Hearing the Voice of God – (John 10:1-5)

by Simeon Krastevin Messages, Personal Communionon Posted on

Principles of Guidance

John 10:1–5

Introduction — John 10:1–5:

1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:1–5)

I. Discovering God’s Will for Our Life Is Extremely Important

1. God has a plan for the life of every disciple of Jesus (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah 1:5).

From Ephesians 2:10 we understand that God has a plan for our life. He created us for good works that we are to carry out, and we need to discover what they are.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

In Psalm 139:16 David says:

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)

In Jeremiah 1:5 the prophet shares:

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4–5)

Do you see? Even before Jeremiah was born, God had a plan for him to be God’s prophet.

All of these verses show us that God knows us and that He has a plan for our life. He has planned good things for us, He has planned good works for us to accomplish for His glory. That is why we need to hear His voice, so that we can discover what His will is for our life.

2. God the Father loves us and wants what is best for us. We can live in that good if we live in agreement with His will for our life (Deuteronomy 28:1–2; Romans 8:28; 2 Peter 1:3).

1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: (Deuteronomy 28:1–2)

Although this verse refers to the Old Testament, to the keeping of the law as a condition for God’s blessing, it is valid in the New Testament as well when it comes to listening to God’s voice. In both the Old and the New Testament, obedience to God is always blessed.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

3. God wants to reveal Himself to us, and to reveal His will for us (Hebrews 11:6; James 1:5).

Of course, we can know Him and please Him only through our faith (Hebrews 11:6).

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

God rewards those who seek Him. He has something good prepared for us. And He desires to reveal it to us.

In order to learn what we should do, we must pray and ask God for guidance — that He would reveal to us what His will is, what is the best that He has for our life. The promise for this is given to us in James 1:5:

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

What is wisdom? Wisdom is knowing how to act rightly in a given situation.

4. God wants us to choose to walk in His way (Proverbs 3:5–6; Psalm 32:8–9).

If we do this, and we choose to do what He commands us — even when it goes against our own personal understanding — then He promises that He will cause circumstances to work for us (Proverbs 3:5–6).

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. (Psalm 32:8–9)

5. Our obedience or disobedience to God’s will can have an effect and consequences not only in our own life, but also in the lives of other people (Joshua 6:18; 7:1–26).

In Joshua 6:18, Joshua told the people that Jericho would be devoted to the Lord as the first city conquered in the Promised Land.

18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. (Joshua 6:18)

Sadly, in Joshua 7:1–26 we read of the sin of Achan — how he transgressed God’s command and took from the devoted things, and because of this God’s army was put to flight before its enemies.

1 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. (Joshua 7:1)

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water. (Joshua 7:2–5)

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. 14 “‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’” (Joshua 7:6–15)

16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen. (Joshua 7:16–18)

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (Joshua 7:19–21)

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. (Joshua 7:22–26)

6. Listening to God’s voice should be one of the most natural things in our daily life as disciples of Jesus.

II. God Desires to Reveal His Will for Our Life and to Make It Clear to Us

1. The Word of God has been given to us above all as the guidance that we need as disciples of Jesus.

2. In some areas of our life we need particular, specific guidance, and that is why we must seek God — for example, a call to ministry, work, a marriage partner, and so on (Luke 11:9).

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9–10)

3. God wants to guide us in a special way (Psalm 25:12; Psalm 32:8).

12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. (Psalm 25:12)

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)

4. God wants us to live as Jesus lived. He did what He saw His Heavenly Father doing (John 14:31; 5:30). God must show us the way forward.

31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave. (John 14:31)

30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)

5. God chose us before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. We can entrust our life to Him. He knows what we need and how we are to live (Ephesians 1:3–5; Psalm 139:13–16).

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— (Ephesians 1:3–5)

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:13–16)

III. Practical Preparation for Recognizing God’s Will

1. We must receive Jesus as our Lord and sincerely desire to do His will (Romans 12:1–2; Matthew 6:33).

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1–2)

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

2. We must respond and act as God would respond and act in every situation, and be obedient to His will (Psalm 25:10).

10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. (Psalm 25:10)

3. We must be humble (Psalm 25:9).

9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Psalm 25:9)

4. We must listen to God in prayer (Proverbs 8:34), and we will see how this practice is perfected.

5. We must trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5–8).

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5–8)

6. We must have a pure heart (Psalm 66:18; 1 John 1:9), and the Holy Spirit will be free to convict us of every ungodliness.

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; (Psalm 66:18)

7. We must move toward maturity: this means more of God and less of us, which will make us able to hear His voice more clearly (John 3:30).

30 He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)

8. We must expect: God wants to speak to us, so listen to Him.

9. We must have the fear of the Lord: this means to hate evil and to walk in His way (Proverbs 8:13; 9:10). It is harder to do what we hate!

