It’s Hard To Hear God

Come on, clap your hands. Make some noise for the Lord. Praise the Lord. Hey, thank God for the worship team. Thank God for our students. Thank God for all these volunteers. Thank God for the group leaders for YouthX. Thank God for Elevation Valentine celebrating a 10-year campus anniversary. Elevation Raleigh celebrating a 12-year anniversary. Happy birthday, Raleigh. And celebrating you, making it to church another day. Looking good. You're looking good. Tell somebody, you don't look like what you've been through. Tell them, I know you've been through some fire, but you don't smell like smoke. You smell like deodorant and breath mints. You smell like creed. Praise the Lord. Let me look at you. Remain standing for just a moment. I do want us to take a moment and welcome our eFam around the world. Would you help me do that, Elevation Valentine, wherever you're watching? Let us know in the comments where you're watching from, and let us know in the comments today if you feel like it, a prayer request that we can pray for you about. We would love to do that. We have an entire prayer team that just exists to surround you with prayer. I know we may not be together physically, but just to have these moments with you in the presence of God and to believe there is no distance in the Spirit. I believe God brought you here for a reason. Whether you came in a car or whether you came through a link, I believe God has something he wants to do in your life. I believe he wants to speak to you. It is an incredible honor and privilege that I will never be able to describe to you to preach God's Word from this pulpit. I value and treasure every opportunity I get. I prayed for you today that God might give me the words he wants you to hear. I cut to the continuity of your situation to remind you that your God is greater than anything you will ever face. He can bring down any giant. He can cause any wall to tumble. He's a great God. In the name of Jesus today, I come into agreement with you concerning your family, your children, your health, your body, your mind, and your purpose. I pray that God would not only bless you but that you would be a blessing, that God would set you back up on your feet so you can serve him, make a difference for him. You were made to glorify him. You were not made to be in depression and stay in the bed. You were not made to go through the motions of Christianity. You were made to glorify him. I pray that today God would give us a word to that end. I think you know what time it is. Elevation. It's preaching time. I'm going to be starting a brand-new series today.

The title of the series is I Know That Voice. I'll explain it to you as we go, but let me read our foundational Scripture for today's message. It's found in 1 Samuel, chapter 16. I'm going to read only through verse 4, and then I'll pick up the rest in just a moment. We stand in honor of the Word of God in our house. It's just something we do to say to him, "'Speak, Lord. We respect you.'" It's something we do to say, "'You're the most important person in the room, Lord, so speak to me.'" Somebody say, "'Speak to me, Lord.'" You may even want to stand right where you are, in your home or in your kitchen. If you're driving, I understand there are limitations. Keep your seatbelt on. But just in your heart, your posture, reverence the Lord. This is his Word. 1 Samuel, chapter 16, verse 1. The Lord said to Samuel, "'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.'" I have chosen one of his sons to be king. But Samuel said, "'How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.'" The Lord said, "'Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you.'" I think that's the most beautiful thing I've read in the Bible in a long time. For the Lord to say, "'I know you're confused. I know you're afraid, but I will show you.'" Somebody say, "'He will show me.'" The Lord said, "'I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." I'm going to stop my reading right here. Samuel did what the Lord said. That's really the goal of this sermon, the goal of this series, and the goal of our faith. Samuel did what the Lord said. For our week one installment of our new series, I Know That Voice, I want to say something to you that maybe you've felt before but maybe don't have the courage to say, so I'll say it for both of us. This is the title of today's message. It's Hard to Hear God. It's hard to hear God. If you disagree with me, you can send me an email to hollyfurdic1980 at juno.com. But all of the honest people, look at somebody and say, it's hard to hear God. Speak, Lord, we're listening. In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. So, I set up my series with a story. My oldest son, Elijah, turns 21 this week. For those of you who have been in the church for a long time, that makes you feel old.

Do you remember when we would come up there and hold those babies in our arms? Now Elijah is about to be 21, which means he's technically going to be old enough to pay for his own car insurance. What did you think I was going to say? I had a flashback this week as I was preparing a series about hearing God's voice, which is so important. What could be more important to talk about? What could we spend better time pondering than the voice of God? I was reminded of something that happened when Elijah was five years old. I had been traveling a lot during a certain month, and I was leaving again for another trip. Holly brought him by the office to say hi to me. I said, man, I'm really sorry. I have to leave again to go preach in Louisiana, but I love you. I'll be back tomorrow. He walked away, and then he came back. I felt him pulling up my shirt, and he was like, hey, I want to go to Weezy. He called it Weezy. I was going to New Orleans to preach for the art conference. He said, I want to go to Weezy. I said, you do? I said, I'm leaving in like two hours. He said, I want to go. What does he know about TSA? You know, I just want to go. So, I bought him a ticket, and we were going to Weezy. Me and E were going to Weezy together. The only thing we had to do was get through the security line. A very overambitious TSA agent came and took Elijah and said, sir, I'm going to take your son through, and then you can come through after him. I didn't really like that very much, but I let him do it. After he took Elijah, a minute goes by, two minutes goes by. It felt like forever. It probably was only about two minutes. I started getting very irate and very frustrated that I couldn't see my son, because the man took him. I'm standing on the other side of the little security things you go through. I'm standing there waiting for the man to come get me, and the whole line is held up. I'm like, hey, what's up, man? My son's on the other side. You need to let me through. The guy…not the same guy, but another TSA guy comes up and goes, you need to calm down. I said, no. What I need to do is go through this security thing. What you need to do is move out of my way and let me be with my son, because I'm a pastor. See? I have a shepherd's heart. But before I'm a pastor, I'm a dad, and if those two ever have to fight, the dad is going to win. I've said a few words I had to repent for at baseball fields over that very same principle. I'm being honest with you. Well, anyway, it goes on and on. Three TSA agents later,

