3 Ways to Hear God's Voice

Summary

Podcast Summary: Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages

Episode: 3 Ways to Hear God's Voice
Host: Red Rocks Church (Sean Johnson, Doug Weckenman, Brian Zabel)
Date: August 1, 2026

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Overview

In this episode, Pastor Doug Weckenman launches a new four-week teaching series focused on one of the most pressing spiritual questions: "How do we hear God's voice?" Using candid stories, scripture, and practical advice, Doug explores three foundational ways that God communicates with us—through proximity (intimacy), people (community), and pain (adversity). The message is designed to equip listeners to experience God's guidance in daily life, make confident decisions, and embrace the journey of drawing closer to God.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. The Challenge of Hearing God’s Voice

• Context: Following a God you can't see, with a voice you can't audibly hear, into an unknown future, is inherently challenging.
• Doug's Analogy: Learning to discern God’s plans is a lot like learning to play golf—“You’re going to be very bad at it before you begin to slowly get better at it.” (07:20)
• Reassurance: Even experienced spiritual leaders experience both clarity and seasons of "hearing crickets" from heaven.

Quote:
"We're trying to follow a God we can't see with a voice we can't hear into a future that we don't know. So let's just call it what it is. That's not an easy game to play."
— Doug Weckenman (08:05)

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2. Three Ways to Hear God's Voice (12:26)

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A. God Speaks in Proximity (Intimacy with Him)

• Biblical Example: Elijah on the mountain—God wasn’t in the earthquake, fire, or wind, but in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19).
• Key Word: Damama — meaning "gentle whisper" or "still, small voice."
• Takeaway: God is always present and always speaking; it’s our stillness and closeness that determine whether we hear.

Quote:
"God doesn't have a speaking problem. We have a hearing problem."
— Doug Weckenman, quoting Chris Hodges (12:44)

• Practical Application:
  • Make space for stillness and quiet to hear God's whisper.
  • Proximity to God—through prayer, scripture, and undistracted time—leads to intimacy and clarity.

Quote:
"He whispers with a still, small voice, which is frustrating until you realize why whispers are clear when you're close and he wants you close."
— Doug Weckenman (21:39)

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B. God Speaks Through People (Community)

• Scripture: Proverbs 13:20—“One who walks with the wise becomes wise.”
• Insight: God often communicates through relationships—trusted friends, mentors, and even through others’ examples.
• Warning: Be discerning; not every “God said” is truly from God. Be wary of well-meaning but unwise or unbiblical advice within Christian circles.

Quote:
"If you start a sentence with 'God said' or 'God just,' then you are now speaking on behalf of the creator of the universe... Whatever follows 'God said,' I really hope God said it."
— Doug Weckenman (28:28)

• Personal Story: Doug recounts a conversation with his college pastor, Bill, whose honesty and correction (though uncomfortable) ultimately nudged Doug toward maturity rather than “legalism.”
• Application:
  • Seek out truth-telling, wise companions.
  • Be humble enough to accept hard truths, not just what you want to hear.
  • Your own life may be the only “Bible” someone else reads.

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C. God Speaks Through Pain (Adversity)

• Scriptural Basis: Life includes suffering; Jesus himself promised trouble in this world (John 16:33) and is present in our pain (Psalm 23).

• Pain as a Portal: Instead of being pointless, pain is often the very place God draws us closest to Himself.

• Illustration: Bethany Hamilton's testimony—a life-altering shark attack led to a platform for sharing faith, with her saying, “I wouldn’t change what happened to me because there’s no way I could ever have embraced this many people for Jesus with two arms.”
  (38:03)

• Theology:

  • God doesn’t cause all pain, but uses it for good.
  • Sometimes we only listen for "victory" words, missing how God speaks perseverance and presence through trials.

Quote:
"God whispers to us in our pleasures. He shouts to us in our pain."
— Doug Weckenman, quoting C.S. Lewis (36:16)

• Practical Advice:
  • Walk with God through valleys; don’t rush through or give up in them.
  • Pain is often where God is speaking the loudest—don’t be so eager to escape pain that you miss what God wants to do in you through it.

Quote:
"The circumstances we're trying to change are often the circumstances God is trying to use to change us."
— Doug Weckenman (42:54)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The process of prayer will change you more than an answered prayer ever could."
  — Sean Johnson / Doug Weckenman (20:48)
• "A moment in his presence is worth a million of his miracles." (20:59)
• "Your life might be the only Bible somebody else ever reads." (25:24)
• "If the purpose of life is the pursuit of something or someone beyond this life... then pain actually becomes a portal into more of his presence." (35:40)
• "Never will it be easier to hear the voice of God than it is right now." (43:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:25] — Opening question: How do I hear God’s voice?
• [08:00] — The challenge of following an unseen God
• [12:26] — Three ways God speaks: Introduction
• [12:41] — God speaks in proximity (stillness, intimacy)
• [24:08] — God speaks through people (community, discernment)
• [34:17] — God speaks through pain (suffering, growth)
• [43:32] — God’s presence in the valley: Walking through pain
• [46:35] — Encouragement: God wants to speak to you, not just "team varsity"
• [47:25] — Who you are in Christ—God’s holy people
• [49:06] — Salvation invitation and prayer for the congregation

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Final Encouragements

• Believe that God wants to speak to you:
  "You will experience it to the degree that you believe it's true about you."
  (47:25)
• Your identity:
  "Who you are is a child of God. And this God is a good dad with good plans for your life. He wants to talk to you."
  (47:25)
• Next Steps:
  • Stay close (keep returning to church, group, scripture).
  • Get quiet (make stillness a habit).
  • Embrace community (listen to wise voices).
  • Find God in valleys, not just on mountaintops.

