E-pistle for August 4, 2006
Posted by: info <info@...>
E-pistle
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation August 4, 2006
Speak to Me, Lord . . . I'm Listening
It was noon, August 8, 1991. I was stretched our on my bed in a room at
Windemere Baptist Assembly. I was meditating on my devotional reading for the
day, while with the possibility of moving to pastor a church on a campus of one of
the world's premiere universities located in New England. I desired to return to
local church ministry and to serve as senior pastor of that great church with so much
potential for impacting the lives of America's future movers and shakers.
The verse the Holy Spirit quickened to me that day was II Kings 6:6, "Elisha
cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron (axhead) float."
As I pondered God's will for me, I began to sense in my spirit that He was
speaking to me personally. Now, I had received "words" and "impressions" from
the Holy Spirit before, but this was different. The "words" were vividly clear to me:
"Son you are My stick . . . My purpose for you is to bring axheads to the
surface . . ., your shape and function in My Kingdom is unique; be content in the role
I have given you to play."
The boy, Samuel, had a similar experience of hearing God's voice, recorded
in I Samuel, chapter three.
Samuel's mother had dedicated him for service unto the Lord. He began to
serve God in a limited capacity because of his immaturity. His mentor, Eli, could take
Samuel only so far as he, himself, had gone with God.
Samuel had been dedicated to God; had been serving God; had been growing
as a servant . . . yet, did not know the Lord intimately.
Many of us, spiritually speaking, are mere boys like Samuel. We've been
dedicated to the service; we've served for some time; we've been growing . . . yet,
we've not had an up-close-and-personal encounter with God. Perhaps we've understood
the truths of God's Word, but it has yet to blaze off the page, branding our heart with a
personal word from God.
It may be that the Lord has spoken our name before. Perhaps we mistook the
source, or misunderstood the purpose, or misread the circumstances . . . therefore, we
missed God. If this describes your life, please hear these words of wise counsel:
1. Get alone; in your closet (Matthew 6:6).
2. Disengage from your normal workload.
3. Rest in the Lord; schedule a "quite time."
4. Expect to hear from the Lord.
5. Choose in advance to obey what He says.
6. Be teachable; open to His instruction.
7. Listen with faith, believing that He will speak.
What will happen?
1. The Lord will come . . . a personal visitation.
2. The Lord will stand . . . He'll abide near you.
3. The Lord will speak to you personally . . . by name.
4. The Lord will give you a vision of His purpose . . .
the destiny He's planned for you.
Usually, such up-close-and-personal encounters are very private and we are wise
not to share details with others . . . unless the Lord instructs us to pass along a prophetic
word as in the case of Samuel and Eli. Even then, we should be sensitive to His timing.
Such an up-close-and-personal encounter with the Lord seems typical of many of
the Spiritual leaders throughout Christian history. It may be as simple as Samuel's
encounter or as dramatic as Paul's. But in every case, the encounter is life-changing
and continuous.
This up-close-and-personal encounter of "hearing God's voice" is not a sign of
spiritual maturity. Indeed, it is rather a starting place for a new perspective, a growing
communion with God. Look at the results of "hearing God's voice" recorded in
I Samuel 3:19-4:1:
1. Samuel continued to grow . . . so will we.
2. The Lord continued to be with Samuel . . .He
promises to abide with us as well.
3. None of His words fell to the ground, God spoke
to Samuel . . . He will speak to us.
4. God's people recognized Samuel as a God-called
leader . . . may it be so with us.
5. The Lord reappeared again, after many years of
spiritual darkness . . . perhaps through us God will
bring renewal, revival, refreshing.
6. The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel not only
through direct revelation, but also through His
written Word. (A word of caution: Personal "words"
are secondary in authority to the Bible and are totally
invalid if they contradict the teaching or principles of
the Bible.)
7. The entire nation was affected by one man who heard
the voice of God . . . who will be the one God chooses to
impact lives in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost
parts of the earth?
As a stick in God's hand, I have already seen a portion of God's divine purpose
fulfilled in my life. The Pillsbury College & Seminary is a direct result of my personal
encounter with God at Windermere in 1991.
Is There Any Word From The Lord?
True spiritual prophecy . . . a genuine and reliable word from the Lord:
- Never contradicts Biblical teaching.
- Is of lesser weight then Scripture.
- Is not infallible; is subject to human error and misinterpretation.
- Is subject to evaluation by other prophets in the church, I Corinthians 14:29.
- Operates only in the spirit of love, not in arrogance, I Corinthians 13:2.
- Usually is very personal, John 10:4; not to give directions to others, not to
manipulate circumstances.
- Always builds up, stirs up, or lifts up (edifications, exhortation, or
encouragement), I Corinthians 14:3.
- Almost always is given so the prophet receiving the "word" may better
enter into intercessory prayer.
- Requires mature, spiritual discernment because "words" may be demonic
and/or of the flesh, I John 4:1; II Thessalonians 2:11.
- Even prophesy given in Jesus' name, accompanied by various miracles,
may not be true or valid, Matthew 7:21-23.
References: I Corinthians 2:1-15; 13:2; 14:3; 29;
I John 4:1;
John 5:19; 30; 8:28-29; 10:1-14; 16:13-14;
Matthew 7:21-23; 16:16-17; 24:24;
II Thessalonians 2:11.
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Has God been speaking to you about becoming a student at
Pillsbury College & Seminary? Maybe now is the time for you to
continue your education. Please call us at 314-739-1121 or email
info@pillsburycs.org and we will be glad to answer any questions.
If you call, Dr. Bartlett will speak to you about class work or any other
concerns you may have about Pillsbury.
We will also mail our catalog if you provide your name and address.
Our catalog contains information concerning all our class work and tells
about Pillsbury's vision for all of our graduates.
All work is done through distance learning. There are no on-campus
classes to attend. Dr. Scarborough has tutorials for most of the classes,
which will help in studying for the exams.
Contact us about furthering your education at Pillsbury College &
Seminary – TODAY!!
"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me
in a continual state of inelegance."
-Jane Austen
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