February 13th, 2024 Issue

Hearing & Obeying God’s Voice

Heartfelt Exhortations is a teaching series, that has been building off previous lessons. If you are coming into the middle, and missed previous lessons, you will definitely want to take the time to go back and read them in order. This link will take you to a full index of all the Heartfelt Exhortations that were written in previous newsletters. When I first started publishing these lessons, they were in the same newsletters as my gardening lessons. Just scroll down to find the lessons. I pray you will be deeply blessed!

Heartfelt Exhortations Index

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Hearing & Obeying God’s Voice

In the last issue of my Heartfelt Exhortations, I had someone ask me my thoughts on Leviticus 25. This is the passage of scripture that God tells the children of Israel to rest their land every seven years. People respond to the old testament law in different ways. Some people feel that we are still bound to keep some of the old testament commands. Others feel that the law has been totally done away with, and really has no value under the new covenant. As a disciple and lover of the Lord Jesus Christ I want to understand His heart, and what His apostles taught us about how we should respond to the law.

2nd Timothy 3:16-17  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

It seems like almost every newsletter, I keep reminding us that all of this is very relationship based. The only way we can discern the Lord’s heart and will in a matter, is by Him speaking to us. One of the ways, and often the most common, is through His Word. This includes ALL of His Word, which includes the old testament law. Here is an example of how the apostles applied the law in a Spiritual way.

1st Corinthians 9:8-10  Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? 9  For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10  Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

If you look at the context of this passage, you will see that Paul is discussing the concept of those that are laboring in Spiritual things should also have the financial support of those that receive their ministry. Paul is not asking for his sake. In fact he purposely does not want to receive from them personally. But he is making it clear that for some that are laboring in Spiritual things they should help them. So he quotes a passage from the law about not muzzling an ox while it is treading out the grain. Paul is helping us understand that God is saying this not just for the oxen, but even more importantly as a lesson about meeting peoples needs.

But the key to discerning the Spiritual application of the law, is that He is truly speaking to us. This is not us just randomly choosing passages and trying to obey them in our own efforts. Faith is hearing what the Lord has said, and acting in accordance with it. Jesus said “my sheep hear my voice and follow me.” Do you expect that God will speak to you, by His Spirit?

1st Corinthians 2:12-14  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I want you to know, that I believe, that no one is obligated, under the new covenant, to rest their land every seven years. Unless the Lord has personally come to you and made it clear that that is His will for your life. If He does, consider yourself fortunate, It can be a very God glorifying experience.

I’m going to be sharing several testimonies with you about hearing God’s voice. I hope they will be a blessing to you

Resting The Land By Faith

Nine years ago, I was in my sugar shack boiling maple syrup, and the Lord brought to my mind a conversation I had had with a friend that had decided to rest his maple trees, and not tap them for a year. I ask the Lord if that was what He wanted me to do the next season. As I prayed more about it, I felt like the Lord wanted me to do even more, and take a year off farming and growing for the restaurant. The only thing I had peace to grow that season, was garlic and potatoes, in order to continue to maintain the seed stock.

I went to the chef, that I had been growing for for many years, and asked him if he could bless me to take a season off to rest the land. His reaction was immediately "what are you going to do"? In other words, how are you going to provide for your family? After I assured him the Lord would provide, he gave me his blessing. I told him since I was letting him down by having to find someone to fulfill what I would typically grow, I would understand if he gave the account to someone else from then on.

One of my favorite quotes is: "until you allow God, to put you in a place, that unless He acts, you will be an utter failure, you will not see the power of God". I enjoy it when God does this in my life, if I truly know it is Him that has put me there.

Something you would need to understand about my life, is that I never have advertised any of my businesses I have had in the last 25 years. When I was a carpenter, I just depended on word of mouth and the Lord orchestrating jobs according to His plan. I never lacked work, and it always seemed to fall in place, the amount he wanted me to do. When I made the transition into farming, there was a point that no more carpentry work was coming in. The phone was silent. Then all these years later, without telling anyone what was happening, my phone started to ring again, just like before. This was about two weeks after I was settled in my mind that that is what the Lord wanted.

In fact something that was truly amazing, was that a remodel job I had done many years earlier, had a pipe burst and flood the cottage badly. The owner didn’t know what he was going to do, because I had done all custom cedar trim throughout. He thought I was farming and wouldn’t be available. I was able to totally restore the work I had previously done, during this time away from farming. This really worked to build my faith and confidence in hearing God's voice.

After the land had been rested, my phone stopped ringing again and the chef was really excited I was going to grow again the next season. He had a really difficult time trying to find someone to replace what I had been doing for him.

