It’s Hard To Hear God | I Know That Voice | Steven Furtick | Elevation Church

I have an exciting announcement. Elevation Nights  is back this October the 9th through the 18th and   we might be coming to a city near you. So if  you are in Kansas City, Memphis, Birmingham,   San Antonio, Lubbock, Dallas, Oklahoma City  or Houston, we want to invite you to come and   worship with us. I am telling you, there  is nothing like being in an arena full of   other Jesus lovers. It is such an amazing night.  Elevation worship is going to be there. Elevation   Rhythm is going to be there. Pastor Steven is  going to bring a powerful word that is going to   speak straight to your heart. So, if you are  near any of those cities, grab your tickets,   invite your friends, and we will see you there.  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 of these volunteers.  Thank God for the group leaders for YTHX. Thank God for Elevation Ballantyne  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  Ballantyne, 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 that 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   that God has something that 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,   and I prayed for you today that God might give  me the words he wants you to hear. 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.

And 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, and I pray that today   God would give us a word to that end. Clap  your hands and thank God for his presence. I don't think I have to tell you. I think  you know what time it is. Elevation,   it's preaching time. Put it in the comments. "It's  preaching time." Put it in the comments. "It's   preaching time." Say it out loud. "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 seat belt on, but just in your heart,   your posture, reverence the Lord. This  is his Word. First 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 that 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 that. "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." So, 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. And if you disagree  with me, you can send me an email to   [email protected].  But all 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 want to 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. You remember when we would come  up there and hold those babies in our arms,   and 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  this 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? But I was reminded of  something that happened when Elijah was 5 years   old. I'd 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've got   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 at my shirt, and he was like, "Hey,   I want to go to 'Wheezy.'" He called it "Wheezy."  I was going to New Orleans to preach for the ARC   conference. He said, "I want to go to Wheezy."  I said, "You do?" I said, "I'm leaving in, like,   two hours." He said, "I want to go to…" What does  he know about TSA, you know? "I just want to go." So, I bought him a ticket, and we were going  to Wheezy. Me and Elijah were going to… Me and   "E" were going to Wheezy 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. But after he took Elijah, like,   a minute goes by. Two minutes go 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. And I'm  standing on the other side of the little…   What do you call them? Security  things that you go through? So,   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 is on the  other side. You need to let me through."

And the guy, not the same guy but another  guy, comes up, a TSA guy, 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. Okay? I've said a few words I had   to repent for at baseball fields over that very  same principle. I'm just being honest with you.   Well, anyway, it goes on and on.  Three TSA agents later, I'm yelling. I'm yelling so loud that I hear one of  the TSA agents… Because 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!" And 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." And 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 5-year-old kid going through the  TSA screenings of life. Oh, to have the   confidence of a 5-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 lives 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? Is it just…?" 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   whom 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've got fear talking  in my heart. I've got shame talking in my heart.

I've got lust talking in my heart. I've got greed  talking in my heart. Y'all got quiet. You've got   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. You wish you could be like the 5-year-old  who says, "I knew you were coming. I knew   you were coming." You know, to Elijah,  I would beat up every TSA agent. I would   take their gun…whatever it took to get to him.  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 that 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 that 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 that I would do," Paul said in Romans,   chapter 7, "I cannot do. The thing that 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?" And this is Paul talking,   y'all. The apostle Paul said, "It's 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've got to get that in,   because they'll put 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,  you know. 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. And 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 dis-appointment. I say that  because Saul was appointed to be king, and   then he was dis-appointed, 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. 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. Everybody say,   "Fill." F-I-L-L…fill. Put it in the chat,  please. Say, "Fill." Say it out loud. "Fill." This is the instruction that 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. You like that? Because 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… I don't have to feel   anything to keep the appointments that  I put on my calendar. God doesn't have   to confirm something to me that I already  committed to do. Let me say that again.   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 that 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   till I feel it to do it, because if I waited till  I felt it to do it, I would never feel it. So,   touch somebody and say, "Fill it." Fill it.  Fill 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. Start filling… 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. 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.  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've got to fill it before you find it. And 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 that 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. You know, on the maps app… It was the   greatest technological invention of my lifetime,  you know, 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…  And 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  speaking." Okay. I've got a few ideas about that. Number one, in my life 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 that I can just ask God for  directions for a destination that I set. So, 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 are  you supposed to have the ministry I   have." What's he saying? "It might not  be your destination to do what I did." Some of the reason that it's hard for us to hear  from God, some of the reason we're so confused,   some of the reason we're so stressed out,  some of the reason we're so anxious is   because we've set the destination to  something God never destined us to do.

The reason we can't hear God isn't because  he's quiet; it's because we're comparing. 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 that 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 that 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 that 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 talking.  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 dollars 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 cliches we   use as Christians and just talk about them  a little bit. I call this Christianese.

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 cliches we use in church would 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  that he just wants us to use wisdom for. So,   we were singing this song in YTHX all  week. I love this song. I didn't write   this song. I'm jealous that I didn't write  this song, but we sang it in church today. We're 'bout to see revival like we've never known,  Like something out the Bible, the impossible; I think the room is ready for a miracle. I think this 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 the… Come on, young people.   Stand up real quick. Sing the song. "We're  'bout to see revival like we've never known."

