Knowing VIII

John 1:¹² [RSV] “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God”

God is more interested in your character than in your comfort. God is more interested in who you are becoming than in what you are acquiring.  And God gives us a checklist in His Word. James 3:^14-17 [NIV, emphasis added] “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition… such ‘wisdom’ is of the devil… The wisdom that comes from God is pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere.” Be more like Christ.

The additional test parameter to determine if God is speaking is: Is it consistent with my experience of God? Is what you are hearing consistent with your experience of God? John 10:³ “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice” [emphasis added]. The picture painted here for us is a band of sheep from different shepherds. When a shepherd goes to collect his sheep, he stands at the gate and makes a sound. Even if there are thousands of sheep in the barn, only his own will follow him. If they are thirty, no one needs to count because only those thirty will respond to his call. And it is because the sheep have a relationship with the shepherd so there is no confusion.

John 10:⁵ “They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice” [emphasis added]. Your relationship with God is indispensable. Nothing can substitute your personal relationship with God. You need to get to know His voice in a relational way. We have separated this test from the first six because there are people who are still developing in their relationship with God. So the question to you is, do you have religion or do you have relationship? Are you reading this devotional because you are a Christian?

As you get to know Jesus better, hearing Him and discerning His direction becomes easier. And it comes by reason of use – by you spending time with God, taking the time to tune-in, to fellowship with God, to read your Bible, and to talk to Him [pray].

Prayer: Lord Jesus, take me deeper in my adoration of You, in my Worship of You, and in my desire for You, in Jesus Name. Amen!