HEAR THEN STAND SPEAK COMMAND

Table of Contents

1. Celebrating God's Faithfulness
2. Standing on the Word Is Good—but There Is Something Better
3. Jesus Lived by Hearing the Father
4. Jesus Only Spoke What He Heard
5. Balaam Received a Command Before He Blessed
6. Jeremiah Heard Before God Performed His Word
7. God's Spoken Covenant Never Changes
8. A Personal Testimony: Hearing God During Cancer
9. A New Challenge: Trusting God for a Knee Replacement
10. The Story of Tommy the Lost Dog
11. Resting Until God Speaks
12. Paul's Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation
13. Faith Comes by Hearing
14. Closing Encouragement

Celebrating God's Faithfulness

Pastor Leonard opens the teaching by celebrating forty-two years of marriage with Pastor Lori. Rather than focusing only on the anniversary itself, they explain that they are celebrating throughout the week as a testimony of God's faithfulness.

From there, Pastor Leonard introduces the main topic. Christians are commonly taught to stand on God's Word, confess God's promises, and meditate on Scripture. He immediately makes it clear that he is not criticizing these practices. Instead, he explains that every one of these disciplines is good, necessary, and biblical. However, he believes Jesus demonstrated an even greater principle—one that many believers overlook.

Pastor Lori explains that this teaching originated from one of Pastor Leonard's daily devotionals. She shares that she had to read the devotional several times because of the depth of the message. It challenged her own understanding and revealed an important truth that she had not previously connected in quite the same way. Pastor Leonard encourages viewers who are not receiving the ministry's daily Grace Blast devotional to join their email list so they can receive these short weekday teachings. He then prepares the audience for the central lesson of the message.

Standing on God's written Word is important. Confessing God's promises is important. Believing Scripture is important. But Jesus demonstrated something even greater.

Standing on the Word Is Good—but There Is Something Better

Pastor Leonard begins with Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Satan challenged Jesus after He had fasted for many days, telling Him that if He truly was the Son of God, He should command stones to become bread. Jesus responded with Scripture. Pastor Leonard points out that Jesus did not merely quote verses as a religious exercise. Instead, Jesus revealed the secret of spiritual life.

Matthew 4:4- "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Pastor Leonard emphasizes the last portion of this verse. Many believers focus on "It is written." Jesus, however, focused on "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The pastors explain that Jesus was not minimizing Scripture. Rather, He was revealing that true spiritual life comes from hearing God's voice. The written Word reveals God's character, His promises, and His nature. But believers are also invited into an ongoing relationship where God continues to speak personally through His Spirit. This is not presented as replacing Scripture.

Instead, God's present speaking always agrees with His written Word while providing personal direction and assurance. The pastors stress that Christians often become experts at quoting verses while neglecting to listen for God's voice. According to this teaching, Jesus demonstrated that hearing the Father was His highest priority.

Jesus Lived by Hearing the Father

Pastor Leonard asks an important question.|
Did Jesus know Scripture? His answer is emphatically yes. Jesus knew the Scriptures thoroughly.

When He entered the synagogue, He knew exactly where to find the prophetic passage concerning Himself.

Luke 4:18- "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

The pastor points out that Scripture records Jesus finding the place where it was written. This demonstrates His complete knowledge of the written Word. Yet despite His perfect understanding of Scripture, Jesus did not simply spend His ministry quoting verses. Instead, He consistently listened for His Father's voice.

Pastor Leonard explains that Jesus could have lived His earthly ministry simply standing on written promises. Instead, every miracle, every sermon, every healing, and every decision flowed out of hearing the Father speak first. That example, he says, should become the pattern for every believer today.

Jesus Only Spoke What He Heard

Pastor Lori continues the message by highlighting one of Jesus' own statements about His ministry. She explains that while Jesus unquestionably knew the Scriptures, He did not minister independently simply because He knew what was written. Instead, He lived in continual dependence upon His Father.

She points to Jesus' own testimony.
John 12:49- "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak."
Pastor Leonard pauses on this verse because he believes it is foundational. Jesus knew every prophecy concerning Himself.