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This episode sets the stage for a deeply practical and spiritual journey, encouraging everyone—no matter their spiritual background—to learn, grow, and expect to hear from God in life's ups, downs, and in-between moments.

Transcript

[Sean Johnson]

Red Rocks Church. What's happening? You excited to be in church today? I don't know. Let's give it one more shot. You excited to be in church today? Let's go. Hey, will you help me say hi to all the other locations, all the Denver based locations. We love you so much. Austin, Texas, what's up? Brussels, Belgium, we love you. And the favorites in the family, the men and women at our Colorado and Texas correctional facilities, we love you so much. Thank you for being with us and everybody joining online. High five. Somebody have a seat. We are starting a brand new teaching series today and I'm telling you, you're gonna be so glad that you are here for this one. In fact, my challenge to you is don't miss a week of this series. It's gonna be four weeks long and this is one of those ones where you're gonna want to bring somebody back with you because we're gonna be talk. We hear from God. How do we hear his voice? How do we allow him to help us make big decisions? Right? How do we, how do we experience the plans that God has for us? Like the questions that every single one of us are dealing with? And so not only are we going to get into some hard hitting questions and you're going to want to be a part of that, but church. This may be one of my favorite announcements I've gotten to make in a really long time. The one and only. Our one and only pastor Doug Weckenman is about to release his first book, can you make some noise in the house? It is called what does God have planned for me next Experience? All of it, miss none of it. Douglas Weckenman. And the best part, the best part of the whole book, Guys, Forward by Shawn Johnson. I don't know, just, I think it sounds amazing. I just, No, I, I, I asked Doug and he wasn't sure if he was going to go for this, but I was like, man, please let us, let us use it. This is not a small thing. Let us use as just sort of an opportunity for some discussion questions so that we can really dig into God's word because these questions are huge and every single one of us wants to know the answers, right? What does God want to say to me? How do I experience his plans? How can I make some big decisions and know that he's walking with me and walking to those things with some confidence? And Doug will help us through this book get into God's word and find out what God has to say about every single one of those things. So if you're with us in a building today, you can go out in one of the lobby and you can purchase these. The rest of the world doesn't get them for a couple weeks. And if you do. And it's always important to us that we always say this whenever we do anything like this. This is not about anyone here on our team, our staff, our church, making a penny. All right, so if any of you go out in the lobby and buy one of these, every single dollar will go towards our Colorado or our Texas correctional facilities locations. And we're going to open more and we're going to keep making them bigger, better, and badder. So. All right, so at every single. Can you get on your feet and help me welcome our one and only Pastor Doug Weckenman.

[Doug Weckenman]

Red rocks. How we do it. You guys ready for church today? Hey, really quick. Can we give all the glory, all the honor, all the praise to the name of Jesus Christ at every single one of our locations? Let him know you're grateful. Let him know that you love him him. Let him know you're ready for his word and then give away a high five and take a seat. I'm so excited for this. It is. It's so special and so rare to

[Brian Zabel]

see a lead pastor like Sean be this generous and open handed with the platform that God has given him. And ever since I told him about this dream I had of writing a book years ago, he's been nothing but a nonstop source of encouragement and inspiration for me and Sean. I just love you, man.

[Doug Weckenman]

I really do.

[Brian Zabel]

I want to be you one day.

[Doug Weckenman]

You know what I mean?

[Brian Zabel]

When my hair is a little grayer than it is now, I'm on my

[Doug Weckenman]

way, but I want to be you.

[Brian Zabel]

And Sean and Jill, we're just grateful for your friendship. This church is thankful for your leadership and the sacrifices you guys make and the cost you pay that none of us will ever know and none of us will ever see. Amen. Yeah.

[Doug Weckenman]

Let's show them some love.

[Sean Johnson]

All right.

[Doug Weckenman]

Well, with that said, what does God have planned for me next? Over the last 15 years of pastoral meetings, which is my favorite thing in the world because I am a pastor before I'm a writer and I'm not big on small talk. I love the real talk, you know what I mean? And all my conversations with real people just like me and just like you, going through all the twists and turns and highs and lows that life has to offer, the number one question everybody is asking according to just my experience and my studies on all of you is some version of that question. What does God have planned for me

[Brian Zabel]

next and how do I figure it out? And how do I step into it and hear his voice?

[Doug Weckenman]

And for week one of the series, I just wanted to kick us off by preaching a practical message called Three

[Brian Zabel]

ways to hear the voice of God. And I pray that this is helpful. 3 Ways to Hear the voice of God. Let's pray. God, we love you. You're always speaking. Help us to be better at listening. In Jesus name.

[Doug Weckenman]

And everybody said amen. All right, well, guys, last week me and Ethan, we took our seven year old boys, Will and Zeke, golfing for the very first time. Is that not the cutest picture you've ever seen? And it was awesome, man. And they, they love sports and they don't care who knows. They love golf. Like they've been watching the pros on tv, excited to actually go and play. They're into putt putt in the driving range and driving the golf cart is their thing. And I think we have a video. Yeah, I texted Sam that video and she texted me back, is that legal?

[Brian Zabel]

And I said, I don't care.

