In this Issue:

Article - Hearing God Speak- Part 1

Ministry News

Things you can do to help

Prayer Conference on DVD

Promo Videos

Lowell Snow Ministries

Hearing God Speak

1. Examine Your Expectations

We’ve been talking for several months about the power of praying together and the necessity of bringing our prayers into ‘agreement’ with God. For you to be in agreement with Him you must know what He’s saying so now we turn to Hearing God Speak. We’ll take several sessions to consider the following topics:

• Examine Your Expectations
• Come to Christ
• Master the Minors
• Consider the Content
• Excuse the Excuses

Does God speak to you? There is a correct answer - yes.

Do you hear Him speak to you? Well…that’s what we’re going to talk about.

Whether you’re a follower of Christ or not, God is speaking to you. If you’re a non-believer; He’s attempting to draw you to Himself. If you’ve already surrendered your life to Him; He’s giving you the daily guidance you need to live the life He created you for.

I carry my cell phone with me at all times. When someone calls me it has a loud ring and vibrates. If I’m sitting at my desk, I hear it every time. If I’m mowing the grass, I almost never do. Why? Same phone, same ring and vibration, but when I’m mowing grass, there’s so much interference; I just don’t hear it or even feel it.

If you’re a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit is with you at all times, but you may seldom hear Him speak because you never get away from all the interference in your life and listen to Him. Like most Christians, you may try to hear God’s voice only when you’re facing a big decision. The rest of the time, you’re on autopilot, assuming that the instructions in the Bible are all you need for daily life.

There are a couple of problems with that approach. First, it makes it very difficult to ‘know God’s will’ because you haven’t learned to recognize His voice. You can’t tell if the thoughts and feelings you’re having are His voice or your own subconscious desires.

Secondly, there really are a lot of issues in your day-to-day life that aren’t covered in scripture. That’s why you so often feel that you’re blundering your way along, guessing about what to do much of the time.

In the gospel of John chapter 10, Jesus teaches about The Good Shepherd. Read the following verse several times and ponder its meaning for you.

And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:4 NKJV

‘Knowing’ the voice of God. How does a person learn such a thing? Is it truly possible or is it just a beautiful illustration?

If you read the Bible with these questions in mind; you must come to the conclusion that God expects all of His followers to not only follow the teachings found in scripture, but also to heed what He says to them personally.

Consider the list of people in the box at right to whom God spoke. I put it together in a few minutes so I’m sure there are many more. The point is that God talks a lot. He’s not silent or secretive. Consider this word from God spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. Jer 9:24 NKJV

‘Understands and knows Me’. That’s not about God understanding you; that’s about you understanding God. Think about that. Almighty God wants you to know Him personally and understand Him. Most of us are still struggling to understand our spouse. How long will it take us to understand God?

Well, it may be a goal for eternity, but the point is that God is not hiding from you. He desires a personal relationship with you and that simply can’t happen without two way communication. That’s why being able to recognize His voice is essential to a productive Christian life.

My question for you today is; do you want to hear God speak? Wait. Before you say, “Of course I do,” let me ask another question. What if He says something you don’t want to hear? What then? What if He says He wants you to be a missionary? What if He wants you to share your testimony with someone at work? What if He wants you to forgive someone you hate?

Most of us are a lot more like the ‘rich young ruler’ than we want to admit.

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matt 19:21-22 NKJV

Keep in mind that this is not a parable. This was a real person who was living by the principles set forth in scripture and thought he was ready for a personal word from God. However, when he got what he asked for; it was much more than he bargained for. That’s par for the course with God.

Over the years I’ve come to believe that virtually every Christian has heard or felt God give them specific directions for their lives, but rejected it and retreated into the safety of religion. There’s no better place to hide from God than a good church. Don’t misunderstand me. God loves His church. I’m just saying that you can feel good about yourself for doing religious things, but not be doing that which God created you for.

Over the next few days; ponder the question, “Do I really want to hear God speak?” In your daily devotions, consider the experiences of Abraham, Moses, and Paul. Meditate on how hearing and obeying God changed their lives. If you could interview them in heaven today; what might they say about the consequences of hearing God speak.

Next time we’ll continue the process of getting your life in position to hear God speak by looking at Come to Christ.

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These prayer times, teaching sessions, and messages will help your church become a Biblical house of prayer.

Click Here to learn more about hosting the conference of prayer.

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From saying a prayer at a little league game or in a hospital room to guiding a prayer time for many or few; this is the book you need.

• E-Book - 5.95
• Unbound - $9.95
• Perfect bound - $12.95
• Spiral bound - $15.95

Click Here to visit our store.

