Hearing Him

 

John 10:27, ” My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

 

I believe I’ve been nudged by the Lord to have what I think will be a very difficult conversation with someone. How hard is this going to be?( Only as hard as I make it.) I keep reminding myself that whatever God gives me to do, He also provides the ability to do it.

Does that sound cocky? Can we really know when God gives us an assignment?

There was a time when I made a decision I was sure God had led me to — another one of those nudgings. I prayed and prayed. When I let my decision be known, someone I respect challenged me that I might be listening to Satan and not God. That thought had not occurred to me and it made me question the decision I had been sure God led me to.

I spoke to my husband who encouraged me that I was on the right path. Still, just to be sure, we sought counsel from Christian friends who have been walking with the Lord a lot longer than we had.

Those wise friends said that Satan would not call me to anything that would honor God or promote Biblical thinking (I was sure He wanted me to continue teaching but in another location.) They also told me to compare with scripture the way I had received the push to make the change. Low and behold, God had spoken to many people in scripture as He had spoken to me. I was feeling more confident.

As I moved forward, God gave me verses that confirmed I was headed in the right direction. He reminded me of John 10:4 that says (speaking of Jesus) “He goes before them and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” I kept reading and verse 5 was even better. “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

I try to keep Satan in the stranger category. Those verses were all I needed. I made the change and I had what the Bible describes as the “peace that surpasses all understanding.”

God has left His children with the Holy Spirit and His Word.  He will lead us to the things He has for us – and we’ll know and follow His voice. That doesn’t mean that all He calls us to will be easy.

I am not looking forward to this “chat” I need to have but I will do it because I have a gracious God who will get me through any work He leads me to do for Him. I also know that the loving thing to do in this situation is to speak the Truth in love.

Is God calling you to do something you’re not sure is from Him? Pray, then, check it with scripture. Get wise counsel if you still aren’t sure. Does it go against anything God says in His word? If not, proceed confidently and receive the blessing of obedience.