[Doug Weckenman]

Okay? I have a hunch, but I honestly didn't look, so I can say with integrity that I am ignorant, okay? And they walked on to the first tee. Will and Zeke just trash talking me and Ethan already. Will's like, dad, me and Zeke are gonna just destroy you guys. Just so confident. Is confident the right word or is delusional the right word? You know what I mean? Because what they discovered on the very first hole is what every new golfer finds out at first. Playing golf is not as easy as Scottie Scheffler makes it look on espn. Like Will completely missed the ball on his swing. And he looked at me like I was pranking him with tricks clubs. Like, what'd you do to my seven iron, dad? Because obviously that wasn't me. That was an equipment malfunction or something like that. All right, here's the beautifully frustrating thing

[Brian Zabel]

about what I believe is the hardest sport in the world.

[Doug Weckenman]

You're going to be very bad at it before you begin to slowly get better at it. And Bagger Vance once said, golf is a game that can't be won. It can only be played. And when you realize that, you can choose between two different reactors, you can get embarrassed and frustrated and throw your club and blame your dad. A lot of grown men still do this. Or you can take a deep breath

[Brian Zabel]

and you can appreciate that this game is hard.

[Doug Weckenman]

But I have the rest of my

[Brian Zabel]

life to enjoy the journey of slowly getting better at this game.

[Doug Weckenman]

And I think the same thing is true when it comes to discerning God's

[Brian Zabel]

plans for our lives.

[Doug Weckenman]

Because here's the challenge that we all face. We're trying to follow a God we can't see with a voice we can't hear into a future that we don't know. So let's just call it what it is. That's not an easy game to play. So if you have ever prayed to God for divine direction, but you got static from heaven, welcome to the club. If you've ever felt like God speaks so clearly to everybody else, but he must not want to talk to me, you're not alone. If you've ever asked God to give you a sign and then you spent the next week and every single license plate you saw on the highway or bird that landed in your backyard you thought was the Holy Spirit trying to code a message to you. The reason is because you're trying to follow a God you can't see with a voice you can't hear into a future that you don't know. And you can have one of two reactions about it. Get frustrated and discouraged and throw your clubs and just assume this whole Christianity thing is for other people, but it must not be for me or you. Take a deep breath and you appreciate

[Brian Zabel]

that you have the rest of your life to enjoy getting better at following a God who loves you into the good plans that he has for you. See, golf got a lot more fun for me the day I had the revelation that I'm not on the PGA Tour.

[Doug Weckenman]

Go figure.

[Brian Zabel]

And SportsCenter's not waiting for me to turn in my scorecard at the end of this round.

[Doug Weckenman]

All right, I played like that was the case. We'll get back to the NBA Finals in just a second, but we're gonna

[Brian Zabel]

go live to Star Ranch in Austin,

[Doug Weckenman]

Texas, where Doug Weckenman is three putting for his second triple bogey of the round.

[Brian Zabel]

Let's go in here. Following God and discerning his plans, hearing from him, if you will, gets a lot less intimidating and I think a lot more fun when you realize that heaven's not waiting for you to turn in your scorecard, that your faith is not a pass fail test. It's a relationship.

[Doug Weckenman]

That God knows you, and he wants

[Brian Zabel]

you to know Him.

[Doug Weckenman]

And the more you get to know him, the more you begin to trust Him. And the more you begin to trust him, the more you start to get to know his ways. Because God has ways about him, and his ways never change. And that's good to know, because the more you get to know his unchanging ways, the easier it gets to discern his plans when life changes all around you.

[Brian Zabel]

And the more you practice at it, Red rocks, the better you'll get at stepping into your next chapter with confidence in your heart. And that's why I wrote this book. This is personal to me because I know what it feels like to hear so clearly from God. And I know how it feels to pray and pray and pray and pray and pray and get crickets. Like I know how it feels to be so confused about what he has for me next and need divine direction but not get any from him and walk with him in seasons of waiting that feel like they go on forever. I know that feeling. And I have also experienced the guidance and the goodness of a very real God, who I believe has really good plans for you as well. And if that's true, and it is,

[Doug Weckenman]

then how do you experience all of

[Brian Zabel]

it and miss none of it?

[Doug Weckenman]

Like, how do you make a big life decision with God when they say we are more indecisive than we have ever been, especially Christians, how do you hear his voice? Right? How do you know where he's guiding you and where he's leading you? Because he might be invisible. However, Romans chapter one tells us that his visible qualities and attributes can be clearly seen all over. So take that same paradigm and apply it to a different one of your senses. God might speak inaudibly. Often, however, God's voice is clearly communicated all over the place. If you think about it, there are 8 billion people, plus and counting on this planet, and God wants a relationship with every single one of them, each of them with a unique set of love languages and communication styles. God communicates to us in a thousand different ways.

[Brian Zabel]

And I just want to give you

[Doug Weckenman]

three of them today. And here's number one. God speaks to us in proximity. He speaks to us in proximity. God is always present.

[Brian Zabel]

It's us who aren't.

[Doug Weckenman]

God is always speaking.

[Brian Zabel]

We're just getting worse and worse at listening. Chris Hodges says it like this. God doesn't have a speaking problem. We have a hearing problem.

[Doug Weckenman]

Now, the good news is God speaks all the time. He's communicating to us right now, but we hear him best when we have proximity with him. Now in First Kings, chapter 19, there's a story about the prophet Elijah, legendary prophet of the Old Testament, Elijah, who is desperate to hear from God. I love it. By the way, in James, chapter Five. It says, elijah was a human being, just like you. And just like me, God speaks to him. God wants to speak, to speak to you. Elijah is human, and he does what the rest of us do when we need to hear God's voice. He drives to the mountains. He goes to the closest scenic overlook, plays good plans from the speaker in his phone, gets out his leather journal and looks to the sunset and goes, speak, Lord, Please, for the love of you, I need to hear your voice. And we pick it up in verses 11 and 12. Then a great and powerful wind tore

[Brian Zabel]

the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. And it was in the whisper that Elijah heard the voice of God. Whisper. It's the Hebrew word.

