If You Want to Hear the Voice of God, Listen to This - Apostle Joshua Selman

I'm teaching this afternoon on the voice of God. I want you to please pay attention because I believe that in addition to all that you have learned, phenomenal speakers, that this is one teaching that for many of us will be an answer to age-long prayers. For many of us this will bring perspective and confidence to your walk with God. The voice of God. Psalm 29. Let's start from verse 3. Psalm 29 from verse 3. It says, the voice of God is upon the waters. The God of glory We're reading to 9. The Lord is upon many waters. Verse 4. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars. Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf. Lebanon and Syrian like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divided the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness. The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The last verse. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve and discovereth the forest. And in his temple doth everyone speak of his glory. One more scripture. Ezekiel chapter 43 from verse 1 and 2. Ezekiel 43. Afterwards he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh towards the east. Verse 2. And behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east and his voice was like the noise of many waters and the earth shined with his glory. The Bible is very clear as to the fact that the kingdom life was so designed that the advancement and the progress of the believer largely principally depends on his ability to be led of God of the Spirit. The faith life was designed by God such that there is no possibility for meaningful progress outside of the voice of God. Hallelujah. The believer was designed to continually depend on the voice of God for leadership and for direction. So even Jesus when he came in the flesh he was very very vocal as to his need for the leadership of the Spirit. The Bible would tell us that after his baptism the Spirit drove him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Then the says he returned in the power of the Spirit. Hallelujah. Probably one of the greatest psalms that we know, Psalm 23, is a very profound psalm of David because it captures the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the implication or the leadership of God generally speaking. It says, let's look at it. The Lord is my shepherd. He says, I shall not want. He makes me. Notice now this same Lord being my shepherd. He makes me. He leads me. Verse 3. He restores. He leads me. Verse 4. He guides me. You see so there is leadership. There is guidance. There is making all by this great shepherd. It therefore means that if you do not understand the voice of God and the nature of his leadership, you may be stunted in a position spiritually and it will affect every other aspect of your life. Hallelujah. There are many believers today who have not been able to walk in the fullness of their prophetic destinies. Not because of rebellion but the inability to hear and to understand the speakings of God. Understanding the communications of God therefore is a very very important pursuit for any serious believer. Hallelujah. In fact the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 8 and verse 14 that one of the seals of our sonship is that we have the ability to be led for as many he says that are led by the Spirit of God. They are the sons of God. Are we still together? There seems to be a great confusion as to the concept of the voice of God. The average believer understands the implication of being led by God but it seems that largely in the body of Christ there's serious confusion. Our lives and our results or the lack of it clearly show that there is something about this subject that has not been properly understood. Hallelujah. And so I'm hoping that within the times that we'll have to share that God will grant us clarity and understanding as to the concept of his voice. If you believe that please shout a loud amen. What exactly is the voice of God? The Bible talks about the voice of God but what does it mean? Now please look up. The concept of voice is not limited to the speakings of God alone. This is the first thing I want you to understand. The Bible generically uses the expression voice but then it is not limited to the vocal communications or the speakings of God. Are we together? When we talk about the voice of God it represents, you may write this down if you're writing, it represents all the spiritual channels and the pathways that God uses to communicate his will and his intent. Let me take it again. That the concept of the voice of God is not limited to the speakings of God alone but that it represents all the spiritual channels. The voice of God represents all the spiritual channels and pathways he uses to communicate his will and intent. If you're writing, underline the word spiritual channels, underline the word will and intent. That is very important because the whole idea behind the voice of God or the communications of God is to make his will and his intent known. Please look up. Please look up. I need you to understand that the power of God which is responsible for all the possibilities we enjoy in this kingdom. Are we together? The power of God is the principal sponsor for every result that we enjoy in this kingdom but the power of God has jurisdictions for operation. It does not operate arbitrarily. The power of God was mandated by God to only function within the jurisdiction of his will and his intent. That means outside of the will and the power of God, I mean the will and the intent of God, the power of God does not have any assignment. The assignment of the power of God is to make the will and the intent of the father come to pass. That means you only call for the attention of the power of God to the degree