There is a phone-call for you, and it is God who is on the line.
On 28th May, 2004, I was invited to minister at the Holy Ghost Night of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. The Lord gave me a message entitled: “Electricity;” based on this scripture: “It happened on a certain day, as (Jesus) was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” (Luke 5:17).
Jesus’ audience did not know the power of the Lord was present while he was preaching. They only realised this when he healed a paralytic. Similarly, the Lord told me that for centuries upon centuries, men could not comprehend electricity. Although it always existed, few were aware of it. Until one day, electricity was discovered and we began to tap into it.
So at the appropriate time, the Lord told me to proclaim “electricity” to the unsuspecting congregation in Abakaliki. When I did, the atmosphere suddenly became spiritually-charged. The power of God started moving and the people were shouting and falling like tops. Miracles ensued. Many were healed of diseases. The Lord even told me to proclaim changes in diseased blood.
Afterwards, people with AIDS came looking for me in Lagos all the way from Abakaliki and Enugu because they had heard of the service and wanted their blood changed. I had to appeal to them that I cannot heal anybody. It was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvelous in my eyes.
The voice of God
As it is with the power of God, so it is with the voice of God. God is speaking, but many are not aware of it. Many Christians don’t know that God talks directly to each and every one of us today. Then there are those who don’t think he would want to talk to them personally. They just don’t think they are important enough or spiritual enough. However, Solomon says: “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, also says: “According to your faith, let it be to you.” (Matthew 9:29). Therefore, if we are not careful, our unbelief can make us clinically deaf to God.
Do you realise that, as you are reading this, the Voice of Nigeria is being broadcast? The reason you cannot hear it is because you don’t have a radio. Or maybe you have a radio but your radio is not turned on. Or your radio is on but is not tuned to Voice of Nigeria. So it is with the Voice of God. God is speaking to you and you actually have a radio. But your radio may be turned off. Or your radio might not be tuned to the God Channel. It may be permanently set to the World Channel.
Gloria Copeland wanted to hear from God. So she decided to tune her “radio.” She read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John again and again. After a few days of this, she heard a still, small voice from within. “Gloria,” it said, “the light is on in your car.”
Surely that could not be God, thought Gloria. If it was God, he would talk about something of far greater consequence. Like many highfalutin Christians, Gloria did not know that God is concerned with even the smallest practical details of our lives. Finally, after a few more entreaties, she decided to check, just in case. Then she discovered that the light was indeed on in her car. Soon, she realised the import of that disclosure. She was home alone, with two small children. If the light had remained on in her car, the battery would have run down and she would have been marooned at home in the snow.
Hear and understand
The God who answers our prayers can hear us. The psalmist asks: “He who planted the ear, does he not hear?” (Psalm 94:9). Of course he does! Moreover, God gave us ears to make us understand that we can hear from him. The question then is this: is God talking to you? Or does God only talk to the Adeboyes and the Oyedepos?
Don’t believe the lie. God is talking to you. There is nothing special about the Adeboyes and Oyedepos, except perhaps that they insist on hearing from God. There is a phone-call for you, and it is God who is on the line. God does not just speak to priests and pastors, or to the so-called “great men of God.” There are actually no great men of God. There are only children of God. God speaks to everyone. In the scriptures, God spoke to little Samuel instead of high priest Eli.
God spoke to Adam and Eve. Even after they sinned and fell, he still continued to talk to them and they were able to hear his voice. No less remarkable is God’s conversation with Cain, even after he had murdered his own brother. This demonstrates that our ability to hear God is not based on our personal holiness or on the calibre of our personal relationship with God. God appeared to Abimelech, a pagan Egyptian pharaoh, and spoke to him. An angel of the Lord appeared to unbeliever Cornelius in a dream and gave him an elaborate set of divine instructions. If God talks to unbelievers, if he talks to murderers, how could you possibly think that God does not want to talk to you?
Listen and answer
I was told the testimony of a lady. She had given a special present to her son, Austin, and the boy was over the moon. But one day, Austin could not find his present. He searched all over but could not find it, so he came crying to his mother. The mother suggested different locations for him to look, but with every suggestion, Austin came back even more distressed that it was not there. Finally, the Lord spoke to the mother: “Tell Austin to go to his room and ask me where his toy is and I will tell him.”
The mother was a bit apprehensive. What if she got it wrong and the Lord does not tell Austin anything? Nevertheless, she said to him: “Go to your room and ask God to tell you where it is.” Austin went dutifully to his room. A few minutes later, the mother heard a big shout and a scream. She was initially concerned that her son might have had an accident; but only long enough for Austin to come running, all shook up. “Mummy, mummy,” he exclaimed, his present in his hand and a big smile across his face, “God spoke to me!”
It was not lost on the mother that the fact that God had spoken to Austin was now more important to him than the fact that he had found his missing toy.
The Lord God Almighty, the maker of the heavens and the earth, is your God, whether you realise it or not. He wants to have a relationship with you. Over the next couple of weeks, I will endeavour to show you how you too can hear the voice of God.