The Kingdom Cowboy

Hearing God Practical Tips #43

Summary:
As God’s people, we should all be hearing God’s voice, and not just a select few. God wants to speak to all of us. You can develop a sense of hearing Him on the run, but it is much better if you take the time to sit down, quiet your spirit, eliminate the distractions, and just listen for Him to speak to you. Even more important than that is to just learn how to enjoy God’s presence through all of this. If you make this a priority, God will start to talk to you in some way.
Show Notes
Learning God’s voice is not for a select few leaders of the church. It’s for all of us to be able to hear Him, whether it be by an audible voice, a small still voice, or so many other ways that He can, and does, speak to us.
There were many times when Jesus would sneak away to be with the Father. He took the time to be in God’s presence
When I’m sitting quietly with the Lord, sometimes I hear Him and sometimes I don’t, but the real prize is the presence of the Lord, and just learning to enjoy Him.
When faced with a situation of some sort, if you are the kingdom person in the picture, take that to the Father and see what He tells you about it before you proceed. When you feel that you have something from the Lord, don’t be afraid to step into it. We all miss at times, but let’s not miss by playing it safe and doing nothing about it.
Quotes:
God is still speaking. When I say, “Well, I heard God”, people automatically think that I heard this big, booming voice from heaven. I’ve never heard Him that way, but I believe that there’s a steady flow of information coming from the throne of God in our direction all the time, and God wants to speak to us.
You can hear God on the run, but there’s just something different, more profound, and better about sitting down, taking the time, learning to push out the distractions, and just make it a point to be quiet before the Father.
There’s a general mentality in the whole body of Christ that God uses the preacher, pastor or leader to speak to them. And, most people are waiting for someone else to tell them what God’s saying to them. What a misconception!
References:
John 10:27
Takeaways:
God desperately wants to be with us and to speak to us. Our relationship with Him means everything to Him. If you will just be willing to take to time to spend with Him, it won’t be long before He starts to speak to you in some way.

Hearing God #3 - Practicing the Presence of the Lord - #42

Summary:
The greatest thing you can ever do is to get into a place where you can truly feel and enjoy God’s presence. The problem is that we seldom can get there, because of the effort and time that it takes and the ability to get past the distractions that try to get you off track. God is always speaking, but we have to make it a real priority to get to the place where we can hear Him.
Show Notes
You must make it a priority to be able to listen and hear God speaking. He is always speaking, but if it’s not a priority for you, you will never hear Him. This takes effort on your part.
Time is the number one thing. This is the hardest part, and is the thing that people tend to neglect the most. You have to give this time, in order to feel Him close.
If all you are doing is taking these quiet times to hear Him in some way, you could be missing the point. The payoff is not what you hear or get from God, the payoff is His presence.
One of the biggest things you face is distractions.
The C.A.L.M app is a great way to get into Godly meditation and how to still your mind. Using this app is a great way to get into the moment and learn how to savor the moments with Him.
Quotes:
If I take the time where I’m not on the run and just get alone and learn how to deal with distractions, I find God to be in a really talkative mood.
I think the first thing you have to do is not overload yourself at the start. Just take five minutes. If you give yourself to 5 minutes at first, it won’t be long until you’re doing 10, and it won’t be long before it’s 20 minutes.
The hardest thing for people to get over is just to get still.
References:
Matthew 4:4
Deuteronomy 8:3
Psalms 46:10
Takeaways:
Practicing God’s presence can be challenging, because of the time and effort that it takes. But, what could be more rewarding and uplifting than to actually spend time with Him in His presence, talking with Him, and enjoying everything He is and wants to give us?

Hearing God Part-2 The 2004 Election Prophecy - #41

Summary:
Recently the Lord gave Andy Taylor a prophecy, not only for Trinity Fellowship, but for the whole kingdom. It came the first week of November, right after the election. The Lord told him that this is a time of unparalleled favor, but not a time to relax. This is a time to take advantage of the favor of the Lord, and the test for us as Kingdom people is to keep the focus and redeem the time. If it is in your heart, do it!
Show Notes
The only way for things to really change is for us in this nation and for the kingdom is, as kingdom people, to walk out 2 Chronicles 7:14; to humble ourselves, pray, and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.
We have to be wise as kingdom people to recognized that we are in a time where people are calling good evil and evil good, and that we are experiencing a battle between light and dark.
The favor that Andy is talking about is based on our cooperation with God in what He’s trying to do, and what He wants to accomplish.
Quotes:
When you hear something from Him, you may just think that’s the Lord, and then you add your faith to that. But sometimes, it’s so clear that you just know. If you lean into that, keep your heart open and give that some time to let it marinate, the Lord will keep adding to that a lot of times.
If we can turn to God and let Him do what He wants to do, He’s going to turn this nation around.
The smartest thing someone can do is to just open the doors of your heart and say, “Lord, have at it”. If we’ll keep on listening and pursuing the truth, He’s going to fix our hearts.
References:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Isaiah 5:20
Revelation 3:20
Takeaways:
It’s not a time to relax in your seeking after the Father. God is giving us a time of favor, to take advantage in this season to grow, mature and become more like the Lord. This takes our cooperation with Him, and a drive to allow Him to work His perfect will in our lives.
 