I'm yelling. I'm yelling so loud I hear one of the TSA agents…I'm about to go Liam Neeson in this airport, and I can feel it. As I'm yelling, top of my lungs, I hear the intercom in the airport go, We've got a code one. I realize I'm a code one, and I don't think this means a delightful passenger who needs to be upgraded to first class. I'm like, Oh, God, I'm in trouble. But I'm still yelling. I'm yelling the whole time. Well, finally, the smart TSA supervisor comes and goes, I'm so sorry. We never should have separated you from your son. Come right through. Come right through. Come right through. I'm like, That's doggone right. Did y'all hear what he said? When I got to Elijah, I'm going to be honest with you, I was disappointed, because he was calm. He was so calm. In fact, he was so calm I'm still shaking, you know. I'm still shaking, thinking I was about to have prison ministry from inside the prison and be preaching to y'all from the other side of the screen. Then I'm walking with him through the airport, and I said, "'Son, you weren't scared?' He said, 'No.' I said, "'Why were you not scared?' He said, "'I could hear your voice the whole time.'" That's how loud I was. I could hear your voice the whole time. Oh, to have the confidence of a five-year-old kid going through the TSA screenings of life. Oh, to have the confidence of a five-year-old boy for faith in my Heavenly Father to be able to hear his voice. But you know and I know at this stage in our life it's not that simple anymore, is it? It's not that simple anymore, even though there are some Christians who would tell you, "'No. I just hear from God all the time, and I obey him.' I had one brother who came through the church, and he was honest enough to tell me, "'I don't know what y'all mean when y'all say God told you. I've not been in the church my whole life. Maybe that's something y'all learned when you were little, but I don't really know what you mean when you say God told you. Is it out loud?' I said, "'I've never heard him talk out loud, except when Holly is giving me advice. That's about as close as I ever get.'" He said, "'Is it out loud? Is it an impression? Do you just mean like you knew the right thing to do? Is it like your conscience? Is it like just reading the Bible? And as he went through all of the lists, I realized we're confused.'" I realized we're confused, and we can't hear God because we're not in an airport. We're in anxiety. We're not in a physical location where we can hear the physical voice of a physical Father, but we have a heavenly Father who we have to hear in our hearts. The hard thing about hearing God

in my heart is he's not the only one talking there. I have fear talking in my heart. I have shame talking in my heart. I have lust talking in my heart. I have greed talking in my heart. Y'all have quiet. You have some of the same stuff in your heart, and it all sounds the same sometimes. It's hard to hear God. It's hard to hear God when you feel separated from God, although you understand theologically and technically that nothing will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, and you wish you could be like the 5-year-old who says, "'I knew you were coming. You know, to Elijah, I would beat up every TSA agent. I would take their gun. I would…' Whatever it took to get to him. And though technically I believe this about God, it's hard because I'm having to hear him through my dysfunction. So, I don't exactly trust what I think I'm hearing when I think I'm hearing God, because I thought I heard God one time, and I ended up in a relationship that almost ruined my life. So, now I've got to hear God not only through my present dysfunction but my past decisions that caused me to lose my confidence, because when I was 5, when I was 10, it was simple. Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, but now I'm living in this world where I realize everybody doesn't love everybody. So, it's hard for me to hear from God, because even some people who call themselves Christians say the most hateful things and do the most hurtful things and live in the most hypocritical ways. Some of the biggest bigots I ever met in my life go into church and quote the Bible over their bigotry. So, now it's kind of hard for me to hear the voice of God when you're using the same book to tell me how to be saved that I've had people beat me over the head with and tell me I was going to hell. So, it's hard for me to hear God, not because I don't believe in him. I believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him. Although I'm diligently seeking him the best I know how, I am not clearly hearing him. I do not have the direction you seem to have. You say, "'God spoke to me.'" You open your Bible and tell us what God said. I go home and try to live that out, and I can't exactly get what you said to overlay with what I do. If it's not confusing, then I'm in conflict. The good I would do, Paul said in Romans, chapter 7, I cannot do. The thing I don't want to do I find myself doing. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? The apostle Paul said, "'It is hard for me to hear.'" God. Does that make you feel better? It feels good to get it out.

