“My faithful God, ANSWER ME when I call out to you. Give me rest from my trouble. Show me your favor. HEAR MY PRAYER.” (Psalms 4:1) Jeremiah the prophet was used of God to say, “Call to Me, and I WILL ANSWER YOU, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
Today, there are many Theologians who feel that God no longer speaks to us, that we can know all we need to know from the Word of God. Well, that presents a personal problem for me because I want my Abba (daddy) Father to speak to me! The night I got saved I walked into my private restroom at work and the My Father put His arms around me and said “Bill, I love you.” And such POWERFUL LOVING CONVICTION came over me that I dropped to my knees next to the toilet and cried out “I AM SORRY!” A great burden was lifted from me, and I knew that I was forgiven for my sins!
I also discovered another very important fact, which I knew from the night I got saved when God said to me, “Bill. I love you!” “The sheep LISTEN to His voice.” (John 10:3) “…His sheep follow Him because they KNOW His voice.” (John 10:4) “…they do not RECOGNIZE a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:5) “I have other sheep…they too will LISTEN to my voice” (John 10:16) “My sheep LISTEN to my voice…” (John 10:27) People say to me that “they do not hear the Lord speak”, it’s because they have not been taught. We see in this one chapter, five times the Lord talks about hearing a voice, we just need to learn how! God is our Father; what kind of Father would NEVER SPEAK TO HIS CHILDREN? So, we need to learn HOW TO LISTEN!
As Paul journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and HEARD A VOICE saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me…Paul, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:3-4, 6) You might say, that was the Apostle Paul.
“Now there was a CERTAIN DISCIPLE named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Ananias entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 9:10-17)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham