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Contents
Chapter 1 To Know God
Chapter 2 A Good Foundation
Chapter 3 Why Did God Create Man?
Chapter 4 Hearing the Lord
Chapter 5 Practical Steps to Fellowship with God
Chapter 6 Establishing Fellowship with God
Chapter 7 Essential Steps to Fellowship
Chapter 8 Daily Growth and Fellowship
Chapter 9 The Strait Gate and the Narrow Way
Chapter 10 Confirming God's Voice
Chapter 11 How the Mature Communication System Works
Chapter 12 Putting It All Together
Chapter 13 Conclusion
Introduction
This book has been written to teach you how to hear the voice of the Lord and how to be led by his Spirit. I do not claim to have all the answers on this subject, but I know personally the One who does have the answers.
What is shared in this book is not a theory but rather what I have learned over the years by walking with the Lord on a daily basis and seeking to hear his voice in matters from the most minute to those which are life-changing. This book is by no means an exhaustive teaching on knowing God and walking with him, but it will give you a solid foundation and start you on your way to walking with the Lord and having fellowship with him. I have endeavored to share the light I have in a clear and simple manner so that everyone from a newborn believer to a seasoned saint can fully understand what is presented.
I rejoice in the Spirit as I present to you the opportunity to intimately know our precious Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This book will show you how you can have beautiful fellowship with our Creator and our Redeemer.
Prepare your heart, open your spirit and read on...
J. C. Hedgecock
Chapter 1
To Know God
We will begin this study with a chapter about knowing God personally. It is important to understand that many believers in the world do not really know God. Even though they met him when they received Jesus into their hearts, they did not pursue a relationship with him. Therefore, they have never gotten to know him.
There are many scriptures in the Bible which reveal the access we have to God and what has been made available to us through Christ. Because Jesus loved us enough to lay down his life for our redemption through his blood, we have been given the provision to know him as well as the Father. God=s purpose for his children is that we move into fellowship with him after accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, rather than simply Ameeting@ Jesus and never having a personal relationship with him or the Father.
There have been thousands of books written about God by people who have known him to some measure. You can study books by those who were recognized as great men and women of God. You may glean out what they learned about God during the time they were in ministry. Many of these faithful servants walked with God for fifty or sixty years, and you can gain some insight into what God is like by studying their lives. This has been the approach many believers have taken in trying to learn more about God. Many have also studied the writings of Paul, Peter or others whose revelations are included in God's Word.
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Chapter 2
A Good Foundation
Prepare Your Heart
It is important that you prepare your heart as you begin to study this teaching. Because I have taught believers how to hear the Lord for many years, I have learned why some people have problems with this message and why some walk in it more easily than others. I have learned how to overcome the hindrances people face while trying to walk in this message, both from personal experience as well as years of teaching. I have seen numerous individuals who seem to know how to hear the Lord=s voice, yet they never quite walk in the truth to the point that they enjoy intimate fellowship with him. Before you continue, I encourage you to stop for a moment and ask God to show you where you really are spiritually. It is crucial that you understand the necessity of establishing a teachable attitude before you read the rest of this book and attempt to set this teaching in place in your life.
It is vitally important that you carefully read everything in this book. I will be presenting a lot of foundational scriptures, and I will be covering many things you have probably heard all of your life. However, you must examine your heart and make sure each scripture noted is a part of your daily walk, not merely a part of your knowledge about God. There is a vast difference between having knowledge of something and it being a vital, working part of your life and spirit. You can believe a truth with your mind, but it may not really rule your life
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Chapter 3
Why Did God Create Man?
It is important for us to understand why God created us so that we are able to grasp the ultimate purpose for our lives. Genesis 1:26-28 says, AAnd God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God created Adam and Eve as perfect beings who were intended to live for eternity. When God created Adam, he gave him dominion over all of the earth. God placed Adam and his wife in the Garden of Eden where the ground was not cursed and all living things flourished in abundance. The Lord came down to speak with Adam in the cool of the day. They enjoyed fellowship that was unmarred by any evil thing. God even gave Adam the privilege of naming all of the animals. (Genesis 2:19)
God's Original Commandment
In Genesis 2:16 and 17, God gave Adam one commandment to obey. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of
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Chapter 4
Hearing the Lord
A Personal Testimony
When I first began to seek the Lord about how to get to know him and hear his voice, I didn't get any help from other people. I read the truth in God=s Word and chose to believe it, even though it did not line up with what I had heard about God all my life. I didn't understand how I could hear God or know him, but I wanted a relationship with him more than anything else in the world. I had to lay aside all the teachings I had heard about God being too busy to spend time with his children.