Not always easy for me to know where the Lord is leading me. So it was for Samuel, the prophet, the priest, and the judge. You say, which was he? All three. He's the only person in the Bible who simultaneously occupied all three of those offices other than Jesus. I have to get that in, because they'll put it in the comments. What about Jesus? And Jesus. But as far as a human who is not the Son of God, Samuel was the only one, prophet, priest, and judge. A lot hinges on his ability to hear from God. He's a kingmaker. He's the one who anointed Saul. Saul was the first king Israel ever had. God didn't want them to have a king. He wanted to be their king. Be careful what you ask for without consulting God. You might get it. Saul was a very irresponsible and reluctant king. Although his height qualified him for the job, his heart caused him to lose it. They chose him because he was tall, a modern-day influencer. He was very, very disobedient. I don't want to say he was a bad man. I've had disobedient moments myself. But now, in verse 1 of 1 Samuel 16, the Bible says that Samuel is mourning for Saul because the Lord is tearing the kingdom away from Saul. Samuel is experiencing that acute disappointment when you invested much and it turned out to be little. He prayed for Saul. He coached Saul. He put up with Saul. He did a lot for Saul. He poured the oil on Saul's head. From the day he anointed him until the day when Saul refused to destroy the Amalekites and kept back the best part for himself and claimed he had obeyed what the Lord told him to do, Samuel thought he could pray him through. Nothing like praying for somebody you see potential in but they don't see it in themselves. That's the pain of every parent. That's the pain of every wife who knows you married a good man, but he can't get out of his own head right now, get out of his own way right now. So, he is paying the cost emotionally of Saul's decisions. That's when the Lord speaks. This was the first thing I wanted to tell you today in our new series I Know That Voice. Expect God to give direction in times of disappointment. Expect God to give direction in times of disappointment. This is a literal disappointment. I say that because Saul was appointed to be king, and then he was disappointed, and it left an empty space to be filled, an empty throne to be filled. Into this uncertainty and agony, the Lord said to Samuel… Give me verse 1 again,

because I love how the Lord is still speaking to Samuel even though the problem is not solved. The Lord is still speaking to Samuel even though Samuel is still mourning. God will give you a message in your mourning. God will give you a word in your weeping. You don't have to have a feeling from God to receive a word from God, and I'm going to prove that to you as we go. Notice in verse 1 what the Lord told Samuel to do. He said, "'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?' Question, and then instruction, Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. Fill your horn with oil.' This is the instruction the Lord gave Samuel. Kind of unusual, because normally they would fill a flask with oil, but they're actually filling the horn of an animal. They did that for David and for Solomon. In this filling of the horn with oil, it is important for us to realize that Samuel didn't have to feel it to fill it. Do you like that? We think we have to feel everything to do what God wants us to do. Some of us think we have to feel God's presence to worship the ever-present God. Who told you that? You don't have to feel anything to throw your hands up in the air and worship God. I don't have to feel anything to do the last thing. God told me. I don't have to feel anything to keep the appointments I put on my calendar. God doesn't have to confirm something to me I've already committed to do. God doesn't have to confirm to me to do something I've already committed to do. When the Lord called me to preach, he called me to preach. Whether I feel like preaching or not, this is my calling. So I begin to study on the weeks I don't feel like preaching, because I don't have to feel it to fill it. The more I study, the more I feel it, but I don't wait until I feel it to do it, because if I waited until I felt it to do it, I would never feel it. That's an instruction for somebody. For those of you who are fighting sorrow and fighting mourning, fill your house with praise. Turn on worship music in your house, even when you don't want to think about God, and start filling the house with the sounds of praise. Start filling the house with anthems of worship. That's why some of you need to say, "'Thank you, Lord,' although you are going through something very difficult, because you don't have to feel it to fill it.'" But then watch this. Not only does he say,

