Christ Jesus once said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).
Based on what He said, it's clear that anyone who belongs to Christ and follows Him as His sheep hears His voice when He speaks.
However, many Christians don't know how to hear Him. I've heard and read about Christians who struggle with accurately hearing the voice of God talking to them. Don't get me wrong – I've had my fair share of struggles with hearing God's voice, too. One thing that I know, however, is that there's a simple tool that will help us hear God more clearly and more accurately.
It's called obedience to the Word of God.
'But I Don't Understand What I Read'
Friends, I'm sure we've all had some trouble understanding what God said in His Word. When we get to read the long list of names in the Old Testament, many of us wonder, "What's this about?" When we read some portion there that speaks of prophecies or judgment or whatever, we all scratch our heads and say, "I don't get a thing or two."
We've all been there.
One thing that I realised is that many of us fail to understand Scripture because we try to interpret it, instead of simply obeying it. This kind of communication problem happens in our relationships, too. Let me explain.
Hearing Filters
We humans have this tendency to interpret what we hear another person tell us. Married couples have some misunderstanding because of this.
For example, a wife tells her husband she misses him, but then the husband responds by working more hours to earn enough for a short vacation trip. The wife gets hurt and becomes angry. Why? It's because she wanted his time and affection right then and there, but was given a promise for good quality time later. The husband wrongly interpreted his wife's loving nudge.
In the same way, we might hear God wrongly if we interpret what He says. If He says "forgive one another" (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32), He simply means that we should forgive one another. If Christ says, "If anyone desires to follow Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24), He simply means that we can't follow Him if we cherish and nourish our sins.
God means what He says, and says what He means. There's no need to interpret anything unless He says so. We just need to obey His Word and follow His counsel.
It's a Free Hearing Aid
Friends, this hearing aid is totally free. "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:22-25)
