Exercise (30 sec)
     1.   Meditate on mental image of yourself with God. Pray softly about how grateful you are
     God loves you and wants to speak to you. Pray in spirit quietly.
     2.   Submits your psyche to your spirit, activates your spirit; prepares you to hear from
     your spirit.

Intro
     1.   We must learn to follow our spirits, yet apply proper tests to spiritual input.
     2.   First focus on hearing God speak, then test afterward. If you evaluate/test while
     listening, will stifle spiritual flow.
     3.   We are using journaling as process to develop new skill, but these principles apply to
     hearing God whether you journal or not.

Tests
     1.   Is it biblical? (last week)
     2.   Is your spirit at peace regardless of mental state? (last week)

     3.   When God speaks, what he says usually requires humility, service to others.
               a.   Humility - opposite of your sinful nature, which is self-centered
               b.   Agape - considering others more important than self, willing to serve them.
               c.   Your sinful nature is intensely self-centered, opposed to God, opposite of godly
          character
                         i.   God works with you to destroy/crucify your sinful nature
                         ii.  Don’t be surprised that what God says requires humility
                         iii. God will not build up your sinful nature
               d.   Test #3: Does it require humility and/or service?

     4.   What God speaks is often consistent with your character.
               a.   This causes people to think, "That's just me, not God."
               b.   God gave you your character; he honors it and uses it
                         i.   God gave you character traits & abilities compatible with his plan for
               your life
                         ii.  so what he asks you to do will often be consistent with your character
                         iii. Occasionally asks you to do something uncomfortable or unnatural to
               your character, but not typically.
                         iv.  Must learn to rely on him at all times, easiest to learn when asked to do
               something unnatural to you; so he will do it occasionally.
               c.   Make a distinction:
                         i.   Your character (strengths, abilities, personality type) is gift from God,
               so he will interact with you according to your character.
                         ii.  He normally asks you to do things compatible with your character; he
               wouldn’t equip you one way, then expect you to operate another way.
               Your character is good, valid, valuable.
                         iii. However, the part of you God always opposes is your sinful nature.
                         iv.  Sinful nature doesn’t want to do God’s will, unless a selfish reason
               d.   Test #4: Is it consistent with your character?

     5.   When God speaks, what he says may be confirmed.
               a.   Bible principle of 2 or 3 witnesses; when something is important, God repeats
          it.
                         i.   The number of times this principle appears in scripture is evidence of the
               principle itself: Deut 19:15. Mt 18:16. 2 Co 13:1. 1 Tim 5:19. 1 Tim
               6:12. Heb 10:28
                         ii.  The more confirmations you receive, greater confidence you can have
                         iii. two possibilities:
                                   (1)  unsolicited confirmation
                                   (2)  solicited confirmation (you initiate)
               b.   Unsolicited confirmation
                         i.   Something you hear or read, or something someone says, or some
               circumstance confirms
                         ii.  The more objective and unsolicited the confirmation is, the more
               confidence you can have; wait for God to confirm.
                         iii. The more important what you heard is, the more likely it is to be
               confirmed.
                         iv.  God can orchestrate variety of unsolicited confirmations; expect it.
               c.   Solicited confirmation
                         i.   May be wise to talk to other believers (someone whose spiritual maturity
               you respect), especially if what you “heard” seems important
                         ii.  Proverbs: wisdom in counsel
                         iii. Pr 11:14, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make
               victory sure.”
                         iv.  Pr 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they
               succeed.”
                         v.   What is the value of asking mature believers about what you heard?
                                   (1)  Benefit from their maturity & experience.
                                   (2)  Benefit from their different perspective (different character).
                                   (3)  Help testing what you heard.
               d.   Confirmation is not majority vote or general consensus
                         i.   You are responsible for your own decisions and actions.
                         ii.  We’re talking about independent and objective confirmation of what God
               has said to you, to help you make God-honoring decision.
               e.   Test #5: Has God confirmed what he said?

