By David Lee

I Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

There is a place where we can come to in our relationship with God where we do not need to hear a loud voice to realize that He is talking to us. Many times we look for God to speak only in the midst of powerful, demonstrative services. But there is a place where all that He has to do is whisper and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is Him.

It is not the will of God that we struggle to hear what He would like to tell us. This hinders us from stepping out to be used of God.

Is it the Lord?
Is it my flesh?
Is it the devil?
How do I know?
How do I know that it is Him?

No one can instruct you as to when God is speaking to you. It takes your relationship with God to know His voice and to have confidence in it. When you know for yourself that it is God speaking to you, no one can steal that assurance from you. This is when you know the Holy Ghost that is in you.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

The Lord speaks very clearly here that His sheep know His voice. If we are one of His, there should be a bond of confidence that assures us that He is speaking.

If we will ever affect our world it will be because heaven has spoken and we have responded to that call. It is the heart and desire of God that He, by His vessels, be manifest to the world.

If we will seek to know the heart of God, then the voice of God will come clearly to us. Man has the ability to know the voice of God, as well as to know the Spirit of God that is within them., There is a call to intimacy which precedes our being used of God in any manner. It is our goal to know Him so well that we will never question His voice or His call.

I John 4:17-18 Herin is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out all fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Fear is the greatest hindrance to any effective ministry. We must realize this and go beyond any of its effects. Love breaks all the bonds that are caused by fear. Our boldness can only be birthed out of a love relationship with the Lord giving us confidence and boldness to speak out.

II Timothy 1:6-7 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power. and of love, and of a sound mind.

When fear tries to raise its ugly head, then we must be sensitive enough to get to an altar and stir up the gift that is within us, so that we can discern the voice of the Lord clearly. God has given us the exact opposite of what the devil is trying to convince us that we have.

The only way the devil can try to effect us is through his lies, and we know what they are, and where they come from. Condemnation tries to cloud the voice of God, but it has no effect when we have the right motivation and love of God in our heart and know our position in Him.

The thing we have to come to grips with is, do we hear from God? We are the only one who can really determine this, and then only by trial and error in our daily walk with God. There is tremendous confidence awaiting your closer walk with God.

We must not step out without complete assurance that we have heard from the Lord.

I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

We, who are used of God, must “try” everything that we speak, lest we be in error and cause doubt. We do not need to add to the fatalities of false prophesies that have gone forth. But as we have assurance that the Lord has spoken, we can positively affect the purity and clarity of the gift as it ministers to needs.

Some “see” in the spirit, some “hear” the voice of God, and others “feel” impressions of God. This does not change the effectiveness of the operation of the gift It is just the avenue in which God chooses to relay to that individual, and the manner in which the person has become accustomed to. Our faith does not change by the manner in which God deals with us.

It is not necessary nor important that God uses every individual in the same manner. However it is imperative that we mold our ministry by our relationship with God and not by how He deals with others. We are the most effective by being the way God made us to be, not trying to be a copy of another’s ministry. Besides we are only comfortable at what God meant us to be.

Do not set your aspirations on duplicating the ministry of others but merely be what God called you to be. Contentment comes when you are in the middle of the will of God for your life. Fear will have no grip on us when we know we are in the center of His will for our life.

Our focus must only be on getting to the place that God has called us to. Get a determination that your prayers can move heaven, and that God is your friend who hears you and He speaks to you.

Trust is a key issue in being used of God. We must learn to trust everything we know He speaks to us. God will never fail those who trust in Him.

II Corinthians 3:4-6 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

None of our trust is in what we can do, but all of our trust is in what He can do. God has unbelievable dimensions which He wants to open to us, but we must step out in boldness and grasp hold of it, and walk in it. The waters are deep but He promised us that He would always be with us.

Fear by definition is “dread terror” or “awareness of approaching danger.”

Fear has no place either near or in an apostolic minister’s life. We have a call which takes us beyond fear. Why is it in our thinking, that every time we step out for more of God, we think that the devil is going to create havoc and confusion in our lives and ministries? The devil has absolutely no control over our lives or our ministries. God is trying to make us realize that He wants to touch us and fill us, so that we can reach a lost world.

We have nothing to fear. When we are sensitive to God and we are praying, then the voice of God should be clear enough where we can determine that it is Him. The needs of men and women are awaiting our boldness.

When we lived in the world we were not ashamed of what we did for the devil and we spoke boldly about the sin that appeased our flesh. Why would we not speak boldly for the kingdom of God?

Fear hinders God but faith pleases God, and faith is the only avenue through which God can work in. So we need to annihilate any fear and build our faith by the word of God and reach out for greater usefulness in God.

The world awaits your faith!

The article “A Step Beyond Fear” written by David Lee is excerpted from The Calling: The Restoration Of Spiritual Gifts written by David Lee.