10. We must praise Him and worship: God inhabits our praise (Psalm 22:3); we enter His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). We can come near to God in worship and so be in a posture of expectation that He will speak.

11. We must move by faith — that is, knowing what God wants, submitting to it, trusting God to do what we cannot do. If God has spoken, we can do it.

12. Fasting is not necessary in order to hear the Lord’s voice, but it can help (Matthew 6:16).

Four voices have access to your mind throughout your whole life, and in order to hear God’s voice, you must:

  1. Silence the voices of other people, and they will not speak to you — that is, what people will think.
  2. Silence your own inner voice and nail it to the cross.
  3. Silence the voice of Satan in the name of Jesus, and he will not speak.
  4. Submit to God and make Him Lord, and He will speak.

Remember

Guidance is connected to the heart, while knowledge is connected to the head.

The will of God is like a highway with many lanes. There everything is very dynamic. As long as you know it and follow it, you are free to move along it. Within the broad boundaries of God’s will, His guidance will also come. It is impossible to find this guidance if you cling to your own will.

IV. The Ways in Which God Speaks

God speaks to us in many ways, but remember: God chooses the way in which He speaks!

1. Through Scripture — through the written Word. It is our foundation and the criterion for every other word.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

See also 1 Peter 1:23–25; 2 Peter 1:16–21; Psalm 119:9–11, 105.

2. Through the Word of Life — John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1; Hebrews 1:1–2a; John 10:1–5.

3. Through the still, gentle inner voice of the Holy Spirit — Acts 11:12; 13:2; 16:6–7; 1 Kings 19:12.

4. Through the counsel of godly men and women — Proverbs 12:15.

5. Through the audible voice of God — a voice that can be heard with our physical ears (Acts 9:1–7).

1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. (Acts 9:1–7)

6. Through dreams — Matthew 1:20–21.

7. Through visions — Acts 10:9–18.

8. Through angels — Luke 1:26–38.

9. Through the desire of your heart — Psalm 37:4.

10. Through an inner conviction, or an “intuitive sense.” It is almost impossible to define, but you will understand it when you feel it.

11. Through Urim and Thummim. This was the Old Testament version of tossing a coin (1 Samuel 14:41).

12. Through circumstances: by allowing circumstances themselves to govern our life, we open a door for Satan. Be wise and observe the circumstances; expect God to speak to you through them.

13. Through the gifts of the Spirit — for example: a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, prophecy, tongues, and interpretation (1 Corinthians 12:4–11).

Remember, 1 Corinthians 14:1–5 says that prophecy is for the strengthening, encouragement, and comfort of the church, but never for initial personal guidance. Prophecy may confirm what God has already told you, but if it comes as a complete surprise, be careful — test the spirits (1 John 4:1).

V. Test the Spirits

We must acknowledge that Satan will try to imitate God’s voice. That is why we must test the word that comes to us, especially if we are only now beginning as Christians. The best way to recognize the counterfeit is to be familiar with the genuine Word. Like a bank teller — study the genuine and you will recognize the false (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 John 4:1).

VI. God’s Desire Is That We Listen to His Voice

He has much to say to us, and the more we listen, the better what we hear will be. If our life is full of ungodly rubbish and our inner person hears other voices, then it will be nearly impossible to hear God’s voice with the same clarity we would hear it when we live a holy life.

When we begin to hear God’s voice, He will speak to us about foundational things. He will speak to us about salvation. Then we will hear God’s voice in important decisions. Usually this happens because we cannot manage on our own, so we give a certain place to God’s direction in such cases. Eventually we will reach a place where we follow God in every moment, so that we live our life as Jesus did, who did only what the Father wanted.

The surest and most productive place for listening to God is the testimony of Scripture. Twenty-five out of all the instructions we will ever need are already established in Scripture. It must be like a pillar in our life. But even from Scripture, dead doctrines and legalism can be drawn out if we do not keep it in balance with another pillar in our life — the Holy Spirit, who speaks God’s Word to us today. We must walk with these two sources of God’s Word while keeping the balance.

Adam was created to be God’s authorized authority on the earth. When Adam spoke, it was as though God were speaking. But Adam listened to another voice, and so he became entirely corrupted and lost the possibility of being the pure channel for God’s Word. Jesus came as the last, or second, Adam, to restore us, so that as disciples of Jesus we might be God’s authorized authority again and so be channels of His Word (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45). This is the reason humanity was first created in the beginning, and so we must live according to our potential in God and feed on God’s Word in both of its forms, training ourselves so that we do not receive a word from the DEVIL or from his world system. This is a battle that is waged in our soul. In order to let God and His Word win this battle, we must be open to God speaking to us through the Holy Spirit, and then submit to Him. Then we will live in the power of God’s Word, which is truly living in God, for God is the Word (John 1:1–2, 12).

