If you believe in Jesus, then you can absolutely hear Him speaking!
The question is, are you listening? And are you responding like you believe?
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. ~Jesus (John 10:27)
God is raising up an army of people who believe in and follow Him, wholeheartedly.
He is calling you. He is drawing you to come up higher, to live larger, to experience life with Him like never before!
I've been reading in Isaiah chapter forty-eight where the Lord spoke to His people - those who were called by His name. There's a message for us here - the ones who have been grafted in and are the beloved children of God.
The first verses begin, "Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and call on the God of Israel.
You don't keep your promises, even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord of Heaven's armies" (vs 1-2, NLT).
We call ourselves holy. We talk about depending on God. But do we keep these promises?
Verse four described what God's people were acting like, "For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron. Your heads are as hard as bronze" (NLT).
Can you relate? I can, because it's too often that I find myself leaning on my own strength, trusting in the things that I can understand, and distrusting the things that I don't.
We can be such a proud group, thinking we know the way, assuming we know what God wants, yet how often are we actually humbling ourselves before Him, seeking His insight, and trusting Him enough to courageously follow His way?
We like to be in control and in charge, but if we want Jesus to truly be LORD over our lives, then we must make the on-going choice to give Him that place of leadership. We need to acknowledge and act on our need by spending time with Him and His Word, so that we know what He sounds like - this is how His sheep know His voice.
When Jesus is LORD, it looks like sons and daughters of God who are so immersed in His love that they do keep their promises - they are a holy people and they do trust in Him; they do obey His voice.
Because God is faithful, good, and true to who He actually is, He continues to speak, in spite of our failures and weaknesses.
The message continues, and in verses six and seven God says, "Now I will tell you new things, secrets you have not yet heard. They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, 'We knew that all the time!'"
God has so much to say to His daughters and sons - revelation messages for today.
Why does He speak? He said, "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you, and leads you along the paths you should follow" (vs 17). Our Father loves us, and He knows that we need His voice and His wisdom, and He is more than willing to give!
Just think of the pleasure that we can bring Him when we live as children who truly believe in Him, by living a holy and obedient life! This is what He wants, because it's the very best for us and it's what the broken hearts within the world need to see and hear. It's how the Lord demonstrates and multiplies His love throughout the earth!
When we follow Jesus on the path that leads to joy and everlasting life, others will notice and want to walk that way too.
Carrying the Good News and walking contrary to the ways of the world will require bravery and boldness. It is up to us to carry and live out the message! It's up to us to keep the promise.
We are the ones who know God's faithfulness. We know His mercy. He has been present in our lives and we hold the hope that the hurting world is longing to hear.
So again, I ask the questions - are you listening? And are you responding like you believe?
Join me in this prayer of response:
Father, thank you for Your voice! I love to hear You speak and I am listening. Holy Spirit, enable me to keep the promise of living a holy life, in love and reverence for King Jesus, embolden me to trust you and to act on my belief. You are moving in the earth today, through me! Lead me in Your Word and by Your Spirit, in Jesus mighty name.
Amen!
I declare over you that you are in that arising army of sons and daughters who believe, and are following Jesus wholeheartedly!!
What is one action that you can take today, right now, that demonstrates keeping your promise to live a holy, set-apart life, with trust that's totally set on our King?