to which you are consistent with the will of God. It's important you understand this. The administration of the power of God only functions and finds expression within the jurisdiction of his will. It says when you pray, you pray that your kingdom come. How? By your will being done in earth as it in heaven. Are we still together? That means if you cannot discern, perceive or receive the will and the intent of God, you may never be able to experience the possibilities of God. This is why the voice of God is so important because his power follows his voice. You are the one that we praise. You are the one we adore. You give the healing and grace that our hearts always hunger for. Oh our hearts always hunger for. Are we following so far? So we have established the fact that the concept of the voice of God is not limited to his speakings, his vocal communications alone, but that it's a holistic capture of all the channels and the pathways that God uses to communicate his will and his intent. Please say after me will. Say after me intent. One more time, say will. Say intent. The entire scope of the dealings of God with man centers around these two words, his will and his intent. The purpose of spiritual communication from God to man is to make accessible to man the will and the intent of God. Hallelujah. So for this session, we'll look at how God speaks. How exactly does God speak? Because there are many believers who are at a loss as to how God speaks or how God communicates. The Bible reveals several channels that have been used by God to communicate his will and his intent that we generically call the voice of God. In fact, Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1, it says, God who in sundry times and diverse manners speak. Take note of that. Diverse manners speak. God who in sundry times and diverse manners speak in time passed to the fathers by the prophets have in these last days spoken to us. So you see different channels, sundry times, diverse manners, he speak. Now he has spoken to us through his son. So there are many channels for spiritual communication. I'm not discussing them, but let me just list a few of them for your knowledge. Number one, the Bible teaches that the primary channel for God's communication as far as his intent is concerned is the Holy Scripture. Please write. So the scripture is the principal channel. It is amazing that the scripture that we have represents the voice of God. Are we together? And that from a child thou has known the Holy Scripture, which is able to make you wise unto salvation, it says. The Holy Scripture. Number two, dreams, visions, and supernatural encounters. The Bible is very clear as to the fact that God uses dreams, visions, and supernatural encounters to communicate his intent. We see this scattered from Genesis to Revelation, whether it is for Abraham, whether it is for Joseph, the father, the earthly father of Jesus. Hallelujah. Whether it is for Pharaoh revealing that seven years would come with plenty and seven years would come with famine. All of these prophetic encounters, dreams, visions, supernatural encounters. Number three, the prophetic now proper. The prophetic. I think that should be Hosea chapter 12 and verse 10. I hope I'm right on that. It says, I have spoken to you by the prophets. So God speaks by the prophets. The prophetic is a channel for his communication. Is someone learning now? I have multiplied visions, he says. Let's finish the scripture. I have used similitudes even by the ministry of the prophets. Number four, another channel for spiritual communication is called the knowing or the witness of the spirit. Fathers of faith who have joined the cloud of witnesses like Papa Hagen would talk a lot about the knowing of the spirit. The Bible says the spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons or the children of God. There is a knowing the spirit can bear witness with your spirit. Hallelujah. There are many other channels but at least this one is just to be able to guide our understanding to see that when we are talking about the voice of God, I repeat again that the voice of God is not limited to the vocabulary communications of God like we know. Our concept of voice means sound that comes from the lips or the mouth of a man. But I'm telling you now that in dealing with spiritual communications, the most important thing is the transference of his will and his intent to the believer. That means at the end of whatever you call hearing God, if the will and the intent of God does not get to you, it's not God that you heard. It doesn't matter how spiritual, it doesn't matter how flamboyant, we convert your hearing God not by the accuracy of what you think, not by the charismatism that happened. Remember there can be sound and rain but then the voice may not be there. The proof of accurate hearing is that we see that your life evolves into the will and the intent of God with exactitude and precision. Are we together? So how does God speak? What is the language of God? Does he have a language? Alleluia. While I was in the green room, I was enjoying the praise and the worship except that for, largely for it, I really didn't understand what, you know, from a cultural standpoint now. I was enjoying it of course but I didn't know the meaning of the words because, for instance, I'm not Yoruba by earthly, you know, my earthly connection now. So there are languages. If I speak something in Yoruba now, I expect most or all Yoruba people to be able to respond. Is that true? So what is the language of God? If we are talking about the communications of God, does he speak Greek? Does he speak Hebrew? Does he speak English? What is the language of God? You will test what you are hearing now against many things you have been calling God said. So you said you had God. What exactly did you