“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life,and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28
Hearing God’s voice is absolutely necessary to us as believers. With so many things clamoring for our attention, we need to know what God desires for our lives, within our homes and families, as well as for our churches. We are constantly bombarded daily with so much noise and chatter that the ability to hear and see what God’s up to can oftentimes be a struggle. At times, it feels impossible to hear His voice with so much distraction. In fact, many times it can be downright frustrating to hear and understand what God is saying about our lives.
No matter the distractions, God shares what He is doing or about to do with those who take the time to have knowledge of the One who holds all the answers. To know Him is to know His voice. Jesus said, “My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me. I give to them the gift of eternal life and they will never be lost and no one has the power to snatch them out of my hands.” (John 10:27-28 TPT)
Discipline must match our desire to hear God’s voice. You must also be willing to invest in the disciplines that give us such clarity. If you want to receive revelation, I believe you first must have intimacy with God. And hearing God’s voice is one thing; understanding it is completely different. Remember, it was Jesus who said, “You will be ever hearing, but never understanding” (Matt. 13:14 NIV).
If we hear God, we must also understand His message. God speaks to us through various means so we can begin to understand who He is, and so that we may know His ways. But part of understanding what God is saying consists of hearing things through His heart and not our own. That’s why we’re instructed to have the mind of Christ, not the mind of us (Phil. 2:5).
We first must understand who God is, so when He speaks, we will know the purpose. God never speaks to us through just one person or one place but, more often than not, through many different people and places. I believe it is necessary that we avoid becoming too nearsighted in the areas we live and serve; otherwise, we cannot hear the heart of God through others who hear him through different lenses.
God uses different vessels and a variety of ways to reveal His heart to us. Just think about the way God speaks to us through creation alone. All throughout creation, His beauty surrounds us and speaks loudly of who He is. Throughout the earth, all creation groans at the creativity of our Creator (Rom. 8:22) . He is the great Creator who is still creating.
Only when we hear and understand the voice of God will we be able to align ourselves with what He is doing in the earth. If we press into Him, we will catch His heart and hear His voice and participate in the fulfillment of His plan.
In these turbulent times, seeing how God cares for us shows us His heart. Remember, God said that He cares for the lilies, so how much more will He care for us (Matt. 6:28-30)? He speaks His knowledge of care so loudly as He takes care of all the needs we have in life. His mercies are new every morning; He is our great provider, our Jehovah Jireh or Yahweh Yireh (“the Lord Will Provide”) in Genesis 22. Abraham obeyed in the belief that God would provide… and God did.
Today, if you hear His voice don’t turn a deaf ear or harden your hearts as the children of Israel did in the wilderness when they rebelled against God. (Hebrews 3:15 NIV)
I want to encourage you to take the time to listen. Discover how God speaks to you—Spirit to spirit. And in your life, no matter the distractions, may His voice be the loudest.
You may also like to read Hearing God’s Voice, Hearing God Voice – Pt. 2
My prayer is that these messages will strengthen and encourage you to stand firm in the days ahead. May the grace, joy, and peace of God be yours through Jesus Christ our loving Lord. To Him be glory, now and forever.
Blessings,
Dr. A
BEYOND CHURCH WALLS 