[Doug Weckenman]

Damama.

[Brian Zabel]

Everybody say, da mama. It's not a mama joke.

[Doug Weckenman]

It's just.

[Brian Zabel]

It's just the word da mama. And it means gentle whisper or a still, small voice.

[Doug Weckenman]

So God has an outdoor voice, and he knows how to use it. I imagine all those years ago when he said, let there be light, I bet you that broke a few celestial decibel meters.

[Brian Zabel]

You know what I mean?

[Doug Weckenman]

God. God knows how to project. However, God oftentimes speaks to us in a whisper. But here's the thing.

[Brian Zabel]

He's not a God of confusion. And whispers are clear when you are close enough to hear. Psalm 46:10 says.

[Doug Weckenman]

He says, be still and know that I am God.

[Brian Zabel]

And I was thinking about it.

[Doug Weckenman]

Maybe the reason.

[Brian Zabel]

Those moments of clarity, when you just know that he is God.

[Doug Weckenman]

If you've ever had that moment, you're like, he's a good God who has good plans for me.

[Brian Zabel]

And you know that he's speaking to you.

[Doug Weckenman]

Or maybe he's guiding you, or maybe

[Brian Zabel]

he's protecting you or directing you. And it's like that.

[Doug Weckenman]

Aha.

[Brian Zabel]

Connect the dot moment of clarity.

[Doug Weckenman]

The reason I believe for all of us that those moments are happening fewer and farther in between is because we're

[Brian Zabel]

never really still anymore. We live in a world of overstimulation, drowning in digital noise and chronic distraction while all the while, God is whispering. He speaks so clearly when life is quiet. But life is never quiet, which is why I think a lot of us believe he doesn't speak. But, like, if Thanos snapped his finger and all the noise was gone, I was in a house where the power went out. Just a few days ago. And it's wild. You thought it was quiet until all the electricity stops humming and you're like, oh my gosh, I didn't realize how noisy my world was. All the noise is gone. We wouldn't need sermons about how to hear from God because God whispers with clarity. And Mark Batterson tells us why. I love this quote. When somebody speaks in a whisper, you have to get very close to hear. See, we lean toward a whisper. And that's what God wants.

[Doug Weckenman]

The goal of hearing the heavenly Father's voice isn't just hearing his voice.

[Brian Zabel]

It's intimacy with him.

[Doug Weckenman]

That's why he speaks in a whisper. He wants to be as close to

[Brian Zabel]

us as divinely possible.

[Doug Weckenman]

He loves us, likes us that much. Now that's beautiful. But we can also be honest and acknowledge it's also frustrating. Like, it'd be so much easier if you and God could just go to Starbucks and you could talk to him face to face. You guys sit down over a two

[Brian Zabel]

pump caramel macchiato venti and pretend it's coffee and not a milkshake, even though it's way closer to ice cream than it is to coffee. But we'll just keep pretending it's coffee. I know I've made this joke before, but I just love how much it bothers some of you. So that's why I keep making it.

[Doug Weckenman]

So you're sitting down over your coffee

[Brian Zabel]

with God and now you can face to face ask him all the questions you have for him about your future.

[Doug Weckenman]

Hey, God, thanks for meeting me. I know you're busy running the universe. By the way, how's heaven?

[Brian Zabel]

How are the golden streets?

[Doug Weckenman]

How's Jesus and Gabriel and the Holy Spirit? Anything I can pray for you for? Hey, by the way, who should I marry and what job should I take? And should we move there or should we stay here? Like, should we. Should I send my kids to public school or send them to private school? Should I invest in AI? Should I be polite to Chatgpt? Probably. By the way, you know, it's like, do I. Do we buy or do we rent? Like, these are some big financial, big relational decisions. And I know you got good plans for me and a hope for the future. I know the verse I even memorized. I even got that verse tattooed on my forearm. But how do I know what those plans are?

[Brian Zabel]

That would be so much easier. But it wouldn't be God. He loves you and wants you close a vending machine where you could just punch in the plan you want. I'll take B6 would be so much more simple. But it wouldn't be intimacy, and it wouldn't be relationship. See, sometimes I'll. I've done this with all my kids. Mila just turned 2. And sometimes I'll whisper something that she can't quite hear, and she'll want to hear, so she'll scoot a little bit closer to me, and then I'll whisper it again. And now she's intrigued. And she gets closer and closer until I grab her.

[Doug Weckenman]

You little knucklehead.

[Brian Zabel]

I got you. Was it a trick? Yeah. Does that make me a bad dad? Absolutely not. See, it'd be nice if God showed up in the fire or the hurricane to shout to you in his outdoor voice to marry this person or to take that job or move there or stay here. But God whispers. And to hear him, you have to get close to him, because God knows something that we oftentimes forget. Hearing God is not the goal of hearing God. Proximity with him is.

[Doug Weckenman]

You can get all his plans but miss Him. You got nothing. You need God at the end of the day, you need the planner. His good plans are a byproduct of just knowing the planner. That's where all the. The fulfillment that your soul is searching for is not found in stepping into what he has planned for you next is found into stepping into more of Him. The goal of hearing God is not hearing God. Proximity with him is right. I remember Sean said This quote, like 10 years ago, and I totally stole from him and put it in the

[Brian Zabel]

book without giving him credit.

