Our discerning God’s voice will require that we take the time to listen…
John 10:27-30
J.B. Phillips New Testament
“My sheep recognize my voice and I know who they are.
They follow me and I give them eternal life.
They will never die and no one can snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all.
And no one can tear anything out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.”
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Starting with verses 27-30, these verses teach in unmistakable terms that no true sheep of Christ will ever die or perish.
The eternal security of the believer is a glorious fact.
Those who are true sheep of Christ hear His voice.
They hear it when the gospel is preached, and they respond by believing on Him.
The first job of every Christian is to come to Jesus and learn of Him (Matt 11:29) and part of that learning is getting to know God’s nature and His voice, all of which comes from having a 24/7 365 relationship with Him.
Jesus said that, “My Father is Spirit and those who would worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth (see John 4:23).
We as Born Again Christians are also Spirit beings, because we are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27).
In order for us to discern God’s voice, we must learn to do so in Spirit and not in our flesh.
1 Corinthians 2:14
New King James Version
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Thereafter, we learn to hear His voice day by day and also to obey His Voice, and that starts as we daily immerse ourselves in His Word and in the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus knows His sheep. He knows each one of us by name.
Not even one will escape His attention.
No one could be lost through an oversight or carelessness on His part.
Jesus’ sheep follow Him, first by exercising saving faith in Him, then by walking with Him in obedience.
Jesus gives eternal life to His sheep.
This means life that will last forever.
It is not life that is conditional on their behavior. It is eternal life, and that means everlasting.
But eternal life is also a quality of life.
It is the life of the Lord Jesus Himself.
So this must be our daily confession:
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
This New Life is a life that is capable of enjoying the things of God down here, and a life that will be equally suitable to our heavenly home.
Note these next words carefully, in verse 28b…
“They shall never die (perish).”
If any sheep of Christ ever perished, then the Lord Jesus would have been guilty of failing to keep a promise, and this is not possible.
Jesus Christ is God, and He cannot fail.
He has promised in this verse that no sheep of His will ever spend eternity in hell.
Does this mean then that a person may be saved and then live the way he pleases?
Can he be saved and then carry on in the sinful pleasures of this world?
No, he no longer desires to do these things.
He wants to follow the Shepherd.
We do not live the Christian life in order to become a Christian or in order to retain our salvation.
We live a Christian life because we are Christians.
We desire to live a holy life, not out of fear of losing our salvation, but out of gratitude to the One who died for us.
The doctrine of eternal security does not encourage careless living, but rather is a strong motive for holy living.
No one is able to snatch a believer out of Christ’s hand.
His hand is almighty. It created the world; and it even now sustains the world.
There is no power that can snatch a sheep from Jesus’ grasp.
So as Christians we are followers of Christ (His disciples), so what does it mean to be a follower of Christ?
1 John 2:6
Expanded Bible
“Whoever says that he ·lives [abides; remains] in God must ·live [walk] as ·Jesus lived [he walked].”
Not only is the believer in the hand of Christ; he is in the Father’s hand as well.
This is a twofold guarantee of safety.
God the Father is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch a believer out of the Father’s hand.
Now the Lord Jesus added a further claim to equality with God:
“I and My Father are one.”
Here the thought probably is that Christ and the Father are one in power.
Jesus had just been speaking about the power that protects Christ’s sheep.
Therefore, He added the explanation that His power is the same as the power of God the Father.
Of course the same is true of all the other attributes of Deity.
The Lord Jesus Christ is God in the fullest sense and is equal with the Father in every way.
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Sat, March 19
Beliefnet
5 Ways to Distinguish Between God’s Voice and Satan’s Voice
Don’t allow the enemy to sabotage you.
by Lesli White
As followers of Christ, we know how important it is to have a close relationship with God and listen to what He is calling us to do.
Yet, there will be times and circumstances that will move us away from God.
There will also be moments when satan’s voice will overpower God’s voice in our lives.
When these moments show up, we should avidly seek God, but it’s sometimes hard to tell what voice is speaking to us.
