“Whoever you listen to is who you will follow.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 26, 2021
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
When I think about the glorious privileges of belonging to Jesus, one in particular comes to mind: hearing His voice. There is nothing like sitting quietly in my favorite chair and listening for the Master through the Word and the Holy Spirit. What blessed moments!
I wish I could say Christ’s voice is the only voice that speaks into the life of the believer. It would make following Him so much easier, but the Liar speaks to us too. Of him, John 8:44 says, “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar.”
He speaks through our circumstances and through others. He twists Scripture and He leverages our lusts, pride, and the things that happen to us to try to deceive us.
Whereas the voice of the Liar barges in and pushes in where he is not welcome, the voice of Jesus is gentle, loving, and patient. The devil wants to bring chaos. Christ wants to bring peace.
There are times in life when we may hear both the voice of the Liar and the voice of Christ, the Divine Truth Teller. We cannot stop hearing the voice of the Liar, but we can choose not to listen. Whoever we listen to is who we will follow.
John 10:4 says those who belong to Christ and know Him listen to His voice.
When the Adversary speaks to tempt you to worry and not trust Christ, you must not listen. When he speaks to tempt you to hate, you must not listen. When he speaks to tempt you to be dishonest for your own personal gain, you must not listen. When he tempts you to allow your pride to push you to act inappropriately toward another, you must not listen.
Whoever you listen to is who you will follow.
The goal of the liar is to steal from you and to destroy God’s plan for you. God’s plan is to give you abundant life (John 10:10). Hearing the voice of the adversary is one thing. Listening to him is something else entirely.
So that we do not listen—and do not follow the devil—we need to know the Master’s voice and submit ourselves to Him (James 4:7). John 10:5 says of those who follow Christ: “But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Isn’t this wonderful to consider: We can know the Master’s voice so well, that we know who to follow and who not to follow.
When I think about this truth, anticipation springs up in my heart, Oh! How glorious if I would fully know and only respond to my Master’s voice and never listen to any voice that is not Him.
How can we know His voice and run from any voice that is not His? We spend time with Him; we invite Him into our lives to teach us. We read His Word because anything He says will line up with Who He is in Scripture. Knowing Jesus’ voice comes from spending time with the Master. Jesus is always speaking to us. We simply must ask Him to show us how to recognize His voice and practice hearing from Him. He’s speaking. Are you listening?
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Prayer
Lord, help me to be mindful that you are speaking to me today. Help me to embrace with confidence that I can listen to you and that you want me to listen to you. Help me to reject any voice that does not speak truth. Amen.
Application
Take several moments throughout the day to stop and quiet yourself and listen to Him.
Related Reading
Ephesians 6:11; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 4:27
Worship Resource
VOUS Worship: When You Speak
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