My Sheep Hear My Voice

Popular theology has been swayed by the wisdom of this world and by devils, the wisdom of the princes of this world (1 Corinthians 2:6-7), to believe that born again believers cannot hear God and/or that God does not talk to us. Yet scripture states, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). The world believes that anyone that claims that God talks to them is crazy: "If you talk to God, you are praying; If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia."97 Well, call us crazy! We prefer, however, to call it the audacity of faith! After all, "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). We wrote this book "as [we] were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21); that is, like king David, we wrote as God told us what to write: "All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern" (1 Chronicles 28:19). What's more, born again believers have the Spirit of God dwelling in them (John 14:17); thus hearing God is more about being attuned to the Spirit of God than physically hearing God speak from heaven. "And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me" (Ezekiel 2:2). Moreover, sons and daughters of God must also be able to prophesy, perceive visions and discern dreams from the Lord. "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:16-17). Prophecy is not possible without the ability to hear God: "Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (Acts 28:25-27).

The base requirements for a Christian to hear God was expressed by Jesus when he was talking with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). And those that worship God must "Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:119). Notice we are commanded to quench not the Spirit: quench not the flame of fire of God (Hebrews 1:7; Revelation 4:5). We are to be led by the Spirit of God, not to smother or suppress him by talking over him—ignoring him (Matthew 6:7), not to disagree with him because we lack the truth in our hearts or because we are not rightly related with him through unrighteousness, or not to disdain him by blaspheming him. Oswald Chambers expounds:

The voice of the Spirit is as gentle as a zephyr, so gentle that unless you are living in perfect communion with God, you never hear it. The checks of the Spirit come in the most extraordinarily gentle ways, and if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice you will quench it, and your personal spiritual life will be impaired. His checks always come as a still small voice, so small that no one but the saint notices them.55

Our spirits must be purified by faith and by obedience to the truth—the Word of God. "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:22-23). At another time, Jesus said, "continue in my word" (John 8:31): continue studying, believing, and obeying the truth: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Near the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus again stipulated, "Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (John 18:37). "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts" (Hebrews 3:7-8). In addition, prayer (confessing of sins) and fasting (Isaiah 58:6, 9) may be necessary to help remove spiritual barriers (see "Understanding Deliverance" for more on spiritual cleansing). "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2). Not surprisingly, God had similar requirements to hear him in the Old Testament:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:9-11)

And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. (Exodus 19:14-19)

The people had to cleanse themselves from any uncleanness before they could come into the presence of the Lord and hear his voice. As Christians, we must first repent of our sins—seek the mercy of God—before we approach unto his throne: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). "My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him" (Joshua 7:19). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 29:2). In short, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).

What's more, if we do not honor the Lord as scripture dictates, we may indeed hear God; however, we may not hear his perfect will. He may say go do some action; however, when we do the action we do not get the expected results. This is what the children of Israel faced during the days when the judges ruled. Examine the three sets of scriptures below:

So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men. Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war. And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first. And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men. (Judges 20:11-21)

And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day. (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.) And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. (Judges 20:22-25)

Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword. (Judges 20:26-28, 35)

In the first and second set of scriptures above, the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, got an answer and obeyed. Of course, like most of us, they expected that if God says to do something that it will be successful. In these two instances, however, they had not sanctified themselves before enquiring of the Lord. Therefore, they went to war but the Lord was not with them. This is similar to the situation David faced when he attempted to move the ark of God without the following the "due order" laid out in scripture (Deuteronomy 10:8):

Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. (2 Samuel 6:1-8)

And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. (1 Chronicles 15:12-13)

One additional barrier to hearing God that is expressed in scripture is fear: fear of death. Many, like the Jews in the wilderness, believe that they will die if they hear the voice of God: "And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not" (Exodus 20:19-20). "And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth" (Deuteronomy 5:24). Likewise, Christians have to separate ourselves from anything that impedes—sins, strong holds and devils—our ability to hear from God: to actively listen for that still small voice. "He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back" (Isaiah 50:4-5). Once we begin to hear a still small voice in our minds, it is necessary to validate that the still small voice we are hearing is indeed of the Lord. Since we know that Satan is an imitator, we need to test the spirit talking (see "The spirit of Error"). When a voice speaks in our mind, we should "try the spirit" by asking the spirit in our mind: "Is Jesus Christ come in the flesh?" Alternatively, "Do you confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" (1 John 4:1-3)? If the answer is "yes," then the spirit is of God. If, however, the answer is "no," then the spirit is of Satan and we should immediately cast out all spirits that confess NOT that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. We should use this test always whether it is a voice we are hearing in our minds or a voice we are hearing from someone in a pulpit or on television. We have to continually develop our ability to detect evil and unclean spirits: "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14). This is something Peter had not yet learned before he was converted. He speaks by revelation of God and shortly after he speaks as prompted by Satan:

