by Ken Rank
As sons and daughters of the Living God, we know one another not by our deep and insightful understanding, not by how many Hebrew or Greek words we know and use, not by how many commands we follow, but rather, by the fruit we produce. When we produce fruit that is in line with the character attributes of God (Fruit produced in His Name), we are known outwardly to those around us because it is the Father’s work we are doing. But that is not how God knows us. God knows us first and foremost by the condition of our heart. Is it aimed at Him? Is it open to walking in His righteousness rather than our own? Only God can see the heart, only God knows motive and intent, thus only God knows where a heart is aimed!
God knows us in other ways, too. John wrote that the love of God is seen in us keeping His commandments (1 John 5:3). There is another way God knows we are His… His sheep hear His voice! The Shepherd knows when His sheep are hearing Him.
We have to understand the concept behind my last statement. The Hebrew word “shema” which is translated as hear, is truly better defined as “hear and do.” So when Yehoshua (Jesus) says in a place like John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice,” he is, as one born into a Hebrew culture, saying, “my people shema my voice.” This is to say, “My people hear my voice and do what I say.” This is backed up in two ways, the first is the remaining portion of that same verse, it ends, “and I know them, and they follow me.” They hear and they follow, they do, they obey. The second way this is backed up is in the word faith. Faith is not just believing, faith is hearing from God, believing what you heard was true because the source was God, and then “living in expectation that what was heard WILL come to pass.” In other words, you heard and did because the voice you heard was God, shema= hear and do.
How do we hear God? In 1 Kings 19 we see Eliyah being given a lesson on this very thing. There was before him as he stood on the mount, a strong wind, a great earthquake, and then fire. Yet, God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. After all these things, there was a soft still voice, the voice belonged to God. God can be heard in His Word, He can even speak through a servant or even through the imagery around us, but we must be willing and able to receive these words. He can also I believe, still speak through that soft and still voice.
We have a problem today that I don’t think people like Enoch or Eliyah or Elisha, or the many prophets of old we read about had to deal with, they didn’t have to attempt to hear God over the distractions we have today. Can you imagine Enoch sitting in front of a television all day being filled with all manner of pop culture? Can you see King David cranking his iPod up all day? What if Noach spent all his time reading jokes on the internet? Would these people have heard God and been used in the mighty ways they were? These are things of the world, and as His sheep, how can we hear that soft still voice of the Shepherd and then conform to whatever it is He is speaking to us, when we force Him to have to yell over top of all the modern technologies we place before Him?
I am not saying you can’t ever watch TV, listen to a radio, or even take in a ball game… but when we don’t set time aside to hear God because of all the distractions “we allow” before Him, we can’t get to the place He desires us to be because He finds Himself competing with politics, football, and dance contests. We find ourselves my dear brethren, in a culture that cares more about whom the next American Idol will be, who the next NFL champion will be, or what our favorite singer’s next album will be like over hearing God and doing what He desires of us.
Many people believe we are in the end times. Some think they need to prepare, they store food, water, even ammo. But the number one preparedness item that is a MUST HAVE when confronted by anything that will come before us, is an ability to hear and discern that soft still voice, and then DO what He tells us to do. He knows ALL things, how do we claim Him as Lord and then NOT make the time to hear His direction? His sheep hear His voice…do you hear His voice? If you don’t, He isn’t the issue, you are. Remember, faith comes by HEARING the Word of God, so remove some distractions, and take the time to hear, because you can’t have faith if you can’t hear. He can’t use you in the manner He would like to, if you can’t shema.
Blessings.
Ken Visit Ken @ Facebook
God knows us in other ways, too. John wrote that the love of God is seen in us keeping His commandments (1 John 5:3). There is another way God knows we are His… His sheep hear His voice! The Shepherd knows when His sheep are hearing Him.
We have to understand the concept behind my last statement. The Hebrew word “shema” which is translated as hear, is truly better defined as “hear and do.” So when Yehoshua (Jesus) says in a place like John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice,” he is, as one born into a Hebrew culture, saying, “my people shema my voice.” This is to say, “My people hear my voice and do what I say.” This is backed up in two ways, the first is the remaining portion of that same verse, it ends, “and I know them, and they follow me.” They hear and they follow, they do, they obey. The second way this is backed up is in the word faith. Faith is not just believing, faith is hearing from God, believing what you heard was true because the source was God, and then “living in expectation that what was heard WILL come to pass.” In other words, you heard and did because the voice you heard was God, shema= hear and do.
How do we hear God? In 1 Kings 19 we see Eliyah being given a lesson on this very thing. There was before him as he stood on the mount, a strong wind, a great earthquake, and then fire. Yet, God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. After all these things, there was a soft still voice, the voice belonged to God. God can be heard in His Word, He can even speak through a servant or even through the imagery around us, but we must be willing and able to receive these words. He can also I believe, still speak through that soft and still voice.
We have a problem today that I don’t think people like Enoch or Eliyah or Elisha, or the many prophets of old we read about had to deal with, they didn’t have to attempt to hear God over the distractions we have today. Can you imagine Enoch sitting in front of a television all day being filled with all manner of pop culture? Can you see King David cranking his iPod up all day? What if Noach spent all his time reading jokes on the internet? Would these people have heard God and been used in the mighty ways they were? These are things of the world, and as His sheep, how can we hear that soft still voice of the Shepherd and then conform to whatever it is He is speaking to us, when we force Him to have to yell over top of all the modern technologies we place before Him?
I am not saying you can’t ever watch TV, listen to a radio, or even take in a ball game… but when we don’t set time aside to hear God because of all the distractions “we allow” before Him, we can’t get to the place He desires us to be because He finds Himself competing with politics, football, and dance contests. We find ourselves my dear brethren, in a culture that cares more about whom the next American Idol will be, who the next NFL champion will be, or what our favorite singer’s next album will be like over hearing God and doing what He desires of us.
Many people believe we are in the end times. Some think they need to prepare, they store food, water, even ammo. But the number one preparedness item that is a MUST HAVE when confronted by anything that will come before us, is an ability to hear and discern that soft still voice, and then DO what He tells us to do. He knows ALL things, how do we claim Him as Lord and then NOT make the time to hear His direction? His sheep hear His voice…do you hear His voice? If you don’t, He isn’t the issue, you are. Remember, faith comes by HEARING the Word of God, so remove some distractions, and take the time to hear, because you can’t have faith if you can’t hear. He can’t use you in the manner He would like to, if you can’t shema.
Blessings.
Ken Visit Ken @ Facebook
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