Daily Devotion: Discerning God's Voice

Scripture:
John 10: 1-7

Main Verse:
John 10: 3-5
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. 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.

Observation:
Jesus compared His relationship with all his followers to that of a shepherd and his sheep. The good shepherd uses the right way by entering through the gate, but a thief will climb in some other way to steal the sheep. The good shepherd calls his sheep and cares for them, provides for their needs, and does not abandon them. When he calls them, they follow him because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow someone they do not know and run away from that stranger. Jesus is Our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He knows who are His own. As a result of our relationship with the Lord, we can clearly hear His voice and follow Him. The Lord tells us that "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says." (John 8:47) We can only hear what God says if the Holy Spirit dwells in us. When we decide to follow Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit will reside in us. The Spirit will help us discern whether something is from God or not.

Application:
The Holy Spirit dwells in every Christian, but to be able to clearly understand whether something belongs to God or something is from God, we also need confirmation from the Word of God. We have become so familiar with the phrase "the leading of the Holy Spirit," but have we also looked at what the Word of God tells us? In Priscilla Shirer’s book "Discerning the Voice of God,"  she says there are 5 ways to know if we are correctly hearing the voice of God:

1. Look for the MESSAGE of the Spirit - We often ask God for the Holy Spirit's leading, but are we truly listening and do we really know it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us? If it is, the Spirit will give us a message. 
2. Live in the MODE of prayer - When you hear the message from God, spend time praying about it. And when we pray, it should not be a casual prayer, but a deep, intimate, one-on-one prayer with the Lord. 
3. Search out the MODEL of the Scripture - This is important. What does Scripture tell me about the message I heard? Does it contradict the Bible? Does it contradict the character of God? Does it contradict the will of the Father? If it does, time to go back to #2.
4. Submit to the MINISTRY of Eli - Eli was a good man who lived a holy and dedicated life for the Lord. If you want to know if the message is truly from the Holy Spirit, ask a mature believer. A wise and mature follower of Christ can help you discern if what you heard is from God.
5. Expect the MERCY of confirmation - We need to ask the Lord to confirm what we heard through the Bible, circumstances, and other believers. 

God will never ask us to do something that contradicts His Word, His character, and His will in our life. We need to be careful when discerning God's voice. If we no longer use the Word of God as our criterion in discerning His Will, we need to pray. We might be falling into the trap of listening to the voice of the thief who steals the sheep. 

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for your Word and giving us a means to know Your will in our lives. I have great comfort in the knowledge that you gently but firmly lead the way of your sheep. I pray, oh Lord, that I may hear your voice clearly so that I may not fall into the trap of the enemy. Hold me close and may I be fully dependent on you as my Shepherd. In Your Mighty and Holy Name I pray. AMEN.