–He knew the Law.
-He knew the Psalms.
-He knew the Prophets.

Yet He refused to speak on His own initiative. Instead, every word He spoke first came from the Father. The pastors explain that this reveals an important principle for believers today.

-It is wonderful to know Scripture.
-It is wonderful to quote Scripture.
-It is wonderful to confess Scripture.

But Jesus modeled something greater.
He listened.
He heard.
Then He spoke.

Everything He declared was rooted in what the Father had just spoken to Him. Pastor Leonard says that this should encourage believers to cultivate a relationship with God that goes beyond simply quoting Bible verses. Scripture remains the foundation, but believers are also invited into fellowship with the living God who still communicates with His children through His Spirit. He summarizes Jesus' example this way: "I don't say a thing until I hear Him say it." That, Pastor Leonard explains, is the pattern Christ left for us.

Balaam Received a Command Before He Blessed

Pastor Leonard next turns to one of the best-known verses in the Old Testament. Many Christians have memorized Numbers 23:19 and often quote it during difficult circumstances. He agrees that it is a wonderful promise.
Numbers 23:19- "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

The pastors explain that this verse reminds believers that God never lies. Unlike human beings, He never changes His mind because of error or weakness. When God makes a promise, He fulfills it. When God speaks, He accomplishes what He has declared.

Pastor Leonard explains that Christians rightly stand upon this promise because God's character is completely trustworthy. However, he believes many believers stop reading too soon. Immediately following this famous verse comes another statement that is often overlooked.

Numbers 23:20-"Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it."

Pastor Leonard emphasizes the opening words. "I have received commandment…" Before Balaam spoke the blessing, he first received the command from God before the prophetic declaration came the hearing. Before the speaking came the listening.

Pastor Leonard explains that this perfectly mirrors Jesus' ministry. Jesus heard the Father. Then Jesus spoke. Balaam received God's command. Then Balaam proclaimed what he had heard. According to the pastors, this sequence is significant. Many believers reverse the order. They immediately begin speaking.
They begin confessing.
They begin declaring.
But Jesus first listened. Likewise, Balaam first received God's command before speaking God's blessing.

Pastor Leonard says this demonstrates a biblical principle repeated throughout Scripture. God speaks. His people hear. Then they speak with authority because they are declaring what God has already said. This, he believes, produces confidence because believers are no longer speaking merely from memory—they are speaking from relationship.

Jeremiah Heard Before God Performed His Word

Pastor Leonard then turns to another frequently quoted passage. Many Christians often encourage one another with Jeremiah 1:12.
Jeremiah 1:12- "Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it."

He explains that believers often quote this verse by saying: "God watches over His Word to perform it."He agrees.

-God absolutely performs His Word.
-God fulfills His promises.
-God is faithful.

However, once again he encourages listeners to examine the verse immediately before it.

Jeremiah 1:11- "Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree."

Pastor Leonard notes something important. Before Jeremiah received the promise that God would perform His Word, the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

God initiated the conversation.
God spoke first.
Jeremiah listened.
Jeremiah responded.

Only afterward did God declare that He would hasten His Word to perform it. The pastors believe this once again illustrates the same pattern seen throughout Scripture. God speaks. His people hear. Then God fulfills what He has spoken. Rather than simply grabbing isolated promises from the Bible, believers are encouraged to spend time with the Lord until His Spirit brings His Word alive personally within their hearts.

Pastor Leonard stresses that this does not diminish Scripture. Instead, it magnifies Scripture because the Holy Spirit is applying God's written truth personally to individual situations. He says this perfectly agrees with Jesus' statement that man lives by every word proceeding from the mouth of God. God's Word is living because God Himself continues to speak it into the hearts of His people.

God's Spoken Covenant Never Changes

Pastor Leonard next shares another verse that has become especially meaningful in his own life.

Psalm 89:34- "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."

He explains that this verse reveals God's absolute faithfulness.
God never breaks covenant.
God never changes His promises.
God never withdraws what He has spoken.

The pastors explain that believers can rest confidently because God's spoken Word is unchanging.
His character remains constant.
His promises remain reliable.
His covenant never fails.

