Are You Listening?

Self-life wants to hide the truth, but God’s Life wants to expose it!
* “For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:17

HEARING AND KNOWING HIS VOICE
John 1: 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
God is continually trying to teach us how to set aside “self-life” so that His Life can reign supreme in our hearts.

God desires to speak to you as if you were sitting down to dinner with him.

God wants to converse with you, heart to heart, on any and all matters! The Bible says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”
(Revelation 3:20).

This verse often has been used when speaking to the unsaved. We speak of Jesus standing at the door of the sinner’s heart, seeking entrance.
But, no—Christ is speaking to the believer!
*The context shows that Christ is talking to those who are clothed in white
raiment (righteousness), who have bought gold tried in the fire, whose eyes are anointed (having revelation), who are loved, reproved and chastened (seeRevelation 3:15-19).
**These are repentant, holy people who want to know the voice of God!

As I read and reread verse 20 in this passage, three words kept leaping out at me: “Open the door! Open the door!”
As I see it, this door represents a commitment—one that many Christians have not yet fully made.
Most believers pray, “Lord, all I need is a little advice, a few words of direction—a reminder that you love me.
Just let me know whether I’m doing right or wrong. Go before me and open the doors!”

But Jesus answers us:
*“If all you want from me is direction, I can send a prophet to you.
*If you only want to know where to go and what to do, I can send
someone and you can filter it all through him.
*** But you are missing ME!”
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
*Jesus wants your closeness, your deepest emotions, your locked-up room that you do not want to open.
*Jesus wants to sit down with you and share all that is in his heart—to talk with
you face to face.
Revelation 3 is a wonderful picture of this. It speaks of love and intimacy, of sharing secrets, of tender voices.

When Jesus comes in, he brings food and bread—in other words, himself. When you feed on him, you will be satisfied completely!
**************
Psalms 27:7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! 8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

I have been guilty of seeking more his miracles and things Jesus can do for me—-than seeking his face. To be more in love with Him than being in love with the things that He has given me. I believe He wants to strip me from that.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name Humble themselves, and Pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
*This is a promise from the Lord that if His people, who are called by His name. Humble themselves in prayer, by acknowledging their sins. He promises to forgive them when they ask for forgiveness and heal them.

Peter warns last-day believers that Satan will come to them with a loud voice, trying to bring fear. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter
5:8).

Here is my point: If Satan is making his voice known in these last days,
showing his power to the masses of lost souls, how much more important is it
for God’s people to know their Father’s voice?
Do you think the Lord would sit by as Satan roars at the world and yet remain silent?
Never!
Isaiah said: “The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard” (Isaiah 30:30).

Since the time of Adam and Eve, God has been speaking to man. “They heard the sound of the Lord God” (Genesis 3:8). Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid” (Genesis 3:10).

From Genesis through to the end of the New Testament, God made his voice known to his people. In the books of the prophets we see this phrase, “And God said. . .” repeated time after time. God’s voice was known and understood.

Jesus confirmed this in the New Testament, using the example of the Good Shepherd. “The sheep hear his voice . . . the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (John 10:3-4).

Adam hid from God’s voice, because of the guilt and shame of his sin. And
that is exactly where many of God’s people are today—hiding, afraid to hear
God speak!

If you want to hear God’s voice, you must be ready to have your soul purged
and cleansed.
“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).

Every believer is called to “go and make disciples of all the nations . . . ” (Matthew 28:19). That means we are all called to evangelism. We all have a part to play.

I must admit that it’s a mystery to me that God has chosen to use people as the primary communicators of His truth.
The primary way God reaches people who do not yet know Him is through verbal communication. How can people hear about Christ unless someone tells them? That someone is supposed to be you or me.

Christ and Christ Alone!!
Jesus said the Holy Spirit will Glorify Me.
John 16:14  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
***When hearing the voice of God, there are things we need to identify to know it is him.
*Anything that God will ever say, will always be in agreement with his WORD.
*If it’s not in agreement with God’s word, it’s counterfeit.
*God Never directs to anything that he has not taught in his word.
*The more we are able to understand the Truth of God’s word, the more we’ll be able to identify when something isn’t right.
*Where God’s word is, there is life.

Lord, do a work in me. I ask for your forgiveness and I pray you help me seek your face more than seeking your hand. Thank You for  Absolute TRUTH – YOUR WORD. Help me, through the Holy Spirit see more and more of Your Love through your Holy Spirit inspired Word the Bible!  In Jesus Name, Amen