[Doug Weckenman]

But I've said it, like 20 times

[Brian Zabel]

since I heard him say it. And at some point you're like, I

[Doug Weckenman]

think it's this is my quote now, you know?

[Brian Zabel]

And it's this.

[Doug Weckenman]

The process of prayer will change you

[Brian Zabel]

more than an answered prayer ever could. Shawn Johnson, Doug Weckenman,

[Doug Weckenman]

and Red Rocks. We're believing for answered prayers and miracles in 2026. And I, I, with all my heart, I believe it's going to happen in Jesus name. I'm just saying your perspective pursuit of his voice is what's going to grow you and change you in ways that actually hearing his voice never could. I'm saying that. I'm saying that a moment is in his presence is worth a million of his miracles. You know what I mean? And sometimes you just gotta remind yourself and let him know that you choose him over his best plans for you and that his presence is more precious to you than any of your prayers that he would ever decide to answer.

[Brian Zabel]

Because it is. He whispers with a still, small voice, which is frustrating until you realize why whispers are clear when you're close and he wants you close.

[Doug Weckenman]

See, you need to leave here today

[Brian Zabel]

believing that God has good plans for you and that God wants to speak to you because it's true. And next week, Sean's gonna talk more about God.

[Doug Weckenman]

Good.

[Brian Zabel]

God's good plans for you, and it's gonna be awesome. You're not gonna wanna miss it.

[Doug Weckenman]

I'm telling you today that you will

[Brian Zabel]

be those plans and you will begin

[Doug Weckenman]

to hear his voice. To the degree that you actually believe God has good plans for you and wants to talk to you, it's true. But you need to believe that it's true. He wants to talk to you. In fact, if you have access to a Bible, you can't tell me he's not trying to. He's always speaking. We're just not always listening.

[Brian Zabel]

Jesus once said, the sheep know the sound of the shepherd's voice. So the question becomes, when and where can the sheep actually hear it? And the answer is when they have proximity to the shepherd. So here's what I would say. Stay close and get quiet.

[Sean Johnson]

Stay close.

[Brian Zabel]

In other words, keep coming back to church, keep going to group, Keep serving, Start serving. Stay close and get quiet. I'm talking. Reading scripture for 10 minutes in the morning with no noise before you grab your phone. He's always present. We're not. He's always here. We're distracted more than we know. He's always speaking. He's always whispering. And if you listen, you'll hear him. The sheep know the sound of the shepherd's voice. You have a God instinct, so to speak. God put that in you. You know his voice, but you need to be near him in order to hear it. But that's his number one plan for you. Next, by the way, is you knowing him more. It always will be. It's like he's saying, we'll get on to everything else. You need to know me. So he'll whisper until you get close enough for him to grab you. Because he's a good dad, he'll speak in proximity. Number two, God speaks through people.

[Doug Weckenman]

Or said another way. God communicates to us through our community. God will speak through you to people, and God will speak through people to you. Which is probably why Proverbs 13:20 says, One who walks with the wise will become wise.

[Brian Zabel]

But a companion of fool suffers, A companion of fools suffers harm.

[Doug Weckenman]

By the way, just a quick word on the prophetic. We're told in Scripture to desire that spiritual gift. And that is wanting God to speak through you.

[Brian Zabel]

And how powerful is that?

[Doug Weckenman]

What I'm saying is I think God will speak through you the most when you care more about people than being prophetic. Because he wants to get words to the people that he loves and knows

[Brian Zabel]

you'll get it to them when you

[Doug Weckenman]

love the people that. That he loves. And I think that God will speak loudest in your life when you don't gotta say a word. When the way that you live preaches the message you believe. When the things that you do, and maybe more importantly, the things you don't do, speak volumes about who God is to you.

[Brian Zabel]

In other words, your life might be the only Bible somebody else ever reads,

[Doug Weckenman]

which means God wants to speak through your life to the people in your life. Guys, I have grown so much as a man and as a leader just by watching the ways that Shawn Johnson leads, just by watching the way that Brian Zabel lives, just by listening to the things that Scott Brookman says. Like, it's one of the main ways God communicates through your community what they say and what they do. And so when it comes to hearing God's voice in your life through the people that are in your life, here's just a really good reminder. Consider the source. Mark Batterson makes the point that God

[Brian Zabel]

way more often speaks through friends than through strangers. Now, God will speak through anything and anyone in the Bible. He speaks through a donkey. He speaks through a tree that's on fire. He speaks through a cloud. I think God speaks through comedians all the time. Like they're modern day prophets who can say what we all need to hear, and it lands because it's funny. God speaks to me through Ryan Gosling. Every single time I watch one of

[Doug Weckenman]

that guy's movies, it humbles me. Me, you know, it's like God's way of reminding me, you're not that cool.

[Brian Zabel]

Look at him. Yeah, you're not cool. It's like humble pie, you know? God speaks through people, but he will often speak to us through trusted relationships. Because speaking truth in love is an earned right and the byproduct of relational equity. The stronger the relationship, the more words, the more weight those words will carry. Like, if Sean and Jill are speaking to me and Sam, we listen to what they have to say. Like when Lauren Bond has something to

[Doug Weckenman]

say to me, I lean in and

[Brian Zabel]

I pay attention to whatever it is because they'll tell me what's true, not just what I want to hear.