Pastor Leonard says this is another reason believers should desire to hear from God. When God speaks personally into a situation, His spoken word carries the same unchanging faithfulness demonstrated throughout Scripture. God is not unreliable. He does not speak one thing today and another tomorrow. What comes from His lips remains true. Because of this, when believers hear His voice regarding a circumstance, they can stand with complete confidence.
Not because of human optimism.
Not because of positive thinking.
But because God Himself has spoken.

Pastor Leonard transitions from these biblical examples into his own personal testimony. He explains that everything he has taught became intensely practical during one of the greatest battles of his life—his battle with cancer.

A Personal Testimony: Hearing God During Cancer

Pastor Leonard now moves from the biblical examples into his own personal experience. He explains that there was a time when he knew many Scriptures, stood on many promises, confessed God's Word, and surrounded himself with reminders of God's faithfulness. When he faced cancer, he did what many believers would naturally do.

-He went to the Word of God.
-He searched the Scriptures.
-He found promises.
-He confessed those promises.
-He stood on those verses.
-He believed what God had already revealed in Scripture.

Pastor Leonard explains that all of those things were good. They were necessary. They were valuable. But something changed when he heard the voice of God personally speak to him. He explains that during that difficult season, God spoke directly to his spirit: "You will live, and you will not die." God also assured him that he would not miss a day of work and that he could move forward in peace.

Pastor Leonard explains that this personal word from God changed everything. He already knew what Scripture said. But now he had heard the voice of God regarding his specific situation.

He says: "I knew the Word, but I heard the voice of God." That became the difference. The written Word gave him a foundation. The spoken Word gave him specific direction and peace.

Pastor Leonard explains that when God spoke, the fear and uncertainty began to disappear. He no longer needed to continue fighting from anxiety because he had received a word directly from the Father. The pastors emphasize that this was not because Scripture was insufficient. Rather, Scripture had prepared him to recognize God's voice. The written Word and the spoken Word worked together. God's promises provided the foundation, and God's personal communication provided the assurance needed for that moment.

Pastor Leonard says that this experience taught him the importance of resting until he hears God's voice. Instead of constantly striving, worrying, and trying to force an outcome, he learned to rest in God's love and wait for God's direction.

A New Challenge: Trusting God for a Knee Replacement

Pastor Leonard shares that the message was especially meaningful because God gave him this teaching shortly before another difficult situation arose. He explains that he had visited an orthopedic doctor and received difficult news regarding his right knee. The doctor told him that his knee was completely worn out. It was bone on bone. According to the doctor, nothing could restore it, and he was convinced that Pastor Leonard needed a new knee.

Pastor Leonard says he accepted the doctor's report. He accepted the medical information. However, he explains that his response was going to be different because of what God had already taught him.

-He says he would still go to God's Word.
-He would still stand on God's promises.
-He would still confess God's truth.
-He would still meditate on Scripture.
But he said there was something more important.

-He would rest.
-He would rest in God's love.
-He would rest in praise.
-He would wait until he heard God's voice.
Because when he heard God's voice, he would be able to move forward with authority.

Pastor Leonard explains that authority comes from knowing what God has spoken. It is not simply repeating words. It is not trying to convince yourself something is true. It is responding to what God Himself has revealed. Pastor Lori agrees and points back to the cancer testimony. She explains that the cancer situation demonstrated this principle perfectly. It was an extremely serious situation. Pastor Leonard had only a small chance of survival. Yet even in that situation, he began by standing on Scripture.

He quoted the Word.
He believed the Word.
He held onto God's promises.

But the breakthrough came when God personally spoke to him. Pastor Lori explains that after receiving that word, Pastor Leonard had peace. He even began removing the signs and reminders he had placed around the house because he knew:

He was going to live.
He was not going to die.
He was going to continue serving.
The spoken Word brought confidence and freedom.

The Story of Tommy the Lost Dog

Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori then share another recent situation where this same principle was tested. Their son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters went away on vacation. Because they would be gone for more than a week, they arranged for someone to watch their dog, Tommy. The dog sitter was recommended and trusted. However, something unexpected happened. When the dog sitter opened the screen door slightly, Tommy suddenly escaped. He ran out from underneath the couch, through the door, and disappeared. It happened around noon on Monday.