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:13-23)

Get in the practice of asking God about each decision you need to make. There are no big questions nor little questions; cast all your care on him (1 Peter 5:7). "Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me" (Job 13:22). "The simple truth is the [the Lord] reveals [his] secrets to us in proportion to the level of our willingness to ask questions. We receive 'answers' to fit the kind of 'questions' we pose. If our questions are narrowly and unimaginatively conceived, the answers will be too."98 "Many believers treat 'God' as a mascot, hobby, or household god. If our questions about God are narrowly based then the kind of God we believe in will fit the shape of our questions."99 Notwithstanding, be careful to not ask ambiguous questions (James 1:6-8), be specific. For example:

  • Father, should I pay this bill today?
  • Father, should I address this problem this way?
  • Father, where are my keys?
  • Father, why is my child sick?
  • Father, are there sins of which I have not repented?
  • Father, does the gift of speaking in unknown tongues give evidence that a Christian has been filled with the Holy Ghost?
  • Father, are there any strong holds that I need to renounce today?
  • Father, what is the name of the devil that I need to cast out?
  • Father, how much money should I give today?

When you "hear" the answer in your mind, validate that it is God speaking. The ability to hear comes through planting the Word in your heart, through deliverance and through practice; so do not be discouraged if at first you do not hear anything or you hear everything else but that still small voice. "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12). Keep studying, believing and obeying his word, keep confessing sins, keep fasting, keep asking, keep listening, and keep validating the source. Eventually, you will come to know God's voice as well as you know your mother's, your father's, your spouse's, or any other significant person in your life. Yet, even then, always validate the source. "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11). God will not tell you to do something that does not align with his Word. "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). For example, some murderers have said, "God told me to kill that man"; yet, under the New Testament, the Word of God states: "Thou shalt not kill ... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Romans 13:9).

One warning that has already been expressed in "The Principality of Idolatry" section is to ensure that when you pray, you are free from having strong holds—idols in your heart (Ezekiel 14:4-5): desires, opinions, likes, dislikes, prejudices, judgments, philosophies, etc. Since strong holds represent agreements you have with Satan, coming to enquire of God while being in agreement with the enemy constitutes double mindedness. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:6-8). Remember, prayer requires you come to the Lord as a supplicant: humbly asking your petitions and awaiting the Lord's pleasure. If not, God will answer you according to your idol, through the use of lying spirits, as we see in this example with King Ahab:

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand. And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. (1 Kings 22:5-23)

The king had already decided to go to war against Ramothgilead; however, at the insistence of Jehoshaphat, he sought to enquire of the Lord. Note, his four hundred prophets and even Micaiah, a prophet of the Lord, told him what he wanted to hear per a lying spirit from the Lord. The king, however, astutely recognized that Micaiah was not telling him the "real" truth and asked for it; implicitly proclaiming as did Jesus, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Remember, God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18); however, he may send a lying spirit to tell you what you want to hear.

Finally, given all we have detailed, we must remember what the Lord told Israel: "And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no" (Deuteronomy 8:2). God may often tells us things "to prove" us as he did with Abraham (Genesis 22). "Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him" (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14). Thus, "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" (Proverbs 24:10); rather, "glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

In conclusion, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God" (2 Timothy 2:15) for "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7). Moreover, ask the Lord to identify any idols in your heart and if any are present, renounce them (see "Understanding Deliverance" for more on casting down strong holds), repent of the related sins, and cast out the associated devils. What's more, cast out all spirits of error, all spirits of confusion, and all lying spirits. Finally, ask the Lord to tell you the truth as did king Ahab (Daniel 7:16; James 1:5), ask the Lord your question and then "try the spirits whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). "That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee" (Proverbs 22:19-21)?

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