[Doug Weckenman]

Cause you know, the word like the phrase false teacher. We hear that a lot. And immediately what we think is the, the public figure pastor preaching prosperity to make a profit and leading people astray. There are a lot of P's in that. And you know what? Probably. But I think the main source of false teaching in our day and age

[Brian Zabel]

is well meaning Christian friends who give bad advice based on feelings and know it's what you want to hear and stamp God's name on it. It's like just move in together. Just, you know, it's God wants you to be happy. He knows your heart. It's God set God, God just.

[Doug Weckenman]

This is called playing the God card.

[Brian Zabel]

And it's getting more and more and more common. And I just want this to be a good reminder for all of us. If you start a sentence with God said or God just,

[Doug Weckenman]

then you are

[Brian Zabel]

now speaking on behalf of the creator of the universe. And I'm like, can we just add some more weight and reverence back into beginning sentences that way? Because whatever follows God said, I really hope God said it. I really hope it aligns with his, with his Word. And because Proverbs 14:12 says, Guys, there's a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

[Doug Weckenman]

The world has ways and they, they,

[Brian Zabel]

they over promise and seem like they're

[Doug Weckenman]

working for everybody, but in the end

[Brian Zabel]

they lead to death. We need to know what he has to say. God, what are you speaking? Consider the source. Fifteen years ago, God spoke to me through my college pastor Bill.

[Doug Weckenman]

I was about a year and a

[Brian Zabel]

half into following Jesus and I was a leader in our college ministry in Boulder. And I was leading a double life, as the kids say. Church on Tuesday, party on Wednesday, small group on Thursday, rager on Friday, drink more on Saturday and Sunday, set apart for like all day repentance and recovery, and wash and rinse and repeat again. And that gets really old and really empty really, really fast. Like Forest says, I say this to you a lot recently. You can keep searching the world until your head hurts, or you can just realize that God's ways are so much better than the world's. Like for if you're a high schooler in here, you don't gotta be 67 before with baggage before you figure that out. I'm just, I'm so serious. Like we had our kids up here a few weeks ago. I see this vision of, of, of

[Doug Weckenman]

all these kids talking about how God's way is better. I see like baptism weekends 10 years from now, 15 years, 20 years from now. And there's testimony videos of these kids. And the testimony videos are way more about how I learned the easy way that God's ways are just better and, and he's bigger and you can trust him and everything he has in store for you is just more rather than I learned the hard way that the world's ways don't work. That's beautiful. That's my testimony. All I'm saying is this is the one I'm praying for for my kids. Just be inspiration to a watching world, walking, talking, living, breathing examples that God is good and he has good plans for his kids and he wants to bless you,

[Brian Zabel]

but he needs your attention, he needs your ear if he's going to speak to you. Anyways, Bill took me to coffee on one afternoon and the very first thing he said to me was, I'm not going to tiptoe around your feelings. I'm just going to tell you what you need to hear. And I thought, okay, good start. And he said, I love you. And it'd be one thing if you weren't a leader because psa, God has only ever used broken people. But people are watching your life, specifically the younger guys in the small group that you lead. And it's confusing because you preach God's way is better, but you live like you don't really believe it. He told me God's given you influence and right now you're punting on it on first down. This was my very first Christian call out, as they say. And I know the verse says iron sharpens iron, but man, the friction sucks, okay? And Bill said to me, he's like, I've got good plans. God has good plans for your future and you can't ruin them. You're not that powerful, but you can miss them. And I remember sitting there thinking I'd rather be getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Honestly, I walked out of that coffee shop moments later just so mad, so mad. And I literally said on the walk to my car because I was throwing a pity party. And when you feel like that sting of conviction like chlorine tears behind your eyes, the easiest low hanging fruit is to just drop the legalism card. Didn't know I had a legalist for a pastor.

[Doug Weckenman]

What about grace? Bill thought Jesus was grace. I guess he's not. It's cool. I have a legalist for a pat. And it was one of those moments, like right when I, I remember getting

[Brian Zabel]

to my 2003 white Saturn View the Ultimate Soccer mom car from two decades ago and I was opening the door and getting into it, and I just really felt God say and notice. In this case, hearing is a feeling. Say, hey, bud, I think maturity is a better word than legalism. I'll never forget that. I don't know who this is for. Don't call wisdom legalism. It's like I'm trying to talk to you through your pastor, and if you're smart, you'll listen. Because I've got good plans for your life and I want you to experience all of it and miss none of it. God, he speaks through people all the time. He communicates to you through your community all the time. The question is, once again, are you listening for his voice? And will you hear the things you don't want to hear? Because sometimes, too, it's like he's not speaking to us, or that's what we think. Because we're only listening for what we want him to say, to just stamp an approval on the plans we already have.

[Doug Weckenman]

And sometimes he does that.

[Brian Zabel]

I'm just saying, if he was saying something different, would you hear Him? He's always talking. God, make us better listeners and hearers. Finally, we'll do one more. God speaks through pain. And I don't always know why bad things happen. And I'm not up here claiming to. That's way above my pay grade.

[Doug Weckenman]

I do know the Bible is not

[Brian Zabel]

trying to sell you nothing. And that's kind of why I trust it.

[Doug Weckenman]

Because even Jesus, who is the Word, promised us that in this world, you're gonna have trouble. And his goal was never to sort of pluck us out of a painful world and protect us. His goal was to let his presence be with us. Right smack dab in the middle of whatever season or situation it is that you're walking through. Like, Like David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the shepherd is with me. His rod and his staff, they.

