Sent on March 2, 2016
Greetings to all,
John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
The voice of God can come in many forms to many different types of people. He speaks loud or soft, He speaks though our thoughts or impressions, He speaks through His written word as it becomes revelation.
Although it always gives us great gain to read God’s written word, it is special when a specific portion of His word is highlighted by the Holy Spirit.
Recently a man told me about hearing God’s voice for the first time. This man reminded me of a time, a few years ago, when he called me in a state of distress because of his problems with drug use. I had forgotten about the call but as he talked about it I remembered the conversation.
He said that during the call I prayed with him and suggested he ask Jesus to save him, which he did, but when he got off the phone he said to himself, “Pastors, what do they know about anything?” He then started walking down the street listening to his iPod.
Suddenly he heard, in a loud audible voice, “I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA” and at the same time he felt the presence of God in a powerful way that almost put him off his feet. At the time he had no idea what was happening but now describes is as having a sense of the fear of God on him.
When he arrived at his destination someone asked him if he wanted to smoke some dope, but he was led away from it by the fear of God. His life has been changed and he’s on his way to heaven.
One might ask “what is so special about those words?” In this particular example, the words were less important than the One who spoke those words and the power of His presence that accompanied them.
While it is always great to hear a word from God with such clarity, I believe God only speaks so dramatically when we will not hear Him any other way. He doesn’t like to shout at His children any more than we want to shout at our own kids in order to get their attention.
Today, pay attention to His still, small voice that speaks with gentleness. We can all hear if we take time to listen.
Take time to talk with him. At your personal time of devotion listen to His still, small voice saying, “Stay with Me just a little bit longer.”
Love to all,
P.B.
P.S. The most popular article on the Faithworks blog at the moment is “5 Keys to Understanding Grace“. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here.