My Sheep Hear My Voice

The Bible shows us a story of a boy named Samuel who, "ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation." (1 Samuel 3:1) Although, there was no widespread revelation at the time, a wonderful thing happened, "The Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am." (1 Samuel 3:4) Though Samuel, according to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, was about 11 years old at the time, and was not familiar with the voice of the Lord, he was directed by Eli as to how to respond, "Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel, and Samuel answered, Speak, for Your servant hears." (1 Samuel 3:9-10) 

Often the Lord calls to us, and like Samuel we are not always sure of His voice. This is not a bad thing, but the Lord wants us to hear Him speak and respond, so He can direct our path. (Proverbs 3:5-6. Many believers look at Gods Word and see a scripture like, "My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen) carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body" (Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT) and simply marvel at the promise(s) of God. However, let's begin to see Gods Word as facts. We see within God's Word a wonderful promise made concerning His very nature, will and character, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Number 23:19) 

Because God tells us this concerning Himself, it is very important that we look closely at His Word and get it into our hearts. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Therefore, we conclude it is God's Word that not only creates and atmosphere of faith, but is what faith is to be built upon. In Luke chapter five, we find one of numerous passages of scripture that paints a clear picture of hearing the Word of God and responding to it as truth, reality, fact. In this passage of scripture, we find a leper who asks Jesus if He is willing to heal him. Jesus said, "I am willing, be cleansed". (Luke 5:13) Here we see Gods willingness to heal this man. As we continue on, we find an important key, "However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities." (Luke 5:15)

We see here in Luke 5:15, that a multitude heard His report, believed and were healed. However, in Isaiah 53:1, John 12:38 and Romans 10:16 we see the same question presented, "Who has believed our report?" This very question becomes a reality concerning God 's Word, later in Luke five, "Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, Man, your sins are forgiven you. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:17-21) 

Notice, "the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason." Reasoning is most likely the greatest enemy, the greatest hindrance to faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us concerning many Jews, "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4:2) A good example of this is found in Numbers chapters thirteen and fourteen where Moses reveals Gods promises to Israel and they did not mix it with faith, that is, receive the Word of God as fact and act upon it. Their unbelief caused a generation to die in the wilderness. Israel did not believe the promise that God gave to them concerning Canaan, the Promised Land, how He had given it to them and it would be a place of rest for them in the same way, Christ is the ultimate promise of rest, to those who believe in Him. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Today, when the Word of God is preached the same danger exists. If believers who hear God's Word, do not let it penetrate deep into their hearts to take root, unbelief becomes the end result, and believers become unfruitful. (John 15:1-11). In the Parable of the Soils, revealed in Mark chapter four, Jesus shows us the three main reasons why people, including believers, will hear God's Word, not allow it to take root in their heart where faith grows, and act upon it, that is, bear fruit. The Parable reveals that God's Word is seed that must be planted in good soil, the heart. When this is accomplished over and over, receiving God's Word in a willing heart, it produces faith which yields  a harvest. Jesus said, "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:20) 

Going back to Samuel, we find that he heard the Lords voice and responded. In fact, Samuel was the last Judge of Israel, but moreover, one of the greatest prophets of all the prophets. So, let us be a people who spends time with the Lord, that is, reading, studying and meditating in and on His Word. As we do this more and more, we will come to know God in an intimate way thereby doing great things for Him in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. "...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits." (Daniel 11:32) 

I Hear Voices

"When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16) Notice, in this passage, Jesus uncovers some important information that believers need to be fully aware of. Jesus asks, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?...“But who do you say that I am?” Just prior to this He warns the disciples, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6) Marks records it this way, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” (Mark 8:15) 

After Peter confession of who Jesus is, Jesus reveals what will happen to Him in Jerusalem. Next, we see Peter taking Jesus aside and saying to Him, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22) Jesus makes another statement that believers also need to pay close attention to, "But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23) So, what is it of such great importance that believers must see and understanding concerning what Jesus is revealing here? He is showing us there are three voices, man's, God's and Satan's, that are speaking. Which one(s) are we listening to? 

Notice, that only Peter responded to, "who do you say that I am?" We must assume that the other disciples either did not know, were not sure and therefore were afraid to speak out, or that the voice of man was louder to them than the voice of God. With all that is going on in the world today, it can be easy for believers to hear man's voice and live in fear. Jesus said, "men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth..." (Luke 21:26) People will (and do) live in fear, not due to what is happening now, but due to "the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth." This happens because they listen to the voice of man over the voice of God. Notice also, that Jesus rebukes Peter because Peter listened to the voice of the devil even though he had just heard the voice of God and spoke it aloud. Believer, do not be naive! Peter was living with Jesus. He saw the miracles, he heard the Good News, he confessed that Jesus was the Son of the living God and yet he listened to and spoke the words of Satan. 

