The Advantage
‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’
Jeremiah 33:3 The Message Bible
…And the sheep recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, for he calls his own by name and leads them out, for they belong to him. And when he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them and they will follow him, for they are familiar with his voice.
John 10:3-4 The Passion Translation
God wants to show you something. He wants to tell you something. He wants to lead you somewhere. He wants to reveal things that you can only understand if you walk with Him closely and depend on Him.
Knowing God’s voice and hearing Him clearly is probably one of the most fundamental yet valuable learnings in my experience with God. It can be so tricky to determine if it’s God’s voice, your voice, your family & friends voice, the voice of culture, or the voice of the enemy. We live in a world with so much noise that it can become challenging to distinguish one sound from another. I want to share this description of God’s voice compared to the enemy’s voice. It is not something that I created, but it’s really good:
Regardless of where you are or what you are experiencing, you have access to God and the ability to hear His voice. Today’s scripture out of Jeremiah was being written from prison at a time when the nation was under siege. The scripture reference from John, refers to sheep who were in the safety of a sheep pen. Safe, or under siege – whatever the season, whatever the circumstance – there is a word from God. The key is having spent enough time with God to be able to discern His voice from all other voices. It’s similar to a newborn baby that comes out of the womb with the ability to clearly distinguish its parent’s voices. This happens through time spent and repeated exposure to the voices.
God wants to give us an advantage in this life and it comes by way of being able to hear His voice and receive revelation that we could never figure out on our own. The strategy is consistent exposure. A spiritual leader I listen to said this: “If you don’t read the word of God (the Bible), you are robbing yourself of the primary way that God speaks.” God speaks beyond the Bible, but the Bible is vital to becoming acclimated to His voice, and His character. It’s important to know God’s voice for clarity. It’s important to know God’s character for confirmation of His voice. You can think of the Bible as a mother’s womb. It’s the first way we are consistently exposed to and learn God’s voice and His character.
Beyond His written word, God speaks to people through a variety of ways: dreams, visions, the human conscience, the five human senses, nature, our internal voice, etc. God’s voice will often show up as the voice in our mind. Just last week in church during worship, a voice in my head said to kneel down on the ground and make an altar right where I was. My very next thought was “nah, no one else is bowed down, I can stand and be bowed in my heart…plus, the floor is probably dirty…it’ll be okay”. I had one final thought that ended it all: “It’s not okay, BOW.” About 60 seconds after my knees hit the floor, the worship leader asked everyone who was physically able to kneel down because we had entered into the throne room of God. Now, that internal dialogue I had all sounded like my voice. The difference was one thought pattern was uncooperative and prideful and the other was humble and obedient. There is a scripture that says that we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). As you begin to pursue greater capacity to hear God’s voice, ask Him to purify and renew your mind and to give you the mind of Christ so that your thought patterns (your internal voice) will be the very thoughts and voice of God.
According to John 10:3-4, you belong to the voice that you follow. Let’s take some time to do inventory on our ability to hear and follow God to ensure we truly belong to Him!
REFLECT & RESPOND
How do you know when God is speaking to you?What adjustments do you need to make to be able to hear God better?
Write out a list of ways that God typically speaks to you personally.
When is the last time you read God’s word outside of this weekly devotion or a church service?
When is the last time that God said something personal to you? What was it? How have you responded?
What is God saying to you in this season?
PRAY
God, teach me your voice in a new way. Help me to create time and space to spend with you, so that I am consistently exposed to your voice and your character. I desire to know you so that I am not led away by the voice of another (including myself). I understand that hearing your voice is my advantage in this life. Allow me to hear you clearly and to respond appropriately in obedience.
Amen.
