God Doesnt Whisper

In fact, some of them are friends. Rather, I am asking if the ideas they have advanced are biblically sound. John 10 is almost universally cited in support of the view that hearing the voice of God is a standard feature of the normal Christian life. The wording itself seems straight-forward and unambiguous: Whenever this verse is quoted to me in discussions on this issue, I always ask a simple question: No one in this context has ever given me an answer to this question.

Nor have I seen it addressed in any book invoking this passage. A closer examination shows why, though I invite you to read the chapter carefully for yourself first before you continue here. John records four mentions by Jesus of His sheep hearing or knowing His voice Verse six is key to understanding these references.

Jesus begins by talking about shepherds and sheep Unlike the thief and robber, the legitimate shepherd enters by the door and calls His own by name. They follow Him as He leads them out.

He is the door of the sheep 7. Those who pass through Him find salvation and abundant life He is also the Good Shepherd who, unlike the hireling, lays down His life freely for His sheep , 15, The shepherd and the sheep know each other When His other sheep hear His voice, they also become part of His flock Once again, the Jews fail to completely understand What is the problem? At this point, two key questions need to be answered from the text of John Second, what causes His sheep to hear His voice? This is not the way Jesus answers, though. Jesus is using a figure of speech.

A thing is never a metaphor of itself. A metaphor is a picture of something else. They hear His voice. They respond by following. Then He gives them eternal life. It is something that happens to nonbelievers that leads to their belief.

What does it mean if I don’t hear God’s voice?

It is not a skill possessed by believers as a result of having belief and subsequent relationship with God. It is the ineffable drawing by the Father through His Spirit of those who are His. This is a concept John has already introduced and developed in earlier chapters of his Gospel, using the same metaphor in the very same way 5: Remember, the Jews have no trouble actually hearing Jesus. They know what He is saying. They hear His teaching with perfect clarity. The problem is they are not responding with faith.

Jesus tells us plainly. They are not among the sheep the Father has given to the Son Now the second question: What enables us to hear? You will know when God is speaking to you.

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But Jesus never suggests such a thing. There is another damaging consequence of a misreading of this text. Those who do not hear are not His. Rather they are outsiders, bereft of eternal life, lost. This places a tremendous burden on the believer who questions his spirituality—and even his salvation—if divine messages are not forthcoming. If this is your worry, fret not. The notion of hearing the voice of God is completely foreign to the text of John To Jesus, hearing His voice is not a skill to be developed. It is not a spiritual discipline opening up lines of personalized communication with God.

If not, you would not have come to Him in the first place. Once again, the simplest way to answer that question is to look up the verses that use the phrase. Since it appears in only two places in the epistles Romans 8 and Galatians 5 , our task is easy. Paul is the author of both and he uses the phrase in exactly the same way in each case.

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Paul begins Romans 8 by explaining how the law of the Spirit of life in Christ sets us free from the law of sin and of death 8: Every true Christian has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him, Paul argues, giving life to his mortal body Then in verses , Paul writes this:. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die.

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But if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body , you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God , these are sons of God. Flip over to Galatians 5: The promise of the Spirit note 3: A battle rages, however, between the flesh and the Spirit How do we win this battle? Communing wit God that is, prayer requires the stillness of a prayer-saturated soul.

Prayer is not talking to God, but talking with him — and that implies listening. Divine proddings seldom come to us by visions or locutions. Far more often God speaks his will by reminding us, in particular situations, to act — or react - with heroic kindness and patience, with love and forgiveness; he inspires us to find creative ways to express concern for others as we plod through this vale of tears. I recall asking myself one time what I had done that particular day to make this a better world. The thought came to me that I might call a depressed client I had counseled.

It turned out that when she answered the phone, she was holding a pill bottle, preparing to commit suicide by overdose.

Does God Whisper? Part 1 | Stand to Reason

My call came just in time to lift her depression and save her life. If we are listening and responding to God, we will recognize that such inspirations are too holy to have been initiated by us; they are graces divinely whispered into our soul. Each brings a surge of growth in holiness. And after all, holiness — union with God — is the ultimate goal we seek in pursuing his will. The present moment lived in the spirit of faith and love is the key of entry.

When the soul enters the threshold it finds limitless treasures. To lay hold of this truth is to discover a path which leads straight to God.

God whispers, but doesn’t shout

It is to discover, from morning until evening, in the commonplace happenings of life, numberless opportunities for accumulating spiritual treasure. These acts may be extremely ordinary and trivial in outward appearance. It might appear to the soul itself that it is offering to God the merest trifles, but it does not appear so to God.

They are the most precious in his eyes.