John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

      History has demonstrated that the church (loosely using the word church) can be as evil as the heathens the church is trying to convert. The symbols of Christianity have been placed on shields, armour, and weapons to justify the political conquest of a nation or continent. The expression “In God We Trust” has been printed on money, belt buckles, and t-shirts for the pretence of association and the manipulation of the gullible. The voice of God and the voice of the church are not always on the same page. The blasphemy of God’s name is regularly spewed when someone says, “God told me to tell you,” when in fact, God did not say a word. Jer. 23:21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. The voice of God is pure and holy, bringing blessings, correction and direction for the glory of God the Father.

      The voice of the Lord will bring the truth to any situation if we are willing to hear it. Learning how to hear and recognize the Lord’s voice is where we need to put our heart’s efforts. The Lord’s statement that His sheep know and hear His voice is said with not much fanfare. Jesus makes a relational statement that He knows those of us who hear His voice and follow Him. John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. The Holy Spirit also helps us hear the Lord’s voice. As we are guided in truth, the deep work of the Holy Spirit points to the Lordship of Jesus. John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

      The voice of the Holy Spirit will also teach us what the righteousness of God is, as well as how we are to judge sin in our lives. John 16:8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment. There is a record in scripture of a voice from heaven where God the Father spoke plainly, and His instruction was to hear and do what Jesus says. Luke 9:35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!” The blessing that we have is that the Godhead is speaking to us and trying to communicate with our hearts. The Godhead is saying we are to listen to God’s holy instruction.

      Jesus continually exorted what the will of the Father was, and admonished the people to listen to what God the Father was saying. Jesus says to Philip that if we have seen God the Son, then we have seen God the Father. John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Jesus also says to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying. Rev. 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The Godhead is saying that we need to hear what is being said by God throughout all aspects of our lives. The Godhead is at work communicating, and there is no excuse for not hearing God unless we do not want to hear Him.

      Therefore, I say it again, the voice of God and the voice of the church are not always on the same page. When Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” we need to let and allow the Holy Spirit His place to say what is needed to be said, and we need to submit to what is being said. When personal agendas and man-made traditions become a stronger pull on the heart than what Jesus is asking of us, then we need to repent and get out of God’s way. God’s voice is the voice that matters because His voice has all the truth the world is looking for. Num. 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

      There is a lot of noise and false voices out there trying to get the attention of anyone who will give it. God is asking us to hear Him and become the hearers of His instructions for a lost world. Practicing the presence of God and hearing His voice would be a step in the right direction to bring the kingdom of God to this earth, which is in great need of deliverance from the death it produces. Life begets life, and Jesus has given us His life for the glory of God the Father that we would be in fellowship with all mankind. God’s voice says, “Come to the Lord and be healed, saved, and redeemed from a life of destruction and come and live unto God the creator.” 1John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us follow the voice of the Lord all the way home to the Father, and be at peace in our relationship together. Amen!