Tuesday 7/21/15
I’ll ask you the same question I posed to our bible class this past Wednesday: “How many of you can honestly say you hear God’s voice?” I suppose many of you will hesitate to answer because you are not really sure or else you may have thought I meant an audible voice. Speaking about the relationship between the Shepherd and his sheep, Jesus said in John 10:4 that His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. To literal sheep, the voice was audible and they followed their Shepherd because they heard it and recognized it. As far as it relates to His spiritual sheep, If your life is living proof that you are a follower of Jesus, apparently you have heard His voice. To read the Bible and seriously heed it’s message is to hear God’s voice. When you are tempted to do something you should not and you struggle with the thoughts, it is because you are listening to opposing voices. If you do what is right, it is because you heard God’s voice and chose to obey it.
I hope we have established the fact that all true children of God know and hear His voice, even if they themselves don’t realize it. Nevertheless, there may be many reasons why many people do not hear His voice. Two of them are obvious. Here is the first: Many have blocked it out. Here is where the phrase “selective hearing” comes into play. Think about this: If there is a person in your life that constantly ignores you when you speak to him, won’t you eventually just give up and no longer talk to him? Why would God be any different? Romans, Chapter 1, which to me just happens to be an indictment against today’s society, shows us where God just stopped talking to those who ignored Him. Verse 28 says it this way: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” The second is that many will not hear God’s voice because they are simply too far from Him. Proverbs 15:29 says: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
To no longer hear God’s voice is a very dangerous and heartbreaking situation to be in. As children of God, it is essential that we stay as close to Him as possible and when we hear His voice to always obey it. Remember this corny line?: “What do you get when you breed a parrot with a Lion? Reply: “I don’t know, but if he talks you better listen.” I think it applies here. God’s voice may come to us in a variety of ways. Nevertheless, when it does, we will probably know it.
Memory verse for the week: (John 16:33) Jesus said: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.1 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