I am no great man of faith. I was given the same measure of faith you have been given. (Romans 12:3) I encourage you to use what you have! That measure of faith was sufficient to save you, and it is enough to appropriate everything else God wants to do in your life. I began to hear the Lord because I used the faith I had, and you can do the same thing. I was able to begin hearing the Lord without the benefit of having heard someone teach about it. I simply believed what God said and it worked.
Walking with God produces a very exciting life. As I hear the Lord and obey what he says, my life is never dull! It is always a blessing to walk with God. Memories of the hard times will fade, but the memories of God moving on my behalf always remain fresh and new.
New Realms in the Spirit
If you are growing in the Lord, he will always take you into...
Chapter 5
Practical Steps to Fellowship with God
There are several things required for you to come into fellowship with God. As mentioned in the previous chapter, you must abide in the vine (Jesus) to have fellowship with God and bear fruit. (John 15) You cannot commune with God in your own self-righteousness but only through obedience to him and his directions in your life.
Count the Cost
Luke 14:26 and 27 says you must be willing to forsake all you have or you cannot be Jesus=s disciple. If you do not love him more than anything else, you are not worthy of him. You must deny yourself to follow Christ. You must take up your cross and follow him. (Matthew 16:24) These scriptures remind you to count the cost to follow Christ.
Anyone who builds a building must first count the cost. If you start to build something and quit before you finish it, it becomes a reproach and a monument to your failure. Before you begin this walk, be sure you have counted the cost, then make the determination to keep your will surrendered to God and your heart submitted to him in all things. Make Jesus your first love. Then you will become his faithful disciple.
I have seen many believers try to walk in this truth. They make a great effort for a short season, then end up not walking in it at all. The main reason for their lack of success is their unwillingness to count the cost of giving up their lordship. They will not deny themselves nor will they take up their cross to...
Chapter 6
Establishing Fellowship with God
Repentance
Repentance is a key factor in establishing fellowship with God. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." It doesn't make any difference how many mistakes you've made or how badly you think you have missed God in the past. God doesn't want you to perish or go in a way that seems right yet ends in death. This is why he resists your flesh. He wants you to come to repentance. Romans 2:4 says, "...Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"
This message may seem hard to you and you may be convicted by certain truths I have shared. Conviction is uncomfortable to the flesh and that is why some people will be offended by this message. Conviction is not a negative thing, though many church people seem to think it is. Conviction and the opportunity to repent are great blessings from God.
The rest of the world has no provision for sin, but you do! When you accepted Jesus, all your sins were forgiven. Not only that, any time you fail again, you can confess your sins and God will be faithful to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Sin always produces spiritual death, but God wants to remove
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Chapter 7
Essential Steps to Fellowship
As I have said before, you must humble yourself before God and repent of any sin in your life before you seek to begin hearing the Lord. If you haven't already done so, take a moment to come before the Lord and appropriate the cleansing power of his blood. As you move into the Spirit through repentance, ask the Lord to give you ears to hear his voice. Make the decision right now to deny your flesh and submit totally to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This decision will change the rest of your life!
Grace
Grace is absolutely essential for being able to hear God. You can memorize this entire teaching, but without grace you will not hear the Lord. The main way to receive grace from God is through humility. You must continually bow before God=s throne and submit to his control in your life. God has promised to give grace to the humble in 1 Peter 5:5b. You cannot earn grace because it is an unmerited gift from God. However, if you will humble yourself, God will bestow the gift of grace upon you.
The Proper Motive
You must have a proper motive for desiring to hear the Lord. The only acceptable motive for seeking God and his will is because you love him and want to obey him. This teaching is directed toward those who want to have fellowship with God and
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Chapter 8
Daily Growth and Fellowship
Daily maintenance of walking in the Spirit and hearing the Lord is absolutely essential. Practicing the steps in this teaching each day will bring immediate results. Use Proverbs 3:5 and 6 every chance you get! The abode of the Father is beyond the universe, but he can speak to you in a moment. In order to hear God clearly, you must maintain your vessel in holiness and obedience. It is important to monitor yourself every day and ask the Father how you are doing in learning to hear his voice. As soon as you realize something is wrong or you are unable to hear the Lord, stop right then, repent and ask God to show you how and why you have sinned against him and broken fellowship. God will reveal any hindrances you have if you will seek him with an open heart.
Steps for Maintenance
The following list includes many of the areas you need to monitor if you want to hear the Lord clearly and consistently. I encourage you to meditate on each one (including the scriptures noted) and make sure it is firmly established in your spirit. If you feel you need more study in a particular area, get into God=s Word to find additional instructions and insight.
