God Speaks, We Listen
We Speak, He Listens
Do I hear God speak to me?
Yesterday
We drank in the meaning of ‘bond-servant’.
Do you remember what ‘bond-servant’ means?
Don’t slack off.
It is just a tap away!
You don’t want to forget what you have LEARNED.
Have you shared what a ‘bond-servant‘ is with someone else?
Try sharing!
The best way to remember Truth is to restate it to others.
Today
We want to HEAR God Speak to us about being His ‘bond-servant’.
Open GODcha to the Book of James.
NOTE:
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What is the Purpose of the Book of James?
You’re on your own!
If you can’t remember, check out the OVERVIEW.
Let’s Pray First
Oh Lord God, You are our God, and we are Your people. We come to You today to learn to hear Your voice. Oh Lord, may we learn to listen carefully. Please give us ears to hear Your Word and then to observe it. Bless our time with You today! Thank you Lord, (Psa 95:7); (Luk 11:28).
LOOK at What God Says
Let’s Go to Our Road Map.
Open GODcha’s LOOK Section.
What’s your starting point?
Begin LOOKING by READING!
Yes, read verse 1 again by asking the 5W’s and H.
Today, We Want to
Learn to LISTEN to God!
Our Focus Today
Let God’s Word go down deep and take root in our lives.
God speaks, and we are not to refuse Him, (Heb 1:1-2; 12:25).
Therefore, it is critical to HEAR!
To have ears that HEAR,
HEAR with understanding, (Mar 4:23-24); (Luk 8:8).
This is when we LISTEN to the Lord speak to us personally through His Word and Spirit, (Joh 14:16-17; 16:13).
Take it from me, this is a skill that takes some time to develop.
But. . .
the more time you spend fine-tuning your ears,
the clearer God’s voice will be.
To HEAR God Speak
1. Consider what you have SEEN and LEARNED from God.
Then,
2. Turn what you LEARNED into a personal question(s).
Let’s Take a Crack At It!
Let me give you some examples to get you started.
1. We LEARNED 
James views and introduces himself, as a ‘bond-servant‘ of God and of Jesus.
The key, is to turn what you have LEARNED into a personal question(s).
To LISTEN to the Spirit –
The Personal Question(s) Might Be:
How do I view myself with respect to God and Jesus?
Do I view myself as the Lord’s bond-servant? Why? Why not
How do I usually introduce myself? Why?
Have I ever introduced myself as the Lord’s bond-servant? To whom? Why?
Let’s Give It Another Try
We also LEARNED
James being a ‘bond-servant’ means that he was a slave, a servant, and submissive (obedient, and devoted).
STOP! Let’s focus on the 1st characteristic:
‘Being a Slave’
Oh, I want to take you beyond just seeing a word and passing right by it.
Words mean everything!
I want to help you THINK and REASON.
Don’t just eye the Word.
See IT! Reflect on what being a slave would mean.
To Help You Understand
What did you Discover about the term ‘slave‘ yesterday?
We LEARNED
Being a bond-servant means one is a slave denoting one is not their own; they are dependent upon God and Jesus.
To LISTEN to the Spirit –
The Personal Question(s) Might Be:
Am I a slave, of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, no longer my own?
What does this look like in my life?
Am I living independently, or dependently, upon God and Jesus?
Am I calling the shots in my life, or letting God? How so?
What must I do to break that independence and live dependently upon God and Jesus?
Oh, do you see how you can HEAR the Lord speak to you, causing you to ponder and reflect even more?
As you slow down and prayerfully focus on what God says and means,
You will begin to be sensitive to His Spirit,
Hearing Him speak to you, and
The questions will come.
Now We Don’t Just LISTEN,
But, We Speak to God!
We want to LIVE in the light of what God is teaching us.
Apply it to our lives.
Put it into practice!
As You Begin to LISTEN, THEN You Respond
An awesome dialogue begins to take place between you and Your Creator!
This is fellowship – you developing a relationship with God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus, (1Jo 1:3).
Your Response to God Might Be:
Praise,
Forgiveness,
Confession,
Repentance,
Thanksgiving, and/or
A commitment to LIVE out what He is showing you!
There is no one size fits all.
We all are at different places with the Lord,
And our responses will be different,
But we can be sure He will meet us right where we are at!
Let Me Help You. . .
As you HEAR God Speak about a bond-servant being a slave…
Your Response Might Be:
~Oh God, I don’t know what being Your slave really means or should look like in my life.
~I confess to you Lord:
I really don’t give You a second thought.
I have been living for myself, living independently of You.
I have been calling the shots, with little thought to You or Your purposes, making choices and decisions apart from You.
~Oh God, forgive me! I want to turn from walking independently of You.
~Please help me live for You, totally dependent upon You. Show me what that looks like.
Or,
Your Response Might Be:
~Oh Father God, I praise You and thank You for Your Word, and for Your plan.
~Thank you Lord Jesus, for freeing me from sin and death with Your precious blood.
~Oh Lord, I realize I am not my own, that You bought me with the precious blood of Jesus, and You are my Master, calling the shots in my life.
~Oh Lord, I know that You, Jesus, emptied Yourself and took on the form of a slave, and did only those things the Father told You. And I am to be like You!
~Lord, I confess that there have been many a day and time that I fail to live totally dependent upon You, following You and obeying You.
Oh Lord, I am so sorry! Please forgive me!
~Lord, You say that when I confess my sin to You, You are faithful to cleanse me of all unrighteousness.
~Lord, I do so love You and desire to please You. I want to do Your will.
~Lord, please teach me, help me, enable me to live as yours totally dependent on You in every way.
Do You SEE?
God Talks, We LISTEN!
We Talk, He Listens!
Oh, This is The Most Amazing Part of Your Journey!
HEAR the Lord speak to you individually, personally. (Joh 10:27)
God is saying something important every time He speaks a Word.
And then, you TALK to Him! (Jer 29:12-13)
Don’t Get Discouraged!
This is another skill that takes awhile to develop.
The more time you spend prayerfully concentrating on what God is saying,
LISTENING carefully,
His voice will become clear.
And when you hear,
you will naturally talk to Him.
This is the fellowship and relationship the Lord desires!
And if you let what you hear affect how you LIVE, you will be transformed!
Our Day Has Come to an End!
Continue listening and chatting with God the rest of the day!
Journal in Your Notes
I would encourage you to record your conversations with the Lord in your 
Notes.
Video Tutorial> Notes Tutorial >
It allows you to go back and rehearse these special encounters.
It also gives you an opportunity to hold yourself accountable to the commitments you make to Him.
Let’s Pray
OH FATHER, I praise You that You speak. That You speak to us because You care about us. That You are a personal God, revealing Yourself to us. I just wonder how many times, how often, we all have ignored Your voice to us? Oh Father, I am sure for the most part it is out of ignorance, not knowing or understanding how to hear Your voice. Forgive us Lord! You have told us that You are speaking to us these last days through Your Son, and not to refuse Him (Heb 1:1-2; 12:25). Lord you have warned us of a day that is coming when there will be a famine of hearing Your Word, (Amos 8:11). Oh Father, I ask, no I beg You Father God, to help us. I ask that You give all of us eyes that see and ears that hear. Help each one of us to prayerfully concentrate on what You say to us in Your Word. Please Holy Spirit, help us to hear the Lord’s voice, and not refuse Him when He speaks. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen!
Please know that God established a pattern for mankind, and that pattern is that we work six days, and then we have one day that we set aside to rest, and replenish our body, and focus on worshiping God.
Rest tomorrow and worship God!
See you in a couple of days to continue to LOOK @ ‘Bond-servant’.
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