When God speaks, things are created (Genesis 1). When we live by God’s Word, we will be free, because the truth sets us free (John 8:31–32).

We must humbly receive God’s Word into our life and submit to it, because it brings freedom (James 1:21–25).

We must receive God’s Word, because it brings faith (Romans 10:17) and guidance (Isaiah 30:21). God’s Word will not return to Him empty, but will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:8–11).

The more we practice listening to God’s voice in our daily life, the more capable we become of recognizing His voice. When we set aside time to wait before the Father, we not only come to know Him more, but we also come to know ourselves. We begin to understand our feelings and moods, the movements of our spirit. We come to know how to react or to answer within ourselves when we hear God’s voice. This is why it is very difficult for one person to describe to another exactly why he is sure that God is speaking to him. He simply recognizes the signs and is convinced that he knows!

It is true that the more room we give to God’s voice in our practice, the more likely we are to recognize His voice; the more we seek Him for every step in our life, the more we will recognize His hand, even in momentary and seemingly insignificant steps that we must take. It is a wonderful experience to know that God will speak to us in our hearts and minds in every situation, if we allow Him to.

Some people search for something that does not even exist. They overcomplicate things by imagining that when we speak of “listening to God’s voice,” we must always have a special vision or an audible voice that speaks to us clearly and tangibly. This happens very rarely. God’s voice within us comes through channels, most of which are already built into our system — for example, in our mind and thought process, the impulses of the heart, a sense of unease and of deep peace, the intuitive feelings that arise in our spirit. There are moments when He intervenes in a very clear, supernatural way, because the situation requires it or because there is something God does not want us to miss. But usually He expects us to cooperate with Him in this fellowship with His Word. This is a two-way practice. We are people with a definite purpose to hear God. Submit to the Word you read, and keep submitting, because this obedience is the secret of fellowship with the Father. If we do not interact with Him at the level of choice, we will not be able to interact at another level of revelation.

It is important to learn that God has times and seasons, and it is fitting that they be recognized well. In such a period things move much faster and much more easily than at other times. We can miss such a moment if we do not learn to know our spirit. It is our spirit that receives the assurance God gives, the knowledge of the certainty of faith and the inner conviction that something is right before God. We must not, and cannot, move even one step in the realm of faith without the testimony of the Spirit.

VII. Characteristics That Accompany the Word That Comes from God

1. It is immediate.

This means that the Word comes to us in a direct and personal way, very powerfully compelling. It is like an arrow pointing to a certain place, which is hard to avoid or ignore in the situation.

2. It is fitting.

This means that such a Word is very fitting for the situation we are facing. God’s Word is usually marked by applicability and timeliness.

3. It is effective. God’s Word always produces a result. If we receive it and apply it, it will bear fruit.

4. It is consistent.

God’s Word is never isolated. It not only fits the situation, but it is in agreement with the other testimonies in our life. When we think we are hearing the Lord in a particular way, we must always look for the confirmation of the Word in other areas. We should not force things to fit the Word, because that is dangerous; it is better to find the things that the Word fits. These may be the testimony of another kind of Word or the testimony of other circumstances.

VIII. Practical Guidelines

  1. Does this message exalt the Lord or the speaker?
  2. Does it name the right opinion in the right place, time, method, order, people, structure, attitude, result, and so on?
  3. Is the guidance received in harmony with Scripture, or in contradiction to it?
  4. Does the peace of Christ rule my heart? (Philippians 4:7; Isaiah 26:3)
  5. Have I obeyed God’s previous guidance?
  6. Am I ready not to be selfish and to put God first in this situation?
  7. What do the Scriptures say I should do in this situation?
  8. Have I prayed and taken hold of God in this situation?
  9. Do my spiritual leaders and the body of Christ as a whole confirm the guidance received?
  10. Am I giving expression to temporary and momentary feelings or emotions?
  11. Am I limiting God through my intellect?
  12. Do I expect God to guide me?

Conclusion

God desires our very best. He never makes mistakes and is never in a hurry. To do His will is to have a satisfied, joyful life, because we are created to do His will.

Summary and Application

  1. God the Father wants us to live our life according to His will.
  2. To live our life according to His plan means to have a satisfied and joyful life. God loves us and desires our very best.
  3. We must know that God wants to speak to us and to guide us.
  4. We must listen to God’s voice as part of our daily life.
  5. We must learn to recognize God’s voice and His will in every situation.
  6. God chooses the way in which He speaks to us.
  7. God’s Word will bring us freedom, faith, and guidance.

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