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Learning to discern God’s voice from all the others competing for our attention can be a complicated process. This week, John Bailey and Mark Renfroe talk about studying Scripture, listening to the Holy Spirit and choosing to obey God when you cannot see what lies ahead.

Key Points from the Podcast

  • Most of us probably haven’t heard the audible voice of God like Samuel did, so it can be challenging to know when, how, what and if God is speaking to us.

  • Sometimes God will speak to us through others or by means we never expected.

  • Hebrews tells us that God speaks to us by his Son, Jesus Christ, who shows us the exact character and nature of God.

  • John Bailey encourages Christians to pray before they read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to their heart through the Word of God. Then, as you grow and mature through this process, you will learn to discern the voice of the Lord in other situations.

  • God will most often speak to his children about being conformed into the image of Christ or leading us to do the work of the kingdom, such as sharing the gospel, giving to the poor, caring for widows and orphans, etc.

  • If you are married, it is important that both spouses hear from God and stand in agreement on important matters of family and calling.

  • Some of the things that God speaks to us may not make sense in the moment, but as we look back, we can see God’s plans at work.

  • God will often call us into things that cannot be accomplished in our own strength because he wants to increase our faith and give him the glory.

Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast

1 Samuel 3; Hebrews 1:2; John 16:14

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

About John Bailey

Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.

About Mark Renfroe

Mark married his college sweetheart, Amy, with whom he has four adult children—one girl and three boys. The Renfroes have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. They served in the Arab community of San Francisco for four years before becoming foreign missionaries in 1995. Mark was asked to serve as the Area Director for Assemblies of God World Missions in 2007. As part of his role, he led missionaries and interfaced with national church leaders in the 18 countries of the Arab World. In 2017, Mark created Reaching Africa’s Muslims, an initiative to mobilize, equip, and deploy indigenous African missionaries to reach Muslims on the continent. Mark has graduate degrees in Intercultural Studies and Executive Leadership. He currently serves as the Chief Missions Officer for World Challenge in Colorado Springs.