Pastor Cheri
PRAYER
Thank you Lord for your Word to us today, we mix it with faith, putting it to work and it produces for us what it talks about, in Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.
The sheep follows the shepherd because they know the shepherd. When they follow someone else, then something has gone wrong because the sheep ought to follow the shepherd because he is the one leading them.
It shouldn't be difficult for you as a child of God to be able to discern the voice of God especially when you are in constant fellowship with Him. In this case, He is the Shepherd and you are the sheep, so you follow Him.
"And when He putteth forth his own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:4-5, 27
So you know and hear His voice and you follow. Hallelujah!
It's one thing to know His voice, it's another thing to hear it. You can know His voice and not hear it. This means, you are not doing what He has said. Every true sheep knows and hears the voice of the shepherd. They have no where else to go, they only follow the shepherd and follow him to wherever he is leading them.
If you find it hard to discern the voice of the Spirit, it's not because His voice is small or weak, or maybe He talks calmly and quietly. It's because your spirit-man is not trained to discern His voice. You haven't trained yourself in this direction. It is possible to train yourself to discern the voice of the Spirit. Praise the Lord!
Firstly, fellowshipping with the Word is number one. You have to get involved with the Word. Develop a voracious appetite for the Word. His voice is His Word! Those Scriptures are penned down for you to know what He is saying. As you study, He begins to talk to you. He talks to you about those around you, yourself and even your future. He leads you to study a part of the Scriptures that answers your present condition. There is overflowing joy as He talks to you, you are excited to hear Him, you are excited about what He has said and it satisfys your spirit-man.
Don't get involved in too many things leaving the Word out. You need it to relate with God, you need it to hear His voice. Get to the Word! Hallelujah!
Secondly, train your spirit to respond to God by acting on His Word quickly. As you fellowship with the Word through constant study, you hear Him talk to you, you should quickly act on what He has said. This is what we call doing the Word; and the Bible says,
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, He is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For He beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man He was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, He being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." James 1:22-25.
When you do the Word, you are blessed, when you respond quickly to the Word, acting on it, you are blessed.
Thirdly is praying according to God's Word. This is very important. You have been studying the Word, it's time to pray according to what the Word has said. Your prayer is empty without the Word. As you study, the Word enriches your prayers.
You should pray more in tongues as you pray, you cover alot of areas from the Word as you pray, within a short time.
"Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." 1 Corinthians 14:19.
The more you pray in tongues, the more sensitive your spirit will be to His voice
Prayer helps your spirit become a dependable receptacle of God’s ideas, visions and promptings. It helps you hear God! Hallelujah!
Lastly, desire spiritual things-things that matter to God-from your heart and pursue them. The proof of desire is pursuit. Spiritual things here are Church activities that'll edify your spirit such as, soul winning, participation in Church Services and Church meetings etc. Commit your resources, time, money and attention to the things that matter to God.
You should be in vital union with the Spirit. Get mingled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "But He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:17. You are one spirit with God, therefore, you should be able to hear and discern His voice at every given point in time. Praise the Lord
Lift up your hands and worship the Lord!
