Lifeline #1: Do you recognize His voice?
If God was speaking, would you know it was Him?
(I initially wrote this December 14, 2022. It's taken me some time to make room in my day to post it. 😩 Thank you so much for reading! Click here for a brief audio message.)
I have found myself on numerous occasions asking myself, “God, am I hearing your voice? Is this just me talking or is the Devil trying to lead me astray? In 2020, I was listening to Lana Vawser teach and she said something that caused a light bulb to turn on inside of me. She said, “His sheep know His voice.”
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27
Something about the simplicity of Lana saying, “His sheep know his voice” gave me an inward confidence that I could indeed identify the voice of God. You can too.
Last week, I was reading about Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus at the tomb. It reminded me of every part of John 10:27. Firstly, Mary heard the voice of Jesus. Secondly, He knew her by name. Thirdly, sheep need a shepherd to follow, so her recognition of Jesus as “Teacher” speaks to His position as the Shepherd.
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). John 20:14-16 NIV
What’s interesting to me is Mary doesn’t recognize Jesus when she sees Him. Even when He speaks initially, she hears Him but doesn’t yet know it was Him. Once He mentions her name, she then recognizes it is indeed her Shepherd. I can relate to her in that way and I’m sure you can too.
Sometimes we may not immediately recognize when God is speaking to us, but a part of the blessing of our relationship with Jesus is knowing He knows exactly how to speak to us to get our attention. Regardless of the things that you may be seeking God about in this season, I am praying that you find rest in knowing God will speak to you and when He does, you will know it was indeed Him you heard. I pray we all follow!
Officially,
Lena 💛
p.s. Let me know if this message spoke to you! I’m often trying to determine what’s most beneficial to share from my talks with God and what you may need in this season. Thanks for growing with me! 🙏🏾
