Saturday, April 2, 2011

Talking To Strangers

“And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for the sheep do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:4-5.

There is nothing more frustrating than going to an event or performance only to have someone around us talking, whispering or basically frustrating our experience. Hard as we may try, it seems we tend to focus more easily on the whispers and distractions around us than the booming performance ahead of us.

We are told in the Bible that if we are truly following Christ we will not follow these whispers or strangers. These strangers to the children of God may manifest in three different whispers – the whisper of our own flesh, the whisper of Satan or the whispers of the world. These whispers have the potential to drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit if we do not discipline ourselves in pursuing our Shepherd. We can only drown out these distractions through spending time with God, learning who He is through Scripture and praying for the discernment to recognize His voice.

Recognizing His voice becomes possible through the fellowship with Him. When I was in a crowd as a child ten mothers could be talking but my mother’s voice was recognizable above all others. Her voice crowded out the others as I associated it with the comfort I received from her. After I was grown and away from my mother I could still hear the impressions on my heart of her wisdom, her expectations and her guidance. Our Father will lead us if we pursue fellowship with Him and understand how He communicates with us. If we keep our eyes and focus upon the performance of the Lord we will be able to hush all of the whispers which swirl around us and follow the wisdom of the Master.

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