BARNABAS BULLETIN ~ 0171
EARS TO HEAR!
We live in a day when there are so many conflicting voices all seeking our attention. If we do not know the true voice of God through the Holy Spirit, then we are prone to believe the wrong voice and finish up in deception. This is much more important than we have possibly realized. Did you know that 16 times in the New Testament we have this statement: “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear” (see Matthew11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9). 9 of those times we have the words added: “what the Spirit says to the churches.” This tells us that God is speaking to us by His Spirit today ~ but are we listening? Do we recognize God’s voice when He speaks? His sheep hear His voice and they know Him and follow Him (John 10).
Why is this so important? Because the voice of God is the only true voice that can be totally relied upon ~ He is the Spirit of Truth and does not tell lies. He has come to lead and guide us into all truth. Christianity is all about a personal relationship with our Living Lord. And living people talk! Out of that relationship comes forth a knowledge that enables us to know and fulfil the will of God for our lives. The voice of God brings the revelation of God that enables us to know, live and walk in the very centre of His will for our lives. It is not a “hit and miss” thing that leaves us hoping we have got it right.
Anything that God keeps repeating to us has to be important ~ very important, especially if He tells us 16 times! We need to therefore take good heed to this and make sure we are putting ourselves in a position where we can hear what God is speaking to us.
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Developing the ability to hear God’s voice is a vital part of Christianity.
The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is basically about two things: (1) What you hear and (2) What you see (with the eye of the Spirit). Every great person in the Bible started off as a total unknown nobody, until one event happened in the life of them all: they heard the voice of God and obeyed. Hearing God’s voice and obeying changed them from nobodies into somebodies. Hearing and obeying God’s voice enables us to “see” His plans and purposes for our lives. When we do what He asks us to do then we discover a whole new realm of relationship with Him, as well as fruitfulness and effectiveness in serving God. There are always testimonies to the glory of God when we do what He asks us! The Bible is full of God speaking to His people; the question is “Are we listening?”
Let’s be honest here. I believe the devil’s major strategy against the Christian is to make him doubt the voice of God. He knows that if we doubt what we hear, then we do nothing. And that suits the devil fine! He does not want you and me functioning in obedience to God’s purpose for our lives; for he then becomes a big-time loser! So, make very sure that the voice you listen to is the voice of God the Holy Spirit of Truth. People ask me, “But what if it is not God’s voice?” We will not fully know until we step out on the voice we have heard. If we get it wrong, then learn from it. Make adjustments until we know we have got it right. Remember, obedience is something we learn, not a gift (Hebrews 5:8). The voice of God and Truth will always glorify Jesus!
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When we are hearing God’s voice ~ and obeying it ~ there is no greater place for us to be.
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Our relationship with Jesus Christ and our effectiveness as a witness for Him cannot be compared to anything else.
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When we do things God’s way it has to turn out right, because He is the Spirit of Truth.
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He knows exactly what is best for us, so we need to listen to Him and what He has to say.
Anything less than that leaves us open to merely fulfilling man’s desire for us. And that does not produce fruit that will remain throughout time and into all eternity!
When we do what God asks us to do, then it is His responsibility to provide the wherewithal to get the job done! If more Christians learned to listen to God’s voice, believe it is God and did what He asks of us, then there would not need to be the “begging” for money that is so prevalent in Christian circles today. The sooner we learn to do things God’s way, the sooner we will experience His wonderful miracles of provision to do His will and purpose in our lives. So, we come back to our question: “Are we listening to the Holy Spirit of truth? Are we cultivating listening ears so that we will know how and when God speaks to us”? Your life and mine depends on our ability to know when God is speaking to us; for whatever God says to us is exactly right for us at this point in our lives.
I am so grateful to God that He spoke to me in the very first year of my being a Holy Spirit-filled believer and gave me the Prophetic Foundation for my life and Ministry. This is what He said to me: “If you will get to know My voice, and will do what I ask you, there is nowhere in this world where you and I cannot go together and we not be successful.” That was way back in 1960 and we have been seeking to walk according to that promise ever since. We have proven time and again that this is so right. It is a principle that every Christian should be desirous of walking in and living by. You cannot lose for winning when you do it God’s way! All those involved in this Ministry are volunteer workers (some for many years) ~ not one is paid. This has enabled us to release the finances to the getting out of the Gospel to the nations. The result has been that we have been privileged to minister to several million people over that time through the various avenues of this Ministry and the wonderful Team of volunteers He has given to us. God has provided the money to enable us to do what could not be done naturally. In the past two plus years ~ since God spoke to me in Kenya in 2012 about the urgency of the hour we are living in ~ we have touched over one million people. And we do not ask people for financial support! This is a testimony to what can happen when we listen to God’s voice and obey. All Praise to Jesus our Living Lord!
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God is wanting to be GOD to His people.
The key to it all is to have ears to hear what He is saying to us in this hour. Are you listening? And then, when you hear His voice, make sure you are committed to doing whatever it is He is asking of you. That is the key to success and fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God. What a Great God we serve. Hallelujah! ~ Rodney W. Francis.
Bible Readings: Ephesians 3:14-21 Philippians 4:12-23
Prayer: “Dear Lord, in Jesus’ Name, please help me to have ears to hear what You are saying to me today. And help me to believe and obey Your voice when I hear it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.