When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. John 10:4-5.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I want to make your life beautiful, the most beautiful life ever lived and one of the ways I do this is by speaking with you so that you know Me and I can guide you and take care of you through time and eternity.
It pleases Me to do things with you. My communication with you is not one way. I call you by name, I ask you questions and wait for you to respond, I give you answers when you ask Me questions, I ask you to be involved in certain projects and assignments, I offer you plans, solutions, and creative ideas and inventions, and I help you with your daily tasks. But how much you want to be involved with Me and communicating with Me is up to you.
I want all to know Me from the least to the greatest and the youngest to the oldest. Just as in the world, you can, and will, be around people of every age, walk of life, and different backgrounds and the extent to which you seek out and know people in a close manner is up to you and also very much up to their response to you.
Forced friendship never results in true fellowship. I never force you to join with Me in close fellowship, I call you to it and knock at the door of your heart, but if you shut Me out, I will not shut you out, but I will wait until you let Me come in and dine with you and you with Me. But I do not stop knocking. And if you will draw close to Me, I will always draw close to you. When you seek Me with your heart you will find Me right there with you. I am always as close as your heart.
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13.
And that tells you much about how you hear Me and know My voice. I speak to you heart to heart (in the innermost part of you, which is your spirit). When I am speaking directly to you, no one else will hear that communication but you and I wait for your response.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak to her heart. Then I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor (trouble) as a door of hope. And she will respond with singing as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” Hosea 2:14-15.
I made you in My image and according to My likeness. I am Spirit and I made you as a spirit with a soul (your mind, will, and emotions) and in the vessel of your body in which you are able to live upon the earth.
But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7.
You hear from Me by turning your attention to Me with your heart, meaning your thoughts are towards Me and you desire to hear what I have to say to you. And this is what I call walking in the Spirit and not just in the flesh. Walking in the flesh means you only accept what you experience with your five physical senses and reject spiritual truth as foolishness. But it is the fool that says in his heart “there is no God.” And he hardens his heart to My communication—that is having a spirit that is dead to Me and alive to sin. If today you hear My voice harden not your heart, it will keep you out of the abundant life I am trying to lead you to that I already prepared for you.
Now for those of you who want to hear from Me and follow what I am telling you but have a problem discerning whether a thought that comes into your head or a word you hear is from Me, the devil, the world, or simply your flesh, I am going to set out guidelines you can apply to determine if the communication is from Me.
First, understand that what I speak to you can be defined as prophecy. It comes from Me and is information that you need to know to have beautiful, fruitful, and powerful life. But primarily I say this because it fits exactly the definition I give you of prophetic utterance.
One who prophesies speaks to men for edification (oikodomé (οἰκοδομή): building, edification, structure, home) and exhortation (paraklésis (παράκλησις): comfort, encouragement, exhortation, consolation) and encouragement (paramuthia (παραμυθία): comfort, consolation, encouragement). 1 Corinthians 14:3.
You will know that I am speaking to you if it edifies you, that is, it gives you uplifting enlightenment and stabilizes your life. If you continue in My Word you are truly My disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Truth edifies, it builds a life at peace filled with assurance of good things to come. The truth is your foundation on which you build your beautiful life. You will know the truth when you find it for it gives you enlightenment, builds you up, and sets you free. My Word is truth.
When I speak it brings comfort (I am the God of all comfort), consolation, encouragement, and exhortation all combined as one from the One with you and in you, the Paráklētos (the “legal advocate” at your side). The words I use in the original Greek in which the were written both exhortation and encouragement are wrapped up in the words that also mean comfort and consolation. What you must understand from this is that I do not strive with you, chide you, nag, or demean you, I urge you on to the Highway of Holiness, the path of joyful victory, and off the path of sin and defeat by urgings accompanied by the sweetness of consolation, comfort, and encouragement for where you are and where you should be. I win the world by love. I conquer evil with good. And I take you to new heights of glory by edification, exhortation, and encouragement, all wrapped up in comfort and consolation. I always give you a brighter side to look at. Even when I must correct you because you are going the wrong way or have fallen into a sinful lifestyle, I do it in a way that lifts you up and out of the miry swamp you have gotten yourself into and places you feet on a height with a new song in your mouth. I surround you with songs of deliverance.
Next, know that what I say to you, if it is from Me, must line up with My written Word in the Bible. If it is contrary to My Word reject it immediately as not from Me. I have Scriptures covering everything in your life—from giving to receiving, eating, drinking, speaking, and doing. I never do anything I would tell you not to do. I am love and I give you the description of what words you should expect to hear from Me:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
And I tell you what fruit My Words will produce in your soul:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23.
If the thoughts or words you hear are causing you fear, lust, addictions, shame, offense, and torment they are definitely NOT from Me but from the accuser of the brethren, Satan, that ancient serpent also known as the devil. He is a liar and the father of lies. Never expect the truth from him. He is the deceiver of the nations. Do not let him blind your mind to the truth that is in My Words. The problem is those who are deceived do not know it and will continue to live a lie which will cause them to perish if they do not receive the truth of My Word.
The devil comes only to steal My Word out of your heart and thus steal your free will and take you captive to do his will, and that will make your life ugly, as it did for him and for Adam who fell with him in rebellion to My Word that saves you and gives you eternal life.
If the input you are receiving does not produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit or a harvest of the increase of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit in your soul, then it is not from Me. If it does not witness with your spirit but you feel fear and uneasiness about the communication, it is not from Me.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself witnesses with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:14-16.
If what you are hearing makes you feel you have been rejected by Me for past or present sins or failures, it is NOT from Me. No one who comes to Me do I ever reject. Instead, I draw you into Christ to be cleansed of all sin and made a new creation, filled with My love poured in your hearts by My gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell in your spirit. And then I seal you in Christ by My Spirit as a pledge of your possession of a glorified body on the last day. If you have no confidence that you are saved even though you have received Jesus as Lord you are being misled and it is not from Me.
If what you are hearing is harsh, burdensome, and causes you pain and sorrow, it is not from Me! This is what I say to you through My Son, who is My Word, which is the way, the truth, and the life:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
If you are very familiar with someone, such as your mother, you will know that person’s voice and not mistake it for another even in a crowded room where many are talking over many voices in a crowd or alone picking up a phone call, you cannot be fooled you know the voice of your mother. Why? You hear it all the time at home. You know her voice by hearing and hearing her words.
So how do you know My voice even in the midst of the babble of other voices? By hearing and hearing My Word, by reading it until My written Word speaks in your spirit by My Holy Spirit as He leads you and guides you to all truth. If you read and spend time with Me in My written Word you will come to know My voice. And the more diligence you give to this the keener your hearing will become. With respect to My Words I tell you to “bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. Proverbs 6:21-22.
And to close today’s lesson on hearing My voice, My voice rises up from within your spirit and gives light that edifies, exhorts, and encourage all in an atmosphere of grace.
The devil’s words come from without and bombard you. They give darkness and no light. Fear will often rise up in your stomach from his words. The harvest of his words in your life is not fruitful and ends up doing more harm than good. It is the same result as following the words of a scam call. No fruit but only fear or greed has run you around an empty cistern.
I love you. My children hear My voice and they will not follow a stranger’s voice. Why? They know Me and I know them.