Hearing God 1

By Tosin Lawal

Devotional Reading: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27NIV

I struggled with recognizing and deciphering God’s voice for quite a long time. Even though I knew that God speaks to a man, I found myself in a position where I was confused about how God speaks to me. Little did I know that God had been talking to me. I heard him but didn’t pay enough attention because perhaps I didn’t expect that hearing God could be so easy. In our text, we see how Jesus made a profound statement in verse 14 that I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. John 10:14 KJV. He also went further to declare boldly in verse 27 that “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: “John 10:27 KJV.

In other words, Jesus was invariably asserting that if you genuinely belong to him, you know him, and he also knows you. It is a reality. Because you are Jesus’ sheep, a child of God, you can hear his voice and follow him by nature.

In Philippians 2:13(NIV), God’s word says, “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” This statement corroborates Jesus’ statement that a child of God does not and should not have the problem of hearing God.
In the same way, nobody taught you how to recognize the voice of your earthly parents and guidance; you do not need anybody to teach you how to hear God’s voice, for God is your father. You come to recognize the voice of God as you spend time with him daily. It’s as simple as that.

You will have simple nudging in your heart in your daily activities; never neglect them. Sometimes you will have impressions upon your heart to do or not do something. Your conscience will often either permit you to do something or frown at you doing something. You will either experience peace inside you about doing something or experience an absence of peace. At other times, you will just know that you know that this is what God wants you to do. You might not be able to explain logically how you got to know, but then there is an inner knowing within you that this is what God wants you to do. All those above are simple and fundamental ways in which God speaks to all his children.

The more you stay true to those nudging in your hearts, those impressions upon your heart, your conscience, your heart, the more you are sharpening your ability to discern God’s voice and leadings for your life. One thing you must only bear in mind is that God’s voice will never go against the written word of God. It’s a litmus test for confirming whether it is God or not. It will never contradict the revelation of God as seen in Christ Jesus.

Dearly beloved, God speaks to you. It’s not complicated. Spend quality time with God daily. Live life every day with the consciousness that God is in and with you. Live life every day with the consciousness that God speaks to you and that you recognize his voice, for he is your father.

Prayer and Confession
I know that your words to me are far more important than what I have to say to you. You do impress upon one’s heart. You give nudging. Help me be careful enough to recognize and stay true to the impressions you are giving me.

Further readings: John 10: 7-30, John 8:47, Isaiah 30:21
Reading Job: Job 11-15