Hearing God Part-1 / #40

Summary:
There are many people who think that God no longer speaks or communicates to His people. That is not true. There is nothing in the scriptures that tells us that He no longer talks to us. As our heavenly Father, He wants desperately to talk to us. The biggest challenge for us is to actually take the time to get quiet, get past the distractions, and listen for Him to speak to us. He communicates to us though the elements, through numbers, through colors, and a multitude of other ways. One of the most prominent ways is through a still, small voice.
Show Notes
God still speaks to us, and we have to know that there’s a balance in the way God does speak. He speaks through the written word (The Bible), and He also speaks through a still, small voice, or through any of His many other ways.
It’s important, when you think you’ve heard Him speak to you, not to assume you understand all of it. You must keep the “ends open,” because what you heard in the beginning can unfold in a much greater way if you give it a little time. So don’t jump the gun and get in a hurry.
It’s one thing to hear Him while you are on the run, but a much better way is to find a quiet place, sit down with no agenda, and truly listen for Him to speak to you. Just enjoy His presence and listen for Him to speak to you in some way.
If you think you have something from God for someone, don’t be afraid that you might miss. We all miss sometimes. And if you miss, let it be on the long side, meaning that you put a lot of faith into it. If you heart is correct, you aren’t going to miss as much as you think you will.
When taking the time to sit quietly before the Lord, learn how to deal with the distractions. Quiet things down and get in the moment.
Quotes:
The reality is that God still does speak, “My sheep know Me, and they hear My voice”. God is a Father and we are His hand-picked kids. And, fathers want to speak to their kids.
He can speak through the elements, through numbers, animals, colors and even audibly on rare occasions. But my favorite is the still, small voice. That’s the voice that you hear, but you don’t hear. It’s like in your thoughts. It really kind of comes across like, “I think that’s the Lord”. Sometimes it’s clear and concise but more often than not, you’re not going to really know if it’s God until you add your faith to it and walk it out.
We need to take the time and make it a priority to listen to the Lord. And if you will jot those things down, He tends to keep adding to that.
A prophetic word can really set the course of someone’s life. When you do receive something for someone, many times it validates something to that person that has been in their thoughts, that God has been dealing with them about that they weren’t sure if it was God or not.
If you are faithful in a little, God will bless you with more. I just want to encourage people to put that to the test.
References:
John 10:27
Matthew 9:29
Takeaways:
He is a true Father and does all that He can do to speak and communicate with us. We just have to be willing to hear Him and truly take the time and listen for what He wants to speak to us.

Grace The Controversy Part - 3 / #39

Summary:
This controversy over grace needs to change. Without a real experience with grace, it’s very hard to grasp the depth of love that our Father has for us. We don’t have to work for it, or do anything to earn it. Just as the Bible says that God is love, God is also grace, a depth of which goes beyond words.
Show Notes:
It’s easy to be on opposite sides, yelling about how “they” are wrong, which has been happening in the Body of Christ too long. Until these two opposing sides can come to the table, discuss and be open to one another, not much is going to change.
There is a lack of understanding about Grace, because there are so many Christians who think that Grace and the law should go together. These two elements don’t mix. In most cases, those teaching a mixture of law and grace aren’t teaching grace at all.
Critics argue that cheap grace implies receiving God’s forgiveness without a corresponding transformation in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our morals. They have a point, if those who call themselves grace people are not changing and becoming what God whats them to be.
True grace brings discipleship and a drive to follow Jesus, even at great personal cost. It gives those walking in it a consciousness of sin and of the consequences that can occur. It promotes repentance and living in a moral and ethical way. True grace should make you want to walk, think and act differently.
You can’t truly teach something that you have not experienced. For those who teach and preach out of what they think they know, without a corresponding experience, they are producing that same lack of understanding and experience to all who you speak to. Don’t contaminate others with a wrong heart.
Quotes:
Grace is God’s supernatural ability to do everything and anything needed in your life to help you be like Jesus, and to perfectly live out the life He has purposed for you.
A proper understanding of grace always leads to less sin, never more.
I get asked if we have to repent for every sin. I would say “no,” because I can show you scripture after scripture where it says that you have been washed, sanctified, justified and forgiven. We have already been forgiven. But if you still believe that you have to ask for forgiveness, go ahead.
Your understanding of grace is a gift to be treasured and stewarded with wisdom and maturity. It’s not something you’ve earned or even deserved.
You teach what you know, but you impart who you are.
Takeaways:
God’s grace goes way beyond anything we can understand up to this point. The grace of God is what keeps us alive, and gives us a heart beat and brain wave. It fact, it the very essence of our existence.

