This sermon emphasizes the importance of being able to hear God's voice clearly amidst the distractions of the world, highlighting the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to discern His voice in temptation. It discusses the danger of becoming spiritually deaf by ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the significance of developing the habit of listening to God. Additionally, it touches on the responsibility of using the gifts and power God gives us to bless others rather than for selfish gain, drawing a distinction between faith and presumption in claiming God's promises.

The devils are whispers, I can't hear them. Why? Wouldn't that be something to get there? Right now the devil's voice is like a trumpet to many of us, and Lord's voice is like a whisper. That can change. It can change if you determine, Lord, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I want to be filled with the Word of God, and I want to hear your voice in temptation and respond to it. And I'll tell you how you become deaf. Can Christians become deaf? Hebrews chapter 5 says, The time has come when you should have been teachers. Hebrews 5.12 But we have much to say, but it's hard to explain. Verse 11, Hebrews 5.11 Because you become deaf. You know what he's talking about? He's talking about Jesus, verse 7, In the days of his flesh. In the humanity of Christ. That's his subject. Chapter 4.15, chapter 5.7 He says, concerning this humanity of Christ, I have much to say to you, but you're deaf. How do we become deaf? I'll tell you how you become deaf. When the Holy Spirit tells you, Turn that page. Don't look at that. You don't listen. And the Holy Spirit tells you, Don't click on that site. You don't listen. The Holy Spirit says, Turn that page a few times. And your ear becomes a little more deaf. A little more deaf. A little more deaf. And you say, Brother, I can't hear God's voice. Well, you'll never hear it. In a hundred years you won't hear it. But people like John hear it like a trumpet. Do you know that the person sitting next to you, right now, right now, could possibly be hearing God's voice a lot clearer than you are. We don't all hear it the same in a church service or a meeting. But we can. What would you do if you were physically getting deaf? Would you be concerned about it? You'd say, Ah, it doesn't matter. I think we would. Why are we not as concerned that we can't hear the voice of God every day? That's how we're supposed to live. Imagine if you didn't have food every day. Man shall not live by food, but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. That's the first lesson we need to learn in the New Covenant. You can be an overcomer, but respond to those little voices. It says about Jesus in Isaiah 50, verse 4, how He lived His earthly life. It's been a great challenge to me, this verse. Isaiah 50, verse 4. The last part it says, My Father wakes me up every morning and wakes up my ear to listen as a disciple. The ear of a disciple that leads on, as it says in the earlier part of the verse, to have the tongue of a disciple. We all would like to have an anointed tongue that speaks powerful words, that bless people. You can have it, brother, but start with the ear. If you don't have the ear of a disciple, you can't have the tongue of a disciple. We've got to develop the habit of listening. Listening. Then we become very clear what God is saying. If you keep on listening in the moments of temptation to whatever God is saying, you'll find that when you have to speak to somebody God's word, God gives you the words as you are speaking. It's been my experience. For many years in the pulpit, God gives me the words as I'm speaking. Jesus didn't plan His sermons. He lived so close to the Father that He could speak without any preparation. You know, we may not be able to reach that peak, but we can get closer and closer and closer if you're eager. It's the most useful life you can live on the earth where you have the tongue of a disciple. Even if you don't become a preacher like me, because you're speaking to people every day. People come to your house. Can't you give them a word maybe just two minutes? You've got to hear first. Man shall live by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. Don't make food the most important thing in your life. The other thing I want to say here is the power God gives you is not meant for you to use for yourself. It's meant for you to bless others with. The devil tried to tempt Jesus. Here! You've got power now. You're anointed. Use that power to satisfy your own need. Jesus said no. But he did use that power another time to feed 5,000. He multiplied bread for them. He wouldn't do it for himself. When God gives a man a gift, God's given me a gift of preaching. I didn't produce it. God gave it to me. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, gift of prophecy. I can use this gift for myself to get honor, to make money. Oh, how many preachers are making money with their gift of preaching? Write books and make money. I do that. I may not lose the gift, but I lose the anointing. And I lose the grace. A man can have a gift of healing and use it to get honor and money or to bless other people. You can have a house. That's also a gift. You can use it to bless yourself, yourself, yourself and your family or use that house to bless others. Everything God gives you is a gift. And we use it to bless others. Our house is blessed. Every gift God gives us, the devil will tempt us to use it for ourselves. And so it is with the other temptations. We don't have time to look at all of them right now. Jump off the temple. Temptation to act in presumption rather than faith. What is the difference between presumption and faith? Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Abraham didn't one day say, I'm going to have a son through Sarah. No, that would have been presumption. And God said to him, you're going to have a son. Lord, Amen. I believe that. The difference between faith and presumption is this. When God has said nothing to you in the word or anywhere, you say, I want it. I'm going to trust God for it. That's presumption. And claim some verse out of context like, he will give his angels charge over you to keep you. Nothing will happen. And that's the devil quoting scripture to Jesus. Do you think the devil wants to quote scripture to you to lead you astray? Jump off. Come on. Trust God to get you a Mercedes car or a bigger house and claim this promise. Where is it in scripture? Presumption. Faith is a promise in scripture. Sin shall not have dominion over you. Go ahead and claim that promise. All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8.