After several hours, Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori were called to help search. They spent hours looking. They walked through the woods. They searched neighborhoods. They drove around calling Tommy's name. Many other people joined the search. A drone was even used at night to try to locate him. Animal control was contacted, and traps were prepared to try to safely capture him. Throughout the search, they received reports that Tommy had been spotted in different locations.

Each report sent them searching another area. They believed that because Tommy knew their voices, he would eventually respond when they called. However, animal control explained that dogs in that situation often enter survival mode. They said Tommy likely would not respond to voices because fear had taken over.

Pastor Lori continued searching, walking many steps throughout the day. Pastor Leonard eventually returned to the original location and lay down in the grass, hoping Tommy might return. He began calling him. He was using what he believed was his authority. He was speaking and calling things into being. But Tommy did not appear. He did not come back.

Pastor Leonard explains that his thoughts immediately began going toward past experiences. He remembered another situation where someone in their family had lost a dog in the woods, and that dog had been attacked by a wild animal and died. Those memories created fear.

Although he wanted to trust God, his mind began imagining the worst outcome. He wondered if Tommy would survive. He wondered if he would ever come home.

Then, around 1:00 in the morning, while praying for Tommy and his grandchildren, something happened. Pastor Leonard says that he heard God's voice.
The message was simple: "Tommy is alive and Tommy will be back with his family."

That was all he needed. He explains that he immediately thanked God for His Word.

He confessed it.
He believed it.
Then he went to sleep.

The next day, he went to work. Pastor Lori continues the story by explaining what happened afterward. Tommy was spotted again coming out of the woods and then disappearing back inside. They continued searching. Pastor Leonard returned because he thought Tommy might recognize his voice.

But animal control again explained that Tommy was in survival mode and likely would not respond. They prepared a trap with food to bring him out. Meanwhile, their son returned from vacation. After traveling for several hours, he immediately went into the woods searching for Tommy. The woods were extremely thick. Visibility was poor. Yet he continued walking through the area.

Eventually, he spotted Tommy. The dog lifted his head. Their son was able to reach him and bring him out. Tommy was rescued. He was cleaned up. And he was reunited with his family.

Pastor Leonard emphasizes the importance of what happened. The word he received from God came true. Tommy was alive. Tommy returned to his family. He was now home, resting safely. Pastor Leonard says: "That's the Word of the Lord." God had spoken. And what God spoke came to pass.

Resting Until God Speaks

Following the testimony, Pastor Leonard summarizes the lesson. He says believers should absolutely:

-Stand on the Word.
-Confess the Word.
-Meditate on the Word.
-Believe the Word.

But he emphasizes again that there is something even more important. Hear. Pastor Lori asks the practical question many listeners would have: "How do you hear from God?" The pastors explain that believers hear God in several ways.

First, through Scripture. God speaks through His written Word.
Second, through prayer. Prayer is not only talking to God. It is also listening.

Pastor Leonard explains that when he was praying about Tommy in the middle of the night, he was having a conversation with the Lord. He was asking God for help. And God responded. Pastor Lori explains that God often speaks through thoughts that come from the Spirit. The key is learning to rest and listen. They repeat the phrase:

-Rest and listen.
-Rest and listen.
-Rest in God's love.
-Rest in God's mercy.
-Rest in God's grace.
-Rest while praising Him.

They connect this with Paul's instruction:
Philippians 4:6-"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

The pastors explain that praise and thanksgiving create an atmosphere where believers can quiet their fears and become more aware of God's direction. Instead of anxiety controlling the situation, believers can rest knowing that God cares and that He speaks.

Paul's Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

Pastor Leonard now brings the teaching to the writings of the Apostle Paul. He explains that everything they have been sharing about hearing God, receiving His voice, and then moving forward in confidence is confirmed through Paul's prayer in Ephesians. He points specifically to the prayer found in Ephesians chapter 1.

