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Have You Heard from God Lately? 30 Messages from Heaven to You
By Keon Lindsey
Copyright © 2024 by Keon Lindsey
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
Scripture quotations taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Forward
During the failed lunar landing attempt of Apollo 13, an oxygen tank aboard the spacecraft blew up, destroying another oxygen tank. When astronaut Jim Lovell looked out the window, he saw their precious oxygen supply “venting” out into space. The lives of three American astronauts hung in the balance. With their ship crippled near the moon, they would have to rely on their Aquarius lunar capsule to return home, but it was not designed to do so.
At the start of all the trouble, commander John L. Swigert Jr. uttered those now famous words: “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
Fortunately, communication between the Apollo 13 crew and engineers at NASA was not a problem. Help back in Houston was able to calm fears and give essential guidance through many life-threatening complications aboard Aquarius and bring the three astronauts safely home.
I share this incident because it reminds me of what is happening today, only in reverse. The human race is on Earth in a life and death situation, and time is running out. God in Heaven has sent the life-saving messages we need to rescue us in any plight. Our sufficient help is found in God’s Word, the Bible. You and I should be saying daily, “Heaven, we’ve got a problem here.” Then we need to search the Scriptures for God’s messages to us.
In his book, Have You Heard from God Lately?, Author Keon Lindsey shares 30 Messages from Heaven to You. He reminds readers of the unlimited power and wisdom of the One sending the messages. Those who follow what God has said will reap the blessings of eternal salvation and lasting change. Each section concludes with questions to make you think about God’s message and how it applies to your life. May this book help you develop the spiritual discipline of hearing from God’s Word and doing what He has spoken (Matthew 7:24).
Michael E. Ascher, Senior Pastor, Good News Baptist Church
Introduction – How Does God Speak?
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. (Hebrews 1:1)
God spoke in ancient times through various ways. He chose when and how:
- With dreams (Genesis 28:12–16)
- In visions (Ezekiel 1:1)
- By angels (Genesis 19:1)
- As a man (Genesis 18:1–2)
- Through prophets (1 Samuel 15:1–3)
You may also remember that the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2–6). These are instances where God spoke specifically to certain people. Of course, God has spoken generally to all mankind through the creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1–4)
The heavens and sky, even day and night speak. Yes, their words describe God’s power and glory to everyone on the planet. Why?
Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)
Every person knows that God exists from seeing His work in the creation around us. Some acknowledge Him and some do not, but the Lord gives His general revelation or knowledge to all. Through this gift, everyone may desire the specific messages that He has given to each of us.
All the methods and messages were meant to get us ready for the ultimate messenger, Jesus. Therefore, God
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. (Hebrews 1:2a)
Since Jesus is the supreme messenger, do you think we should pay attention to what He has said? How should we respond? If He is the greatest, should we listen to anyone that contradicts Him? These are critical questions each person needs to consider in order to have a truly fulfilling life. Let’s keep these in mind as we look at some messages from Heaven and see how they relate to us today. And of course, we will look at the ultimate message!
Terms
If you are new to the Bible, some of the terminology you will encounter may differ in meaning from their common cultural definitions. To avoid confusion, let me share what these words mean in the biblical context:
- God – “the creator and sustainer of the universe who has provided humankind with a revelation of Himself through the natural world and through His Son, Jesus Christ.”[1]
- Lord – title for God. Instead of saying “the Lord God,” we’ll use either Lord or God.
- LORD – special Hebrew name for God, capitalized in English Bibles to distinguish from the title Lord.
- Christian – a believer in Jesus Christ and active follower of His teachings. Not to be confused with the cultural use of the term to describe a westerner who is not Jewish or Muslim.
Also, you will notice sometimes pronouns or other words are capitalized even when they are not the first word of a sentence. These instances indicate a reference to God or something specially related to Him, such as “His Word.”
Finally, when citing something from the Bible, the name of the book, chapter, and verse will be given in the text as (Book Name #:#) for easy reference.
Message 1 – I Made You for a Purpose
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)
Why did God make you? He made you for Him! This is very important because it means you are special and have a purpose. (The Bible tells us in Genesis 2 about the original job and plan God gave to mankind, but we will discuss that in the next message.) You are not a meaningless accident, nor the result of random time and chance. You have worth because the Lord thought you were worth making! Think about that. Since you are worth something, what are you doing with your valuable life? What should you be doing with it?
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Why Live for God?
Whatever you do with your valuable life, do it to bring glory to God. In modern times, we don’t fully grasp the concept of working or fighting for the honor of a superior or ideal. We may get glimpses of it in books or movies when a hero does something “in the name of the king” or when athletes work together for a team victory. However, we often go about our days focused on ourselves, even though science has shown that people who live for something bigger than themselves have happier lives.[2] God says live for Him! He is the greatest cause to whom anyone could be devoted. Living for the Lord brings satisfaction, as one writer declared:
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:8–9)
Living for the Lord also brings rewards.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Seeking the Lord brings rewards, and He satisfies the soul. This is very encouraging information, but why should we glorify God? Not only because He made us, but also because of His great love for us.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
While we were God’s enemies, rebels, and sinners, He showed incredible love for us. People are kind and loving towards friends and family. We may even help a stranger. Yet, who loves an enemy so much they would die to rescue the offender? No one but God! You might say, “I was never God’s enemy; how does this apply to me?” We will investigate that question in message two.
This love is beyond human logic and requires a response. If you accept this undeserved love, you should love in return. We should devote ourselves to the Lord and glorify Him in response to His amazing love for us.
We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
The Meaning of Life
God made us for a purpose, but what is it? To discover the meaning of life, let’s begin with God’s plan for the universe.
[God] having made known to us the mystery of His will…that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. (Ephesians 1:9–10)
Did you notice that God’s will, which was a mystery, has been revealed? That is, the Lord does not want us to be ignorant of His plans and purposes. This is a wonderful thought—the almighty Creator wants us to know what He is doing! That’s why He gave us these messages from Heaven. God’s plan is to bring all things, both in Heaven and on Earth, together under the rule of Jesus. This will bring the Lord the glory He deserves. We are told
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11)
So, the purpose of the universe is to bring God glory. This will happen at the end of time; in the meantime, what does that mean for us today?
That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:12)
Our purpose today is to bring glory to Jesus. This is the meaning of life. It is in this pursuit that we find meaning and lasting satisfaction, and we have a promise that people who are faithful to Jesus will be rewarded. He said,
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:31–40)
The faithful will “inherit the kingdom.” How are we to be faithful? We saw that showing compassion is one way, but Jesus summarized things with the two great commands.
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37–39)
The first commandment is to love God with everything in you. Make Him your priority; be faithful and devoted to Him. When you do, it will be easier to obey the second command to love others just like you love yourself. Caring for others, showing kindness and compassion brings glory to God and the blessing of fulfillment to us. Please notice that the Lord did not command everyone to be a monk or a nun. Loving Him and our neighbors is what we are to do wherever we are and whatever our vocation may be. So, you can keep these commandments today!
Think About It
1. Do you have worth because of your skills or accomplishments? Where does your worth come from?
2. What is God’s plan for the universe?
3. What is God’s purpose for you? And how do you fulfill it?
Message 2 – You Ran from Me
Now that we know we were made for God, what about the garden of Eden and His original plan for mankind? Why aren’t we in paradise now?
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)
God designed mankind to rule the Earth for Him. He had a specific job for the first man, Adam, and gave him a home in the famous garden of Eden.
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:15–17)
The Lord wanted Adam to take care of the garden. Adam could enjoy all the benefits of living there, including the fruit. There was just one rule—but why should paradise have any rules at all? Why did God put something in the garden that man could not have?
Is God Unfair?
