The Good Shepherd. Have you been searching for the voice of God and can't seem to find it? This blog post breaks down the basics of hearing the voice of God.
Have you ever heard of a dry season? Where you supposedly cannot hear or feel the presence of God? This blog post will bring to light the Gospel truth of what a dry season indicates and how to get out of one.
John 10:27 says;
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Background
What does this Scripture mean? We cannot grasp the full understanding of this Scripture unless we first look at the historical background of this text and also look at what was happening during this time.
The Book of John is John's account with Jesus. John the Baptist was the one who prepared the way for the Lord. " I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Clear the way for the Lord's coming!" John 1:23
John 10 was one story of many written about Jesus.
Throughout the Book of John there were many times that Jesus was known for coming to festivals and preaching the Gospel. (Tyndale. "The Filament App". Filament Bible Experience. Tyndall House Publishers, 2020).
In John 10 specifically, Jesus shows up to one of these Jewish festivals called Hanukkah (the Festival of Dedication), and begins to teach the people and correct them.
During this time period religious leaders were also known as shepherds, so when Jesus referred to himself as "the gate keeper" and "the good shepherd" he was publicly proclaiming to the people of God not to follow the "religious leaders" of that day and age but instead to follow him! "The good shepherd!" (Tyndale. "The Filament App". Filament Bible Experience. Tyndall House Publishers, 2020).
It is extremely important that we recognize the voice of Jesus Christ because we could easily be altered by other voices that are not from God.
We could accidentally follow a voice, a person, or a direction that is not from God! All because we have not yet recognized the voice of the Lord.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF GOD
When looking at this Scripture carefully we can see that Jesus describes himself leading in a way that is clear; he indicates that he "comes through the gate".
Jesus' voice comes in a way that is clear and concise. He will never come in a way that is deceiving or hidden.
When a robber comes into your home it is a scary situation, you do not know when the robber is coming, you do not know the robber.
The enemy will try to disguise his voice to sound like God, or at times make you doubt that you ever even heard the voice of God.
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Isaiah 45:19
When the Lord speaks it is publicly spoken he does not whisper obscurities in some dark corner! He is not sneaky with his tactics!!!
If we seek God, he can always be found.
God said "I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found" (Isa. 45:19)
If God can be found, God is always the same, and God is near to the broken hearted, then it must be us that distances ourselves from God and his voice.
Jesus is the prince of peace
Jesus is the Prince of peace but the devil is a liar and a deceiver.
Jesus will always come in a way that is peaceful, if you feel anxiety about making a decision then more than likely it is not the Lord. Anything that is not from the Prince of peace is not from God.
So the question is, do you know God's voice? YES! Will the enemy try to make you think that you don't? YES! You know God's voice because he always makes it clear, but what you don't recognize is the devil's voice!
God is not a God of confusion. If you ever feel confused about something, then do everything it takes to learn the truth from the Word, or you could always schedule a session with our Pastors and Leaders to help receive clarity.
If you still feel confused about something, then it is time to fast.
The Last thing is; THE FLESH
The flesh is a giant obstacle for hearing the voice of God. (This is why fasting can help if this is an issue for you).
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