Learn the Voice of the Spirit
My buddy, Jeff, kept hearing his name called… over and over again.
The problem was that he wasn’t sure of the source.
During Jeff’s teenage years, he worked at Green Thumb, a landscape nursery. Ann, the owner, had a green parrot named Blue who was a master of imitation. He could mimic certain words so accurately that you couldn’t tell the difference between the parrot and a person.
Jeff would often work way out in the back of the nursery, unloading new trees, getting them watered and ready for sale, and doing many kinds of hard, physical labor. Frequently, he would hear his name called, “Jeff!” “Jeff!” “Jeff!” So, dutifully, he would jog all the way up to the office only to have Ann tell him she hadn’t called him. It was the parrot.
One day, he was hard at work and started hearing his name. He thought, “Stupid parrot. I’m not falling for his tricks again!” Jeff determined to keep working and ignore the parrot no matter how persistent it was. And it was persistent that day! He just kept hearing, “Jeff! Jeff! Jeff! Jeff!!” over and over again.
As Jeff dug a hole to set a tree, he was suddenly very startled to realize that his boss, Ann, was standing right behind him yelling, “Jeff! What are you, deaf!?!”
Many voices are clamoring for our attention in this world. Advertisements tell us we need the newest phones, clothes, and cars. Social Media tells us we need to look a certain way or live like others if we want to measure up.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are responsible for learning to hear and distinguish the voice of the Lord over all those other voices.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27, ESV). A few verses earlier, he said, “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (Jn. 10:5).
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you… When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak” (John 14:16-17 & 16:13, ESV).
Gary Thomas in The Beautiful Fight says, “To be sure, Scripture is the only infallible record we have of God’s true message and revelation to humankind. Yet this same Bible bursts with stories of God communicating to individual women and men” (p. 88). Thomas proceeds to outline the following four tests for knowing whether we are hearing the truth from God or deception from the world, the flesh, or the enemy (pp. 100-102):
Scripture: God will not contradict His word. Therefore, we must become students of God’s Word. Just like a bank teller learns to recognize counterfeit by handling so much true currency, we must become so familiar with God’s Word that we recognize falsehood when we cross paths with it.
The Church’s Witness: We can test what we hear against the Church’s teachings through godly men and women over the past 2000 years. We understand that there have been times when the Church was wrong, and we continue to learn and grow even as a community. But there are also clearly established teachings that inform our understanding and lead us accurately.
A Holy Life: Thomas says, “Sin may not block our salvation, but it does tend to stop up our ears” (p. 101). In Luke 8:16-18 where Jesus is teaching about letting the light of our life in Christ shine before others, he says, “consider carefully then how you listen.” We must learn to listen to the Lord so that our light shines brightly. And sin can hinder our listening.
Growing Familiarity with God’s Voice: Hebrews 12:25 says, “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking” (ESV). Yes, God has spoken authoritatively through His Word. And He still speaks today.
Dear Saints, do you include time for listening to the Lord in your daily routine? What if it is far more important to listen and hear from God than it is to tell Him what we think?
Like Jeff, we need to learn to discern between God’s voice and the other voices calling our names. Let’s follow the example of Jesus who plainly said, “he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him… I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (John 8:26 & 28).
If you resolve to do one thing this year, consider learning how to better listen to the Lord. Ask Him—He will help you!
Happy New Year!