Trust God with all your heart. (Proverbs 3:5 and 6) Hebrews 11:1 and 6, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...But without faith
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Chapter 9
The Strait Gate and the Narrow Way
In addition to communicating with God and having fellowship with him, we need to walk in godly paths. Matthew 7:13-23 tells us how to enter in at the strait gate and walk in the narrow way. Let's look at this passage.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
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Chapter 10
Confirming God's Voice
Once you have begun to acknowledge God about what to do and he has spoken to you, it is then important to "test" (confirm) the voice you have heard. This has been mentioned already, but I want to cover it in detail now because this is an area where many believers make mistakes. They think they are hearing God when they are actually hearing a wrong voice. They become deceived and miss the fellowship God desires to have with them.
Let me stop a moment to make a point that will help you as you study this chapter. When God, your flesh or even satan speaks to you, it takes the form of a thought in your mind. You "hear a voice" in your mind but it actually comes as a thought. You cannot ignore the necessity of bringing every thought that comes to your mind into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) If you skip this crucial step, you will find that you are unable to accurately "test" what you hear and you will become deceived.
Three Sources
The thoughts that come to your mind can have one of three different sources. Either God, your carnal nature (flesh) or satan is speaking to you and putting a thought in your mind. You must test each thought to find out who it is coming from! You must eliminate the "voices" (thoughts) of your carnal man and satan if you want to hear God clearly. In order to get rid of the devil's voice, you must submit to God and resist the devil, then he will
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Chapter 11
How the Mature Communication System Works
I want to finalize this teaching with a synopsis of how the communication system operates when you have some maturity in hearing the Lord. When I start talking about how God actually speaks to your spirit and your mind, many believers cannot seem to grasp how it really works or why it is necessary. There are two key reasons for establishing communication with the Lord. One is so we can walk out the commandment to acknowledge him in all our ways. The second is so we can obey him to show him how much we love him. These two needs make it obvious that learning how to hear the Lord is very important.
Most believers also have a problem with how Lordship really works. In my many years of teaching, it has become obvious to me that most believers love God and call Jesus, "Lord", but deep down they know he is not the literal, functional Lord of their lives. A lord is someone who makes all the decisions for your life. He is the one who directs what you do, but that creates a problem for most Christians. They may want Jesus to direct their lives, but they cannot hear him clearly or consistently enough for him to give them directions in their everyday activities. Out of necessity, they move into their reasoning and understanding, make decisions on their own and continue to stay in charge of their lives.
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Chapter 12
Putting It All Together
It is important that everyone studying this book understand why it was written and why I go around the world teaching this message. Many years ago God spoke this word to my heart. "I have children in every nation, and you have brothers and sisters, whose hearts are crying out for me. They have sought me for ministries, blessings and gifts. I have given them these things and it blessed them. But there is a part of their spirits that is never satisfied that is reserved for a personal, intimate relationship with me. Now, their hearts are crying out to me, just for me. I am going to send you to them, because I don't want it to take them the years to get to me it took you because there was no one to show you how at the time."" This is my commission from God and I have been in many nations proclaiming this revelation to the people who are crying out to know him. I love the Lord and his people, so this job has been a joy for me.
The Need for This Book
Just to give you a little background, God sent me to Europe (without me knowing anyone there) in the spring of 1986. He told me specific nations and cities to visit, and he sovereignly provided a divine contact in each city I visited. From that initial trip, invitations came for me to preach, first in the Republic of Ireland, then in Northern Ireland, England and Germany. God used a handful of people who began to walk in this teaching to open ministry doors to their brothers and sisters all over the
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Chapter 13
Conclusion
As you finish reading this book, I want to share a few pointers that will help you gain some overall understanding about how to go back and study each part of this teaching so you can make it operational in your life. First of all, please remember that this book was written for all believers, whether they are newborn Christians or seasoned saints. In a sense, this book could be considered a "primer" (elementary textbook) for a one room school which includes multiple grade levels. If you are just beginning to walk with the Lord, God does not expect you to walk with the maturity that would be present in someone who has walked with God for many years.
This book contains key revelations about how to get to know God and have fellowship with him. I have elaborated on many different aspects of what God requires of his children. It is important that you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you need to work on. Let him be your teacher and allow him to take you through the steps needed in your life to bring you into the kind of relationship with God we all desire to have. Now that you have read through the book, go back to the beginning and study it with the Holy Spirit as your guide. Gaining mental knowledge of this teaching and adding it to your "list" of what you know about God will do you little good. Go back to the main foundation of submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As you humble yourself before God to learn of him, he will teach you how to know him.
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Books and Audio 