These kinds of experiences have really helped me to develop a confidence in my Heavenly Father. A confidence in discerning His voice, and a confidence in knowing He will always provide, if I am faithful to do His will.

Often times people will ask me how I know it is God that is asking something of me. How do I know it is His voice, and not just my own thoughts, or wishes expressing themselves? It comes with spending time with Him. That is the only way you can get to know someone, is by relating to them often.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The key is being diligent to know His voice. If you are, you will know it. Jesus said:

John 10:4-5  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

If you don’t have a clarity in understanding God’s voice, it could be because you have not really had a strong desire to spend time with Him. That is not meant to put you down. But rather to spur you on, to diligently seek Him. I had an experience many years ago that I want to share with you, that I think will help you understand where I am coming from. This is definitely outside most peoples boxes, but that’s ok.

Hungering To Hear God’s Voice

When I was in my twenties, I was helping out at a Bible camp here in Northern Michigan. It was a very special place that God used in my early growth as a Christian. I had been helping in the kitchen, and had some time to take a break from the schedule. I decided to take a walk around the lake that the camp owned. As I left the dining hall and headed towards the lake, I had an incredible spiritual hunger inside of me. The only way I could express it at the time, was that I wanted to understand how Jesus knew how to do the will of the Father moment by moment. He obviously heard the Father’s voice very clearly. I was hungry to hear my Father’s voice that clearly as well. So as I began to walk, I was just begging God to give me a glimpse of what it would be like to be directed by Him moment by moment. Truly walking in the Spirit.

So as I began to walk, I met one of the camps full time staff coming out of the chapel. He saw me and asked me if I was heading down to the lake. I told him I was, and he asked me if I would be willing to walk down to the end of the lake to get a row boat that had drifted down there. I told him I would be glad to. As I left the man and started to walk, I felt like the Lord was telling me that this is how He speaks to us at times, through other believers and through those in authority. Even as I am on the schedule in the kitchen, performing the tasks that the head cook had me doing. I can still walk in the Spirit and be sensitive to how I do my job and if what I am saying is truly edifying those around me.

As I made my way down the beautiful trail, I just continued to pour my heart out to the Lord. Asking Him to show me how Jesus was able to discern moment by moment what His will was. As I got down towards the end of the lake where the boat was, I felt like the Lord wanted me to pray for the weather. It had been cloudy and cool, sometimes raining. At a Bible camp that can make programing difficult, when everyone is staying inside. So I stopped a moment and said a very simple prayer asking the Lord to make it possible for the campers to be outside.

After I prayed I got in the row boat and started rowing down the lake. The camp is on a long skinny lake. There are two sides of the camp. One on west side, the other on east side. I had been working on east side. I had to row past west side, to get to the east side docks, where I was taking the boat. The whole way down the lake I was just continuing to plead with the Lord to help me understand His leading. As I was going by west side, the thought came to me to drop off the row boat on west side, and get a peddle boat to take to east side. I just kept rowing and just blew it off. Continuing to beg God to understand how to hear His voice.

As I pulled up to the east side dock, there were several woman standing there. I ask them if I could help them. They told me they came down to use a peddle boat, but they saw that they were all over at west side. I couldn’t believe my ears, I just dropped my head. Here I was begging God to help me hear His voice, and I had totally ignored it as I was pleading with Him.

I helped the ladies to get into another boat, and stood on the shore feeling like I had failed. Can you imagine the reaction of those woman, if they had seen me drop off the row boat and bring them a peddle boat? But that is not what happened. As I stood there on that shore something very precious happened. God’s presence became real and close, and I could sense His love for me. He wasn’t upset with me, quite the opposite. He told me that it meant so much to Him that I was asking, and wanted to know His voice. I just stood there with tears in my eyes. To this day it is still one of the most precious times I have experienced with the Lord. He did not want me to give up.

So I asked Him where I should go next. I felt like He was sending me to the archery range. As I walked to the range, I was thinking about how I could help retrieve arrows for the campers. When I got to the range there was no one there. I just stood there and Satan was just going on and on about how crazy this was trying to follow God’s voice. Then I saw two men walking towards me. When they got to me, they told me that they were just going to look for me. God had placed me right in their path. After I talked with them for awhile they departed, and I stood there talking with the Lord. This is when He got firm with me. He told me to never add to what He tells me to do. I had put a construct on what it would be like at the archery range, and what I would be doing. Because of that, Satan had been able to try to discourage me. All He had said was for me to go to the range.

