MY FRIENDS, CAN WE RECOGNIZE GODS VOICE WHEN HE CALLS?

MY FRIENDS, CAN WE RECOGNIZE GODS VOICE WHEN HE CALLS?

As God’s children we must be willing to keep listening in the midst of the noise for Christ gentle whisper, please “follow me.” My friends, many like the rich young ruler that ask Christ, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Christ then tells him to keep all the commandments. His response was “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Mark 10:17-21 (ESV) It seems the noise of his surroundings did not allow Him to focus on the one thing he lacked in his life to acquire eternal life because it was not conducive to what his own plans were. Christ saw something special in this young man. He saw a great asset to His ministry and the people he would touch through the light of His Spirit.

This young man was in the very presence of God and could not here his voice or respond to it because of the noise of his surroundings. Christ also knew His salvation would only come from following Him, where he would constantly here the Shepherds voice and recognize it at all times. Not all who came to Christ did He extend an invitation to personally follow Him.

The man who had been possessed with demons that Jesus cast out begged [Jesus] that he might be with him. And he did not permit him, but said, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you,” Mark 5:17-19 (ESV) Like the Rich young ruler Christ sees something special in all who will respond to His voice in these final days of earth’s history. That is why his voice in the midst of the noise of our daily life is pleading with us to respond and follow Him.

Samuel from his bed, heard the voice of God call out to him “Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” 1 Sam. 3:10 (NKJV) The Lord spoke to Moses as one speaks to a friend, from the midst of the burning bush, God said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Ex. 3:4 (NKJV) Paul heard a voice on the Damascus Road call out, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”……..And Saul said “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Acts 9:3-6 (NKJV)

My friends, are we just not listening because God’s voice interferes with our plans right now. But God says in Jer. 29:11 (KJV) “I know the plans I have for you,……to give you a future and a hope,” But learning to clearly distinguish God’s voice as the prophets of old is not possible only because we have decided with that voice comes responsibilities we are just not willing to respond to right now.

But friends, only God’s children who walk in the footsteps of God, and die to self-daily and not when it is only convenient in our time, and now we live our life only through the voice of Christ as we cry out daily “not my will but thy will be done, will enter God’s kingdom.” But while God speaks to us as He chooses, His primarily source of communication is through His Word, and Spirit, and if we have a sincere, and a  heartfelt prayer life, while applying through our faith and endurance what we read daily in God’s word, we will never get it wrong when we here the good Shepard say follow me, because we will respond.