Key points
- 1
1God is always speaking, but we must position ourselves to hear Him.
- 2
2Accept your current placement — guilt, shame, or an expectation gap will prevent you from apprehending the voice of God.
“God is always speaking. Isn't He? He's always speaking. The Bible tells us that, Behold, He stands at the door and He knocks. And all He wants us to do is open it and attend to the things that He has for us. God is speaking to you. We just don't hear it”
“when there's a gap between my expectation and my reality, when I struggle with my current placement, I am hindered from apprehending the voice of God”
“He who sent His Son to live a perfect life, to die on the cross for your sins, to raise to walk so that you might have abundant life and eternal life with God the Father. He accepts you right where you are. He's not concerned about your past. He's not stressed out about your struggles”
- 3
3Align your thoughts to God's thoughts by seeking Him daily in prayer and in His Word.
“I'm convicted that there are probably people in this room who would be more provoked if I said something negative about Taylor Swift or the Diamondbacks than if I incorrectly preached scripture to you”
- 4
4Jesus promises that seeking His kingdom first results in everything else being added to your life.
Related passageA story from life
Corez reached out to Matt Rose at midnight on Facebook after seeing a vision video, eventually moving to Buckeye to join the church plant team
A story from life
Ray, recently retired from the Marines, responded to a Facebook post about the church plant and committed immediately over coffee
- 5
5Intellectual acceptance and alignment are not enough — you must act in line with God's calling.
“you can be here week in, week out. You could be here for years, but unless you choose intentionally to align your thoughts to God's thoughts, then you're gonna miss out on what He wants for you”
- 6
6When you act on God's calling, you do not know what it will produce, but you will quickly see that God is doing something in you and through you.
- 7
7Trusting in Jesus for the first time is itself the foundational act of responding to God's voice.
Related passage“don't sit in apathy when He's called you to act”
A story from life
Matt Rose's wife Hannah is an Astros fan; her October baseball engagement initially frustrated him but eventually drew him in as a Diamondbacks fan
Application
Pastor Matt closes with a practical three-step challenge drawn directly from Paul's posture in Athens. First, stop letting an expectation gap, guilt, or shame keep you from hearing God — accept where you are right now, because He already accepts you there. Second, move beyond passive church attendance and intentionally align your mind to God's: pray specifically throughout your day, open His Word and ask Him to reveal Himself, and let Jesus become the gravitational center of your marriage, parenting, work, and finances. Third — and most urgently — act. Don't let conviction sit unaddressed. That next step might be signing up to serve, beginning a Bible reading plan, choosing to give, pursuing a leadership role, or trusting in Jesus for the very first time. God is speaking; the only question is whether you will respond.
