My Sheep Hear My Voice

Have you ever wondered if God still speaks to people today like it says He did in biblical times? Well, I know that 50 years ago, as a newborn Christian, I certainly wondered. I was amazed, and somewhat perplexed, when I heard older, more mature Christians say things like,” …the Lord spoke to me and said thus and so...” or “ God told me to do so and so thing.” Well, there’s good news. God does speak to His people today. Jesus said in John 10:1-5 that His sheep hear His voice, know His voice, and will follow Him. We just need to know how He speaks. There are two primary ways in which He does speak.

First of all, God will speak to us through His word. The Bible contains His thoughts and standards of conduct (Isaiah 55:8-11; 2 Timothy 3:16). If we want to know how God wants us to act in a certain situation, then we should consult His word. Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit’s job was to lead and guide us into all truth and to bring God’s word to our remembrance (John 14:26; 16:13-15). The Holy Spirit will help to remember God’s word that pertains to a particular situation as it arises. However, you must first have that word stored away in your heart.

Secondly, we must learn to listen to our spirits and the still small voice in our hearts. Every person is a spirit being, whether they’re serving the Lord or not. However, only those persons whose spirits have been made alive to God through the new birth (having received Jesus as their Lord and Savior) are connected to the Lord (John 15:5). When we are born again, God, the Holy Spirit, comes to dwell in us and bears witness with our spirits that we are now children of God (Romans 8:14-16). There is an inner witness or inner knowing that says we belong to the Father God now. That same inner witness will guide us by coinciding with a sense of peace inside. When we are headed in the direction that God wants us to go, that inner witness of peace will be there. If it’s not, then we need to discontinue on that path and ask God for further guidance (Psalms 85:8). This inner witness is sometimes very subtle and gentle, like the Holy Spirit himself. If we are not sensitive, we can miss it. Extreme busyness, fearfulness, anger, and/or strife can cause us to miss the promptings that the Holy Spirit is sending us. Hence, it is necessary to get still in prayer before God so that we can pick up on these spiritual signals (Psalms 4:4; Psalms 46:10).

There are other ways that God can speak to us. Sometimes He speaks through anointed men and women of the church with a word of prophecy for us. At other times, He may use circumstances beyond our control to get our attention. However, the two primary ways that He speaks are through His word and through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. As we practice listening to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, we can become sensitive to His leading. Then we will find ourselves excelling in life and being productive for His Kingdom.

-Bill Moody