To Hear God, Get Near God

To Hear God, Get Near God.
by Rick Warren


Noah was a righteous man ... and he walked in close fellowship with God. Genesis 6:9 (NLT)
Walking with God means saying, 'God, I'm going in your direction, not my direction. I'm going at your pace, just as fast or slow as you tell me.'

This week we're looking at some of the pitfalls you will face as you chase your dreams during the decade of Destiny. Yesterday we talked about the voices of doubt, those DreamBusters in your life. Today I want to continue that discussion and talk about the antidote to those voices.

Noah built the ark in faith. "He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before." Hebrews 11:7a (NLT) How did he believe these things that had never happened before would actually happen?

Because he could hear God. Noah could hear God. So how do you do that? You say, 'I want to trust God, but I don't hear him'. To hear God you've got to get near God. You don't hear God when you got the TV on. You don't hear God when you are listening to your iPod. You don't hear God when you are listening to the radio. You don't hear God when your mind is filled with a thousand other distractions. You've got to get alone with God and be quiet.

The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God." That means sit down and shut up. That's how you hear God and get near to God. You got to sit alone and just be quiet with your Bible, and say, 'God, is there anything you want to say to me'? You read God's Word and you talk to him about what's on your heart.

You hear God by getting near God. The Bible calls this walking with God. Noah walked in close fellowship with God. If you want to hear God, you've got to walk with him and, in the next ten years, that means saying, 'God, I'm going in your direction, not my direction. I'm going at your pace, just as fast or slow as you tell me.'

What is the result of walking with God? You fear nothing. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. (Psalm 23) Why? Because when God is near, you lose your fear.

If you are fearful about your future, you are not walking with the Lord.
If you are fearful about your finances, you are not walking with the Lord.
If you are fearful about your marriage, you are not walking with the Lord.
Because the more your life is filled with the love of God, the less fear you have in your life. Love and fear cannot operate in the same heart at the same time.

Pray -- God, I want to listen to you, not the voices of doubt. I want to hear you and I promise to then obey you. I want to be one of the people that you can use and bless in the next ten years. I want those years to be a Decade of Destiny for me and my family.