Sid: We want everyone everywhere to hear God’s voice; after all Jesus made a statement. It’s an absolute truth and this is what He said “My sheep hear My voice.” Richard Mull when you survey people that you speak before you ask the question “How many of you hear God’s voice on a regular basis?” What type of feedback are you getting?
Richard: Well, I ask a series of questions and when I get to that point on hearing God on a regular basis it doesn’t matter what denomination I’m speaking at it’s typically 90% or more don’t hear God on a regular basis.
Sid: That is awful; and as a matter of fact why is it in your opinion?
Richard: In my opinion it’s because no one is ever taught. I have a seminary degree and I never had one class on how to hear God.
Sid: Well, if you hadn’t had a class then for sure you weren’t teaching it.
Richard: That’s right.
Sid: But you know what I find interesting; you were saved at a young age at age 9 and at 13 some young people came to you and they asked a very important question. They asked you “What is God saying to you?” How did you respond?
Richard: I thought they were crazy I never heard anybody talk like that before and I thought their hearing voices. Because no one had ever said anything like that, I never heard God speak to me. I thought that they were hearing voices coming out of the clouds or something and it sounded crazy to me.
Sid: But at that young age of 13 you actually felt the presence of God! Explain.
Richard: I began to understand that what they meant was that they read their Bible every day and learned something about God from the Bible. And so I began to read the Bible every day and I began to pray because others were praying. And I wanted to fit in; I wanted to fit in with this youth group so I was just doing the things that everybody was doing. And one day while I was praying; I knew in my head that God was there and this day was different; I couldn’t see anybody in the room. There was no indentation on the bed next to me but his presence was that tangible. It was as if there was an indentation on the bed and for the first time I was like wow; do I get on my knees; do I lay flat what do I do because God is here; He’s really here.
Sid: Well, I’m told that when you would even pray people would see a difference in the way you pray as opposed to most people.
Richard: Yeah it was a buddy in seminary and others agreed they were like Richard when you pray it’s like God’s really here. And I looked at him so strange like “Yeah, of course!” I realized that most Christians it was a different type of exercise that they were talking to God hoping that He was there; hoping that He could hear them but not knowing it. And somehow as a 13 year old I just began to know He’s here.
Sid: Now why did you go to a seminary?
Richard: I wanted to go into ministry.
Sid: Did you believe God was directing you into ministry?
Richard: Yeah, yeah about a junior in High School and I’d always loved Science and Math and knew that’s what I was going to do with my life. But over about a year period of time I abandoned that call because I knew that there was nothing else I want to do then to win souls for Christ. And the two things I figured I would never do is write and preach. And those are my two favorite things now. But at the time I just wanted to win souls and serve God.
Sid: So you’re at this Baptist Bible College and you’re having discussions, reading books about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. What did you think about these apologetics against speaking in tongues?
Richard: I thought it was hog wash and I wanted to believe them. I wanted because that was my bent; that was my choice what I wanted to come clue. I already somehow had had that fed to me; I don’t remember having anybody talking a lot about it but I knew that it was bad stuff. But it was reading the theological works against tongues and looking up the scriptures for myself I realized that I realized that they didn’t have a leg to stand on they were twisting the scripture.
Sid: Give me one scripture that comes to mind.
Richard: They would taint 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul says “I would that you would all pray in tongues.” And they would say Paul was being sarcastic and Paul says “I pray in tongues more than all of you.” And they said again that trying to pull out from the Greek that he was being sarcastic because it was a church with problems and he was correcting the problems. If you read it for yourself without someone trying to twist an interpretation of that, you know Paul is exalted prophesy above tongues but giving tongues great value. I was from churches that didn’t believe in either. I’m going “This passage really messes with my background and my training. And rather than trying to twist scripture trying to fit my preference and my theological background and my experience I wanted to be true to scripture.
Sid: Okay, you’re in the Baptist College you’re in your dorm room you’re by yourself and you say a bold prayer. What was that prayer?
Richard: After realizing that tongues was a gift from God I said “I don’t want to reject any gift; if You want me to pray in tongues or have any other gifts I give you permission to do that.” And I immediately started praying in tongues.
Sid: Did you have doubts as you were doing this? Was this really God?
Richard: I did for a couple of years I would wrestle when I would pray in tongues. And it was actually a good buddy of mine; a believer from Israel was my best friend and we were in Seminary; or Bible College together. And he said “Richard, it’s when you’re praying that this happens; I know that when you’re praying you’re in God’s presence; why do you doubt it?” And I said “I don’t know,” I see it in scripture; all my theological training was against that but I could see through the arguments but at the same time because I could stop it I thought I must be doing this.
Sid: Okay, with all this theological training we’re you once instructed on how to hear God’s voice?
Richard: I remember one class where the professor talked about God speaking. And it was a psychology professor. And he said that there was only 4 scriptures in the Bible that people use to talk about God speaking. And it was a class of over 100 students and nobody says “You’re joking because there’s way more scriptures than that because most of us had never been taught anything. So everybody just sat there listening and he talked about examples of people that say “God led them to kill somebody,” or “God led them to divorce their spouse.” And you basically came to the conclusion that if anybody said “God spoke to them needs professional, psychological help. Took the 4 scriptures that he thought including Jesus’ Words “My sheep hear my voice,” and told us what they really meant. Now that I have the God’s Speaks Bible and God’s had me in there for so many years I realized that there are so many passages about God speaking and about God’s voice from Genesis to Revelation. How could anyone even say that and how could a group of seminary students not react to that statement?
Sid: Why do you have such a passion that every Bible believer hears God’s voice for themselves? Why do you have such a passion?
Richard: I believe that it’s the foundation that Jesus taught His disciples that He doesn’t give formulas. What He gave is that He said “I do nothing of my own initiative I only do what I see the Father doing.” And I think the foundation of discipleship Jesus was teaching His followers to be dialed into the Father; to know His voice; to hear Him and to be led by the Spirit of God. And there’s nothing that’s impacted my Christian life more. There’s nothing that makes me more effective; I’ve learned a lot and I’ve done a lot of healing ministry. And I could do it by rote; I could do it by experience but I have learned that the most powerful breakthroughs happen when I check all of my experience; all of my knowledge of scriptures at the door and put the Holy Spirit in charge and listen to what He says. Most of the time He surprised me and He takes me in a direction that wasn’t on my radar screen that my training wouldn’t have provided for me and He deals with things so much faster and better than I could if I operate out of my knowledge.
Sid: Okay, in your opinion can any true Bible believer hear God as clearly as you do?
Richard: I believe they have to.
Sid: Especially with what’s about ready to come on planet earth.
Richard: Yes, we have to hear God.
Sid: Okay God Speaks Bible; learn to hear God. You’ve color codes this with such things as every time God speaks; every miracle. Literally when the translation I’m not that familiar with it but I do know that it’s a solid translation. But I love this translation it’s the New English Translation. And you have every miracle in one color; every time there was an angel in one color. It’s color coded you have a beautiful laminated bookmark so that when the see the code they know what it is and it is his intent that as you read the Word you become impregnated with everything supernatural in the Bible. And then the workbook, I love it, it’s a four week course so that that someone will be able to hear God’s voice. Now we’re making the Bible and it’s an imitation leather, but I love it and very very readable print. And perhaps you’re looking to start getting back into the Bible how would you like everything supernatural highlighted and depending on what it is in different colors. And as you read it that means mediate on that; get that word inside of you.
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth