Believers Know God’s Voice
“The shepherd of the sheep…the sheep hear his voice…the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers…I am the good shepherd…they shall hear my voice…” (John 10:1-16).
One of the greatest blessings Christians have is to hear and know the voice of God. The above verses are God’s assurance that you need not be confused as to which of the many voices that are clamoring for your attention is actually the Good Shepherd’s voice.
God’s Word also warns us that “strangers” will attempt to entice us to follow them. Fortunately, we sheep know not the voice of strangers, so we flee from them.
Trust God. Take time to know the Good Shepherd intimately. Learn to recognize His voice. You will not follow a stranger.
Let’s pray:
“Father, I belong to You. Your Son is the Good Shepherd. Cause me to know the voice of the Good Shepherd. I can be guided outwardly by Your written Word, and I don’t need to be mistaken about Your inner voice. I can hear Your voice. I can know Your voice! You will deliver me from following a stranger. I will follow You, only You.
God Speaks With You
“We have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and liveth” (Deuteronomy 5:24).
Unfortunately, the children of Israel were afraid of talking with God for themselves. Instead, they asked Moses to be their go-between before God! But God wants you to talk to Him personally. You need to know God for yourself and to communicate directly with Him. Don’t pester your pastor to pray for you. Pray yourself! Talk with God! He loves to converse with you!
Let’s pray:
“Father, today I realize that You long to talk with me. Deliver me from my dependance on religious professionals to intercede for me and represent me before You. I realize that You want no human intermediaries. You want me to know You personally and to communicate directly with You.”
Get a Personal Revelation of God
“For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel” (1 Samuel 3:21-4:1).
God revealed Himself to Samuel by the Word of the Lord, by speaking to him. What God said to Samuel became Samuel’s message to all Israel. God can also reveal Himself to you as you read God’s Word and by speaking to you personally. Then you can share with others in a living way that portion of God’s Word that was quickened to you by the Holy Spirit while you were reading your Bible or when you were communing with God in prayer. There are no better sermons than the ones that come to us when God personally reveals Himself to us by the Word of God which we are reading.
Warning! God will never say to you anything contradictory to His Written Word. This is for your safety. If the message you are receiving is not in accord with the Bible, it is not from God! In the Bible we read, “If it is not according to this Word, it has not dawned upon them.”
Let’s pray:
“Father, as I read Your Word, please reveal Yourself to me, so I can livingly speak Your Word to all. Deliver me from merely reading to get religious data. Cause me always to seek and find You in Your Word, so that You can reveal Yourself to me in all Your fullness. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
God Wants to Personally Fellowship With You Today
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20).
The canon of Scripture, the Bible, is now complete. You cannot add to it nor subtract from it. But God still speaks personally to us. Not to add to the Bible, but to lead us as His children. God’s sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea. His words apply today also, because the book of Revelation is mostly about the future. Chronologically, many of the events mentioned have not happened yet. Therefore, from the moment these words were revealed to John on the island of Patmos until the day in which they will be fulfilled, Jesus has been standing at the door knocking and calling.
Yes, today if any man hears the voice of Jesus and opens himself up to Jesus, Jesus will come inside him, into his innermost being, and there fellowship with that man and that man with the Lord.
There is a door into your innermost being. It opens from the inside and only you can open it. If, when you hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ you open to Him, He will definitely come inside you and commune with you there, in your innermost being.
He has prepared a feast for you. When God and you have supper together, you share the same food with one another. God has much to share with you! His Christ is the Bread of life, the water of life, the true manna. Jesus told us that His body is food for us to eat and His blood is drink for us to take into our innermost.
Let’s pray:
“Lord Jesus, please forgive me for being so distracted with many things. I realize You have come again to my door and are knocking. I open myself to You. Please come in and make Yourself at home. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so I am Your house; I belong to You. I hear You. I am now ready to have fellowship with You and You with me. Being with You is a feast! You are the Bread of Life to me!
I realize that fellowshipping personally with You is far more important than all that I do in public. I fact, I have no public ministry, unless I first fellowship privately with You! What I do in public flows directly from my private fellowship with You.
I need this time alone with You, dearest Lord! “Speak, thy servant heareth!”
Share with me whatever is on Your heart, Lord, for I too want to be about my Father’s business.”
Talking with God in your innermost
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:15,16).
“For as many as are being constantly led by God’s Spirit, these are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again with resulting fear, but you received the Spirit who places you as adult sons, by whom we cry out with deep emotion, Abba, namely Father. The Spirit himself is constantly bearing joint-testimony with our human spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15,16 Wuest Expanded Translation).
Born-again Christians have received the Holy Spirit, by whom we cry out to God. It is by the Holy Spirit abiding in our regenerated human spirit that we talk to God. Likewise, the Holy Spirit Himself responds to us and talks to us in our human spirit. It is right here, in our innermost being, in our human spirit, that we dialogue with God! It is here that we talk with God.
Let’s pray:
“Thank You, Father, for granting me the blessing of being constantly led by Your Holy Spirit, the wonderful privilege of your children.
You have delivered me from slavery to sin, the world and fear.
I have received the Spirit of sonship, the Holy Spirit, Who grants me the position of an adult son.
By Your Holy Spirit I cry out with deep emotion to You, My Abba! My Daddy! My Father! It is through Your abiding in me that I am enabled to talk to You, to pray to You!
Likewise, it is right here, in my innermost being, in my human spirit, that I can talk with You, I can pray to You, I can dialogue with You. You and I can commune, You and I can fellowship, You and I can talk together! How wonderfully available You are! So close! Right in the midst of me!
Your Holy Spirit bears joint-testimony with my human spirit that I am one begotten by you, that I am your spiritual offspring, one of your very own children! I love You, my Father, my Abba, my Daddy!
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
From Dialogues With God – Chapter 12