While God most often speaks to us through his Word, it is possible to read, study, memorize, and live in strict obedience to the Word of God and miss the dynamic of the personal relationship He wants to have with us. Was not this the complaint he had with the Pharisees. They were teachers of Scripture. They had the first books of the Bible memorized. In fact, they read the Scriptures in the original languages and made a profession out of explaining to others the meaning of the text. But when they met Jesus, they didn't recognize Him as the Son of God. It was the greatest tragedy of Jesus earthly life. This happens today. Many of our universities are filled with biblical scholars who do not know God personally. Some of our churches harbor a few of these. They are men and women who are more interested in arguing Scripture than they are in applying its teaching to their lives. They want to be right more than they want to be made righteous. You see my friends, without developing the ability to dialogue with God through a intimate heart language, you may be deceived like so many other truly intelligent people are. Jesus used the analogy of sheep to explain this truth. You can read His analogy in John 10. I have heard that the sheep have quite a special relationship with their shepherd. They follow his voice, and his only. The relationship between the sheep and their shepherd must be similar to the one that one of a Pastor/Minister has with His or Hers people. I believe that the relationship I have with those I minister to or those that are apart of my ministry is very unique, personal, interactive, and special. You see the intimacy which the sheep share with their shepherd is built on His tender care of them. And the longer the sheep is under the shepherds tender loving care the trust will deepen. Through all the hard life experiences the sheep will have, they will grow to understand their shepherd very well and know that the shepherd will be there for them to help them out of their trouble, and pick them up when they fall and help them get back on the right path. Jesus said in John 10:11 ''I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep''. You do not serve a silent God. God speaks through His Word. God speaks through other people. God speaks through dreams and visions. God speaks through worship. And when God speaks, He communicates directly to your heart. john 10:2-3'' But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. I want to warn you all that you need to test the voice of God. We know that God indeed does speak directly to our hearts through His Word, other people, dreams and visions, and worship. And He does. But every time God speaks, the devil tries to mimic his voice. Jesus told His listeners that His sheep will not be distracted by the voices of impostors. He said that his sheep will know his voice. I am a child of God. I know that I am one of those sheep who Jesus mentioned when He spoke of His flock in John 10. I was saved when I was 12 years old and began then to follow the voice of my Shepherd. But there have been times in my life when I have been confused, mistaken, and even deceived, There have been times when I've fallen prey to the schemes of the enemy, and I've mistaken his voice for God's. One of those times was when I was 16 years old and thought I met Mr.Right and married him at 17. Ill tell you something, I paid dear for that for over 20 sum years. And also more than once have I mistaken the voice of darkness for the voice of God, but I have also mistaken my own flesh for the voice of God. Let me explain these dangers so that you will learn how to test the voice of God and avoid making the same mistakes. Jesus warned that we live in a hostile environment. In keeping with the analogy of sheep, He warned of the sheep's mortal enemy, the wolf: I'am sending you out like lambs among wolves''...Luke 10:3'' Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. He also told us that those wolves might disguise themselves as sheep: '' Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves''. Matt 7:15'' Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. What a terrible picture of reality! Lambs among wolves? Wolves disguised as sheep? What I love about these verses is that we serve a Lord who tells us the truth. Don't ever forget that God tells you the truth, even when the truth might not be what you want to hear. How do these wolves attack us in our prayer lives? Consider those that are cloaked as sheep. Jesus told us those wolves are false prophets. They use the Word of God and distort it to say what is culturally popular, or pleasant to our ears. I really believe that the prosperity gospel fits into this category. Anyone who preaches that yielding your life to the Lord will deliver you from all suffering is not speaking the truth. We serve a Savior who suffered much. How can we not expect to suffer as well? Anyone who lives like a King on the tithes and offerings of others ought not be trusted. How can men and women of God bathe in wealth while hundreds of thousands of people suffer and die simply because they are poor? If God gives the ability to make wealth, then we can be assured that wealth is to be invested in God's Kingdom work. So many Christian today will follow a wealthy minister today with the mind-set they to will become wealthy. You see when that person speaks He might sound like a sheep--and quoting Scriptures and telling Jesus stories--but unless His or Her message will preach in the poorest community in any of many Third World countries, it simply is not true. Watch out for false prophets. Jesus told us how to determine the difference between a wolf in sheep's clothing and real sheep: Matt 7:16-17'' Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. When you are desperate to hear the voice of God, you are vulnerable to deception. False prophets might tell you what you want to hear, but temporary ''ear tickles'' will only lead to long-term regret. The truth is what sets you free, even when the truth might hurt. Beware of wolves. Also we need to beware of vain imaginations, and must be careful to submit the ''voice of God,'' that we think we hear, to the possibility that we could mistake our wishes for His purposes. Sometimes our desires for things can create a bit of interference in what you may hear from God. Our Lord is good, and He does love to satisfy our heart's desire, but His ways and ours are not always the same. Beware of vain imaginations. If you want to hear God's voice, you must surrender your mind and heart to Him. Psalm 22:2'' O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. So what do we do when the Voice of God is silent? I believe the hardest part of walking in darkness is when you experience the silence of God. The silence of God is like a thick mist, cold and clammy, blurring your surroundings. What happens when you read God's Word and it simply does not seem to speak personally to you? What happens when the two-way conversations you enjoy with God feel as they are going nowhere? What about those worship services that you attend where you feel like a bystander who somehow got passed over? What do you do when you pray and your prayers seem futile and God seems to be very far removed from you? I plan to answer these question in the next part teachings. I believe that every-body has a broken. Everybody's got a heart cry! So ask yourself what is your burden? Most often the cries of our hearts are what press us toward God in prayers. Have you ever written your heart cry down on paper? I know I have. Maybe you have talk to God about your burden, too, but you are not sure it's working for you. In fact, you are beginning to wonder whether He cares. I know I have been in that place before myself and I know how you feel. I may not have experienced your exact situation, but I have struggled to somehow connect my longing to God's heart. I'm not the first one who has done this, nor are you the only one who has suffered the longing you are suffering now. The Bible is full of stories about real people dealing with real life. One of those people is David, and because David was a writer, we get the honor of having access to his prayer journal. PSALM 143:5-6'' I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