hear? You should have the confidence to answer this question. What did you hear? For someone who said God told me, I think it's time to move left. So does God speak English? Does God speak French? It is amazing that every nation hears God. So what exactly does he tell them? Please pay attention now. Are we together? The language of God is not Greek, it's not Hebrew, it's not English, it's not Yoruba. In fact, the Bible tells us Paul was speaking in 1 Corinthians 13 verse 1 that there are the language or tongues of men and tongues of angels. So we know that there are languages even in the realm of the spirit. But I guarantee you by the integrity of scripture that none of these is the language of God. It does not mean that he cannot communicate through these channels, but that is not the language of God. The language of God is not vocabulary. The language of God is light. Please write it down. The language of God is light. First John chapter 1 and verse 5 already tells us that God himself is light. This is the message he says which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light. Not God has light. God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If it is true that he is light, then everything that emanates from him must be light. Are we together? Psalm 119 verse 130. Psalm 119. Are we still together please? The Bible says the entrance of thy word give it what? It didn't say it give it information. The entrance of thy word. Just follow me carefully. The entrance of thy words give it light. Then there is another kind of giving again. It now gives understanding. But leave the issue of understanding. The first thing it gives is light. That means once that light does not arrive, there is no possibility of understanding. The entrance of thy word give it light. Is someone learning? Matthew chapter 17 and verse 5. The language of God is light. The Bible says this was at the transfiguration that while he yet speak behold a bright cloud overshadowed them and behold a voice out of the cloud which said this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Then he says hear ye him. My question is were they not listening? So what did he mean by hear him? You would hear the Bible say again and again that he that hath an ear. Now remember he was talking to people who were created in God's image. So what kind of ear is this? That he that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit sayeth to the churches. Are we together? I want to explain to you something very powerful now and I'm praying in the name of Jesus the son of the living God that your spirit will be alive to receive. I stand by the integrity of the Lord to tell you this. If you understand what I'm teaching you now, it will shift the climate of your spiritual experience to new dimensions and to new horizons. Are we together? I have established the fact that the goal of the speakings of God, listen carefully, is not just to supply information but to supply his intent and his will. Is it possible to have two gentlemen? Please any two gentlemen please come. Thank you. Just stand here. Everyone please watch. You stand here sir. You stand here sir. Face me. Now all of you watch this. Anything I ask you to do, I want you to try to do it. Decipher whatever you think I'm saying. Are we following? Oh dear, I'm not. What did I say? I said I should come. What did I say? You asked me to move forward. From a vocal standpoint, this one interpreted what I said as what? Calm. This one interpreted what I said as what? But both of them got the intent of my communication. Are you seeing that now? Please go back again. Watch this. What did I say? He said come forward and go left. What did I say? Come again, spread out. Look at this. So now, if this is the only mentor you have to learn the speakings of God, you are already in trouble because you are limited to his vocal expression or his perception of the intents of God. Are we together now? Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down. Let's pray in the spirit for one minute. Someone is rising in the spirit, following from across the nations of the earth. Light is coming for you now. Years of confusion being demystified in the presence of God. Hallelujah. Now watch this. So back to our example. This gentleman, based on his perception of what I said, he said calm. So if he's to write a book to document this event, he will say and God said calm. When you now read this one, he will say and God said step forward. You now see why there's a synoptic gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, an attempt to capture the speakings of God from... Listen, listen to me. This is very powerful. Both of them are right, except that it is a risk to absolutely depend on their perception to understand God. The most important thing is not their linguistic prowess or their vocal ability. That can help, but I am satisfied working with any of them because my intent and my will was successfully transferred. Are we together? When you study communication now in English or mass communication, they teach you that the goal of speaking, whether it's a verbal or non-verbal communication, that the goal is to transfer the thoughts of the speaker to the audience or the listener, the final recipient. Am I right on that? So sometimes you may need to use the power of imagery. Sometimes you may need to use linguistic communication prowess. Sometimes you may need to use your hands, like for people who are deaf and dumb. How do you tell those who are deaf and dumb that while you are laughing, they are laughing too? What did they understand by what you said? Because while you are laughing, they are also laughing. They are not at a loss at all as far as communicating your intent is concerned. It then means, listen carefully, that the language of God cannot be what this man said. It cannot