Hearing The Voice of The Shepherd
Rejecting the Strange Voices
February 28, 2024 • Pastor Bruce • 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22
There are many strange voices speaking today. The enemy is the master of disguise and we must stay sharp in our discernment to recognize his schemes, tactics and voice. He is pushing misinformation every time he opens his mouth. We cannot afford to give the devil any place. We must resist, refute and refuse to follow him so that we can follow our Good Shepherd.
It Seems Good
February 14, 2024 • Pastor Bruce • Luke 1:3
Most of the time, when we are following the voice of the Shepherd, it is not a spectacular display of God's power, such as an audible voice booming out of heaven or an earthquake with a manifestation of 10,000 angels. It is an internal witness of the Holy Spirit as He testifies with our spirit that we are on the right road and making the right decision. We might even describe it as "it seemed good" to us to make this choice or to take a step in this particular direction. It is still the leading by His voice that we are following.
Open Heart, Open Ears
February 7, 2024 • Pastor Bruce • Matthew 13:15
There is a direct connection between our hearts and our spiritual ears. When we have an open heart, we will have open ears and hear the voice of the Shepherd. If our hearts become calloused toward others and/or toward the Lord we become dull of hearing and blinded to the Lord's leading. The answer for a calloused heart is to turn around through repentance.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us To Hear
January 31, 2024 • Pastor Bruce
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to help us. One way that He helps us to to hear the voice of God. He lives in us to show us things to come and remind us of everything that Jesus says to us. The Spirit of Peace, the Holy Spirit, bears witness (or, lets us know) in our spirit that we belong to God. In that same way, He lets us know God's will for our lives and leads us with His supernatural peace. Life and peace are indicators that we are following in the steps that the Holy Spirit is leading us.
Tuning Our Ears To His Voice
January 24, 2024 • Pastor Bruce • Psalm 23
God never uses circumstances to lead us. He leads us by the voice of His Spirit, who lives in us. We were not made His children to be led by Facebook, social media, or YouTube prophets. He speaks directly to us. He wants us to become more and more familiar with His voice. At times, we may need to make adjustments in our hearts to hear His voice more clearly. One practical way that we can "tune in" our spiritual ears to hear His voice is to spend time in His word daily.
He Leads Us
January 10, 2024 • Pastor Bruce
The Holy Spirit was sent to lead and guide us as we follow Jesus. We have the ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit because He lives in us. We are children of God and can expect to be led by God. Learning how to follow His lead is a process that we develop as we fellowship with Him in prayer and spend time in His word. He wants us to know what His will is so that we can make decisions that are in line with His direction for our lives.