"'Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.' He says, "'I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.'" Now, on the surface, God is giving Samuel the directions for what he's to do next, but I want you to notice those directions aren't complete. He says, "'I'm sending you, and I've chosen one of his sons to be king,' but he doesn't say which one. So, the challenge of faith is to fill your horn with oil and move forward before you have even found what you're looking for.'" I'd like you to write down that outline, please. Put down fill, forward, found. Sometimes when we're waiting on God to tell us what to do next, we don't even do what he told us to do last. So, it comes in sequence. See? If you wait for God to show you which one to anoint to fill your horn with oil, you will never find the one you're supposed to find, because you think, "'I'll fill it when I find it.'" No, you'll find it when you fill it. Let me break this down. You need to become the kind of person right now that the person you want to marry would want to marry. You have to fill it before you find it. While you're at it, you need to work on paying down some of these debts you have so they don't inherit your bad decisions from the last decade, causing fights you will spend your entire marriage trying to solve. You need to fill it before you find it. It's hard for us to hear from God sometimes because we want him to be like our Maps app. On the Maps app… This is the greatest technological invention of my lifetime, because I have no sense of direction. I can tell it two things. Watch. I can tell it where I want to go, and then I can choose the route I want to get there. But the difference between God and a Maps app… I really thought you'd enjoy this little illustration, because it's going to help you see why sometimes you're confused and you go, "'I don't know what God wants me to do. I don't know how he's directing me. I don't know what he's saying. I don't know what he's thinking.'" Okay, I have a few ideas about that. I want to give God the destination and then let him give me the directions, because that's what I do on my Maps app. I tell the Maps app where I want to end up, and then I expect it to tell me how to get there. So, when it comes to this app, I tell it the destination, and it tells me the directions. That's how we treat God. We tell God where we want our life to be at a certain age. We tell God what we want our kids to turn out like. We tell God what college we're going to. We tell God what we want him to use us to do.

We tell God all of these things, these destinations, and then we say, "'Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.'" But I'm not sure he's going to give you the details if you didn't let him set the destination. I'm not sure I can just ask God for directions for a destination I set. I remember early in the church, I was talking to a great global leader, and I said, "'What are some of the things I need to do to have the kind of ministry that you have?' He said, "'The first thing is to ask God, to have the ministry I have." What's he saying? It might not be your destination to do what I did. Some of the reasons it's hard for us to hear from God, some of the reasons we're so confused, some of the reasons we're so stressed out, some of the reasons we're so anxious is because we've set the destination to something God never destined us to do. And the reason we can't hear God isn't because he's quiet. It's because we're comparing. And so we're looking… Oh, I'm teaching. Good. Today. I'm back, baby! I'm back to help you with this craziness you feel in your life, because as long as you're looking at everybody else's destination, everybody else's ETA, how long it took for them to get married, how long it took for them to get the job, how long it took them to get the promotion… As long as you're looking at all of these snapshots of their life and then bringing it to God and saying, "'God, I want to have what they had. I want to do what they did. I'm supposed to be like they are.'" As long as you're comparing, you will feel like God is quiet, but he is not going to give you directions for a destination he did not set for your life. My Bible says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. That means he sets the direction. That means he sets the time. That means he sets the purpose. There are a lot of things I may love to do that God did not call me to do, and I am always going to be frustrated if I try to anoint a king God has canceled in my life. The question is this. How long are you going to pity yourself over what God didn't give you? How long are you going to try to wear yourself out getting to somewhere God didn't even call you? You're not going to even have a hotel room when you get there. God didn't call you there. You hear other people talk, and they make it sound so simple. God called us to Charlotte. What do you mean he called you to Charlotte? Really, if you were honest about it, you just thought the schools were good here and they were going to pay you $15,000 a year more. But now you're talking about

God called us to Charlotte. Well, he may have called you to Charlotte, but to say the biggest thing God is going to tell you is what city to live in is to miss the very nature of God. You could be a crack addict in Charlotte. One thing I love… I really love this. I love to get inside of the clichés we use as Christians and just talk about them a little bit. I call this Christian-ese. You can speak English and need a translator when you come to church, really, the way we talk. You read in the Old Testament, it says, The Lord said to Samuel… Well, he's a prophet. The way the Lord spoke in the Old Testament… I don't know if he spoke out loud to Samuel or not, but the Lord spoke to Samuel. The Bible says that Samuel was the most powerful prophet from Dan to Beersheba. The Lord let none of his words fall to the ground. Samuel was an amazing prophet. So much hinged on his word. History hinged on his word. The history of the nation hinged on him hearing God right. What apartment you move into is not that important. So, some of the clichés we use in church… We'll be like, I'm just dealing with this Red Sea right now. What's the Red Sea? My rent is going up. I get it. I know that's a challenge, but it's not a Red Sea. It's a rent increase. Okay. Let's talk about the difference. Rent increase. Red Sea. Okay. One, you move. The other, you die. They're not the same. The stakes are not always as high as the Enemy would have you to believe. It doesn't always matter when the Lord speaks to you. The Lord did not tell me to wear matching denim today. I just did the best I could to put it together. Did I do all right? Only God can judge me. Who cares what you think? I did not pray. This is so important for you to get. Some of the reason it's hard for us to hear from God is that we want him to tell us things about situations he just wants us to use wisdom for. We're singing this song in YouthX all week. I love this song. I didn't write this song. I'm jealous I didn't write this song, but we sang it in church today. We're about to see revival like we've never known, like something out of the Bible, the impossible. I think the room is ready for a miracle. room is ready for a coma right about now. Y'all ain't saying nothing. Come on. I think the room is ready. I don't know about University City, but I think… Come on, young people. Stand up real

