Great and Unsearchable Things

Things the Lord gives me, and then I write them.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Holding God to the Letter

     "My sheep hear my voice," Jesus says. Some Christians believe that the only way to "hear His voice" is through the written word of God. They, in essence, hold Him to the "letter". Let's look at the "letter" to examine something. Didn't Peter, when he was sleeping on the rooftop, have a dream about eating all things, and told, by the Spirit to "go to Straight street"? And, wasn't Paul compelled by the Spirit to do this an do that, being given direction by God in this way throughout His walk with the Lord. And, when John was on the isle of Patmos, wasn't he shown many things and even told many things by the angels when he was there?
     Alright, we'll give it to the cessationists (people who believe that was then, this is now and God only worked through the original disciples in that way to spread the word) for a minute as a possibility, because they didn't have the written New Testament word then. But, the big "proof", I believe, is that if they would have stuck to the written word, which was the old testament, they would not have believed that Jesus was who He said He was. The "religious" leaders and people did just that. They held God to His written word, the Scriptures, and denied Him. The ones opened to His Spirit, heard his voice which validated that He was indeed the Son of God.
     Even today He says His sheep hear His voice. Let me give you an example, from my own life, to make the point clear. One day I was making my bed, and I heard Him say to me, "Saying 'yes' to me is saying 'no' to many other things." He said that to me, and He has shown me time and time again  that it is true, verifying that it was Him who said it.  In other words, I have had to consciously say "no" to many things that would vie for my time and attention, to follow the path He's layed out for me in my life, so that the things He wants for me, will be fulfilled. You could say what He told me is backed up by the written word that says, "If you lose your life, you will save it," or "Your life is not your own, you were bought with a price." But the particular words He spoke were spoken to me personally, and the words as spoken, were not written exactly like that in His written Word.
     Let's not hold God to hearing Him only through the specific words that have been written. His Spirit, like the wind, cannot be contained, and it's not up to us to try and do so. If we do, then our relationship will be very dry and dead-like. It will be a document, and not a life-giving, personal connection.
     I must admit that it can get sticky at times, whenever the enemy tries and mimicks God's voice, and he does this. We get off the path, thinking we are following God when we are not. But, what I am finding as I continue to walk with God is that, when I am being deceived, and I don't know it, God comes and brings me back to the light; Himself. Just like a little lost sheep, who doesn't even know he is lost, is brought back to the fold. Yes, we know His voice, but our hearing is not perfect, and we can be ignorantly deceived, and that is when we must trust our Good Shepherd's love and discernment to come and rescue us.

4 Comments:

  • At 7/01/2010 11:16 AM , Blogger Candy said...

    Completely agree that He can speak to us in a variety of ways, even through a donkey. I remember witnessing to a guy who knew my past and was throwing it in my face. I became visibly disturbed. There was another guy who I believe was laoded and probally dealing sitting a little ways off. He saw what was going on and said "rev ya messin up". Even though this guy was in the condition that he was in it seemed that these words came from God himself. We can never put the ever present God in a box about how or when he should speak.

     
  • At 7/01/2010 11:19 AM , Blogger Bill and Cheryl Flook said...

    Hey Patty, I've been thinking about some of this the past week. Hearing the Lord's voice speaking in so many ways. Watching the wind and thinking of the Holy Spirit, looking at the strength of trees and thinking about God's strength. I feel like He is always speaking to us in many different ways, it's our responsibility to get in tune with Him to hear it by spending time in His Presence.

     
  • At 7/02/2010 6:26 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

    This is a very well written piece! Surely you were given what to write by our Heavenly Father. John 5:31-47 serves as reinforcement of the absolute truth of the matter truly being that the true Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ--not the book that He Authored to serve as written confirmation of what He wants to personally reveal to us. Tragically, far too many want to do away with His Holy Scriptures, but since they were provided to serve as written confirmation of what He wants us to know and understand about Himself and the righteousness of all of His most awesome ways, we would do well to want to become as familiar with them as we are allowed and enabled to be while keeping in mind that they were never meant to replace the witness of our Heavenly Father's Holy Spirit.

     
  • At 7/05/2010 3:07 AM , Blogger Bill Ziegler said...

    God talks to us in various ways. Through visions, dreams and sometimes with an audible voice. At least that is how He speaks to me. There have been times He spoke to me as He did with Paul and Ananias.I heard I was to go. The person on the other end heard I was coming. One time I was telling a young lady about the Lord very enthusiastically. A voice said she doesn't believe anything you are telling her.I stopped and she asked what was wrong. I said that she didn't believe anything I said. She agreed. Then God said to ask her would you believe if God would reveal her deepest secret. She said yes still not believing that would happen. God very clearly spoke the word prostitute. I froze and could not believe what I had heard God say. She asked what was wrong again.I told her I didn't want to say what God had said. She insisted so I uttered that she had been a prostitute. She started crying and wailing. She couldn't believe I could tell her the dark secret.Only her ex boy friend and her knew. Her aunt came in the room wanting to know what was wrong.She didn't want to let her aunt know so I honored her request and didn't tell her. I then told her God knows all and there are no secrets with Him.She said she believed but got pregnant two months later by her new boyfriend. I don't know what happened to her after that. So sad that some just never hear or believe even when something supernatural happens to them. I am just a mortal man and if God can use me like that there is hope for everyone because I am nothing and God is everything.

     

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