Jesus tells us to, "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees (Sadducees) and the leaven of Herod.” The voice of man is not limited to what the unsaved world (Herod) would say , but also what faithless church leaders (Pharisees and Sadducees) who rely on their intellect to interpret God's Word rather than the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13) If we are not listening to the voice of God, then it only stands to reason, we will listen to the voice of man, or the voice of Satan. Jesus also warns us to, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given." (Mark 4:24) We are to beware as to what we hear, because what we hear will take root in our heart. (Mark 4:15) Therefore, what we hear is the measure of what we use and what we use is the measure that we will receive back. The Apostle Paul tells us, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Galatians 6:7-8) 

Why is this so important for us to understand? Honestly and unfortunately, far to many believers live in worry over what man is saying, which ultimately produces the words of Satan coming from their mouth. Any words that come from our mouth that speaks contrary to God's Word are influenced by Satan. We see this clearly in the scripture examples shown above. Jesus was going to be put to death in Jerusalem which caused Peter to be concerned and or filled with fear of this future event. This opened the door for him to be influenced by the voice of Satan, to focus on and speak what he apparently saw as a serious problem. Fear always opens the door to the voice of Satan, because fear comes from him and it will neutralize any faith that we have. (2 Timothy 1:7) If we look at the ministry of Jesus, we see the He only spoke the solution, God's Word, never the problem. We see this illustrated in the incredible results of Jesus' ministry through the miracles, signs, wonders and the preaching and teaching that He did. Going to Jerusalem and being killed was not a problem for Jesus, although Jesus surely understood the horrific punishment that was coming, but the ultimate and only solution to meet the need of all humanity, satisfy justice and reconciled humanity to God. 

Look what the Apostle James tells us, "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless." (James 1:26) The words coming from our mouth will cause our heart (spirit) to be deceived if we do not watch over our words. Look at the Word spoken by Solomon, "You are snared by the words of your mouth;You are taken by the words of your mouth." (Proverbs 6:2) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 6:2) My friends, this is serious business.  Many of the problems that we face in life can be averted if we would simply watch our speech. Believers may want to blame Satan for most of their problems, but most times, the real problem can be found about one inch below the nose. 

The Apostle Paul tells us, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) So, if hearing God's Word produces faith, which is a spiritual force, then we need to also recognize that there is another spiritual force at work, fear. Fear comes by hearing the word of the devil. This is why Jesus tells us to "take heed to what you hear." Many believers do not even realize that they quote the words of the devil. Have you ever spoken any of the following phrases over yourself or over another person? "That drives me crazy...I'm sick and tired...I can never make ends meet...I can't afford to give...It always happens to me...I'm just a clumsy person...What's the use of living...I give up...Over my dead body...I laughed so hard I almost died...God never hears my prayers...I never hear God's voice...I don't understand the Bible" These are but a few negative phrases or words that believers inadvertently permit to flow from their mouths which are contrary to God's Word. The unfortunate thing is, most believers do not know that such language has power over them. (Look again at Proverbs 6:2; 18:21). To say things such as these and then following it up by saying, "Well I did say that , but I really did not mean it, God knows what I mean," does not change the power of such words and their effect on your life and or the life of others. 

Believers need to control the words that come out of our mouths. God created man in His own image and likeness which has been restored through God's incredible plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 4:24) Jesus said, "all things are possible with God." (Matthew 19:26) So let us believe and speak God's Word. Let us confess continuously, "I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, the voice of the stranger I will not follow." (John 10:4-5) "I let no corrupt words proceed out of my mouth, but only what edifies, that it may impart grace to the hearers." (Ephesians 4:29) "I am an imitator of God." (Ephesians 5:1) In other words, let us speak God's Word over the circumstances of life that we may encounter. As we do this, we no longer agree with the voices of man or Satan, our faith will rise (Romans 10:17) and we will walk in the abundant life that Jesus has promised. (John 10:10) 

Finally, the Apostle Peter tells us, "having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." (1 Peter 1:23) God's Word is pure and incorruptible, so let us plant seeds (God's Word - Mark 4:14) in our heart, "which is able to save our soul." (James 1:21) When believers continuously confess God's Word, we will come to know that there is enough power in it to manifest every promise that He has made. His promises will manifest themselves in every aspect of our life, as we constantly speak it. As with planting seed, faith may take some time to grow, but is will certainly be worth the effort. The Apostle Paul encourages us, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9)  So, declare aloud, "I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, the voice of the stranger I will not follow." Amen...