Some of the people in the Bible to whom God spoke:

• Adam & Eve,
• Cain,
• Enoch,
• Noah,
• Abraham
• Moses
• Balaam
• Joshua
• Deborah
• Samuel
• David
• Nathan
• Gad
• Job
• Solomon
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezekiel
• Daniel
• the minor prophets
• Simeon
• Anna
• Paul
• Ananias of Damascus
• Peter
• Stephen
• John
• Philip
• Barnabas
• Niger
• Lucius
• Manaen
• Agabus

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Ministry news:

Lay Renewal/Prayer Conference a God-thing

Thank you for praying for our combined ministry with Lay Renewal Weekend at Woodlawn Baptist Church, Conover, NC, August 14-16. God blessed the conference greatly and I learned a lot. Here are some things I observed that would be beneficial in preparations for any revival or conference:

• Details of the program were presented to the church well in advance and the church voted to make necessary spiritual and logistical preparations.
• Preparations required a large percentage of the church to get involved.
• People got involved because they were asked personally to do something specific.
• The Lay Renewal preparation manual is extensive and detailed.
• Testimonies. The power of people sharing what God is doing in their lives right now.
• Small prayer/discussion groups following my teaching sessions were very effective.

When there’s a genuine outbreak of the Holy Spirit, it’s not because people have changed God, but because people have gotten into a position where God can change them. Lay Renewal does that.

The Prayer Weekend is just one of five Lay Renewal emphases. Click on the following link to learn more. (don’t miss the video)

www.churchrenewaljourney.net

Here are some excerpts from an email the pastor sent to the Lay Renewal team a few days after the conference. (parenthesis and bold emphases are mine)

Dear Prayer Renewal Team:

…In thirty years of ministry and seventeen as shepherd of the precious saints at Woodlawn, I cannot recall anything that has impacted me personally and our church family collectively like the Prayer Renewal Weekend. The presence of the Lord was evident during the testimonies, worship, teaching, and times of prayer in large and small groups.

Each time we prayed I could hear people weeping throughout the sanctuary. And Saturday evening to see all the families at the altar, praying and weeping together before the Lord - that is something etched in my mind that I will never forget. Sunday evening (conference ended Sunday morning) we had a three hour service with our dear people sharing testimonies of how this weekend changed their lives and no one spoke more than once during the evening. It was incredible as our church family laughed, wept, and prayed together.

…I would highly recommend that every church in America host a Prayer Renewal Weekend. I believe it could truly be the impetus for a national spiritual awakening and renewal. Blessings to you all.

Sincerely, Dr. Ed Yount, Senior Pastor, Woodlawn Baptist Church, Conover, North Carolina

It's wonderful to see Lay Renewal being used again in churches across the country and I'm thrilled to be a small part of it.

In Christ,

Lowell

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This 3 CD-Set has the Five main sessions of the Journey Into the Presence of God Conference of Prayer, plus five prayer times. Click here to go to our store.

This is the Viewing Guide that comes with the prayer conference DVD Kit on sale below. It walks you through the preparations and presentation of the video conference in your church or small group.

Click Here to see all sixteen pages of the DVD Viewing Guide.

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Need to make adjustments to your worship service? Avoid undo conflict by doing it right the first time? Click here to take a look at this unique three step process to evaluate your worship and make productive recommendations to your congregation.

Things you can do to help us:

1. Forward this newsletter to every servant of Christ you know.
2. Click here and give us your up-to-date email address.
3. Put us in your address book and notify us when you add/change your email addresses.
4. Bookmark our web site in your browser. - www.leadingprayer.com

Journey Into the Presence of God conference of prayer on DVD!

Every Christian needs these teachings. God is using it across the country to call His people back to authentic prayer. With this DVD Kit; He can bless your folks even if your church can't host the event.

The five 45 min. sessions were recorded live at the First Baptist Church of Ferguson, St. Louis, MO. The Viewing Guide has everything from discussion questions to suggestions for setting up the video equipment.

Please don't miss this opportunity to bring this blessing to your congregation or group.

$129.00 ($149 retail)

Free S&H (satisfaction guarantee)

This kit includes: 5 DVDs, a comprehensive viewing guide, promo DVD, bonus materials CD, and unbound Prayer Guide book.

• Each DVD has an easy to navigate menu, introduction, prayer time, sermon or session, and in some cases an invitation.
• The 16 page Viewing Guide contains: conference overview, preparation instructions; viewing guide for each DVD; discussion questions for each session; and suggestions for using the Prayer Guide book, promo DVD, and bonus materials CD.
• The bonus materials CD contains: a Prayer Guide E-Book, PowerPoint files, session outlines, planning kit, and promotional materials like posters and brochures.

This free shipping offer is not valid outside the USA! There is no limit on quantity.

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Please forward this email to every praying person you know.

Prayer Conference Promotional Videos

The Journey Into the Presence of God conference of prayer is so unique that many struggle to understand what it is. If you're considering hosting the conference or purchasing the DVD Set; the following videos should help.

1. Click here to view the one minute publicity video suitable for promotions during a worship service
2. Click here to view the seven minute preview of the conference that's great for showing to church leadership.
3. Click here to view the seven minute explanation of the conference by Lowell Snow.

These are the videos from the Promo DVD which is available at the web site and comes with the DVD Set.