Oh, y'all are 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 'bout to see revival." I love that. All right. How many want to see God do  something like it's 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 neighbor  and 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've got to ask you this, because it's  hard to hear a God speaking specifically   who you will not obey generally. So, 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 the 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. And he called him a third time,   and Eli said, "That's not me; that's God.  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. And from Dan to Beersheba…" Next verse,   please. "…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." "Through his word." You  have his Word. So, before we go getting confused   about the things God isn't speaking to us, let's  check on the things that he has already spoken,   because the more I'm flowing in what he has  spoken, the more I can hear what he speaks.   Clap your hands and praise the Lord. Come  on. Clap your hands and praise the Lord.

You like that? Something out of the  Bible. Daniel in the lions' 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. Do you want   to hear my 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. Okay,   okay. All right. Now I've got 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 me   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. Maybe the whole thing is not a   you. Maybe you are… "Like something  out the Bible." 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." "No, I want something out of the   Bible. I don't want to do something in the Bible.  I want God to open the grave." God is like,   "Before we start dealing with graves, can we  deal with grumbling? Because your grumbling is   the grave for every good thing I'm trying to do  in your life. You bury it in your complaining.   You want to see something out of the Bible;  I want to see you 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  4:11 says, "Brothers and sisters,   do not slander one another." That's  in the Bible. 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.  Touch somebody and say, "It's in the Bible." "Flee from sexual immorality." Put that  on the YTHX 2027 tee 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've got 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. Touch somebody and say,   "It's in the Bible." It's in the B-I-B-L-E, Bible.  I think I've got 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. "About   to see revival like we've never known."  "Honoring my mama when I get back home,   deleting all my Snapchat from my iPhone, and  now I'm getting fired up." 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 16:4. 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. This is an uplifting message that the   Lord gave me today called I Know That Voice.  By the way, I've got 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 2:00 a.m. I don't love you   like that. Graham Furtick? We've got to  have some boundaries around 2:00 a.m.,   because I love him so much. I love him  so much. But… So much to share. Will you   come back next week too? I'm not done,  but will you come back next week too? You know, one of the things I associate with  hearing from God is frequency. That's an   interesting word because it has a double meaning.  We hear in frequency. Sound has a frequency,   but 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 have rejected him as  king over Israel?'" By the way,   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 is sending him. So,   the word God is giving him is taking him through  a difficult place. So, he's got to go back to his   school and live it out. He's got to go back  to a loveless marriage and love his wife as   Christ loves the church. He's got to go back to a  job where there aren't many Christians. He's got   to go back to a job where the boss doesn't even  appreciate…or, actually, the boss is the problem. He's got 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,  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."

And the Lord responds. Verse 3.  It's so beautiful. The Lord said,   "I've got this covered. Get your heifer." 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've got to say it,   we've all got 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. Now watch this. This is crazy. He's been  doing this for six decades…prophesying.   Not only has he been hearing from God; he  has been speaking for God. He should know   how to do this by now. But he said,  "How can I go? If Saul hears about   it, he'll kill me." 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," you know. 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 have to go on the   Peloton today. You've got to read the Bible  today. You've just got to not freak out,   not lose your mind, and not go crazy  today. The Lord said, "'I will show you   what to do. You are to anoint for me the one  I indicate.' Samuel did what the Lord said." Now I want to read the rest to you. "When  he arrived at Bethlehem…" (Verse 4, part B,   please.) "…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, 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. I  know who. "Samuel did what the Lord said. When   he arrived, the elders said, 'Do you come  in peace?' Samuel replied, 'Yes, in peace;   I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate  yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.'

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 of 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 got 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 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." Now, 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. "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 friend group, 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 ye sanctified.  And 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. And if you want to hear God's voice, you've got  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 that  you'll know what he's saying about your life;   so that 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.

Doing what the Lord said requires that you get  the grace for this season of your life, because   the Bible says in verse 7… Maybe you won't care  about this, but this blew my mind. Y'all, I called   three preachers and said, "Have you ever seen this  before in the Bible?" and they all said, "No, and   if you don't preach it this Sunday, I'm stealing  it," 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." Like, I  hear things, and they sound like God. You know,   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. God  speaks through people. See what I'm saying?

It sounds like God, like 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. 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? Come on, talk to me. Who   said? Okay. 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? Read it  again. Samuel. Because he's heard God's values,   now he knows God's voice, and 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. And 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?" Jesse said,   "There's still the youngest. He is  tending the sheep." "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 that he filled back home. For the   one that 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,   and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came  powerfully upon David. And 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 your God… Jesus said, "My sheep  know my voice, and they follow me." I know it's   hard. 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's been so hard for   me to get on track without you, Dad." I said,  "Dude, I miss you too." It's kind of crazy,   because 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 not the same, because when I lived at home,   you would come wake me up and get me to work  out. Nobody does that for me now." He said,   "So, now I have to hear you even though you're  not here." I know that God is always present,   and I know that he's always here, but  there may be somebody in here who… You have been feeling like God is not  speaking to you anymore. And 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's 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   reroute 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. Do 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've 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  that you are not a mistake. God said that   he knows the plans he has for you. God  said that you're more than a conqueror.   God said that 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 that 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   that 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; I couldn't ask for  more. If I have seen your face, I have all I want.   Put me at your feet and tune the whole world out.  You know where I'll be: in my Father's house."  Hey, thank you for watching the Elevation Church  YouTube. I want you to subscribe. That way you   can know when we go live and post new content.  Make sure to leave me a comment. Let me know what   spoke to you today, where you're watching from,  and what we can pray for you about. And if you'd   like to support the ministry financially, you can  click the give button now and help us continue   reaching people around the world for Jesus  Christ. Thanks again. I'll see you next time.