Some might say it was unfair of the Lord to put Adam in that situation. However, that is not fair to God. Why do parents make rules for their kids? In order to keep them safe. Yet we look at God like small children look at their parents. They say to themselves, “That hot stove won’t burn me. It’s a fun toy that they don’t want me to enjoy!” Humanity exhibits this same childish attitude toward God’s rules. As adults, we should know better. After all, we understand that not only does a stove pose a danger when used improperly, it has a purpose. If we remove them from houses so kids would have no risk of a burn, no one could cook healthy meals. Since the danger must remain in place, so must the boundaries.
Just as many things that are off limits to kids have a purpose greater than they can grasp, the forbidden fruit also had a purpose. Although God made us for Himself, He did not force us to be for Him. Our Creator wants us to choose Him so we can have a real relationship. Thus, the fruit that was off limits allowed Adam to decide whether he wanted to be for God or not.
It also made Adam think. Should he trust God? His Creator gave him life, a home, a job, and put him in charge of the planet. Would Adam be satisfied with all that power and responsibility, or would he grasp for more and risk the consequences of disobeying? Did he want to be in charge of the universe and take God’s job?
So, you see, the forbidden fruit had nothing to do with God holding out on Adam or being unfair, as some people mistakenly believe. It was about the Creator letting the creature choose who would be his God. Today we have to make the same choice. Will we submit to our Creator’s authority and enjoy His blessings? Or do we want to play god and make our own rules? What did Adam do? He listened to the voice that said, “Don’t believe God.”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:4–6)
Most people wrongly blame Eve, the first woman, for eating the forbidden fruit. Yes, she made a terrible choice, but the Bible clearly says that Adam was with her. He was there and was tempted right beside Eve. Adam made the decision to be his own god, and in doing so he turned away from the Lord.
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)
When the real God showed up, Adam literally ran away. However, in his heart, he had already run when he decided to disobey.
What does this mean for us? Since Adam was our first father, he represented us to the Lord, just as a king or president represents a nation to the world. If the national head starts a war, the people of that nation are implicated in the decision and impacted by the results. That’s how things work, whether we like it or not.
Thus, when Adam ran away from the Lord, we ran with him. Most people will scream, “That’s not fair. I would not have eaten the forbidden fruit!” Yet, in reality, we make the same choice Adam and Eve did every day. We want to be our own god. Even though we are born away from the Lord because of Adam’s sin, it is our choice if we go back or stay away.
God Calls Us to Choose
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Over and over again, the Lord tells us that we can choose Him. (For example, see Joshua 24:15, 1 Kings 18:21, and Proverbs 1:20–23.) Choose to submit to God’s rule instead of your own and enjoy His blessings.
What happens if we choose to stay away or keep running away from God? The Lord told Adam he would die if he ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:17). Adam was supposed to live in his body forever, but he began to die when he disobeyed.
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17–19)
Before Adam died physically, he would experience pain and suffering from the curse of rejecting God. We also experience pain and suffering as a consequence of running from the Lord. However, worse than physical pain and death is the spiritual death of being separated from God forever in the lake of fire.
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
This second death, which is the reward of sin (Romans 6:23), is worse than terrible. Thankfully, the Lord did not leave us hopelessly lost away from Him. We will see in the next message that He wants us back!
Think About It
1. Why is it easier to blame God for rules than it is to see a good purpose behind them?
2. Why do we want to be our own gods rather than submit to the Lord’s authority?
3. Why is it unwise to run from the Lord?
[1] Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, p.501, Robert F. Youngblood, Thomas Nelson Publishers 1995.
[2] Various, such as: “The Secret to Happiness Is Helping Others” by Jenny Santi, https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4070299/secret-to-happiness/ accessed June 9, 2020 and “Happiness Comes from Giving, Not Buying and Having” by Steve Taylor Ph.D. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201501/happiness-comes-giving-not-buying-and-having accessed June 9, 2020.
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