KNOWING GOD'S VOICE :
'...His sheep follow him because they know his voice.' John 10:4 NIV
Here are seven occasions when knowing God's voice is all-important:
(1) Hearing from God before you entertain the ideas of others. Why? Because their ideas are not His commands. Don't make commitments and end up bound by promises you can't keep. You must love others, but be led only by God's Spirit.
(2) Hearing from God before you listen to the complaints of others. Why? Because you are not responsible for their happiness. Your need to 'fix' others in order to feel good about yourself is called 'co-dependency'. Give them to God!
(3) Hearing from God before you consider the needs of others. Why? Because their needs are driving them; only the plan of God should be leading you.
(4) Hearing from God before you respond to the requests of others. Why? Because you must discern what's behind their requests. Check the soil before you sow your seed.
(5) Hearing from God before you share your dream with others. Why? Because it's not enough to have a dream, you must have a team. You need people to help you, cheer you on and lift you to a higher level. The right people motivate you to grow stronger, think better, work harder and risk more. They compel you to continue!
(6) Hearing from God before you seek the approval of others. Why? Because people with an agenda will flatter and manipulate you. Hearing God's voice will keep you from falling into their trap.
(7) Hearing from God before you make significant changes. Why? Because it's not your job to decide what God wants you to do, but to discover it and do it.
JESUS MAKES ALL THINGS NEW :
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. - John 1:3
Any electronic product which you buy usually comes with an instruction booklet which says, “Send only to authorized dealers for maintenance and repairs.” Similarly, when something in your body or life breaks down, you go back to Jesus, your Creator and Maker. You go to Him because God’s Word tells us that “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made”.
The Bible says that in the beginning, God created everything by speaking (Genesis 1), and Jesus was the Word who caused everything to come to pass. (John 1:1–2, 14) So when relationships in your family break down, when your finances are low or when some part of your body isn’t working properly, you go to Jesus who can fix it and even make it better than before!
A mother from our church testified of how God gave her a brand new daughter who used to be a very rebellious teenager. The day the girl gave her life to Jesus marked the start of a new life with her family. She also became the face to look out for in the national swimming arena. When asked by reporters about her record-breaking feats, she told them that it was Jesus who did it all for her!
A lady once approached me and said, “Pastor, I don’t know if you still remember me, but I came to you before when I was a divorcee. This is my husband — the same man I divorced some years ago. We remarried and these are our children!” Now, this doesn’t usually happen in cases where divorce has taken place, but this couple looked to Jesus and saw their broken family made whole!
When man puts something that has been broken back together, it is usually not as good as before. But when Jesus does it, all things become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) The One who made the heavens and the earth is more than able to make it better than it was before!
Thought For The Day :
When something in your body or life breaks down, go back to Jesus, your Creator and Maker.
ONLY BELIEVE AND RECEIVE
…He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” - Mark 5:36
To the two blind men who came to Jesus for their miracles, Jesus said, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” And to Jairus, who had just been told that his daughter was dead, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (Mark 5:36).
In the Gospels, we find Jesus encouraging the people who needed His help to only believe in Him. He never asked them, “Have you been deserving or wonderful in your behavior?” He never asked them about their law keeping or performance. He was only interested in whether they believed He would do good to them.
My friend, good character, good behavior and acts of charity are all good, but they cannot earn you favor with God. He doesn’t look at these things to decide if you merit His favor and help. The good news is that you don’t have to have it all together to receive from God. All you need to do is believe that He blesses you out of the riches of His grace and because of the finished work of His Son, Jesus. You see, it’s not about what you have done, but what Jesus has done. So as long as you come to Him depending on His unmerited favor and believing that He is both able and willing, you will receive from Him the miracle you need!
YOU HAVE THE ADVANTAGE :
“...His favor is for a lifetime...” - (Psalm 30:5, AMP)
One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone may have wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator. And it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”
I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “...for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way. God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you!
'...His sheep follow him because they know his voice.' John 10:4 NIV
Here are seven occasions when knowing God's voice is all-important:
(1) Hearing from God before you entertain the ideas of others. Why? Because their ideas are not His commands. Don't make commitments and end up bound by promises you can't keep. You must love others, but be led only by God's Spirit.
(2) Hearing from God before you listen to the complaints of others. Why? Because you are not responsible for their happiness. Your need to 'fix' others in order to feel good about yourself is called 'co-dependency'. Give them to God!
(3) Hearing from God before you consider the needs of others. Why? Because their needs are driving them; only the plan of God should be leading you.
(4) Hearing from God before you respond to the requests of others. Why? Because you must discern what's behind their requests. Check the soil before you sow your seed.
(5) Hearing from God before you share your dream with others. Why? Because it's not enough to have a dream, you must have a team. You need people to help you, cheer you on and lift you to a higher level. The right people motivate you to grow stronger, think better, work harder and risk more. They compel you to continue!
(6) Hearing from God before you seek the approval of others. Why? Because people with an agenda will flatter and manipulate you. Hearing God's voice will keep you from falling into their trap.
(7) Hearing from God before you make significant changes. Why? Because it's not your job to decide what God wants you to do, but to discover it and do it.
JESUS MAKES ALL THINGS NEW :
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. - John 1:3
Any electronic product which you buy usually comes with an instruction booklet which says, “Send only to authorized dealers for maintenance and repairs.” Similarly, when something in your body or life breaks down, you go back to Jesus, your Creator and Maker. You go to Him because God’s Word tells us that “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made”.
The Bible says that in the beginning, God created everything by speaking (Genesis 1), and Jesus was the Word who caused everything to come to pass. (John 1:1–2, 14) So when relationships in your family break down, when your finances are low or when some part of your body isn’t working properly, you go to Jesus who can fix it and even make it better than before!
A mother from our church testified of how God gave her a brand new daughter who used to be a very rebellious teenager. The day the girl gave her life to Jesus marked the start of a new life with her family. She also became the face to look out for in the national swimming arena. When asked by reporters about her record-breaking feats, she told them that it was Jesus who did it all for her!
A lady once approached me and said, “Pastor, I don’t know if you still remember me, but I came to you before when I was a divorcee. This is my husband — the same man I divorced some years ago. We remarried and these are our children!” Now, this doesn’t usually happen in cases where divorce has taken place, but this couple looked to Jesus and saw their broken family made whole!
When man puts something that has been broken back together, it is usually not as good as before. But when Jesus does it, all things become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) The One who made the heavens and the earth is more than able to make it better than it was before!
Thought For The Day :
When something in your body or life breaks down, go back to Jesus, your Creator and Maker.
ONLY BELIEVE AND RECEIVE
…He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” - Mark 5:36
To the two blind men who came to Jesus for their miracles, Jesus said, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” And to Jairus, who had just been told that his daughter was dead, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (Mark 5:36).
In the Gospels, we find Jesus encouraging the people who needed His help to only believe in Him. He never asked them, “Have you been deserving or wonderful in your behavior?” He never asked them about their law keeping or performance. He was only interested in whether they believed He would do good to them.
My friend, good character, good behavior and acts of charity are all good, but they cannot earn you favor with God. He doesn’t look at these things to decide if you merit His favor and help. The good news is that you don’t have to have it all together to receive from God. All you need to do is believe that He blesses you out of the riches of His grace and because of the finished work of His Son, Jesus. You see, it’s not about what you have done, but what Jesus has done. So as long as you come to Him depending on His unmerited favor and believing that He is both able and willing, you will receive from Him the miracle you need!
YOU HAVE THE ADVANTAGE :
“...His favor is for a lifetime...” - (Psalm 30:5, AMP)
One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone may have wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator. And it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”
I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “...for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way. God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment