There is a promise and a heritage that belongs to all Christ-followers. It's a beautiful promise and makes all the difference in our lives.
"My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me" These are words Jesus said, and they apply to all of His people, not just the special super-spiritual ones.
As part of raising my children, there is one thing I looked for as they grew up. Can they hear God for themselves? Once I knew they could, I ceased worrying too much because I knew that whatever happened, if they could listen to The Shepherd's voice, they'd be OK.
And yet I would be lying if I said hearing His voice always comes easily and clearly. Sometimes, knowing what God is saying to me seems unclear and garbled.
So what's the problem?
When something else has our attention, we don't hear. Have you ever tried to tell a family member about something, perhaps, ask them to do something, and they just don't hear? It's called selective deafness and comes when what we want has our attention so much that we become 'deaf' to any interruption.
Prioritizing pleasing God above ourselves clears the crackle on the line!
Pain can scream so loudly in our souls that we don't hear. This morning in Church, Pastor Murray talked about finding God's will for our lives and the part that hearing God plays in that. He said we should listen to God and not all the wounds, prejudice and bitter root judgements we have about people.
When it comes to this, we need to examine our hearts for those pre-judgements about people and situations and repent of them. We need to forgive those who have hurt us and leave the pain in the past where it belongs.
Repentance and forgiveness clear the crackle on the line!
A sense of unworthiness can create a crackle on the line so that we can't hear His voice. We may feel God would never lower Himself to speak to us because that is for special, unique and mystical people. But the promise of Scripture is that everyone would hear His voice in the last days! (Acts 2:17-18)
Then Paul goes on with these beautiful words in Romans 8:31-34 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Can you see if God already gave Jesus, His very own Son, and Jesus gave His own life for us, that nothing else is withheld, least of all His voice?
Accepting His grace clears the crackle on the line!
Closed paradigms can create a crackle on the line. You know, that thinking says, "it's always been this way", or, "that's never been done before!".
Notice it says He will show us things we DON'T KNOW. That sounds like new ideas and paradigms to me.
Being open to new ideas and ways will clear the crackle on the line!
No matter what, as a Christ-follower, hearing His voice is your heritage, don't let the crackle on the line stop you from hearing Him!
Until next time,
Love, Lynda xx
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