Inherent in every child of God is the ability to hear the voice of God. This truth is validated by John 10:27 which reads, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"
If you are born again, you should and you can hear the voice of God. This is because you've been wired in your spirit-man to receive divine leadings. For your spirit has been joined with God's Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17).
God is always talking to His children. Sadly, many Christians cannot recognize the leading of God, otherwise known as God's voice. They can't differentiate God's voice from other voices in the world.
The reason for this problem is that many are not familiar with the voice and Person of the Lord. Hence, they can't filter-off other voices from His. Some mistake their voice (opinion) and "nice" advice for God's voice.
The question then will be how can I get myself to be familiar with God's voice?
Let me use this story to show you how you can get yourself familiar with God's voice.
My daughter is very fond of me. I discovered that even in the dark, she could recognize my voice. And the simple reason is because she has been with me right from birth. I doubt if she could have recognized my voice if she hadn't grown up with me.
When she was just 3, I remember that my wife and Etse, my daughter, went to visit one of our brethren whose house was not too far from ours. They left around 6:30pm or so. And as usual, I knew they would be there for a minimum of one hour, and by then it would be dark.
I decided to play a prank on them by waiting in the lonely street where I knew they would be passing when they would be coming back home. My intention was to scare my daughter. Yeah, I can be funny.
When I saw them coming, I tried to change my voice and gave a scary command, "You there, come here now," I said, hiding behind one of the trees. You won't believe the response I got...
"Daddy, daddy, it’s you. I catch you." Said my little girl as she walked towards where I was hiding. Oh, my girl just spoiled my plans.
Why was Etse able to quickly identify me?
It is because she has been with me. She knew my voice, and she could recognize it even in the dark. Besides, she knew my tendency to be naughty sometimes.
In the same vein, to be able to easily recognize the voice of God, you MUST have been (stayed) with the Lord for a while. Staying with the Lord will help you to get familiar with the leading and dealings of God.
How do you then get to stay with the Lord?
TWO WAYS TO STAY WITH THE LORD
1. By Staying With His Word, The Bible
The more you read your Bible the more you get to know the texture and nature of God's voice. Then will you be able to spot any voice that is not of the Lord.
2. By Staying With Him In The Secret Place Of Prayers
Prayer is a place of meeting with the Father "...pray to your Father who is in the secret place." (Matthew 6:6).
The more you wait in the place of prayer the more you are properly tuned to recognize the voice and leading of the Father. For prayer is a spiritual alignment mechanism.
Besides, prayer is a fire that burns away every particle of the Old Man which tends to make the flesh louder than God's voice. This is more effective when prayer is coupled with fasting.
When you engage these two elements of prayer and the serious study of God's word, you will discover that you can easily pick up divine signals.
…To be continued.
...This piece is an excerpt of what I taught in our Tuesday Service (10th of October 2023), at Radiant Saints International Christian Centre.
©GavinAleogho