Grace (The Controversy) #2 / #38

Summary:
There are many Christians who question true grace, because they think there is not enough restraint to keep “grace people” from going off the rails. Actually, it works just the oppositely. When you have a real experience with God’s grace, you want to start doing the things that please the Father. If you experience grace like the prodigal son did, you won’t want to go out and sin more, you will sin much less.
Show Notes:
In the prodigal son story, the father probably knew that his son would return at some point. He could have had a list of things to be angry at him about, but instead, seeing him from far off, ran to him and accepted him back with no questions. That is the true picture of God’s grace.
In this story, Jesus used every example of things that went against Jewish tradition. That’s because the Jews lived so much by the law, Jesus used this story to push all of their buttons, and tried to show them what true grace really is.
Quotes:
Grace is one of those essential characteristics of the nature of God. You can’t separate God from grace because it’s not just something He does or has, it’s Who He is.
The discipline that we receive from the Father is also an example of His grace. The chastening of the Lord is God loving us like sons, because that’s how He wants us to relate to Him. If He’s Father, then we’re sons.
The highest form of life that we can possibly live is a delicate balance between liberty and responsibility. As sons of God, we have a responsibility not to get too far over into the ditch of liberty.
We’re not under the law, but when they say you can just go out there and do anything that you want to do, you actually can. There is forgiveness, but at the same time, there are consequences for that. The Father will discipline us for those things, not for our harm, but for our good. That is grace.
References:
Luke 15:11
Takeaways:
The discipline of the Lord is not for punishment for our wrong doings. It’s God’s tremendous love and grace to help us mature into true son ship. God wants genuine sons and daughters to relate to, not immature Christians who don’t have an understanding of what His grace is all about.

Grace (The Controversy) Part-1 / #37

Summary:
Grace is a subject where quite a bit of controversy can exist. This podcast helps to bring clarity concerning this subject. Those people who oppose grace think that grace people use their liberty to go out and do what they want. If you really start experiencing grace, and come into a revelation of true grace, you will start sinning less, never more. That’s because with true grace comes a love and acceptance from the Father, which makes you want stay close to Him, where sin separates you from Him.
Show Notes:
Most people’s definition of grace is “God’s unearned, unmerited favor”, but every time you really experience grace, your definition seems to change. It starts to become much deeper for you.
There are some that are yelling “cheap grace”, and others who are saying that it is all about grace. What we need to do is sit down at the table together and communicate, and have some productive dialog about it. That would be so much better than making accusations back and forth. This controversy needs to be settled.
One thing is for sure; those preaching a mixture of law and grace are not really preaching grace at all, because law and grace don’t mix. It’s like trying to mix oil and water.
Quotes:
Grace is actually sustaining us at this very second. It’s keeping us alive. It’s holding us up. It’s that simple, but it’s extremely complex at the same time.
Grace must be experienced before you can even start to understand it.
The argument is not among the saved and the lost. It’s among the saved and the saved, and among the people who are proponents of grace and others who believe that grace is being misused and miss-communicated.
God forgives us of all our sins, but with sin comes consequences. God loves you too much to not discipline you over those things.
References:
Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew 6:33
Romans 6:23
Takeaways:
People who have really, truly experienced God’s grace are much less prone to go out and sin, contrary to the opinions of so many Christians who feel differently about it. True grace draws you closer to the Father and helps you to have a close relationship with Him, where you don’t want to sin or offend Him in any way.

Grace Defined Part-3 #36

Summary:
Grace is God’s supernatural ability to do everything or anything in your life that needs to be done, to help you be like Jesus and to perfectly live out the life He has purposed for you. There’s no way to earn God’s grace. Grace is a gift from Him. All we have to do is receive it and cooperate with Him, to become all that He wants for us. God is the potter, and we are the clay. All we have to do is allow Him to shape us and mold us into what He wants us to be.
Show Notes:
The old covenant was governed by law. But when Jesus came and shed His blood for us, He created a new covenant, which is governed by grace.
So many have been taught that they have to work their way into the favor of God. That’s not grace at all. Christ’s blood has already washed us, sanctified us and justified us. He has already done it for us. You don’t have to work your way into, or earn God’s favor. All we really have to do is just cooperate with Him.
If you have a thorn in your flesh, like Paul had in his, would you rather have God fix it on the spot, or with the grace of God, would you endure that thorn to see another side of God that you couldn’t have seen had you not gone through the trial that you went through? And, to see another side of yourself that you would have never seen before? For most people that have had to go through one of these trials, they would choose to endure, to have what they gained through it.
Quotes:
Grace must be experienced before you can even start the process of understanding it.
It’s the grace of God that sustains us, our entire life and existence.
Everything that needs to be done, God has done it for us. When you start to get a revelation of that, God begins to show us and open our eyes, our spirit and soul to those things.
Most people in the Bible Belt, on any given Sunday, are hearing a mixture of law and grace. What I say is, if you’re preaching or teaching a mixture of law and grace, you’re not preaching grace at all.
References:
II Corinthians 12:9
Takeaways:
God’s grace is truly sufficient for us, and without it, there is no way we can be shaped or molded into what He wants for us. Trusting in God and receiving His grace, like Paul did, works something in us that we could never come into any other way.