Encouragement

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Know His Voice (John 10:4 & 5)

“And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

When we begin to walk with God, we can be sure that we will always receive His help and direction in the steps we take. He has promised in His Word to guide us, and He tells us so in Psalm 32:8:“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” In this illustration, Jesus shows us how the shepherd first calls his sheep to himself and then leads them out into the pasture. Once out in the open, beyond the secure walls of the fold, the sheep stay on track by keeping their eyes on the shepherd and listening to his voice. They follow him. Many people live in confusion and uncertainty, anxious about their life and future, when the answer is to keep our eyes on the Shepherd, and our hearts alive to His voice. When we focus on our surroundings and circumstances, or on other people, it is hard to see the road ahead, but when we set our gaze on Jesus, we start to see the way!

HE GUIDES US STEP BY STEP. The shepherd first calls the sheep to himself, and then he begins to lead them out. God does the same. He first draws us to Himself through the revelation of Jesus, and then He guides us step by step through the power of the Holy Spirit. He usually does not give us the full plan for our lives because we would find it too daunting, but He reveals to us what we need to know. Our lives are constantly bombarded by distractions, from within and from around us, but if we choose to keep our eyes on Jesus, and listen to His voice we will be led by Him and completely secure in the center of His will. Even as the shepherd goes before the sheep, Jesus leads the way for us each day. There is nothing He expects us to do which He has not done Himself, and He says to us today “Just follow Me” and you cannot go astray! Whatever you are struggling with today, dear friend, you just need to get your eyes on Jesus and begin to follow His leading. He loves, forgives, and flows in mercy and compassion. He releases healing, freedom, power and holiness. He walked in absolute victory and in constant connection with His Father, always hearing His voice and obeying His will. As we tune in to His voice and focus our eyes on Him, our lives are transformed from the inside out, and we begin to reflect His image. We will be led step by step into the perfect peace of His plan because we are His own sheep!

KNOW HIS VOICE. Jesus shows us how to stay on the right path – by knowing His voice. He explains that the sheep will never follow a stranger because they do not “know” the voice of strangers. This voice does not carry the assurance, encouragement, love and empowerment that flows from the Shepherd’s voice. The “stranger’s” voice is negative, controlling, and brings anxiety and fear. It is the voice of the world, the voice of the enemy, the voice of the flesh, and it is unlike any sound the Shepherd brings. Jesus was talking about an intimate knowledge and sensitivity to His voice which comes when we hear and listen to Him more than to any other voice. He says here that the sheep flee from the stranger because they do not ‘know’ the stranger’s voice. They were not accustomed to it. Friend, God is calling us today to look at whose voice we are listening to most. Our desires and decisions are inevitably influenced by the voices we are listening to and what we are exposing our hearts and minds to, but the sad fact is that we often just watch and listen to whatever is around us without exercising any caution or discretion, and this is why so many people are so confused. This is why we see people around us calling good evil and evil good. The voice of the “stranger” has become as familiar as the voice of the Lord and people sometimes cannot see the difference, even in the church! However, it is never too late to make adjustments, and we can begin today to receive the help of the precious Holy Spirit, who will show us what we need to weed out of our lives and what we need to feed on more.

Dear friend, God is calling us back to basics as He says “Know My Voice, listen to My heart”! He is looking for us to know His voice in the way a baby knows his mother’s voice, and stops crying when he just hears her speak a word. It is the same way a man knows his wife’s voice so well that she does not need to tell him who she is when she calls him on the telephone. It is all about loving Him and living in that very special intimacy which has been made possible through the precious blood of Jesus.

The only way we can really know His voice is to begin to hear and listen, and become familiar with His good and perfect will for us His children. His voice is in His Word and His Presence. His voice is in His creation. His voice is in the people He has made His holy habitation. There is hope and healing for us all, as people and as a nation, and it comes from knowing His voice and following Him. Jesus is preparing His Bride, and He wants her to hear and really know His voice even when He speaks in the softest whisper.

I pray today that you will walk in sweet fellowship with Jesus and that you will be led by His voice more and more through the sweet power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Minoli Haththotuwa, 06 October 2014
www.risingonwings.org
[email protected]

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