Have you ever gone through a hearing test where they place earphones over your ears, and when they send a beep in different frequencies and volume, you are to raise your hand to acknowledge you heard it? And then, sometimes, you think you are still hearing it as it kind of echoes afterwards, so you raise your hand again!
Or you may have played a game where you were blindfolded, and had to go through an obstacle course, while listening to someone telling you to turn left or right, or to stop. You were completely dependent on this person's directions, to keep you from bumping into something.
Our lives are similar to this. In my morning's devotional, was this verse from Psalm 25:14-15:
The LORD confides in those who fear Him;
He makes His covenant known to Him.
My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only He will release my feet from the snare.
Our life journey brings unexpected experiences and none of us know what our tomorrows will bring. We only have today. Today to make decisions and plans. Today to dream about tomorrow. Today to decide your strategy for tomorrow's goals. So, how can we best plan for our tomorrows so we can have success?
If we have received Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, then we believe that what the Bible tells us is true (2 Timothy 3:16). That God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27). That He loves us (John 3:16). And that He has great plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). God knows us inside and out (Psalm 139), and even better than we know ourselves! He wants us to obey Him and not to wander off His designated path for us (Joshua 1:7)
How do we know we are hearing His voice, and not our own, or the world's? If we spend a significant amount of time with Him in prayer, meditation and studying His Word, then we become very familiar with who God is, and what He expects from us. Jesus is our Gentle Shepherd, and we are His sheep who recognize His voice (John 10:3). The Holy Spirit inside of us brings us His wisdom in discerning what we are hearing (John 16). Staying focused on Him is necessary to living a life that honors Him and blesses us. So many people make countless mistakes in their lives and experience troubles that could have been avoided if only they had heeded God's Word.
Fortunately for those wandering sheep, Jesus goes after each one, to bring them back. I can imagine how a lost one must feel when he had been listening to the wrong voice, and as a result, experiences troubles. Then, he finally hears God's voice and is brought back through repentance, into the Kingdom. God's grace is sufficient, isn't it? (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Let us all seek to hear the voice of our LORD. Let us never take it for granted, but to yearn for it. There is a tremendous amount of noise in our world, but staying focused on Him will keep ourselves from falling in the snares of the enemy.
Are you hearing that quiet voice?
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