Pastor Leonard explains that Paul was not simply praying for people to gain more knowledge. Paul was praying for something deeper. He was praying that believers would experience revelation from God Himself. He says that Paul prayed that the Father would cause something to come alive within believers—a spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Ephesians 1:17-18- "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what the hope of his calling is, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints."

Pastor Leonard explains that this prayer connects directly with the message they have been sharing. The spirit of wisdom and revelation represents hearing. It represents receiving understanding from God. It represents God illuminating something within a believer's heart.

He says:
"This is the voice. This is the hearing." The pastors explain that when God speaks and brings revelation, something changes inside the believer. It is no longer simply information. It becomes personal revelation. The believer moves from knowing about God to knowing what God is saying.

Pastor Leonard explains that this is what happened with Jesus. Jesus knew the written Word. But He also heard the Father. This is what allowed Him to speak with authority. In the same way, believers today can know Scripture while also seeking God's direction through relationship with Him. When believers hear God, they can then believe with confidence and speak with authority.

Pastor Leonard explains:
|"When this takes place, then you can believe, and then you can speak with authority." The authority does not come from human confidence. It comes from agreement with God.

God Still Speaks Today

Pastor Leonard encourages listeners to trust that God truly does communicate with His people. He explains that some believers struggle with the idea that God still speaks. However, Scripture reveals that God has always communicated with humanity.

-God spoke throughout the Bible.
-God spoke to prophets.
-God spoke to Jesus.|
-God spoke to His people.
-And God continues to speak today.

Pastor Leonard says that believers should trust that God is not silent.|
He wants relationship.
He wants communication.
He wants His children to hear Him.

He reminds listeners: "He talked to Jesus. He talked all the way through the Bible. He talks. That's how He does." The pastors explain that hearing God is not something reserved only for certain people. It is part of a relationship with the Father. The invitation is for every believer to rest in God's love and trust that He will communicate.

Pastor Leonard encourages believers to stop living only from anxiety and fear.
Instead:
Rest.
Listen.
Trust.
Receive.

He explains that when believers rest in God, they become more sensitive to His voice. When they constantly strive and worry, it becomes harder to recognize His direction. But when they rest in His grace, they can hear more clearly.

Faith Comes by Hearing

Pastor Leonard brings the message back to the foundation of the entire teaching. He explains that believers often focus on standing. They focus on speaking. They focus on confessing. Again, he says these things are valuable. However, before standing and speaking comes hearing.
The sequence matters.

First:
Hear.
Then:
Stand.
Then:
Speak.

Pastor Leonard explains that this pattern is demonstrated throughout Scripture. Jesus heard the Father before He spoke. Balaam received a command before he blessed. Jeremiah heard God's voice before God's Word was performed. Pastor Leonard heard God's voice during cancer before he moved forward in peace. Pastor Leonard heard God's voice concerning Tommy before the dog returned home.
The pattern remains consistent.
God speaks.
His people hear.
Faith grows.
Then believers respond.

He concludes by connecting this with Paul's teaching:
Romans 10:17- "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Pastor Leonard explains that faith does not come merely through human effort. Faith comes through hearing. Hearing comes through God's Word. The pastors emphasize that this does not remove the importance of Scripture. Instead, it reveals the living nature of God's Word.

God's Word is not just something written in the past.
-God's Word is active.
-God speaks.
-God reveals.
-God guides.
And when believers hear Him, they can respond with confidence.

Closing Encouragement

Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori close the teaching by thanking everyone for taking the time to join them. They express their hope that the message encouraged and blessed listeners. They also thank those who support the ministry through their gifts and offerings, explaining that those contributions allow them to continue sharing these teachings. They remind viewers that instructions for giving are available through their website.

Finally, they encourage everyone to continue growing in their relationship with God. The message concludes with the central truth they wanted listeners to remember:

-Read the Word.
-Stand on the Word.
-Speak the Word.
-But above all—Hear.

Because faith comes by hearing. God still speaks. And when His children hear His voice, they can move forward with peace, confidence, and authority.

We hope this teaching blessed you and encouraged your walk with the Lord. Share this message with others who need to be reminded that God is not distant or silent. He is a loving Father who speaks, guides, and leads His children into His promises.