covenant

God is like a landscape painter. With a large brush He paints cities, regions, and nations. With a small brush He paints the details of your life and mine. The big brush may paint in tones of judgment and disaster; the small brush meanwhile can paint in contrasting tones of mercy, faithfulness, and love.

Read Psalm 136. Every verse ends with the line, “For His mercy endures forever.” But some of the other words in this Psalm are fearful indeed: He struck Egypt in their firstborn, He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the sea, He struck down kings. Yet while all this was happening, verses 23 and 24 say He remembered us in our lowly state and rescued us from our enemies.

The way to prepare for disasters is to develop a relationship with God that is so intimate that when He must paint the nations with the dark tones of judgment, He will carefully get out the small brush and paint our lives in shining tones of glory. God is love, and He is looking for people in whom He can display His faithfulness.

The same waters that drowned Noah’s generation lifted the ark he had built because God had warned him. The same angel that brought death to the firstborn of Egypt respected the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the households of Israel. The same God who brought drought through the prophecies of Elijah sent a raven to feed him, then later sent him to receive miraculous provision in the home of the widow in Zarephath.

Psalm 91 tells of a secret place of the Most High, a place where anyone can live in God’s faithfulness even in the darkest of times. How do we get into it? Jesus said of Jerusalem, “How often would I have gathered you under my wings.” He wants to gather us into His secret place. Humbly believe in His blood covenant. Cultivate an ear to hear His voice, and a heart to obey. Stay in first-love.

Let Your Light Shine

During the passion-week, Jesus spoke several things about disasters. Right after what we call Palm Sunday, He wept over Jerusalem and said He had wanted to bring them under His wing. A few days later He spoke the prophecies of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Look through those three chapters to see what He commands us to do in those scary times. “Look up…let not your heart be troubled…possess your souls.”

But Matthew appends three parables at the end of Jesus’ long disaster prophecy, and they fill the next chapter of his Gospel. The parable of the ten virgins tells us to keep a ready supply of oil; in other words, get in the habit of making small spiritual transactions daily so your lamps will keep burning brightly. The parable of the talents tells us to invest our gifts, bringing increase for His kingdom. The parable of the sheep and the goats tells us where to invest: in needy people.

This means that in times of upheaval, God is calling us to let our light shine and to do all we can to pour His grace into people all round us.

But a few other chapters carry key strategic thoughts that will help us walk through troubled times: John 14-16. This was the teaching Jesus gave hours before His crucifixion, a time of upheaval for all the disciples. He gave them keys that would empower them to live through those troubled times: to keep their hearts untroubled and unafraid, to pray, to get to know the Holy Spirit, to act on His words. The themes of these chapters give us the spiritual ingredients we need in times of upheaval. Hearing His word and doing it, a relationship with the Holy Spirit, a life of abiding in the Vine – He tells us how to bear fruit even in the worst of times. And church history shows that those who have leaned on Him have had victorious testimonies, no matter how dark the season they lived in.

Expect To Bear Fruit

We didn’t choose to live in the season we are in. In spite of the challenges we are now facing, we still have a lot to be thankful for. Things may get better or they may get worse, but either way God is faithful.

Jesus said in John 15:16 that we didn’t choose Him; He has chosen us and ordained us to bear fruit. Though the institutions around us are shaken, our fruitfulness will not be shaken.

Perhaps you were planning a season of mission work when you retired, but falling stock prices and failing financial institutions have swallowed your retirement fund. Obviously, things aren’t working out as you had planned. But keep abiding in Him. He will make sure your life bears fruit.

How should we respond to disaster prophecies? With faith, hope, and love. Everything in the world is shakable, but faith, hope, and love never fail.

Stan Smith :: © 2009, GospelSmith :: www.GospelSmith.com