be what this man said, although everything they said captured his will. Are we together? Thank you, gentlemen. So I said that the language of God is light, but let me explain very quickly, what is the dynamics of spiritual communication? How does that light become understanding to the believer? For you to understand this, you need to understand the spiritual composition, the design of man. The Bible very clearly tells us that man is spirit. Man does not have a spirit. Man is spirit because God is spirit. Are we together? And that spirit is hosted in a body. And that body and that spirit are incompatible because of the realms that they come from. The spirit is from above. This body was made from the so there is no system of compatibility. Are we together? Now the mind comes, that solitcal component made up of the will, the emotions, the intellect. That is what creates the bridge between the spirit and the body. The body is an instrument of execution. Are we together now? That means that which the spirit desires through the faculties of the mind, you are able to execute it. So God communicates his intent captured in his light. Please listen, let me explain to you now. That light is received by your spirit man. Your spirit man would have received that light. But you see, it cannot be profitable to you because at that realm as light, it cannot minister to your mind and your body. There still has to be a technology of conversion so that understanding can come. It is at the point of understanding that faith can be engaged. Is someone following now? There are times that you know your spirit has received something from God. You know by the witness of the spirit and it cannot profit you because you don't even know what to obey. You just know that in the place of prayer, your spirit has received something. All the components that accompany the speakings of God are there. Joy, peace. I know that I've received something, but what exactly have I received? There must be a system of conversion. Now watch this. This is where your mind comes in. In the body of Christ, we have taught people how to grow their spirits, but we have ignored the place of the mind. We have ignored the fact that the mind has a vital role to play in interpreting the speakings of God. Now you are about to see the role play that as robust as your spirit man is, receiving the light that comes from the communications of God will not give you the basis to manifest faith properly if there is something wrong with your mind. The mind consists of the will, the emotions, and the intellect. Now watch this. Your mind through learning, I wrote here, and through environmental conditioning has associated certain words and expression with certain feelings. Let me explain to you what I mean. That through learning, going to school, any kind of education at all, and through your environmental conditioning, you have associated certain words. Are we together now? Certain vocabulary expressions to certain feelings. For instance, if I say ball, you can't think banana because you have associated that object. Are we together now? This is powerful. That means the healthier your mind is, the more it can create the vocabulary expressions that interprets the light you have received. Are we together now? Listen, if you understand this, you will know what happened respectfully speaking to the fathers of old. They received many things from God, but because they ignored transformation, they were not able to interpret the speakings of God with accuracy. So their prophetic actions came with a plethora of error. There was no purity in their interpretation because they ignored the place of transformation. And it's a mistake that many spiritual people are making. They feel it is in contact with God through prayer. They ignore the role that the play in accurately interpreting the speakings of God. I always wondered why Jesus, the word incarnate, when he came in the flesh at age 12, the Bible tells us that he was in the temple. Is that in your Bible? Learning under the Pharisees and the scribes. Why would the word be learning again? No wonder when Satan came, he said, it is. The assignment of your mind, therefore, is to give the light of God for expressions so that understanding can be established. Let me take it again. The assignment of your mind with respect to the speakings of God is to give the light of God that you have received in your so that understanding can be established. In Ephesians chapter 5, I believe verse 16, the Bible tells us we can understand the will of God. Did I get that? 17. Be not therefore unwise but understanding what the will of God is. There is no basis for manifesting faith until and unless there is understanding. If you do not understand the instruction I gave you, how can you obey? Because faith in one word is obedience. Any other thing that is captured in your faith equation, if obedience is missing, you did not manifest Bible faith. If it be thou, bid me come. He only came because he understood what was said. Like my example with the gentleman, remember? You see that their obedience was almost effortless because their understanding was fruitful. That means what many, the laxity in obedience is not necessarily rebellion on your own part. It's that you do not even understand what God is saying. Hallelujah. Yes. The assignment of your mind is to give the light of God that captures his will and his intent to give it vocabulary expressions. Now, watch this. From the example I gave the gentleman, based on their level of intellectual exposure, are we together? Their levels of orientation, that was what was responsible for interpreting what I said. So if this gentleman is more enlightened than this one, chances are excellent that his interpretation will be a lot more intellectual and meticulous because he has an array of