Have you ever seen one of your favorite actors in a movie where they look totally different? Whether it is their costume, their makeup, or their hair, they look so different you can’t even tell that it is them. For me it’s Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, he looks nothing like himself and yet when he speaks, I know it’s Tom Cruise.
See, I am a huge Tom Cruise fan and that means I have seen almost all his movies from Mission Impossible to Jerry McGuire. So, even when Tom Cruise shows up on screen looking like someone completely different, I can pick out his voice.
So, the question is, why is it easier for me to pick out actor’s voice then hear God’s voice sometime?
For me, it comes down to how we spend our time with each. When I watch a movie, I am spending time watching and listening what they do and say, but how many times when I am with God am I trying to see and hear what He is doing. A lot of times in the busyness of life we spend our time with God to check a box or as an opportunity to dump out our wish list on Him. Not that praying our wish list is bad, but we should also be looking at our time with God as an opportunity for us to learn His voice, to see His heart, and to allow Him to show us what direction we should go.
As you read these verses, think about how we can learn to hear God’s voice better. For a lot of us it means slowing down and allowing God to speak to us. For some of us it means following through on the things that God has already told us. Regardless, in this For The Future campaign, our goal is 100% participation. which means when we hear God's voice concerning the Initiative we need to respond and participate how He is directing us.
John 10:2-5
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
How can you use your prayer time as an opportunity to hear from God?
What things has God told you already that you might not have pursued?
When God speaks and asks you to trust Him, are you ready?