My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 NIV
We live in a noisy world, with so many voices clamoring for our attention! It takes intentional focus to drown out the noise and listen for the voice of God. Do you know the voice of your Shepherd, do you recognize it when He speaks? Have you trained your ear to listen for it?
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. John 10:3b-5 NIV
The more you hear the voice of God, the easier it becomes to recognize it. So discipline yourself to spend regular time in prayer, and refrain from the temptation to do all the talking. Ask God to speak to your heart and mind, then spend the quiet time it requires to simply listen. He often chooses to speak through His written word, so take the time to read and ponder.
These verses present to us 3 simple ways to keep our lives on track:
- Focus your attention on God and listen for His voice.
- When He speaks, follow His lead.
- Run from any voice that you can’t identify as His.