Learning to Hear God's Voice

Learning to Hear God's Voice

Stacy R. Wood, Jr.
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The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep . . . and THE SHEEP LISTEN TO HIS VOICE. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because THEY KNOW HIS VOICE. But they will never follow a stranger, in fact, they will run away from him because THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE A STRANGERS VOICE. I have other sheep that are not of this flock I must bring them also. WILL THEY TOO LISTEN TO MY VOICE, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:1ff).
This parable concerns the ability of sheep to faithfully follow their own shepherd. The sheep comply with the shepherd solely on the basis of KNOWING HIS VOICE. Such behavior clearly demonstrates that they are not mere "simpletons," as they are so often pictured. The fact is they are so discerning of the shepherd's voice that a stranger USING THE SAME WORDS can not lead them astray. NOTICE: They have learned to follow THE VOICE and not THE WORDS of the shepherd.

DOES NOT VOICE RECOGNITION COME AUTOMATICALLY!
The ability to ascertain the true shepherd, solely by his voice, does not come AUTOMATICALLY. It is not an inherent capability because someone is "a sheep by Birth." However, through FELLOWSHIP and DISCIPLINE sheep become conditioned to listen for the voice of the true shepherd.
Jesus used this illustration concerning sheep because He recognized THE NEED FOR LEARNING HOW TO HEAR in the lives of all those he called to follow Him. Luke's record of the Good News makes mankind's need for discipline in the area of hearing evident for all to see. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus admonished his disciples saying, "PAY ATTENTION HOW YOU HEAR!" In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus again warns his disciples to "TAKE HEED WHAT YOU HEAR." (Lu 8:18; M'r 424).
HOW WAYS CAN A PERSON HEAR?
In a previous writing entitled "The Most Important Parable," we dealt with the subject of hearing. It was through "The Parable of the Sower" that we recognized the possibility of receiving what we hear into any of four distinct areas of the human intellect. The first area of reception is the well-traveled "wayside of dogma." The second area is "the shallow stony halfheartedness of religiosity." The third area of hearing is "the weed infested entanglements of double-mindedness." Then finally the area of hearing referred to as "the good rich soil of genuine response." Due to the possibility of receiving God's word incorrectly it becomes necessary for us to be cautious of WHAT WE LISTEN TO, as well as, HOW WE LISTEN to a thing. This is so we do not suffer loss of the life and fruitfulness of the word.
IS THERE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO HEAR?
In the book of Acts we encounter a people set forth as an example of how to receive the declaration of the Good News of Christ. It is here that we discover the writer considered the people in Berea to be MORE NOBLE than those of Thessalonica. This was because they received the word with ALL READINESS and WILLINGNESS OF MIND, examining the scripture DAILY, with a positive view, expecting to prove what they had heard to be true. Likewise we must learn HOW TO LISTEN with an open, yielded, and genuinely responsive frame of mind. (Acts 17:11).
HOW MANY VOICES CAN THERE POSSIBLY BE?
In this present day there are MANY KINDS OF VOICES in the world, as well as in the Church. None of these voices are without significance for they all have a message. (1 Cor. 14:10). The following is a list of a few voices spoken of in the Scripture. First, we find the voice of the Lord God and of His excellency. Then we see the voice of the trumpet, the voice of a great rushing, and the voice of many waters. We also locate the voices of thanksgiving, joy, praise, rejoicing, gladness and the voice of triumph. Next, there is the voice of harpers harping, the voice of the turtle dove, as well as, the voice of the bridegroom and the bride. Moreover, we discover the voice of swearing, and of oppression. Then there is the voices of wailing, weeping, trembling, howling, and groaning. Furthermore, we find there are the voices of charmers, fools, a multitude, and the voce of strangers.
It is because there are so many voices in the earth that we must LEARN TO DISTINGUISH or DIFFERENTIATE the many sounds that come into our personal world everyday. Remember. It is the voice that makes clear the true significance and reveals the genuine character of every word.
WHAT TO DO YOU MEAN DECIPHERING THE VOICE?
We find an illustration of comprehending the voice of words in the use of my very own name. You see I am a "Junior," which simply means my father gave me his name. Now to make matters a little more interesting my wife and I gave my name to our son making him "the Third." It all seems quite simple, but how about when we all gather into one location at the same time. This causes confusion for those who do not understand how to interpret the voice of the one calling our name. None of us like being called by our titles, Senior, Junior, or The Third. Each of us prefers the use of our given name. People often become inquisitive when someone calls out, "Stacy!" This is the case especially when the correct Stacy responds. They question, "How do you know which one of you is being spoken to?" The answer lies within THE DISTINCTION FOUND IN THE VOICE of the one doing the bidding.
We find another example that many can relate to in the phrase "I love you!" These are three simple words in the English language that can express such a variation of thought. What this _expression conveys to the hearer depends completely on WHAT VOICE IS BEHIND THE WORDS. One might hear the voice of appreciation. Another, may ascertain the voice of dominion, or the voice of eroticism. Still another could detect the voice of animosity.
Potentially everyone can listen to CORRECT WORDS given in a WRONG VOICE. This is why I cannot over emphasize the importance of LEARNING TO DECIPHER THE VOICE OF WORDS. When we learn to know the voice of words we will no longer be vulnerable to deception and error. The issue of knowing what voice we listen to becomes extremely important when we consider that our FAITH or PERSUASION increases through our hearing. Moreover, life we live and portray is greatly effected by our beliefs. Moreover, if we build our persuasion or conviction upon a false premise, because of improper hearing, it becomes meaningless and unfruitful. (Rom. 10:17; Prov. 237).
DO WE NEED MORE INTELLECT OR MORE ACKNOWLEDGMENT?
The prophet Hosea declared, "The destruction of God's people is due to their lack of knowledge!" Moreover, Isaiah said, "My people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge." (Hos. 4:6; Isa. 5:13). Many believe to acquire a greater intellectual knowledge of the purpose of God guarantees they will not become deceived. However, holding a particular doctrinal concept and calling it a spiritual revelation is not what the prophet means by knowledge. This becomes indisputable when we see such an absence of fruitfulness and maturity in the lives of so many "deeper word saints."