[Brian Zabel]

They comfort me. Which is why I can. I can tell you that with God, your pain isn't pointless. Like, I don't always know why there's pain, but I can tell you that your pain is not pointless with God. And here's why. Like, if the.

[Doug Weckenman]

If the goal of life was the

[Brian Zabel]

pursuit of happiness, then truly pain becomes the ultimate enemy. Pain is the ultimate problem. And it's not just pointless, it's a waste of. It's actually a waste of time. But if the purpose of life is the pursuit of something or someone beyond this life, namely a transcendent God who uses everything to draw us closer to him, then pain actually becomes a portal into more of his presence. Pain is like the fast pass at Disney that just gets you like it

[Doug Weckenman]

truly is into more CS Lewis.

[Brian Zabel]

I'll just quote CS Lewis. God whispers to us in our pleasures. He shouts to us in our pain. God shouts in the struggle. On October 31, 2003, Bethany Hamilton was a 13 year old girl surfing with her friends off the coast of Kauai when she was attacked by a 14 foot tiger shark. A lot of you know this story. She lost 60% of her blood and her left arm. Now my theology is this and I believe it with all my heart. God does not send sharks literally or figuratively.

[Doug Weckenman]

We live in a fallen world where we will have trouble.

[Brian Zabel]

And like in the ocean, sometimes sharks just show up.

[Doug Weckenman]

But you want to know what's crazy about Bethany? Is Jeremiah 29:11, is that verse about how you have good God, a good God who has good plans.

[Brian Zabel]

That was her life verse before her shark attack accident.

[Doug Weckenman]

You want to know what her life

[Brian Zabel]

verse is After Jeremiah 29:11, the verse

[Doug Weckenman]

about how you have a good God

[Brian Zabel]

who has good plans for your life. The God who can work all things together for the good of those who love him. And apparently all things even includes shark attacks. Like he can take the worst things in the world and somehow flip them and redeem them and use them for good and make a beautiful story out of it. God speaks through pain. Bethany Hamilton listened and now when she speaks, the world listens to her. She was quoted saying, I wouldn't change what happened to me because there's no way I could ever have embraced this many people for Jesus with two arms.

[Doug Weckenman]

Like that's crazy. And this is hard man for Americans because we are so about maximizing comfort and minimizing pain at all costs. From the opioid epidemic to memory foam pillows, right? And I, trust me, I get it, you guys like me too. But do not fall for the all too easy to sell lie that following Jesus makes everything easier. Because a blessed life doesn't mean pain free. God's plans are better oftentimes because they're harder. Like the real stories worth living, they all come with a price to pay in the end. And Jesus is the conquering lion. But Jesus is also the suffering lamb. And if you've never heard me say this before, you, you gotta get this. This has been on my heart. Jesus will communicate to you like the conquering king, the conquering lion who defeated the grave and walked out of his tomb on a Sunday. And through him, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, and he has ultimate victory in Him. You are more than a conqueror. And that is 100% true. It's 100% true. It's just that Jesus is both, and the lion and the lamb. He is conquering lion, and he is also the suffering lamb who on the

[Brian Zabel]

Friday before was crucified, who is familiar with every tear that you cry and can relate to every ounce of pain that you experience. Jesus is both. And sometimes he will call you. And the caller id, so to speak, will read conquering lion. And Jesus is going to want to talk to you about his victory and that your healing is here and that you're more than a conqueror through him who loves you. And that is 100% true. And sometimes he'll call you, and the caller ID will not read lion, but lamb, and he'll want to talk to you as the God who is not only aware of your pain, but as the high priest who can actually empathize with your pain. He's been called the man of Sorrows. He had a panic attack in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus mourned and grieved over friends who died. He most likely had to bury his earthly dead. Joseph, his hometown, rejected him. His best friends deserted him. He was constantly misunderstood. He always turned the other cheek, and he washed Judas's feet. Sometimes the reason we're not hearing him speak to us, especially when you're in struggle or pain, is because we're just waiting for the lion to call and

[Doug Weckenman]

the lion will call.

[Brian Zabel]

But if it feels like he's not speaking to you in your season of

[Sean Johnson]

struggle,

[Brian Zabel]

it might be because you're only listening for key words like breakthrough and victory. And that is 100% part of the culture of heaven. I'm just saying it could be. Right now, Jesus is speaking words of perseverance and his presence even in your trials. And words like James 1, verses 2 through 4 that say this, consider it pure joy. God might be speaking to some of you right now through His Word. Consider it pure joy. My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. And I believe breakthrough is coming for you.

[Sean Johnson]

You.

[Brian Zabel]

I believe healing from my chronic pain is coming this year. And I. I believe that with all my heart. And I cannot wait to give you guys the praise report about God's power when it does. But until then, what I can give you is A praise report about God's presence. And I'm saying that now. He's good before he heals me. He's good even if he does,

[Doug Weckenman]

because

[Brian Zabel]

he's with me always, even to the very end of the age.

[Doug Weckenman]

And I just know, man, a lot

[Brian Zabel]

of people in our church are fighting battles right now and walking through valleys. And so I just want to say something that is.

[Doug Weckenman]

And I want to acknowledge this is varsity level, all right? Do not be too fixated on escaping

[Brian Zabel]

pain that you fail to get something from it. The circumstances we're trying to change are often the circumstances God is trying to use to change us. And if you're in pain, it's real. But you are not alone.

[Doug Weckenman]

Stay close.

[Brian Zabel]

Keep coming back. Join a group. Reach out for prayer. Keep praising him in your struggle. And hear me say this to you. Never will it be easier to hear the voice of God than it is right now. Right now. Right now.

