Bible Study with the Cincotti’s – Hearing God- 11/02/2025
Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti.
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Hearing God audio Podcast
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Hearing God
“So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Rm. 10:17
Regarding the above verse, Pr. Jeff Haynor has recently pointed out that, “faith comes by hearing, not having heard.” It is a present tense experience. Doesn’t it make sense that the Creator of the universe, clearly the higher being, would communicate with those who He has called His children? We are quick to affirm and confess that the Bible, the closed cannon of inspired Scripture, is a paramount means that God uses to convey His truth, and His plan to His kids. Any other form of communication must be held up to this standard to pass the authenticity test. God does not contradict Himself. But does God speak to us directly and personally?
Bouncing around between our ears are many thoughts that mingle with infused information. The sources for this information seem endless, like the many rivers and tributaries that empty into the sea. Dr. Henry W. Wright, in his book, Exposing the Spiritual Roots of Disease, asks the question, where do thoughts come from? He suggests three sources; from God, from our own imagination, and from Satan. I would add a fourth source; from the world around us, but that could be a subcategory of any of the other three. Suffice to say that we are all receiving information in the form of language, from outside sources. It would seem important to be aware of what we are listening to.
Jesus says, in Mt. 11:15, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The implication here is that we would not just hear, but really hear; drink in what He is saying, embrace it, store it, process it, remember it and use it. James says we should be, “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;” (Js. 1:19) suggesting that when we speak to quickly after hearing, without rightly processing it, we get ourselves in trouble.
The truth is that every born again believer is hearing from God. The Holy Spirit is speaking to, often in the form of instruction, your new creation man (your spirit man) so that it may instruct your soul and flesh. Paul says, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
I Co. 2:13. Finally, Jesus says, “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” Jn. 16:13. These are important Scriptures that affirm that God is speaking. He is a speaking God.
Problems arise to contend with this understanding when people say things like…”Well, I don’t think that I hear from God” or “how come I don’t hear an audible voice?” or “God stopped speaking at the close of the Scriptures.” None of this has to do with God speaking personally to you. It has more to do with your ability and determination to hear. I assure you that every preacher in a pulpit today has heard from some source and if He is preaching truth in agreement with the Scripture, then he believes that he has heard from God. If he hasn’t then it might be time to find another church. Our personal disability is more connected with us distinguishing between the multiple sources. First and foremost we must know God’s word to determine if it aligns, and then we must apply discernment to grasp how it applies to us in the moment.
We must all settle the simple fact that God loves us and wants us to flourish in this life before graduating to the next. He has promised never to forsake or abandon us in any way. His Spirit dwells in us and, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Ps. 23:3. We may not always find a Scripture that applies to every situation of life. We will always find principles in Scripture to guide us, but there is some decision making for which we need a now word. James confirms this when he says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him.” Js. 1:5. He goes on to say, “Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Js. 4:2,3
Not receiving is not so much an issue of poor asking, but of poor hearing. We frequently ask God for something or for some answer and then fail to genuinely wait upon Him for an answer so we forge ahead with our plan anyway. Worse yet, we may hear the answer and not like it so we convince ourselves that it’s not from God. An example of the first is King Saul making an unlawful sacrifice without waiting for Samuel, in I Sam. 13:9. An example of the second is King Ahab, in I kings 22:7-8, “And Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?’ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.’”
Hearing from God is no small matter. We must cultivate a sense of hearing from Him. Jesus said, “he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee for him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jn. 10:2-5
We must recognize the voice of Satan and shut it down. To “know” in the above passage from John, means to intimately know. We must never be intimately acquainted with the voice of the adversary as Eve was. In II Cor. 2:11, Paul says, “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” And James again weighs in with, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Js. 4:8
Language is the vehicle for building relationships. Agreement or disagreement is formed through the free exchange of ideas. Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” As we mature in faith and become more familiar with God’s recorded word it’s more evident as to the source of thoughts that park in our imaginations. Entertaining unrighteous thoughts is like agreeing with the devil. God says, I can’t go there with you. It’s not as if He leaves us, because in spite of Amos 3:3 God never has abandoned Israel, but by toying with unrighteousness we take ourselves out from under the covering of His protection and blessing.
The soulish realm is the tipping point. What you feed and invest in there will determine the course of your life. James says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” Js. 1:14,15
A healthy thought life precipitates righteousness and fruitfulness in every aspect of life. Paul encourages this in Ph. 4:8,9, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Paul, again, this time in II Cor. 10:5 says, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” The Holy Spirit is speaking to your spirit to guide and direct your soul. When they are in disagreement, the flesh does what it wants.
In his book, Living Fearless, Jamie Winship writes, “After witnessing Jesus’s constant communication with the Father and the ensuing results, a normal person has got to ask, ‘Can you teach me to do that?’” His disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” He gave them words to stimulate a conversation with the Father.
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