quick. Sing the song. We're about to see like we never know. Uh-oh. Y'all about to start something. Sing it like y'all were singing it Friday night. Something out the Bible, the impossible. I think the room is… Come on, church. Help these young people praise the Lord. Put a smile on your face. We're about to see revival. I love that. All right. How many want to see God do something like something out of the Bible in your life? Come on, come on, come on. Everybody get in on this. Come on. How many want to see God raise something back to life like he raised Lazarus, like something out of the Bible? Come on. Touch your neighbors. Say, like something out of the Bible, like something out of the Bible, like a Red Sea splitting, like a mountain moving. I want to see dry bones come back to life. I want to see the dead raised. I want to see the sick healed. I want to see it like it's something out of the Bible. But the question becomes this. If you want to see something out of the Bible, are you willing to do something in the Bible? I have to ask you this, because it's hard to hear a God speaking specifically who you will not obey generally. I want to see something out of the Bible, but how can I see something out of the Bible if I won't do something in the Bible? Sometimes I don't need to hear God's voice. I just need a verse, because sometimes the verse is his voice. In the beginning was a word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. So, when I have God's Word, I have God's voice. I believe the reason Samuel was able to hear the voice of God… He knew that voice, because he had known that voice since he was 12 years old. When he was ministering in the temple under Eli, whose vision was dim, he couldn't see, and the temple was corrupt, but the Lord called him Samuel, and he thought it was Eli, but it was God. He called him again Samuel, and he thought it was Eli, but it was God. He called him a third time, and Eli said, "'That's not me. That's God.' The next time he speaks, say, "'Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.'" First Samuel 3.10. Six decades earlier than the passage I read you. The Lord came and stood there calling as at other times. Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, "'Speak, for your servant is listening.'" Go to verse 19, please. The Bible says the Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. From Dan to Beersheba… All Israel

recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. Verse 21. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. You have his word. Before we go getting confused about the things God isn't speaking to us, let's check on the things he has already spoken. The more I'm flowing in what he has spoken, the more I can hear what he speaks. You like that? Something out of the Bible. Daniel in the lion's den. Well, you're not going to see something out of the Bible if you don't do something in the Bible. What do you mean something in the Bible? I brought a list. Let's go through it real quick. Just a few things. How many want to see God do something out of the Bible in your life? I mean a miracle. Now I have something in the Bible so you can see something out of the Bible. Colossians 3.9. Do not lie to each other. That's in the Bible. That's what the Lord wants you to do. I don't know what the Lord wants you to do. I know what the Lord wants you to do. He wants you to do. Do not lie to each other. That means you have to maybe delete your whole social… media account, because maybe the whole thing is a lie. How about something in the Bible? Can we do something in the Bible? Do not lie to each other. Oh, I'm just getting started with this list. They want something out of the Bible. Give them Philippians 2.14. Do everything without grumbling or arguing. I want something out of the Bible. I don't want to do something in the Bible, because I want God to open the grave. God is like, before we start dealing with graves, can we deal with grumbling? Your grumbling is the grave for every good thing I'm trying to do in your life. You bury it in your complaining. He wants you to do something out of the Bible. I want you to do something in the Bible. Next verse. Let's keep it going. James wanted you to know this is in the Bible. Now, he didn't know this was going in the Bible when he wrote it. He was just writing out of faithfulness, and now it's in the Bible. James 1, chapter 4, verse 11 says, Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. That's in the Bible. I can't figure out why y'all aren't shouting over that. When I was saying stuff out of the Bible, it made us feel excited, but when I'm saying something in the Bible, we get quiet. Maybe God is not quiet. Maybe I'm just not doing what's in the Bible. You said you were glad I was back. Next verse.

Flee from sexual immorality. Put that on the YouthX2027 t-shirt. Flee sexual immorality. That's in the Bible. I love you enough to tell you you're not going to be able to hear God if you're so tangled up in intimacy that isn't really intimacy that's just corrupting your ability to think. You're not going to really be able to hear the great and precious promises of God if your mind is consumed with porn. You have to run from some stuff in order to receive some stuff, and it's not just true for the youth. It's in the Bible. I think I have one more I don't remember. Oh, yeah. I put this for the kids. Honor your father and mother. Come on, parents! You ought to tithe this week with this sermon. It's in the Bible. You can change. You can be transformed through the renewing of your mind. Give me verse 4 again. 1 Samuel 16. Here's the goal. Samuel did what the Lord said. Oh, it's wonderful to hear. It's wonderful to be in tune. It's wonderful to be educated. It's wonderful to have information. It's wonderful to quote Scripture, but I would rather you walk in one than quote 100. Now I'm going to encourage you a little bit more. It's an uplifting message the Lord gave me today called I Know That Voice. By the way, I have to put this in there. If you hear me condemning you right now, that's not God's voice. Just because I'm being loud doesn't mean I don't love you. It doesn't mean God doesn't love you. Sometimes we confuse correction, which is a sign of love, with condemnation, which is the opposite of love. You can drive your car wherever you want tonight at 2 a.m. I don't love you like that. Graham Furtick? We have to have some boundaries around 2 a.m., because I love him so much. Will you come back to next week too? One of the things I associate with hearing from God is frequency. That's an interesting word, because it has a double meaning. One, we hear in frequency. Sound has a… Frequency also refers to how many times you do it. Did you notice that the Lord continued to reveal himself to Samuel? But what encouraged me that I really don't want you to miss here is that even though Samuel had been doing it for decades, he still found it hard to hear God. Watch. The Lord said to Samuel, "'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I rejected him as king

