PAUSE

Last night when we started Element I asked all the Jr. High students if they have been praying for their friends each day, and the majority of the room raised their hands as opposed to 3 or 4 hands last week.

This is huge! God is already changing lives and working miracles in the lives of these young men and women of God thanks to parents like you who believe in this rising generation of heroes.

Not only have these youths been praying for their friends but some of them brought some of their lost friends. Billy Leighty brought three of his neighborhood friends to church last night, which was a big step of faith! Not only is God transforming the youth at VYM, he is using them to change their lost friends.

Last night I spoke on hearing God’s Voice. The title of my message was P.A.U.S.E. (which is important). I began by asking the question, “If God spoke to you right now what would it sound like?” I then unfolded 5 ways God speaks to us.

I explained the first way He speaks to us is through our Parents; just like David constantly told Solomon as a young boy to get wisdom (proverbs 4). We know that Solomon listened to His father David because he asked God for wisdom and was the wisest man to ever live. We as children must also honor our fathers and mothers and listen to them because God speaks through them on how we should live.

I then explained the 2nd way God speaks to us is through our Authorities (coaches, teachers, elderly, pastors, etc.) and just like we must listen to and obey our parents we must also respect and listen to authority. God will often teach us things that we must work on through authorities so we can become the men and women He created us to be.

The third way God speaks to us is through Unexpected people and places. For example, when Saul was riding to Damascus and God blinded him with light and spoke to him and then had a random person come to his hotel named Ananias to remove his blindness. Although this is rare God will use situations, circumstances and unexpected people at times in our lives to speak to us. Therefore, we must, everyday have expectancy for God speaking to us and be ready to obey him when He does.

The fourth way God speaks to us is through Scripture. This is the number one way that God speaks to us. If we are unsure whether or not someone or something is right we should always look at what God’s Word says, because His Word is the ultimate authority.

The final way that God speaks to us is through the Earth or creation. Romans 1:20 explains how creation reveals the invisible attributes of God.

In closing, I said that we as followers of Christ must P.A.U.S.E. and listen to God’s Voice everyday that we live. I closed with a prayer asking the students to raise their hand if they feel that they have not been listening to God’s Voice like they should be; whether it is their parents, reading the Bible, etc. and about 15 students raised their hands. I then prayed for these students.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: we are hoping that this will help jump start your child into becoming someone that listens for and hears God’s Voice on a daily basis. We want to do everything we can to help you teach your child how to hear God’s Voice. We made this message the acronym P.A.U.S.E. so that your child would remember it easily. Now that you know what pause means we hope that you will take time to review your child and teach him or her more about it so that the elementary foundations of following Jesus may be implanted in their hearts and minds.