Voice

Dec

2023

Voice of God

John 5:25 – “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

Apart from Christ, the Bible describes us as spiritually dead – cut off from the life and light of God.

No matter how energetic, successful or morally upright, we remain dead in our sins, alienated from our Creator.

Left in this condition, we are powerless to save ourselves. Just as the physically dead cannot raise themselves, only God’s intervention can revive our dead souls. We need the voice of the Son of God to pierce our darkness.

Hear and Live!

The glorious news of this verse is that those who hear the voice of Jesus receive resurrection life!

His words alone have the authority and power to penetrate our graves of sin and unbelief and flood our hearts with His indestructible life.

Hearing His Voice

How do spiritually dead people hear the voice of the Son of God?

We hear Him today through His living Word recorded in Scripture and His Spirit who illuminates its truth to our hearts and minds.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, continues to speak through the Bible’s pages.

As we read His words, He reveals truth about Himself, sin, salvation and eternal life. His voice cuts through our darkness to awaken faith and understanding.

Ears to Hear

Incline your ear to hear Christ’s voice today in the Word. Approach humbly, asking His Spirit to heal your deafness and grant repentance, wisdom, and faith.

His resurrecting voice still calls sinners to abundant life!

From Death to Life

Responding in faith to the voice of Jesus brings instantaneous results – we cross from death to life!

His words carry the same authority and power that called Lazarus from the tomb. His voice imparts spiritual life and transformation.

When we hear and believe, we are reborn as children of God. His Spirit comes to indwell us and we begin an eternal relationship with our loving Father. By His voice we become new creations!

His sheep learn to recognize His voice through regular time in the Word, prayer and obedience. He leads us graciously, and we follow.

Gospel Hope

This astonishing promise is too good to keep to ourselves.

If Jesus’ voice has called you from death to life, tell others! Make the most of every opportunity to share this hope.

Your simple testimony of what His Word has spoken into your heart carries power. Christ is still calling the dead to rise through the faith of those who have heard and live.

If you like these daily devotionals; you may be interested in our daily
“One Minute with God”
YouTube videos.

Sep

2023

The Good Shepherd

In John 10:14, we encounter a beautiful metaphor that unveils the nature of our relationship with God. Jesus, referring to Himself as the “Good Shepherd,” sheds light on the depth of His care, guidance, and intimacy with His followers.

Shepherd’s Heart

Imagine a shepherd tending to his flock, intimately knowing each sheep by name. John 10:14 paints a picture of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who knows His followers deeply and personally.

This imagery reminds us that our relationship with God isn’t distant or impersonal; it’s marked by intimacy and familiarity.

Guidance and Protection

The role of a shepherd involves guiding and protecting the flock. Similarly, Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, guides us through life’s journey, protecting us from the dangers that lurk.

This verse reveals a comforting truth – we’re not left to navigate life on our own; we have a compassionate guide who leads us to safe pastures.

A Call to Follow

The Good Shepherd’s familiarity with His sheep extends to a reciprocal relationship – the sheep know the shepherd’s voice and follow Him. Just as sheep recognize the voice that leads them to safety, we too are called to recognize and follow the voice of Jesus.

Trusting the Good Shepherd

John 10:14 invites us to trust the Good Shepherd who knows us intimately and guides us faithfully.

Lean into the assurance that your life is in capable hands. Just as a sheep finds peace and security in the presence of a caring shepherd, you can find solace in knowing that the Good Shepherd is with you, guiding us through life’s challenges and joys.

Do YOU know His Voice?

Mar

2018

Hearing the Voice of God

1 Kings 19:9-13

Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹¹So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The voice that Elijah heard was a rather quiet voice; a gentle whisper. Most of us would rather that God would yell; but do you really want God to yell at you?

Most conversations that I have with my wife Sherri are very gentle; we do not need to yell to one another in order to be heard. Now to be sure, I can be dull sometimes and on a rare occasion, be hard of hearing; in which case Sherri may need to turn up the volume so I can hear her over my own internal noise!

There are those occasions while driving that I tend to be day-dreaming and Sherri may need to shout to get my attention; I can’t tell you how many times a disaster has been avoided because she shouted words of caution.

God works pretty much the same way. Most conversations are intimate and easily understood; a gentle whisper; after all, He is living in me, so He should not need to yell at me!

However, if I am running headlong into some moral danger or temptation of some sort, God will turn up the volume and get my attention!

One of the most amazing things that God has done for us is to preserve His most treasured words in the form of a Book we can read; we call it the Bible.

While it does not contain everything God ever said, nor does it contain every act that God has done, it does have everything we need to know about Him until we meet Him face to Face.

As a small child, one of the most cherished times took place when I visited my grandma. She would break out a children’s book, and I would curl up next to her and she would read to me.

I would drink in every word; my emotions would rise and fall with every inflection in her voice and I would be totally enthralled as she excitedly read the book to me.

The next time you open up the Bible to read; ask God to read it to you! Let Him be the voice you hear as the words tumble off the pages! Let His joy be felt as He tells of the great exploits that those of faith did in His great name!

Listen to the sadness in His voice as He recalls those times that people He loved turned and walked away. Hear the fiery indignation as He recounts how he dealt with His enemies and hear the sweetness as He shares a love story in the Song of Solomon!

Hear the hopefulness in His voice as He shares the great Gospel message of Hope found through His Son; hear the pride in His voice as He thunders from Heaven; “This is My Son. . . In Him I am Well Pleased.” Hear the excitement in His voice as He describes the Day when He is finally united with His bride!

God uses everything at His disposal to speak to His children; He can yell; but He chooses to whisper. He can shout, but He would rather talk across the table with you. He would love to sit down with you and read to you the words preserved for us.

If you will develop your relationship with God, then you will begin to say things like; “The Lord told me . . . or The Lord said to me . . .” It will be as natural to you as talking to your spouse or close friend. It may seem mysterious to those around you, but to you, as natural as breathing!

I remember talking to a dear friend and evangelist, Gene Vincent; Sherri and I met him at a prayer conference in Atlanta Georgia years ago. Gene has a close walk with God and during the course of a conversation at one of the tables; Gene was talking about hearing from God.

Someone at the table asked Gene; “Did you really hear God’s voice speak to you; was it audible?” Gene looked up and said; “Oh, it was louder than that!”

What Gene was trying to convey is that when God speaks to you, it is more than a sound; it is a deep sense of knowing, a deep down conviction, and an abiding awareness that God is communicating something to you. It is undeniable and sure!

Have you had a conversation with God . . . lately?