As simple as it is to call on God, sometimes we have a hard time distinguishing between God’s voice and the voice of the enemy.
If we want to have a solid relationship with God and walk boldly as believers, we have to know what voice is speaking to us.
Here are five ways to distinguish between God’s voice and satan’s voice.
IT CAUSES PANIC, NOT CALM
One of the greatest ways to distinguish between God’s voice and satan’s voice is to ask yourself if what you hear causes you to feel a sense of panic or peace.
Usually, when it’s satan’s voice, you will be left feeling incredibly anxious.
It won’t feel like there is any peace in your heart.
We know from Scripture that our God is a God of peace.
Second Thessalonians 3:16 says,
“Now may the LORD of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way…” and Psalm 29:11 says,
“The LORD gives strength to His people, the LORD blesses His people with peace.”
If you feel like your inner sense of peace is lost, it may be the devil at work.
IT GOES AGAINST GOD’S WORD
A tell-tale sign that you’re listening to satan’s voice and not God’s voice is if it contradicts God’s Word.
Satan will tell you that it’s ok to sin and that the sin you’re committing won’t damage the people around you.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
We are called to obey God’s commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:33 says,
“Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”
If the voice you’re hearing is leading you to sin and go against God’s Word, it isn’t of God.
IT WEAKENS YOUR PRAYER LIFE
As Christians, we are called to pray daily.
We are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Philippians 4:6 says.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Satan will spend time trying to pull you away from your time with God.
You will no longer be encouraged to pray because the voice tells you that you have too many other important things going on.
If you’re having trouble praying, call on God, and ask Him to open your heart again to active prayer.
James 4:8 says,
“draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
God wants you to be close to Him each day, and prayer is the best opportunity to draw near Him.
IT GOES AGAINST GOD’S WORD
A tell-tale sign that you’re listening to satan’s voice and not God’s voice is if it contradicts God’s Word.
Satan will tell you that it’s ok to sin and that the sin you’re committing won’t damage the people around you.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
We are called to obey God’s commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:33 says,
“Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”
If the voice you’re hearing is leading you to sin and go against God’s Word, it isn’t of God.
IT WEAKENS YOUR PRAYER LIFE
As Christians, we are called to pray daily.
We are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Philippians 4:6 says.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Satan will spend time trying to pull you away from your time with God.
You will no longer be encouraged to pray because the voice tells you that you have too many other important things going on.
If you’re having trouble praying, call on God, and ask Him to open your heart again to active prayer.
James 4:8 says,
“draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
God wants you to be close to Him each day, and prayer is the best opportunity to draw near Him.
IT FEELS LIKE COMMOTION
Listening to satan’s voice will feel like commotion.
This is why it’s imperative that we turn down the commotion occurring in our lives so we can more clearly hear God’s voice.
Sometimes, it will feel like God is silent, but the truth is He is always present.
Jeremiah 33:3 says,
“Call to Me, and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
If you feel like there is a great deal of chaos going on in your life, this may simply be satan stirring up trouble.
You must tune out the enemy’s commotion so you can draw closer to God.
IT MAKES YOU FEEL WORTHLESS
One of satan’s greatest tricks is to convince you that you are worthless.
Over time, you begin to become convinced that you are no longer valuable to God or anyone else.
You will begin to ask yourself things like,
“If God loved me, why am I experiencing this.”
This is satan planting seeds of doubt in your head so that you will disconnect from God.
Know that this is not of God.
Satan wants nothing more for you to doubt God and the value of your life.
If he can trick you into thinking this, he can move you far away from God.
God wants the opposite. He wants to uplift you. He wants you to know how important you are.
You are not worthless. Understand that you are important and bring value to this planet.
It’s time to pause and listen to what voices are speaking to you right now.
If something is going on in your life that is blocking you from hearing God’s voice, you must clear it from your space.
Psalm 66:18 says,
“If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened.”
Call on God this very moment and restore your relationship with Him.
The more time you spend speaking with God, the easier it is to distinguish His voice.
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