[Doug Weckenman]

What did David say? Though I walk through the valley of

[Brian Zabel]

the shadow of death, I fear no

[Doug Weckenman]

evil, for his presence is with me. The shepherd is with me the entire time. You know what? I think it's interesting that he says walk, because typically for me, I'm like, I'm running through that valley. I will learn the lesson. I'll be the best student God. I'll learn whatever lesson I need to learn. Let's get through this valley. I'm gonna accomplish it. I'm gonna achieve it. And we're getting through it as fast as possible. But he doesn't say run through it. He also doesn't say sit down in it. He doesn't say, this is your new home. This is your new forever season, and this is where you throw a party, and this is where you stay.

[Brian Zabel]

He says you walk. You put one foot in front of the other, and you walk with your savior, step by step until you walk out of that valley, all the way through. And until then, you let perseverance finish the work that it's doing in your soul, because this valley will end. However, if you listen for God's voice right now, your heart will be more trusting and your faith will be stronger when it does. God speaks in proximity. God speaks through people, and God shouts to us in our pain. Amen. Every location. Would you guys stand, Think you need to believe two things. You need to believe that God has good plans for your life. I. I think this. I think the best is yet to come for you.

[Doug Weckenman]

And if you live in light of eternity, knowing what is waiting for us

[Brian Zabel]

on the other side, Heaven and New earth for the rest of forever.

[Doug Weckenman]

Then you get to live today, facing forward, present in the moment, in holy anticipation, anticipation of the great plans he has for you then and there. And if that's true, then Even if you're 94, the best is and always will be yet to come. And Jeremiah 29:11, that God is a good God who has good plans for you applies to you until you take your final breath this side of eternity. And that is no small thing that

[Brian Zabel]

we get to praise him for and celebrate every single week that we gather together. He has good plans for you, and we'll talk more about that next week. And he wants to speak to you. He wants to speak to you. He's speaking right now to you. But you need to believe. I think there's a little bit of Christian imposter syndrome that has seeped into the church in our generation where we hear about a lot of this stuff.

[Doug Weckenman]

But we go, okay, that's for the

[Brian Zabel]

team varsity, obviously, not me. I'm not a saint yet. I'm a sinner who just got saved by grace. Like, I know who I am and

[Doug Weckenman]

I know who I'm not. And with all due respect, it doesn't

[Brian Zabel]

sound like you do, because the moment

[Doug Weckenman]

you got saved is the moment you became righteous. The moment you got saved is now the moment God looks at you and doesn't see your defeated record. He sees the righteousness and spotlessness and undefeated record of his son that's now yours. You know what's funny? Like, if Paul were writing a letter to the church in Denver, to Red Rocks Church, he would not title the letter to all of the imperfect people in Denver, grace and peace to you.

[Brian Zabel]

We. We say that because it's true, because it reminds us of what he has saved us from. But Paul would say to God's holy people at Red Rocks Church in Denver, to the saints, to the ones who have been justified by the blood of Jesus, to the ones who have been saved by grace, to the ones who are called according to the plans that he had in place before you were even born, before the foundations of the world were even formed. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to know who you are. Who you are is a child of God. And this God is a good dad with good plans for your life. He wants to talk to you. He wants to talk to you. He wants to talk to you. And you will experience it to the degree that you believe it's true about you. So you need to believe it with every head bowed and every eye closed. If you've never received Jesus into your life, I want to give you a moment to do that right now at every single one of our locations. If you want to say yes to this amazing grace, which just takes a little bit of your faith, Jesus, would what you did on the cross count for me? Would you take my sin and give me your righteousness, Heaven for forever, then and there, life to the full in the here and now, your presence and all the good plans that come with it. There's no catch.

[Doug Weckenman]

He paid the price.

[Brian Zabel]

But love must be your choice. And if you want to choose him

[Doug Weckenman]

back right here and right now, I'm

[Brian Zabel]

going to invite you to boldly raise your hand with confidence in Jesus name. You say yes, God, that's me. Amen. There's hands all over this room. I'm imagining at every single one of our campuses, correctional facilities, men and women, with confidence, raise your hand as a child of God and say yes to the God who has been choosing you your entire life. Amen. Amen. Amen. You can put your hands down everybody else if you just. If you need God to speak to you. And you just want to make a little bit of a physical move right now, which is to hand raise to say God, I'm acknowledging that I'm not the best at listening and I want to get more familiar with your voice and trying to follow a God I can't see with a voice I can't hear into a future I don't know. But you know me and you're walking with me and I want to enjoy the process of getting better at following a good God who loves, loves me and to the plans he has for me. In hearing your voice, I just want to invite you to raise your hand at every single location as well say, God, I want that. I want to know you more. I want to know the sound of your voice. I want to know your ways that never change. I want more of your presence and I want the plans you have for my life.

[Doug Weckenman]

Amen. Amen.

[Brian Zabel]

Amen. God, we love you. I thank you that heaven got more crowded in here. I thank you that you're a good dad who with good plans for his kids. I thank you that you are always speaking. Would you help us to hear you better? Would you help us to listen more? Would you help us to discern what's your voice and what's not? Would we start to know you in such a way that we can, with confidence, step into the next chapter, trusting you with faith in our hearts that you're going to get us where you want to get us. That you're going with us and before us. Your rod and staff comfort us in the valley. Your faithfulness and love will never leave us. And you have good plans for your kids. So right here and right now, we just say yes to all of the above. In Jesus name, Amen. Red Rocks, let's worship.