over Israel?' I could preach another message sometime about how sometimes God says, "'Your grieving period is over, even though your grief is still real, and you have got to move forward filled until you find what's next.'" That's another message for another day. Filled, forward, found. But see, Samuel has to launch out with the knowledge that he has to pass through Saul's hometown to get to Bethlehem where God ascended him. So the word God is giving him is taking him through a difficult place. So he has to go back to his school and live it out. He has to go back to a loveless marriage and love his wife as Christ loves the church. He has to go back to a job where there aren't many Christians. He has to go back to a job where the boss doesn't even appreciate… Actually, the boss is the problem. He has to go back to something, in this case, that could cost him his life. So in verse 2 it says, "'But' Samuel said, "'How can I?' Which we're all familiar with. "'How can I?' He heard God. He recognized and discerned, "'This is God,' because he knows that voice. But what that voice is saying is very hard, and so his question is, "'How?''' And I think that's where most of us are. "'How?' "'How can I go if Saul hears about it? He will kill me.'" Now, we all have a how and we all have an if. How do I do that? If this happens, that happens. When the Lord responds, verse 3, so beautifully, the Lord said, "'I've got this covered. Get your heifer.'"

Tell somebody, "'Get your heifer.'" I don't know what that means. I just wanted to hear you say heifer too. If I have to say it, we all have to say it. "'Get your heifer. Take your heifer with you.'" Of course, this is very symbolic. He's a priest, a prophet, and a judge, so he's going to make a sacrifice when he goes. By the way, I used to think this was a lie when the Lord told him, "'Take a heifer and tell him, "'I've come to sacrifice to the Lord.'" But it's not a lie, because every time there is an anointing, there's a sacrifice. What the Lord is giving him here is a strategy for a difficult act of obedience. How many have a difficult act of obedience hanging over your head right now? How many have something in your life that it's going to be hard to obey God about? Raise your hand. A difficult act of obedience God has called you to. I'm going to slow down and ask you again, because I just read Do Not Lie. How many have a difficult act of obedience ahead of you? It could be anything. It could be staying sober. It could be staying on this diet because you're trying to take care of your body. It could be being more loving. It could be refusing to consume certain things that you know are actually consuming you. A difficult act of obedience. Sometimes it's not hard to hear God. Sometimes it's hard to know how you're going to do what he said. The Lord said, "'Take a heifer.'" We don't have to have heifers anymore. We have Jesus. Praise the Lord, somebody.

We don't have to have a heifer anymore. We have the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus, the once-and-for-all sacrifice. But now watch this. This is crazy. He's been doing this for six decades, prophesying. Not only has he been hearing from God, he's been speaking for God. He should know how to do this by now. But he said, "'How can I go?' Saul hears about it coming. The Lord said, "'Take a heifer. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do.' But I'm not going to show you what to do there. Here I'm going to show you what to do today. I'm going to show you what to do this moment. I have a weird time when I'm coming back from time off from preaching where I start thinking about, "'Oh, man, I've got to get ready. I don't even know if I remember how to do this,' and then the enemy starts loading me with all the preaching I've got to do over the rest of the year, and I have to come back to…' You don't have to preach the rest of the year. You just have to preach today. You just have to forgive today. You just have to love today. You just have to go to the meeting today. You just have to breathe today. You just have to get on the Peloton today. You just have to read the Bible today. You just have to not freak out, not lose your mind, not go crazy today. The Lord said, "'I will show you.'

Samuel did what the Lord said, but now I want to read the rest to you. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "'Do you come in peace?' That's a loaded question." They mean, "'Is there trouble?' Because the prophet could declare a war. The prophet could do almost anything. I mean, Samuel was the man, but I think it's kind of got a double meaning to it, don't you? He has a problem, but he came in peace because he heard from God. I think that's the most amazing thing in life, when you have a problem and peace. I think that's the most amazing proof of God's presence, is that I am dealing with stuff you wouldn't believe right now, and I'm concerned about it, and I am losing some sleep, but something down in me knows that voice. I can hear his voice on the other side of that TSA line. I know somehow he's going to get me. I don't know how, but I know who." Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived, the elders said, "'Do you come in peace?' And Samuel replied, "'Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.'" And then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. Now reset, because I need your full attention for this last thing I want to give you on this sermon today. I need you to not be checked out. I need you to not be thinking, "'Man, he's been talking a long time.'" If God is still talking, don't you want to still be listening? So listen close to what I'm about to say. When they arrived…

