Many voices claim to be that of God or represent God. We have however not trained ourselves to know God’s voice. Consequently, we are deceived to accept other voices as God’s voice and thereby led astray. God’s voice is audible to the inner ear and the souls of those who love him. How do we know or distinguish God’s voice from other voices of deception?
Listen to what Jesus says
Jesus said in Revelation 3: 20, Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. So how do we hear Jesus’ voice which knocks on the doors to our hearts? We must belong to him. Jesus said in John 10: 27, my sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. We must follow Jesus and to remain as his sheep and he, our shepherd in order to know his voice otherwise we will be deceived by other voices.
Accept Jesus as sent from God
Jesus said in John 5: 37, and the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. In other words, we can hear God’s voice only if his word abides in us and upon the belief that Jesus was sent by God to us as our Saviour. His voice is not audible to our corruptible ears. When Jesus comes into our hearts, he will connect us to his Spirit so we may know his voice.
Desire to hear God in the heart
Samuel’s heart was with God and so he discovered God’s unique voice. Although Samuel did not know God’s voice at the beginning. However, because he was desirous to hear from God with a pure heart, the Holy Spirit led him to the prophet Eli who helped him to identify God’s voice. In 1 Samuel 3: 4-10 when the Lord called Samuel, he confused the voice with Eli and so ran to Eli. At the third call, Eli told him it was the voice of the Lord. We rather seek the Lord’s voice from the wrong sources away from God.
Pray for a discerning Spirit
The deceiving spirits that present themselves as God’s voice include spirits of fake religions and doctrines purporting to be the light whereas in truth, they are voices of demons. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11: 14 and no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. We read from 1 Timothy 4: 1, now the Spirit expressly says that in the later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. Which voice have we identified with?
Beware of scriptural caution
Jesus has cautioned us in Matthew 24: 5; Mark 13: 6 for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. Luke 21: 8 says ‘Beware that you are not led astray… Do not go after them. We are most pitiful if we do not know the voice of the Lord. Hosea 4: 6 says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. We must with divine knowledge, decipher the Lord’s voice from other evil voices.
Submit to the Holy Spirit
Paul, previously called Saul, persecuted Christians to their death because he did not know the Lord’s voice but the fake voice of Satan presented as the Lord’s. However, on his way to do harm to Christians in Damascus inspired by Satan’s deceitful voice, Jesus spoke directly to him with a distinct voice. In Acts 9: 4-7, Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Upon knowledge of the Lord’s true voice, Saul became Paul. In Daniel 4: 31 Daniel had submitted to the Spirit of God so he declared… a voice came from heaven: O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has departed from you! You shall be driven away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. Without knowing God’s voice, we shall be driven from human society.
Walk with the Lord
Moses walked with God after the burning bush so spoke with him face to face, Exodus 33: 11. Abraham walked with God and so he could identify the Lord’s voice as his friend, James 2: 23. What about us? Paul quoted the Old Testament scripture and wrote in Hebrews 3: 7-8, 15; 4: 7 “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the day of rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness. We must not resist the Lord’s voice when we know it is his voice. He is gentle and peaceful in speech. Are we eager and unrelenting to know the Lord’s voice? If so, let us ask him to help us to discern his voice.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, help us not to confuse your voice with other voices. Help us to walk closer with you so we may know your voice. Help us to obey your voice when we hear it. Cancel other voices that distort the hearing of your voice. We are deaf and confused because we are sinners and repent of our sins. Like Paul, we submit unto your voice in your holy name, Amen!!
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