options. You will now know why the Bible says to be transformed. Because your transformation puts you in a position where you have an array of scriptural options to accurately interpret that light you receive from your spirit. I presume that everyone here has a phone. This is the same technology that is used. Watch this now. How many of you remember a phone call, what they call it, 3310? Come on, 3310. Have you forgotten so early? Are we together? Now watch this. And then many of you know the concept of MMS. Is that true? There are times when I may want to send you an MMS, maybe a picture saying, I love you, God bless you. And it is captured in pictorial form. Is that true? I can send it to you. Now watch this. The goal is for you to know that I care. Don't forget. The moment I press send, does it leave as a flower? No. It leaves as what? Waves. Notice that. You are not interested in the waves. You are interested in capturing the intent, that flower to give you a feeling of being loved and accepted. But it comes to your phone. Now notice, it will now depend on the configuration of your phone for the accuracy of its interpretation. By the time those waves come into your phone, the quality of your phone can misrepresent what I sent. Is someone learning now? The phone will do its best to use whatever tools are within its reach to interpret what it thinks I sent. And there are times you will be offended over something that should bless you. Could that be what has been your situation with God? That there are many times God is saying, listen, the direction is left. But because of the absence of transformation, you hear something else. When you upgrade that phone to a better phone, you will be surprised that you now see that MMS. Oh, this is what you wanted to say. Now you can respond with joy. So the Bible says, Philippians chapter 2 from verse 5, it says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. There was already a construct, an intelligent word-based construct that even though Jesus was the word incarnate, he paid the price to equip his mind with the requisite vocabulary that interprets the speakings of God with accuracy. And Paul is saying, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Someone can sleep and there's what people call sleep talking. You know that? Where people just say a lot of nonsense while they are sleeping. And if they wake up, they can deny it. Now, chances are excellent that if someone is shouting and talking about say a masquerade or something, someone who lives maybe somewhere in the US who has never seen a masquerade, chances are excellent in his sleep talking, he may never mention the word masquerade because it's not captured within the frame of his understanding. Are we together now? Believers, please hear me. For as long as we ignore the supremacy of the word, for as long as we do not contend for transformation, there will be gaps in our perceiving the will of God as far as spiritual communication is concerned. The more you immerse yourself in the word, the more you are giving your mind healthy scriptural tools with which to interpret the speakings, the light of God. So many believers assume this is one of the reasons why I get concerned when people who do not respect the word claim they are hearing God and even claim they are hearing for others. The margin of error, I will not trust that hearing. Do you know why? I'm saying this is an opinion that is based on scripture. I will not trust that hearing because the word of God is not the basis of your vocabulary composition. Chances are excellent that there will be gaps in your interpretation is the reason why respectfully speaking the prophetic has both blessed and cursed people because the light comes in the place of prayer but because there is no adequate transformation, the interpretation of the speakings of God end up deviating people from the ways of God. Listen carefully, I believe in the prophetic but let me tell you our generation and I'm speaking prophetically to the body of Christ especially those who are called into the apostolic and the prophetic ministry, pressing to the dimension of prayer will expose us to the realm of the spirit and like you'll be learning in my subsequent sessions, there are many voices Paul said, there is as it were many voices and none of them is without signification. So we need to verify whether what you had is God and we can verify just by the pleasantness of what you heard. We first need to vet the word component that was resident in your mind as at the time you heard because Satan can appear as an angel of light. Listen, we are living in very perilous times where there is a heightened need for discernment and discernment is not by superstition. Discernment happens at the instance of your stability through the word. You are grounded through the word and on the basis of that stability you can decipher by the character of scripture what is of God and what is not. For the Bible says the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and they shall give heed to seducing spirits and the doctrine of demons. The character of seduction is that you must desire what it is bringing for it to be called seduction. There are many people who went to the place of prayer and returned back with speakings that were not of God. When you judge it from the lens of the authority of scripture, it is found wanting and they took steps based on their interpretations of what they felt God was saying and the result that we see is not the glory of God. And we will never settle for less we know there's more that's found in you and we will never settle for less when we know there's more that's found in you and I will never settle for less. I know there's more that's found in you. I've studied a bit on the history of the church in Nigeria. I'm a student of history and I'm