“But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and 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.”
John 10:2-5
Jesus is letting us know, that when we make Him Lord of our lives, we are able to hear His voice. He calls us by name and we follow His directives. Like a sheep, we learn how to recognize our shepherd’s voice and we will not follow a stranger’s voice. John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Jesus says in John 7:38: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” When Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside of us. We are then able to be guided and directed by God from the inside out. He speaks to our hearts and guides us in the way that we shall go. Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
With such wonderful promises, one would think that Christians would be making good decisions all the time. Yet often you will hear some say that they just can’t hear God’s voice. You might see others making bad choices for their life that are clearly not God’s directives. How can this happen when we have a brand new spirit and the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us?
Romans 12:2 says: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God.” When we receive Jesus, we get “born again”, and become a brand new spirit. We are now a new creature. However, we still have the same soul and body as before. Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our soul is not born again. At times we still have the same old thoughts and emotions. The only way to change our soul to line up with who we really are in Christ, is to renew it with the Word of God. The more we renew our minds with the living Word of God, the more our souls will be in line with what has happened in our spirit. We will then be able to hear God’s voice more clearly and not be led astray.
Proverbs 4:20-23 says: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes: For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
When we purpose to focus on the Word of God and cut out other voices or distractions that do not line up with His word, we become more sensitive to His voice. We are able to be used more fully by God to achieve His purposes in the earth. Philippians 4:8 says: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
If what you are allowing yourself to hear, think and say does not match the description above, then change your input. If the social media, news or any other source is not fitting the above scripture, then it is time to change the channel. 1 Corinthians 10:23 tells us: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Even though this scripture is talking about physical food, this also applies to spiritual food.
Is what you are thinking, watching, or hearing, edifying you or the hearer? If not, then it is time to turn it off and focus on God’s word and way of doing things. As you do, your thoughts will then become God’s thoughts. You will hear the Holy Spirit more clearly as He guides and directs you in your daily decisions and conversations. You will begin recognizing His voice and following Him only! You will then be fruitful in all you do and be a continual blessing to those around you.
Further reading: John 14, 1 John 4, Joshua 1:5-9, Psalm 1, Deuteronomy 28: 1-14, 1 Corinthians 10:1-14, 1 Corinthians 13