So I ask the Lord where He wanted me to go next. I felt like He wanted me to go back to the dining hall. I wasn’t back on the schedule yet, but I was just going to simply obey this time. As I came through the dining hall doors, the head cook immediately came to me all excited. She said I had come just in time. There were huge pots of boiling potatoes that had to be very carefully removed from the stove and poured into one of the sinks. She had specifically trained me to do this. It can be very dangerous with that much boiling water. She told me she had been worried, because I was off the schedule and she didn’t want to ask anyone else to do it. The Lord had brought me back at the very moment she needed me. So I gladly took the time to help with the potatoes. Just to give you an idea of the quantity, we did real mashed potatoes for three hundred people.

After I was done with the potatoes, I went and stood with a close friend and shared with him what I had been experiencing. He was like “what is God telling you to do now?!” I prayed about it, and it seemed He wanted me to go visit the camp founder. He was a dear old brother, that had sowed many important seeds in my life. If you know who George Müller (If you touch on his name, it will take you to Wikipedia) was, you will understand something of this man’s faith. He had been dealing with a very painful rash of shingles. I went to see him, and the Lord gave me some very encouraging things to share with him. As we were talking, his brother came in from the other room and said we needed to look outside. We went outside, and the sky over camp was pure blue. There were clouds everywhere else. It remained that way for the afternoon.

As I walked back to the dining hall, because it was time for me to be back on the schedule, I questioned whether the weather change was because of my prayer. This was the other time He was firm with me. He told me not to pray in faith, and then doubt.

I was so thankful to the Lord for all that He had done for those few hours. I know to most Christians this seems crazy, and way outside their box. But believe me the Lord LONGS for you to want to know His will and voice.

If we have asked His forgiveness for our sins, and repented of living our own lives, and walking in our own dead works. And we have been truly born again, and filled with His Spirit, given specific Spiritual Gifts to help edify those that we come into contact with. He hasn’t done all that for nothing. No He wants to live in you, He desires too manifest Himself through you to a lost and dying world. Living and Walking by Faith is as good as it gets! Nothing can even begin to compare.

As I was writing this the Lord brought to my mind a story my dad had told me many times as I was growing up. Maybe this will help you understand why I have been open to the Lord in this way.

Having A Godly Heritage

Back during the great depression, my dad’s grandfather had a very unusual experience. During the early part of the great depression, they had a neighbor come over and ask for enough money to buy a stamp. My great grandfather had commented to his family that he couldn’t believe that things had gotten so bad for some that they couldn’t afford a stamp. Well it wasn’t long and my great grandfather found out what it was like. There was almost no food in the house. It was a winter day, and he had spent the morning in prayer and reading his bible. The Lord told him to have one of his sons hitch up the team of horses and stand next to the house. The son obeyed and just stood there in the driveway, as the snow was coming down. Some time had passed, and a car came down the road in front of the house and slid into a ditch. The man that owned the car was very wealthy, one of the first to own a car in the area. He had a very important meeting to get too, and came and asked if they could use the team of horses to pull his car out. They went right away and pulled it out. The man gave my great grandfather $15 for helping him. That was a lot of money back then. From then on my great grandfather’s home had what it needed.

Hearing this story from my youth, had an impact upon me. I have a couple of memories of meeting this great grandfather when I was quite young. He was a very nice, gentle man. I wish I had been able to spend more time with him. But I grew up knowing I had a godly ancestor that knew the Lord’s voice, and obeyed Him. The Lord reminds me of this promise:

Deuteronomy 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Because some of my ancestors have known and loved the Lord, there has been a blessing sent forth for many generations. I have been able to be a recipient, or partaker of that blessing. This is clearly why I expect that God will speak to me, and lead me by His Spirit.

Lord willing some of my descendants will continue to be recipients as well. Many of my children (I have eight) desire to serve the Lord, but one of my daughters in particular, has been sensitive to God’s voice, since she was very young.

God doesn’t have grandchildren though. So each of our descendants have to have a passion to serve the Lord, and live off their own personal faith and relationship with the Lord.

God desires to take us into situations that we need Him, and can rely on Him. Sometimes He will share with us specific scriptures that tell us what His will is. But sometimes He will speak to us through our thoughts, telling us to do very specific things, like exchanging boats. Remember unless we become as little children, we cannot even enter His Kingdom. A little child understands that they are dependent on their parents. If they know that their parents love them, and want the best for them, it is so much easier for them. If it isn’t easy for you to trust your Heavenly Father, or be dependent on Him, let that be an indication that you have not seen Him for the loving and caring parent that He truly is. He really does want the very best for you, and it doesn’t get any better than to live a life that the world can see His Light shining through you, as you allow Him to do things that only He could pull off, and He can get the glory for. God bless you, as you seek to hear His voice, and walk in His Spirit!

2nd Corinthians 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.