Deeper Still :: Beth Moore

The last speaker of the weekend, was the highly anticipated Beth Moore. She has a way of hitting you hard while still speaking in such an upbeat manner. She is truly captivating. She'll make you laugh, cry and search your heart. Her teaching style was frank, relateable, comedic--completely enthralling. I was on the edge of my seat throughout her talk. She spoke on discerning the voice of God. On how to, not only know if it is God you are hearing, but on how to discipher what it is He's telling you. Here's what I got from her teachings as well as the passages she referenced.

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot), said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

-John 14.15-27

God promised to be with us always. To lead us, to teach us, to show us His will. All we need to do is listen, not to the outside world, but to His voice. We need to not just hear Him, but to truly listen. If you are not living in His word, obeying the laws He has set forth in the bible, you will not hear Him. Follow in the laws He has set for you and His light will shine upon your path. If you spend time daily with Him, spend time in His book, really divulge yourself in His teachings, His words will ring loud and clear for you.

Some of His disciples said to one another, "What does He mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?"

-John 16.17

As humans, we're going to have doubts. It's in our nature. It's how you handle these doubts and fears that matters. Will you let them chip away at your faith? Will you turn them to God? Will you go to His word for reassurance?

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" Isaiah 64.4 but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" Isaiah 40.13 But we have the mind of Christ.

-1st Corinthians 2.6-16

You can have the highest IQ of anyone you know, and still be lacking in spiritual knowledge. Only when you lay your judgement in the bible, will you gain spiritual discernment. By living in His word, you will gain the ability to know what you cannot humanly know.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth -- men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings -- what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

-2nd Timothy 3.1-13

To follow the ways of men is to turn from God. These evil ways may seem intriguing and may give you earthly pleasure, but indulging in these sinful lifestyles will be in exchange for your eternal life in heaven. Is a moment of pleasure worth sacrificing eternal bliss? All Christians will be persecuted -- in some way. You may not be stoned or hung or beaten, but as a devout Christ-follower you will face opposition.

A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

-Ephesians 3.20

God already knows. He knows your heart. He knows what you've done. He knows what you're thinking. He knows where your devotion lies. He knows what you will do. He knows what will happen to you. He knows all.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

-2nd Timothy 3.14

Who are you learning from? Are you taking advice from your neighbor down the street? A co-worker? An old friend? Are you taking heed of what the Lord has said. Of the words He has spoken. Of what He wants out of your life?

Brothers, I could not address you as spirtual but as wordly -- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

-1st Corinthians 3.1-3

It's not just about reading through the bible and memorizing key verses. You need to live in His word. Adhere to His laws. Listen to what His will is for you and then follow it.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

-Phillipians 1.9-10

When you love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind, you will take heed to His directions. You will live in His word and you will follow in His ways.

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

-Obadiah 1.3

Imposters will multiply as we get closer to the kingdom of heaven. Do not confuse the voices of man with the voice of God. Do not let your pride stop you from hearing the words of the Lord. Do not let your fear take you from the path of God.

"All this I have spoken while still with you."

-John 14.25

God is talking to you. Can you hear Him? Are you listening?

There are two dimensions of spiritual revelation we desperately need. Divine revelation in our human encounters and divine revelation in Christ encounters. How do you differentiate God's voice from satans?

How do you know if you can trust what you're sensing? Ask yourself these questions ::

- am I a critical or suspicious person by nature?

- am I jealous or do I feel threatened?

- do I have anything selfish to gain from the outcome?

- are my emotions clouding my discernment?

If you answered yes to any of these questions,, these are things you need to work through with God before you can gain spiritual discernment.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

-Hebrews 12.1-2

Turn your eyes from earthly temptations and set them upon God. Run to Him with all your heart. Look to Him for everything in your life. Look to Him with everything that is within you. He will show you His way.

When looking for spiritual discernment, judge the situation not the person. Remember that it's not only about obedience, you also need a relationship with God. You need to walk in the Spirit. This is a purposeful choice, you cannot accidentally walk in the Spirit. A godly person will seek Him out. Trust in Him because the Holy Spirit is steady.

Can you put trust in your spiritual gut?