Acts 2:17 says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams”.
We began the series on the price to pay to hear God, where we spoke about why you need to hear Him. In these end times, many false prophets have gone forth, and that life is full of decisions. Hearing God makes it easier for you to take steps that He approves of.
In this part, I want to touch on the lifestyle of the hearer. It is important to note that God does not get tired of speaking to us. He actually loves to speak to us. That is why, for people who hear God through dreams, it is possible to have up to five dreams in one night and remember each one in detail.
Read the books of Moses and ask yourself the kind of ears Moses had to accurately hear and document the instructions of the Lord. There were people in the Bible who heard God in frightening detail, such as the Prophet Samuel, Ezekiel, Daniel, and even Cornelius, who was not a prophet.
I want to focus on the routines and lifestyle of two of them: the Prophet Samuel and Cornelius.
When you read 1 Samuel 9 and chapter 10, you can see how the Prophet could accurately tell Saul the number of days the donkeys were missing. He knew where Saul was from and where God wanted to take him.
In 1 Samuel 9:15 to 17, the Bible says, “Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, ‘Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.’ So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, ‘There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.’”
Also, in verse 20, it says, “But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”
We see here a man who could hear God so clearly. In the same chapter, the Bible also tells us about his lifestyle.
In 1 Samuel 9:6, it says, “Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man. All that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”
The Bible gives us an indication of the lifestyle of a man who can hear God. Firstly, he is a man of God. Secondly, he is an honorable man. Honourable describes someone with high moral standards, integrity, and upright character, deserving of respect.
You cannot be a vessel that desires to hear God and yet not be honourable. It is possible for someone to hear from God and gain the trust of people, and yet misuse that trust to swindle them. That is why it is important to strive to walk in high moral standards. You want to hear from an honourable God, so it is only right that you walk in integrity.
A lot of people fail in morality but still claim to want to hear from God. Morality is key if you want to hear from God. Obey His Word and pay the price of integrity, and I believe you will hear from Him.
Thirdly, the Bible says that none of Samuel’s words fell to the ground. The main reason I believe his words did not fall to the ground is because he only spoke the words that God told him. God will only bring to pass what He has said.
The second person I want to talk about is Cornelius. I want to talk about Cornelius because the Bible does not describe him as a prophet, but as a normal man like all of us.
Let us read Acts 10:1 to 7:
“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ So he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.’ And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.”
Now let us look at his lifestyle. The Bible says he was a man who fears God. The fear of God is one of the core prices to pay if you want to hear Him. The Bible says in Psalm 25:14, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” The fear of the Lord is critical if you want to hear from Him. You must fear the God you want to hear, and the Bible promises that those who fear Him will hear and see secret things. When you fear the Lord, you will walk in holiness and righteousness. We can define the fear of God as the posture of a person who reverences God deeply and intentionally seeks to walk consistently in His will. It is not merely an emotion but a way of life marked by honor, obedience, and a sincere desire to please Him. The fear of God shapes one’s thoughts, decisions, and actions, leading to a life that reflects His righteousness and aligns with His purpose.
Secondly, the Bible also says Cornelius was a man of prayer. You cannot take away prayer if you want to hear God. The more you pray, the more you hear. If you desire God to speak to you, then speak to Him in prayer. Prayer is a very important price to pay if you desire to hear God. Moses was a man of prayer, Elijah was a man of prayer, Elisha was a man of prayer, and the Apostle Paul was a man of prayer. Prayer is the gateway to hearing the voice of the Lord.
Two more things the Bible highlights in the life of Cornelius are his giving and his devotion. He had compassion for the poor, and he was devout. Devout describes someone who is deeply committed to their faith, strictly follows its principles, and demonstrates heartfelt sincerity in their belief. Cornelius was a very disciplined believer in God. Many people do not want to follow God’s principles, yet they want to hear from Him.
There are many other people who were not prophets but could hear God clearly. An example is Ananias in Acts 9:10: “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’” He was described as a disciple. This tells you that, as disciples of Jesus Christ, the ability to hear God should not be something we struggle with.
From these two examples, you can see that a man who desires to hear God, or to pay the price to hear Him, must offer his life to God so that God can communicate with him at any time. The principles are simple: be prayerful, read the Word, obey the Word, and be holy.
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