Almost everyone today has a telephone. My brother, my sister, you may even have more than one. And when a friend or a family member calls you, most of the time you don’t need to ask “who is it?” WHY? Because you know their voices! Simple as that… Now, many believers would tell you that they can’t recognise the voice of God or they don’t hear God, or God does not speak to them? This last statement makes God a liar, my friend because the Bible says: “For God does speak – now one way, now another” (Job 33:14-20). Yes, He DOES speak, so to those who say God does not speak to them, the answer is simple: if you can recognise you friends’s voice it is because you have a continuous and regular relationship with them… if you have not spoken to someone for more than a year and that person calls you, you will need a few minute to guess who that person is. It is the same with the Lord.
My friends, this is a very serious matter in your Christian walk. Why? The truth is that God is speaking to us far more than we realise. Therefore we should take the time to cultivate our hearing of His voice. You see, when you today’s verses about the rich man who tells the Lord Jesus that He has kept ALL His commands (what an exceptional man!) and Jesus told Him, now “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21), the Bible said “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 19:22). My friends, this man found it hard to do what the Lord asked Him to do, when He heard His voice. You see, many unbelievers also keep the commands of God… so this rich man was just like them. But when He got closer to Jesus and Jesus spoke to Him, He was not ready to obey the Lord and left sad… MANY OF US DO THE SAME, BECAUSE WE WANT TO WALK WITH THE LORD IN OUR OWN TERMS! But, the truth about the Word of God is that whenever the Lord speaks to us (and He does) He always demands an active response from us. an that thing you will do is what activates the promises of God for our lives. Yes, if you hear the Lord and do nothing (most people would choose the ” fasting praying about it” option, because it is so easy for them to pray and fast… but it is not enough), then you cannot see the fulfillment of His promises to you.
The impact of the Lord’s voice is lost through our disobedience, our decision deciding not to respond to it, to postpone it, to ignore it. Yet, the Bible is clear: “if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you” (Deuteronomy 15: 5-6). My brother, my sister, are you looking for success or a change, learn to hear the voice of our Lord and obey it. And know that when you are in distress, may be it is because you have wandered a few miles away from His presence, and He is telling you this: “When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him” (Deuteronomy 4:30). Today, may someone be encouraged to look for the voice of God and act in obedience through ‘stepping out’ in faith. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.
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