I think this is the pivotal skill when it comes to hearing from God, because in this series I want to talk to you about how to know the difference between your crazy impressions and God's voice. I want to talk to you about how to discern the difference between just a burst of motivation or a surge of ambition and a mission that comes from the Holy Spirit. I want us to see together how to not just wait for something out the Bible but to do what is in the Bible so we can see something out of the Bible happen in our lives. But I need you to understand what verse 6 says. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "'Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.' But the Lord said to Samuel, "'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.'" Listen close to me. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. So I want to preach a little about verse 6. It says, "'Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "'Surely.'" How many times have you gotten in trouble in your life because you saw and thought surely? You saw and thought surely, and you held so hard to what you thought because of what you saw that God couldn't show you what he wanted because you were so sure about what you thought. The reason he thought Eliab was the one is that Eliab was tall. Guess who else was tall? Saul. So the first thing Samuel wanted to do was pour the oil on somebody who reminded him of the past, but God said, "'I'm done with the past. I'm doing a new thing in your life. I'm doing a new thing in this generation. I'm doing a new thing in this church. I'm doing a new thing in your family.'" I can't hear God's voice sometimes because I can't do what God says if I don't see as

God sees. So the Lord says, "'The first thing I've got to get you to do is stop thinking that everything you see is true, thinking that everything you feel is true.'" Y'all, they sent me a clip the other day. One of my friends sent me a clip of one of my sermons and said, I got this the other day. It was kind of surprising. Show them real quick. They sent it to me on YouTube. It's a 50-second clip. I want to show you this. It's called How to Make a Man Miss You Deeply. Sometimes the hardest thing isn't about making someone love you. It's about making them feel your absence, to miss you deeply, not just in passing but in that place where their heart aches and their mind keeps coming back to you. It's not about chasing or pleading. It's about becoming so powerful in who you are that your presence lingers even when you're gone. Today, I want to show you how to unlock that power, the kind that doesn't beg for attention but commands it naturally. This is about mastering the art of being unforgettable, of creating a space. in his life that only you can fill. Are you ready? Because what you're about to learn will change the way you love and the way he remembers you. Let's dive in. That's crazy. It had my image. It had my name. It even kind of had my voice, but it didn't have my values. That's how you can tell, because you listen to me preach. You know my values, and no AI bot in the world trained on a manual about seduction can make you believe that's me, because you know that voice. When you know God's voice, when you know what God values, no Devil in hell, no brain groove, no toxic person can talk you out of what God said, no serpent, no lie. I think the Lord is saying over some stuff in your life,

that's not me. Touch somebody and say, that's not God. I don't care if it sounds spiritual, if it does not align with his Word, it is not God. I don't care what culture calls it. If God calls it sin, run from it and be sanctified. If God says he's for you, I don't care if the whole world is against you. What he says is the final say. Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. Even if you feel like you don't know what to do next, it's hard to hear God speaking about your future when you're still talking to him about your past. It's hard for you to hear God talk about the heart when you keep focusing on the height. If you want to hear God's voice, you have to have God's values. So, you'll know what to do. So, you'll know how God wants you to treat somebody. So, you'll know how he wants you to live, whether you're in Miami or Montana. So, you'll know what he's saying about your life so you can fill your horn, move forward with God, and find his purpose. Watch this. The proof of Samuel's ministry is not that he never got it wrong. You saw him get it wrong twice in his 70s. Anybody in their 70s in here? Tell these young people, listening to God is a lifelong skill. And doing what the Lord said requires that you get the grace for this season of your life. The Bible says in verse 7… Maybe you won't care about this, but this blew my mind. I called three preachers and said, "'Have you ever seen this before in the Bible?' They all said, "'No, and if you don't preach it this Sunday, I'm stealing it.'" It's because there is a progression that happens. In verse 6, Samuel thought, because he saw, surely. I want you to get that this week and kind of work it through. I saw. I thought. Surely. I was so certain about it. I was so committed to the thing that wasn't God. I hear things, and they sound like God. Certain things sound like God, but just because they sound good doesn't mean they're from God. I've heard sermons before where people say, "'God has to take you into isolation to give you revelation.'" That rhymes, but that's not right. Occasionally, God will give you revelation in isolation, but our God is a God of community. God doesn't want you in isolation. The Enemy does. Do you see what I'm saying? It sounds like God. That video sounded like me,

