Of all the voices in this world, let it be God’s that you seek, listen to, trust and live by.
Have you ever wondered how in this world of so many influences, opinions and distractions we are able to recognize God’s voice? Sometimes this seems nearly impossible over all the noise and even over our own thoughts and heaven forbid we throw emotions in the mix. Is it God speaking to me or just my own thoughts?
As a believer, I am called to seek God and to know His voice. (James 4:8) We want to know Him and his voice not to follow a bunch of rules but because He has a plan for us and specifically for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) His way is holy, good and perfect. So can I encourage you to put forth some effort here…to hear His voice…to hear God speaking to you.
A great place to start is John 10. Here you will find the story of The Good Shepherd. This is a beautiful analogy of sheep being taken care of by their shepherd to provide us knowledge of how much Jesus (the shepherd) cares for us (the sheep). Study sheep for a few moments and you will soon realize they might not be the smartest of animals, but they do however know and follow the voice of their shepherd. (John 10:4) I love this story and was so excited to get to teach this lesson to my littles in Children’s church just 2 weeks ago. They loved when we blindfolded one of them and let the blindfolded one see if they knew who I chose to say, “Jesus is the Good Shepherd”. Some are really close in this class and even siblings. They, of course, knew right away when it was their brother whom I chose. But when I picked a visitor in the class for the day they could not guess. Isn’t it the same when we get a phone call or hear someone talking as they walk down a hallway towards you? Say it is your mom, even with your back turned or you in a different room you know exactly who you hear because you know her voice. You know her voice because of the sheer amount of time you have spent with her. The kids all agreed they could say, “Well, here comes Ms. Tara” if they heard me talking but not even in sight yet. They have listened to me teach, some of them for years, and even watched me online recently. Too cute that in a 5 year olds eyes I am “on TV”! Shhhh – don’t tell them I am not famous or at least cool!! Our secret, ok! But seriously, when the sheep hear the voice of their shepherd they follow him. When they follow their shepherd, there is protection, safety, and belonging.
Those who KNOW, TRUST and FOLLOW Jesus are His sheep. We are brought into His flock and He will never again leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6-8) or let us out of His protection from all that comes to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) The more we attune our ears and heart to Him, the more we know Him and His way; the more we’ll know when His is speaking and trust Him to move and follow in obedience. Pray for this discernment in your life. Pray that you will only walk and move by His Spirit. Pray you won’t miss out on opportunities to be involved when His is moving and working in your midst. Prepare NOW! Be tuned into Him and primed to listen.
John 10:4 “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
Here are a few points to help you make progress:
1. Tune your ear to His volume. As a mom, do you feel like you must YELL to be heard? Typically, it is because you have already said the comment or request a good 3-10 times already ranging from normal conversation to growing frustration of being ignored. Am I right, momma? After not being heard, you end up raising your voice. No, I am not giving us an excuse but letting you know I feel ya. Most of the time, God doesn’t shout at us. He speaks in WHISPERS. Check out the story of when the Lord spoke to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9-18. He doesn’t always come in wind, fire or an earthquake but rather in a whisper (verse 12-13). What a lesson to heed! To hear a whisper, we must stop and listen INTENTLY! If we won’t slow down and quiet the other noises around us, we won’t hear His whisper. Makes me think of that whisper game we used to play in youth group. With all the other noises in the room, the message gets unclear. Lastly, remember the verse, “Be still and know that I am God….” from Psalm 46:10. I have always loved that verse maybe because I needed to hear it. Being still is not my natural tendency. It takes practice!
2. Learn God’s Word. God’s Word, the Bible, is one of the main ways He chooses to speak to us. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 assures us it is God inspired and came from His very breath. It is our love letter and instruction manual to life on this earth and how to have a life giving relationship with a holy God. You want to know Him or hear from Him? Spend time in His Word!!! It is a precious gift we must learn to cherish. It strengthens, equips and inspires us. Spend DAILY time in the Bible and I promise …
You will be comforted.
You will be grow.
You will be encouraged.
You will be challenged and convicted. Yep – sorry, not sorry! This is part of it and much needed.
You will also feel and know you are loved; loved unconditionally in spite of your flaws or failures and don’t we all need that. We all NEED Jesus! With Him we don’t ever have to walk alone. (Matthew 28:20; Romans 8:39) As a believer, God is with you at all times. He is “Emmanuel”, which means “God with us.” His very name declares His closeness and devotion to be there with us no matter what we are walking through. (Psalm 23; Psalm 139: 7-12; John 14:17-18; Psalm 91:11-12) There are so many verses reassuring us of His constant presence with us and careful watch over us. This is the very reason He sent us the Holy Spirit when He physically left earth to return to heaven. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Counselor, Intercessor and Advocate to name a few. He strengthens and convicts our hearts. (Romans 8:26; Romans 15:13) He draws us closer to Christ. We each have access to the Spirit and all His power – all day, every day. Yes, even in rush hour traffic. Ummm, even during your exam at school. He is with you when you have had a looooong day with multiple toddlers who are bored yet again and truthfully driving you crazy. Still there when your hormone raging teens, who still haven’t gone to school and miss their friends, remind you of your age and how uncool you are. He still hasn’t left when you are sleeping, for the first time, in bed alone after your spouse of 35 years has passed. In deep grief, regret, failures and successes…He is there! Find your comfort and joy in this. Find your solace in this truth found in God’s Word and do it daily. We forget so quickly and need this reminder that His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-25)
3. Know Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit, will never contradict the Word. Are you concerned about your judgement to determine if your thoughts, your desires or some teaching you are under is truthful? Do you worry whether it is from God and correct theology? Well, it is wise to be on guard and question your motives and others wisdom. The key is to hold all these up to the Bible. He will never lead or guide us to do something contradictory to His Word or His character. Any quote, post online, news article, teaching from a scholar or your own opinions and thoughts can and should be consulted by and ran through the filter or judgement of the Bible. This is our one and only standard for truth. Not your mom, not a political party and not even your pastor is to be your standard. All are human and flawed. Don’t tell my mom! She is pretty close to perfect in my opinion. If it doesn’t line up with God’s Word, then it is not #truth and not from Him. ONLY His words are our proven foundation for life. (Proverbs 30:5)
May His voice be loudest in your life!
Send me a message if you have questions or additions. Feel free to share this with others; invite a friend to join you. My prayer is to encourage as many as possible to join us as we pursue and listen intentionally to Jesus and try to quiet all others.
Love you 1,000 elephants,
Tara