Tests
     1.   Biblical
     2.   Peace in your spirit
 (must always pass first two tests; others not always relevant)
     3.   Requires humility
     4.   Consistent with your character
     5.   Confirmation

Exercise
     1.   Write on paper: “Lord, I love you and I want to please you. Please help me understand
     why humility is essential for pleasing you.”
     2.   Mental image, worship the Lord quietly, pray with spirit.
     3.   Begin dialoging with God by reading the statement you wrote, record dialog.
     4.   Class evaluation. Volunteer read dialog, class apply tests.
               a.   biblical; examples from scripture?
               b.   spirit at peace?
               c.   requires humility or service to others?
               d.   consistent with person’s character?
               e.   does God confirm to you what he said to this person?

Personal Example of Career Change (Filler; dramatic example)
This teaching is not based on personal experience. The following personal experience supports
the teaching.
     1.   I used to be very security-oriented; wanted career with stable company; job security
     was very important.
     2.   God began speaking to me about fear, what it is, what it does
               a.   For months, God kept teaching me about fear: Bible reading, Christian
          programs, sermons, Pastor Gary had a word from the Lord about my fear.
               b.   seemed everywhere I turned: issue of fear
     3.   Then God spoke to me about leaving my job and running my own business
               a.   He spoke to me repeatedly through series of events
               b.   I “knew” this was God; certainty, peace, confidence
               c.   This would force me to face my fear, “need” for security
               d.   Already had own company, involved in several activities that could be
          developed into business.
               e.   I set a 6-month objective for myself (nothing specific from God, but seemed
          right)
     4.   Then God switched topics
               a.   I stopped hearing about fear, suddenly began hearing God say “Trust me.”
               b.   everywhere I turned, same theme: you can trust God, he is trustworthy, he will
          do what he says.
               c.   I needed to hear that, because as 6-month period ended, my business stopped
          growing and slumped
     5.   At end of 6 months
               a.   My business was virtually non-existent it was so small.
               b.   But there was no doubt in my mind that God was my source, not my business
               c.   All along, had talked with wife & sons; we all agreed I should proceed, so I
          began working business full time.
     6.   For about 10 years
               a.   Lean times, but God provided for our needs.
               b.   My business barely kept itself alive; to this day, I have never paid myself.
               c.   Rational evaluation: my business effort was failure.
     7.   The Tests
               a.   Biblical
                         i.   Everything God said to me about fear and trusting him was biblical.
                         ii.  Leaving secure job to work a fledgling business violated “common
               sense” but not scripture
                         iii. Occasionally a Christian friend would quote 1 Tim 5:8, “If anyone does
               not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he
               has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
                                   (1)  Experiences like this, and fact that I was earning virtually
                    nothing during this time, kept me re-evaluating and relying on
                    God’s initial guidance.
                                   (2)  I had to know that what I was doing was scriptural.
                         iv.  Many biblical examples of God telling people to do irrational things,
               then caring for them supernaturally.
                         v.   We experienced God’s provision; never went hungry, didn’t lose our
               home, always had cars, both boys went to college.
               b.   Peace
                         i.   Complete spirit peace, but not mental peace.
                         ii.  Horrendous struggle rationally & emotionally; turmoil, anguish,
               confusion.
                         iii. In my spirit: peace and confidence.
               c.   Humility
                         i.   Required humility to publicly declare what I was doing and why.
                         ii.  When business didn’t produce, was devastating to my pride.
               Humiliating.
                         iii. People asked, “What kind of business are you in?” Embarrassed to
               answer, “Nothing profitable.” They respond, “Then why don’t you get a
               job?”
                         iv.  Required great humility.
               d.   Consistent with my character
                         i.   Loner; enjoy project work; enjoy developing new systems, concepts or
               devices. Had done well in these areas of my career; one of my greatest
               strengths.
                         ii.  Not typical entrepreneurial bravery, but definite motivation.
               e.   Confirmed
                         i.   Real issue: confronting my fears and trusting God.
                         ii.  God confirmed repeatedly from wide variety of sources; wide variety of
               experiences proved God faithful

     8.   Example shows how tests applied in one very dramatic situation

Additional Notes
     1.   Confirmation
               a.   God may confirm through others what he has already said to you in your own
          spirit.
               b.   Do not rely only on prophecy or spectacular/supernatural events to guide you.