My sheep know my voice .. ok.. now what?

John 10:4  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

In the past, I have asked spiritual leaders and friends whom I believed would be able to share some wisdom the following question, "How do I recognize God's voice when He speaks to me?" Every individual responded by quoting John 10:4 "the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." That was probably as useful to me as defining a word in the dictionary by using the same word. It did not help.

It was only two Sunday's ago when I began to receive clarity on the topic. It all started during a discussion that took place in my discipleship class. The leader of the class was explaining how sheep operate. She said that at night, shepherds would often gather their sheep together with other flocks since it was easier to protect them from predators. In the morning, each shepherd would call their sheep to them and only their sheep (who are now in one huge flock) would come out of the flock and follow them while all the other sheep would remain.

During the week, I thought about the matter even more and this is what I have concluded. Sheep know the voice of their shepherd because they grew familiar to their shepherd's voice. I do not believe that a sheep that is sold to another shepherd will automatically begin following his new owner's commands the very first day he is brought to the farm. It is the same with a new believer in Christ, or sadly, even long time believers in Christ. Before we can discern the voice of God we must become familiar with His voice.

Not every voice we hear in our mind is a friendly one. I believe that there are a total of three voices in every believer's mind and only one that is trustworthy. (1) Yourself (2) Holy Spirit/God (3) Satan/ The Enemy. That one trustworthy voice being that of God and no other voice is to be trusted. Everyday we hear all three of these voices in our mind and without a familiarity of God's voice, one can easily mistake the voice of God for one of the other two voices.

How we gain familiarity with God's voice is by (1) READING HIS WORD (2) PRAYING. Do both and do them often and you will naturally be able to discern the voice of God when you hear it.

This being said, the next time someone asks you the question, "How do I recognize God's voice when He speaks to me?" You can respond by saying, "You must first become familiar with God's voice before you can discern whether or not He is speaking to you. You will begin to recognize the voice of God as you submerge yourself in His word (Holy BIBLE) and His presence during through prayer."

Those who talk less think more.

we live in a microwave generation

You must first acknowledge how foolish you are before you can pursue wisdom with the intensity you desire.

Your love feels like the sun's rays on my skin

Your company is better than french vanilla icecream

Your whisper sends tingles down my spine

Your embrace feels like I'm swimming in a pool of warm pudding

As I re-read the above lines I shook my head. It's unfortunate that my limited vocab couldn't express the way I feel about my God. *sigh*

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, It's hard to focus on ethnic conflict in Rwanada and underprivileged women in the Global South when all I can think about is You.

Can you move a brick by blowing on it?

I just thought of this illustration maybe a day ago and it really helped me understand just a tee nee bit more about how Mighty the God I serve really is.

Which is easier to do?

Moving a single brick by blowing on it?
OR taking it in your hand and moving it?

For most of us, the answer is obvious. We would find it maybe a million times easier to simply lift up the brick and move it rather than try to move it by breathing on. Why? Because there is more power in our hands than in our breath.

Ok cool. Now try to wrap your tee nee minds around our huge God.

Psalms 33:6 Says, "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."

In case you missed the point, God BREATHED stars into existence. Maybe some pictures will help.

 

Our Sun

VY Canis Majoris

Our sun is just about 1 million times larger than the earth. VY Canis Majoris is the largest known star in all the galaxy. If the Earth was a golf ball, then this star, Canis Majoris, would be the size of MT. Everest. 7 quadrillion earths could fill it. Ya, our God breathed that into existence... !! (There is an awesome video on youtube that illustrates this point way better than I could. It's super interesting so click here to check it out.)

Now onto my next point, let's go to John 10:28-30. It says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

If the BREATH of God is mighty enough to create ginormous balls of fierce flames that never go out, how much more mighty are His hands? Remember our illustration above with the brick? We concluded that hands are more powerful than the breath of a man. How much more powerful are the hands of GOD? So if God is saying that His children shall never perish and no one can snatch them out of His hand, then you better believe it! You are as safe as you can EVER be! You are in the hands of a MIGHTY God who literally BREATHS fire!!!

Wooooot!!

 

It's exam season so I've been busy studying. You can find me at Robarts, one of U of T's best study spots in downtown Toronto. 

I have, still i want. I get, still I want more.

Two days ago I went downtown Toronto with a church group called 'Feed The Streets'. A leader from my church planned the entire day and provided at least a dozen huge bags of clothing plus tons of sandwiches and other types of food for distribution to the poor and homeless in the city. The day was filled with divine appointments, heart wrenching stories, prayer for those who requested it and a massive display of God's love for His children. It was an absolutely amazing day and there are many uniquely inspiring stories that I could share with you but there was one particular conversation that really made me reflect on my own life.

Myself and my three other friends were at one of Toronto's many parks - this one is especially known for being one of the social hubs for the homeless and poor in the city - to distribute the clothing and food we had. It was there that I met my friend. We didn't exchange names but what I received from the conversation was much more valuable than civil pleasantries. His long grey beard and fisherman's hat paired with the solemn expression on his face and calm yet authoritative tone of his voice captured my attention. He spoke about the things he wanted to do in his life and the places he dreamt about travelling. It seemed as if he knew exactly how he was going to get there and when he was going to go. His dreams made me consider my own dreams. He was a man of humble living yet his dreams were so much bigger than my own dreams. I thought, if he could dream that way, then I must be cutting myself short. Why don't I dream the way he dreams? His dreams are so big and so far away from what my eyes told me he could achieve. Yet my heart cheered for him. I thought hey, if you can dream it, then you can achieve it! During our conversation I asked him if he wanted any of the clothes from the bag I was holding and he looked at me dead in the eye and politely replied, "No thank you, I have more than enough." A questioning look appeared on my face since I didn't understand how a man who lived in a shelter could have more than enough so I asked him, "Are you sure?" It was then that he pointed to a bench behind me. I looked back and I saw a suitcase the size of a backpack with a winter jacket resting on top of it. He said, "I have everything I need." His peaceful face testified to his words and that he was being completely genuine. I was awestruck. Here I am, living a beautiful home, driving a car, going to university and clothes in my closet that I never wear and still I am not content. Still I want more. Where did this man find his contentment? How was he so satisfied with what he had? I reflected on his words then and still I reflect.

Philippians 4:11-12 (New International Version)

¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Keziah and Jehoshaphat

Let me tell you a story:

Keziah and Jehoshaphat were very good friends but for many years lived very far away from each other. One day, Jehoshaphat told Keziah that he would be coming to visit her and he would be bringing as a gift one of the desserts that his town was famous for. Keziah was so excited when she heard this that she told all of her friends about his visit and the dessert that he was going to bring. She expected him to visit and she expected to taste the dessert he was going to bring. She had put all of her hope in him coming because she trusted his character and she knew that if he said that he was going to come and if he said that he would bring a dessert with him then that is what he was going to do. One day, as she was thinking about his soon arrival, God spoke to her and said, "Why can't you have faith in me like that?"


Moral: Everyday we have faith in people and things but what about our faith in God? Can't his word be trusted like the word of the chef who brings you your food that you didn't see him prepare, or a doctor who says he has to cut you open with a knife then stitch you back together and everything will be alright? Trust God like you would trust your best friend. Trust His character. He is honest, faithful, trustworthy, loving and everything good.


Have faith =)