Our God is Always Speaking…
God reveals Himself to us in many ways. I hear the voice of God primarily through His creation, through His written word, and by the whispers of the Holy Spirit to my heart.
Years ago as I was spending time in prayer with some of the staff at the church, this thought rushed into my mind. It was seven words:
“You will lead a ministry of honor.”
The first time it flew into my mind seemed like a distraction from our prayers. I was trying to pray, and so I squinted harder and tried to focus more on listening to my teammates and agreeing with them in what they were asking God for in prayer.
Within fifteen seconds, the same seven words popped into my head again. The thought came in a consistent, peaceful pace, not rushed or frantic.
I thought, surely, since this was a thought that was running loose in my mind without any effort on my part, it must be the voice of the enemy distracting me from something as holy and good as praying.
Then I started praying silently, telling the enemy I was resisting him and that he had to leave me alone. James 4:7 says:
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
I knew at that point, just giving those thoughts an eviction notice from my mind would quiet things down.
Thirty seconds later, the calm thought once again landed softly in my mind.
“You will lead a ministry of honor.”
This time I realized that this was God speaking to me. I knew it wasn’t my own thought. I had also prayed and resisted the enemy of my soul who seeks to distract us from praying. (He really hates it when we pray.)
My first thought had been misguided and uninformed. Now I thought, “Wow, God wants me to do senior adult ministry? I’m a youth pastor in my late 20’s!” My only recollection of honor in that moment was to “honor your elders”.
Seeking Jesus for Clarification.
So, I simply prayed to Jesus and said, “I don’t know what that means, but I’m going to seek you in the midst of trying to understand what you are saying.” Searching out Bible verses about honor and praying more about how it fit into the youth ministry I was leading became a priority. I bought and borrowed books on the subject. I began a journey of asking more mature spiritual leaders about the concept of honor as we sat over coffee or anywhere I might find myself in their company.
It was like a treasure hunt where every time I turned the corner someone was teaching about honor. I saw the concept of honor on display in different places. I also became painfully aware of the many examples of dishonor in our world. The illustration of honor was so much before my eyes, it was like the experience you have when you buy a white car and all of a sudden it seems like you see white cars everywhere in places you never noticed before.
The value of honor became a core value. It is something I carry with me into every ministry situation, modelling it and influencing environments with this aspect of the atmosphere of heaven. The blessing of walking in honor as a leader exponentially blessed the ministry I was leading and prepared me for future challenges.
Those seven words, "You will lead a ministry of honor” had been a Rhema word from God to my heart.
Logos and Rhema: How Are They Different?
Rhema words are God’s immediate words for your present situation, and to prepare you for what is to come. The word Rhema appears in the Bible 70 times. This form of God’s word is different from the written “Logos” Word of God in the Holy Scriptures which appears 331 times.
The Rhema word is a powerful word for the moment that is necessary for us and it is generally perceived in the right brain. Rhema are thoughts that are more spontaneous in nature.
The Logos (Bible) is content that gives us an absolute standard against which to measure all “truth.” It is our safeguard to keep us from error, and our instruction manual for life. Our minds perceive and take in the content of the Logos as a left brain function.
“For the word (Logos) of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
The Logos is compared to a sword that cuts through all of our defenses and divides what is right from what is wrong. It is God-breathed (inspired) as Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Paul takes this metaphor again in Ephesians and ties it to the Rhema words of God.
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (Rhema) of God.” - Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)
In this verse we are to take the sword of the Spirit (the written Word of God), and as we experience it, the Holy Spirit will cause the Rhema (immediate word to us) to jump off the page to help us clarify His message.
I’m so thankful that God is still speaking in a dozen or more ways! He has always longed to have conversations and spend time with humans. We are His beloved! We know from Malachi 3:6 that God says, “I the Lord, do not change.” Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, so we can be confident that God is still speaking to our hearts through his Rhema words today.
We will experience new aspects of His love.
Our job is to learn how to discern when it is God speaking, and then follow through in obedience. When we do follow His leading and promptings, we will see the rewards of spiritual fruit: peace, joy, increased hope and faith, and new awareness of His love for us.
As we continue to talk about hearing God’s Rhema words this Sunday, I want to invite you to just take a breath, quiet your heart, and ask the Holy Spirit:
“What thought do you want to put in my mind today? Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
This concludes my series about the ways God speaks to us. If you missed part one or two, please look on our Neighborhood Church Facebook page for or click below:
I look forward to seeing you in church this week. Our Sunday Worship Service in the Dome begins at 10:00 a.m.
You can also live stream our 10:00 a.m. service on Facebook and YouTube.
If you missed last week's message Unforced Rhythms of Grace #6 - "The Posture of Listening" click here.
Need encouragement? Text the word Encourage to 530.296.3689 to receive an encouraging scripture or quote from me several times a week that is sent right to your phone.
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