a student of revivals. The reason is because I desire by the grace of God like pastor so graciously prayed and said and I'm so grateful for that that compliments her. We intend to last and stay for a long time. So the goal is to find out the ingredients that sponsor longevity and the way you do it is by following some them who through faith and patience have obtained. There are people who ran this race when others were laughing at them ignoring the word. They stayed on the stability of scripture and when the dust settled like the house that was built on the rock, most of them are standing today. Please hear me, whether you are called into the apostolic, the prophetic, the evangelical, the pastoral, if you do not contend for transformation, I guarantee you you are at the risk of aborting longevity whether in life and ministry. Gifts will come and go. Celebrity ministry will come and go. What will keep you? The Bible says the rains came, the floods came, all kinds of things came but it was the house that was built. Both houses were built. The problem is not the building, the problem is what it is built on. Hear me, if I never hear the voice of God in my spirit and I can respect the authority of the Word of God, it is accurate enough to lead me with precision, prophetic precision. I'm not downplaying gifts, listen carefully. The Bible says to covet earnestly but I can tell you every other gift has not been tried but the Word of God has been tried seven times. In fact the Bible calls it the most sure word of prophecy. I respect your administering spiritual gifts to the degree to which you respect the authority of scripture. I'm saying this respectfully especially for younger ministers that are coming up. The deception of gifts can, it can abort a great destiny overnight. Settle with the Word. Obtain grace from God to settle with the Word. Let the Word dwell in you richly he says. The degree to which the Word of God has dwelt in you richly. In fact Acts chapter 20 and verse 32 says and now I commend you to God. Paul was speaking and to the word of his grace he says which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified. Ephesians 4.18 says having their understanding darkened. It says being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their minds. Is someone learning? So the voice of God represents every spiritual channel that God is able to use to communicate his will and his intent. The most important component in the voice of God is not the speakings of God but the safe transference of his intent from his heart to your heart. If that arrives safely, all the channels that midwife that process are only enhanced by the health of your mind. No matter how much you claim to hear God, if we do not see his will being done as you obey what you perceive that you heard, we have a right from the authority of scripture to vet it. Are we together? The voice of God will always birth the will of God. I started by telling you that the power of God is principally responsible for the manifestation of all the possibilities that we find in the life of the believer but that the power of God is jurisdictional in its operation. The jurisdiction of the power of God is the will of God. The power of God is not mandated to function outside the will of God and if ever it functions outside of the will of God is to bring that person or that situation into the will of God. The end of the administration of the power of God, the end of the speakings of God is that the will of God be established in the life of the believer. If we're together say amen. We need to return back from this session and begin to pay a healthy respect for the word of God. It is important that we respect the word of God especially respectfully speaking for those of us who are laborers in the vineyard. We must love and appreciate the ministry of the word beyond preaching. I found your word and I did eat it and it was a joy and a rejoicing. Apostle, but I've been trying to hear God while you are waiting. Let the word dwell in you so that when he speaks your interpretation will not retrogress. It will not retrogress you again Hearing that does not come through a transformed mind will carry a side effect of error even if it was God that spoke. Because one of the ways I did a teaching one time knowing God as we prepare to pray. One of the ways, there are four ways according to scripture that we know God. Number one is through scripture. Scripture itself. Scripture reveals the character of God so that by the study of scripture we are able to learn how God operates. The modus operandi of the kingdom. The second way that we learn God as revealed in the Bible are through his names. The names of God are a capture of the various dimensions that are contained in God. That as we learn his names we also learn him. Number three, we learn God by studying Jesus. The Bible calls him the express image of the invisible God. So as we study Jesus we have a right to vet everything the prophet said using the reference of Jesus. That means everything they attributed to God if we did not see it in the life of Jesus we have a scriptural basis to say they were in error or it was a human limitation. For instance when the Bible says a lying spirit came out from God. Remember that scripture? Yes. Now we do not see that there is any darkness in Jesus full of grace and truth. That is the character of the Christ that was revealed. That means we have a right to say either the interpreters were wrong or the prophet who received that word was limited and you are not in error using the reference of Jesus. And the last and final way we learn God according to scripture is through experience. Job said I have heard of you with the hearing of the ear but now my eyes see at thee. You can imagine how powerful it is to come and sit in a conference like this and