kind of. That's not his values. When you know his values, you will know his voice. In verse 6, he said, Samuel saw and thought, surely. But the Lord said to Samuel, "'You're wrong. You've got the wrong one.'" God doesn't measure faith by your confidence. He measures faith by your correctability. It's not in never getting it wrong that God calls you faithful. It's that when the Lord spoke and interrupted what Samuel thought was supposed to happen… This is crazy. In verse 7, the Lord said to Samuel, "'He's not the one.'" Who said it? The Lord. The Lord corrected Samuel's values. He said, "'I'm not looking at what you're looking at.'" Now look at verse 8. "'Then Jesse called Abinadab'…" That was his second son, the second one that wasn't right. "'He called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "'The Lord has not chosen this one either.'" Who said it? The Lord. Samuel. Because he has heard God's values, now he knows God's voice. God doesn't have to tell him over and over and over again. He has internalized the Word of God until the point where seven sons of Jesse passed before Samuel. He kept saying, "'Not that one. Looks good? Not that one. Sounds good? Not that one. Seems to be a king? Not that one. Nope, nope, nope, nope. Is that all you have?' And Jesse said, "'They're still the youngest. He is tending the sheep.' And Samuel said, "'Send for him. We will not sit down until he arrives.' So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "'Rise and anoint him. This is the one.'" So Samuel took the horn of oil, the one he filled back home. For the one he found, even after he got it wrong…' Don't you love this sermon today? He took the oil that he filled not knowing and anointed him in the presence of all of his brothers. From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel went to Ramah. All I'm trying to say to you today is, when you know God's voice, when you know God's heart, when you know you're God… Jesus said, "'My sheep know my voice, and they follow me.'" I know it's hard for you to hear what God wants you to do about this situation, but I want to remind you of something. You've heard his voice before. You've missed his voice before, and he didn't stop speaking, and he's still speaking. Even though you can't always feel him, you can be filled with him. Even though you didn't get it right the first time, even though you're mourning, there is a message.

When Elijah went to college, he came home after three weeks, and he said, "'It has been so hard for me to get on track without you, Dad.' I said, "'Dude, I miss you too. It's kind of crazy.'" Sometimes we would drive each other crazy in the house, but there were days where I'd be like, "'Man, I'd love for Elijah to be here driving me crazy. You know what I mean?' He said, "'The hard part is you have always been the voice in my head, giving me wisdom. I know I can call you and I know I can text you, but it's just not the same. When I lived at home, you would come wake me up and get me to work out, and nobody does that for me now.'" He said, "'So now I have to hear you even though you're not here.'" I know God is always present, and I know he's always here, but there may be somebody in here who you have been feeling like God is not speaking to you anymore. I think you think that because you think you did something that disappointed him so much. You did something that was so… You are secretly afraid that he has left you. You are secretly afraid that you messed it up. Do you really think that the God who raised up a shepherd named David to replace a king named Saul doesn't have a plan for your life too? Do you really think God is that small, that there's something you can do that's bigger than the blood of Jesus? Do you really think that the God who created you didn't have a contingency plan? Do you really think that the God who knows your destination doesn't know how to… re-route you when you take a wrong turn. So he's still speaking. Somebody say, Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening. Stand to your feet all over this room, heads bowed, eyes closed. Although you may not be Samuel and you may not be a prophet, I'm not either. A lot hinges on you hearing from God. The truth of the matter is, if you keep listening to the voice of the Enemy, you're going to drive everyone and everything away that you love. If you keep isolating and thinking that God has you isolated when God has really surrounded you by people, you are going to continue to be depressed, and you can't pray it away. You're going to have to obey it away. You hear me? You can't pray that away. You're going to have to take the next step. If you keep staring at the missed opportunity called Saul, you will never meet the future called David. You are going to have to fill your horn with oil and be on your way. With heads bowed and eyes closed… I want to pray for the people in this room today who

have been feeling like God has stopped speaking to you. You feel like it has been silent from heaven. With heads bowed and eyes closed, no one looking around and even online… Would you raise your hand if that's you? I felt like God has been not talking to me. All right. We're going to fix that right now. God said he loves you. God said he knows you. God said he knit you together in your mother's womb. God said you are not a mistake. God said he knows the plans he has for you. God said you're more than a conqueror. God said nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I know that's God's will, because that's God's Word. I want to pray for those today who have been paralyzed by some decisions, and you've been letting the details you don't have distract you from the things you know to do. Raise your hand if that's you. I've been so distracted and so stressed about what I don't know that I haven't been putting… Raise your hand if that's you. Raise your hand. Raise it boldly. Father, in Jesus' name, your sheep know your voice. I pray that this week there's going to be clarity in their spirit. They're going to maybe not know what the next 10 steps are, but they will know what the next one is, and they'll know who's with them. I thank you, God, that we're walking in the confidence of a God who never stops carrying us. I thank you that we're walking in the confidence of belonging to a God who knows the end from the beginning. God, I thank you that you speak to us not through the words we can hear but through the whispers we can't. Father, help us to quiet the noise. What's that song we sing? Tune the whole world out. I don't need a thing. Couldn't ask for more. If I have seen your face, I have all I want. Put me at your feet. Tune the whole world out. You know where I'll be, in my Father's house.