The Voice

 

I'm not talking about the TV show the voice, I'm talking about God's voice. In the old testament, God's voice was described as a still small voice. It also was described as thunder and lightning. So, which shall we be listening for. Today, as my experience has taught me, God's voice usually talks directly to your heart. That's where He wants to dwell and that's where He communicates. It is a subtle voice and can be overshadowed by fear, doubt and everything in the world. As we talked about in "The Sheep", we have to learn to be guided by that voice. In actuality, the Spirit of the Lord who lives in you, is the the one in direct contact with God and translates His heart to your heart. The world calls it a conscience, we call it His Spirit. 

How do we know it when we here it?

For me it's a quick thought or idea that just pops in all of a sudden that effects my heart or decision making. It has to be learned as a mother's voice is learned by her baby. Ever seen a baby calm down by just hearing it's mother' voice? It's the same way. We are trained by the voices all around us in the physical realm we live in. Each one vies for your attention. It's like going to a classical instrumental concert that has 30 or more instruments all playing together. Each one of those instruments are trying to be heard. Your task, is to weed through all those different ones and listen to only one. Say it's one small part too that only plays every so often. It's like that. 

Because relationship building is tougher than following rules, most won't even try to listen for His voice. Most will read His printed words and try to follow them. It's easier. Men would love for women to tell them why they are angry with us. However, her line, "If I have to tell you it won't mean as much when you apologize," is our kryptonite.  So, men are often frustrated in rewinding the last hour or even days to figure out what they did wrong. Even then, most will just buy a gift or suck up to get forgiveness because trying to do it right is too hard. 

Relationship is tough and it requires a lot of work. That's why we want to forge a false relationship with Him through acts of service. We have a list, and on that list we keep is things we need to do to make God happy. In truth, it's a list to keep our condemned heart happy. Someone that doesn't accept His fullness of Love cannot come out from under condemnation. So, we work on list's, thinking God will be pleased with us if we plan our day to go a specific way. If we lose our temper or say a bad word that day then we condemn ourselves and think God is mad at us. We falsely believe our actions directly affect God's attitude for us. 

This is the lesson Job in the old testament went through. Back then, they thought God was happy when you were doing righteous things and unhappy when you did wrong. The questions from Job's friends were, you must have done something wrong to tick God off. Look what He's done to you. It's not for nothing. You've done something so confess. It was the opposite though, Job was in an "action for an action" relationship. However, in the end he said, I have heard of you but now I see you. It's the difference between reading about God and really knowing God.

Some think, that the written word is the voice of God and that He only speaks to us through the Bible. Again, it's our attempt at skirting around having to do the work of getting to know Him. 

John 5:39-47

39You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me, 40yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.

41I do not accept glory from men, 42but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you. 43I have come in My Father’s name, and you have not received Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

45Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. 46If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

The underlined passage confirms my previous posts about how God's love needs to be in you. 

His voice leads us closer to Him and creates a path for us to follow and to be filled with Him. I was a Christian who woke up each day and tried to live by the rules and the laws set by the Church. When I read a passage that says, "Don't Do This..." I would try, in my own power to not do that. However this type of behavior quickly tells you, you are incapable of acting like you should, which leads to self doubt and self condemnation. You doubt God, yourself, your church and anyone who says they have something you don't. It's a shame spiral fed by your inability to fulfill a way of life. The results are either a quick retreat or a stubbornness to figure out the truth. Mine was both, a retreat down a death spiral and when I hit the bottom, I looked up and finally figured out what to do. 

Following the voice is much better than doing it yourself. the voice leads you to Him and His fullness in you. If you don't hear the voice, take time to talk to Him about it. 

I may be rehashing the same stuff over and over again but God has put this on my chest and I've got to tell it. It's an integral and key lesson to learn. How do we learn from our natural parents, by example and by the voice. We have the example written for us and we have His voice. We just need to strip ourselves of all the other voices trying to keep us from listening to that still, small voice.

God I pray that we take time to learn how to listen. That you see us spending time or us yearning to hear You. God, for those who are thirsty for your voice, fill them Lord to overflowing.

To God be the Glory!