in a moment light enters your spirit. For some of you by reason of what you have received now in addition to all that you have heard you will know how to reject the speakings of satan because you see for our focus is on getting God to speak not necessarily building capacity to interpret his speakings and since your passion is to get God to speak satan will help you and also speak. Hear me? God speaks. Settle it. The question is not whether he will speak. The question is to work on your ability to accurately perceive his communications and do not limit him to a unique mode of operation because for many of us you are looking for God to communicate in a certain way. Your faith and probably limited mentorship has tilted you to understand the speakings of God only through certain ways. He has the authority as God to use a plethora of options. Your assignment is to make sure your spirit is robust. This is why fasting and prayer helps you to gain that ascendance like a transistor radio. There's waves all the time but if your transistor radio cannot receive it is because you have not tuned to the frequency and do you know sometimes you are just a few digits to the frequency and yet the radio will still be making a lot of noise but the moment you tune it and get there this is the assignment of prayer and fasting to build your spirit to rise to the frequency of the communications of God but if you stop there you are in trouble but we will give ourselves continually. Acts chapter 6 and verse 4 to prayer for the ascendance of our spirit man but to the ministry of the word for the transformation that interprets his speakings so that we can receive his communication with balance, exactitude and precision. Have you been blessed? Please rise up on your feet. You are the one that we praise. You are the one we adore. You give the healing and raise the heart. God if you are the one I must see through a dream that is limited spiritual understanding so you have been waiting for a dream for five years and God used many other channels to say I'm waiting for you. It is important to stop begging God at certain operations not because he's father. Based on relationship it is possible for you to sincerely from your heart because the character of fatherhood according to scripture is not just having children but benevolence. If you've been evil know how to give. There are many times you will overlook and honor the simplicity of your faith even if it is in ignorance but when you rise to maturity in the spirit you must be able to allow the word of God put you in a position where whether it comes by the witness of the spirit, whether it comes through dreams, every other spiritual operation that God speaks to you through must pass through the sieve of the word for its accurate understanding. So if you have a dream, look at me, I'm wrapping up. I shared it with my people many times if I were Joseph, please look up, if I were Joseph and Pharaoh called me and said I had a dream, seven cows, seven lean ones, my mind will go straight to witchcraft not farming. How does cows represent years? How does plant? I would just say this is, this is destruction coming but because he had regard even though they were in the old, it is amazing you have given many things interpretations because you have used brain work not scripture. Watch this, three of us can see a chain in the spirit, it does not mean bondage. Ornaments are also made of chains so don't just say because you saw a No, no, you can see someone naked in the spirit and say ah something is wrong, shame, no. Nakedness also means intimacy. Listen, the basis of our remaining in accuracy and with precision as we minister the word and as we guide God's people to higher spiritual experiences would not be the gift on our lives, no. As wonderful as that is and it would not just be opinions that have come based on age-long, respectfully speaking, limited mentorships. We must return to the word of God and obtain grace from God to begin to bring accurate perspectives to spiritual speakings so that God's people are built holistically. One last example and then we pray. Assuming that because of my work with God, God gives me an instruction and says Joshua Selman, you will never have more than three cars. Now that is not a doctrine, it is a personalized dealing because based on my work with God, he has vetted me to see that if I have more than that it can distract me. So he created a unique limitation to help my efficiency. So by my obedience you will see me excelling. If you come to ask me what is the secret of your results, I will tell you I have only three cars. Your mistake now would be to copy me verbatim. No, you must discern the essence of what God did, not just the action. That the goal was that he wanted to constrain me to be effective. You will now go to God and receive your own version of that dealing. We have copied people blindly and what has worked for one based on the unique construct of his ministry has become the limiting factor for another. I hope you were blessed tonight. Father, I obtain grace. Someone pray. I obtain grace in the name of Jesus to contend for transformation by the world. Go ahead and pray. I submit all my spiritual experiences, no matter how great they are, no matter how spectacular they are, I submit them to the authority of scripture for proper interpretation, for proper vetting, so that I do not walk in error. The margin of safety for the believer is dwelling with the word. Someone is praying. Hallelujah. One last prayer. Father, the grace to be a student of scripture plant a hunger in my heart for the word so that I contend for transformation, giving you the tools to accurately interpret the light that comes upon my spirit. Someone lift your voice and pray. Lift your voice and pray. Lift your voice and pray. Lift your voice and pray.