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“The Power of a Whisper”

Get better at hearing God’s promptings and get bolder about doing what He says.

The Story of a Man Named Paul Giving His Life to Follow Jesus—Acts 9:1-19

God can open our ears to hear in surprising ways.

Our obedience to God’s whispers influence others to listen also.

We may not fully know all the good for God that happens when we follow HIS whispers.

5 TEST QUESTIONS FOR KNOWING WHEN A WHISPER IS FROM GOD

ASK: God, is this Prompting (impression, whisper, internal nudge) from You?

LOOK To See if Your Next Action Aligns with the Example of Jesus in the Bible

COMPARE it to the Best Wisdom
Proverbs 1:3, wise people do what is “right and just and fair.”

ASK: Does This Support WHO I Desire to Be?

SEEK Advice from the Strongest Christ-followers I Know
Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

1 John 4:1–6 wisely advises, “Don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God.”

WHEN YOU NEED GOD TO SHOW UP:
Stories of God Meeting Our Financial Needs


…as Elijah arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you have said but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers…” I Kings 17

It’s most often when we are working that God works!

God didn’t do ONLY enough, but more than enough.



When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching them many things.
35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. Mark 6

“Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.” Mark 8

Remember Who You Are Walking With

While We Wait for God to Work, We Work
Generosity Rock Star- Someone who trusts God to meet their needs while they commit to contribute $20 a week.

Train to Develop an Abundance Faith
He is not a ‘barely enough God.’
He is not a ‘bare minimum God.’
He is not a “I want you to barely make it God.’

He’s a 12-baskets-left-over-God!

Family Values
Part 2 - Our Interactions

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand

“Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 (MSG)

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.” Phillippians 2:5-11(MSG)

1) Prioritize Unity
2) Practice Humility
3) Facilitate Forgiveness

Family Values
Part 1 - About Marriage

The reason our marriages don’t end up where we want them to because they didn’t start where God intended them to.

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7(NIV)

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:1-4(NIV)

3 Ways To Help A Marriage In Need
1) Practice Devotional Time Together
2) Find A Marriage Counselor
3) Develop Intentional Date Times

ACCEPTING YOUR STATUS AS A CHILD OF GOD

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the fatted calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” Luke 15:17-24

Life with the Father is Better than Life Without the Father.

How Do YOU Learn to Truly and Confidently believe that YOU are a child of God?

Choose to FULLY Believe God’s Acceptance and My Identity

We are stuck in faulty thinking about God and we are trapped in self-condemnation.

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. MY purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 NLT

See your enemy’s strategy? Try to kill you. If that doesn’t work, try to keep you far from God, in your sin, wallowing in your stuff AND if that doesn’t work, he will AT LEAST try to keep you from believing that you are fully a son, fully a daughter who is forgiven and accepted by God.

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster….oh that you would choose life…You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life…” Deuteronomy 30:11, 19, 20

Surrender to God’s Changes

The prodigal trusted the father to change his clothes…and then he learned to trust His father to change his life.