God Speaks... Intro
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27
Do you believe God still speaks today? Do you believe He is speaking to you right now? Can you hear Him? Are you even listening to His Voice of Love?
I do. I have heard His Voice, even from a very young age. I used to think that everyone who claimed to be a Christian could hear Him. As I grew up, I realized that this was not the case, and, to be honest, it made me sad.
I wondered why others could not hear Him. Why was I different? Did He only speak to some but not all? Am I actually hearing Him, or is it just my imagination? After processing these questions and continuing to walk with God through His Word and through community, I have come to think and believe that these Christians who have not heard His voice fall into one of the following categories:
1. They do not believe that God speaks to people today
I honestly do not know why people think this because I find nothing in Scripture to support that idea. The Bible says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Throughout Scripture, Old and New Testament, we read about God speaking to people (Joseph, Nathan, Gideon, Jonah, Peter, Paul, and Mary to name just a few!). If God’s character is constant, then why do we think that He has suddenly decided to remain silent post Biblical times?
For those who think this, I think they are spiritually blind. I know that is a harsh statement, but I say it with all honesty and with a burdening sadness. They are people who have, “eyes, but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear; noses, but cannot smell.” (Psalm 115: 5b-6; also see Psalm 135:16-17, Jeremiah 5:21, Mark 8:14-21, and Matthew 13:13-15). I have compassion for these people, and I pray that they will one day hear God's sweet tender whisper (and, to me, it often seems like a whisper compared to the blaring noises in this world!).
2. They believe that God only speaks to some people today
This thought might have been true, but it is not true anymore. What do I mean by that?
In the Old Testament, it was common that God would speak through a judge or a prophet to lead His chosen people, the Israelites. Later, He would have a high priest come into the Holy of Holies (a section in the Temple were the presence of The LORD resided) and petition for the sins of Israel. When Jesus died on the cross through, the veil separating the Holy of Holies from the world was torn by God from top to bottom symbolizing the fact that God would not reside in a man-made temple anymore. Rather, He would reside in us, God-made temples, through His Spirit. Since His Spirit resides in every Follower of Jesus, His temple, we do not need a judge, a prophet, nor a high priest to talk with God on our behalf. We have the grace and freedom to talk with Him ourselves.
Recently, a friend told me they believe that God has gifted the church with the APEST roles (Ephesians 4:11-13), and that prophets are the ones who can hear from God and share it with the other APESTs. Personally, I do not agree with that thought because of the verse I put at the beginning of this blog: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Every follower of Jesus is now a sheep of the Good Shepard. He does not have favorites (Romans 2:11), and He speaks to all His dear sheep.
3. They believe God speaks today, but they don’t know how He speaks
I think this is where most Christians campout, which is why I felt a prompting to share my own testimonies of how God has spoken to me. Before I get into that though, I want to say two quick disclaimers.
In the series of blogs to come, I will be writing about how God can speak. I am not saying that these are the only methods of communication that God can use to share His heart and truth with us. He is so creative that, for me to learn every single method to His loving madness of speaking to His children, it would take an eternity – thank God, I now have an eternity to try! These testimonies are simply the ones I have experienced and have found Biblical truth to back them up.
Also, during these moments of hearing God, I had to test those words against Scripture to ensure that what I heard did not contradict His Word (1 John 4:1-6). This is crucial! In future blogs, I will even share times when I heard false words from people and other spirits.
I hope you are as excited as I am for the journey ahead, cause nothing in this world compares to the loving voice of our Heavenly Father!