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Knowing the voice of the Shepherd

– Part 1
And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes
before them; and the sheep follow him, for they
know his voice (John 10:4).

The changes that are taking place in the world

system are God’s doing. These changes may seem
very unsettling for most of us but these are foretold
by the prophets of the Lord over the last six
thousand years. But now He has promised, saying,
“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also
heaven.” (Hebrews 12:26b). As the day of the Lord
is drawing near our choices become increasingly
important as it may amplify outcomes. Our choices
on global, national and individual levels will have
magnified consequences. It can be compared to a
ship that is about to enter into a harbor. When a
ship is far from its destination small navigation
errors can be tolerated because it can easily be
rectified. When a ship is entering the harbor
navigation errors can cause devastating accidents
because of a lack of space to maneuver it away
from disaster areas.

The most important decision in your life is to seek

the Lord in all of His ways and to follow Him
wherever He may lead. Sound doctrine is essential
for every true Christian. However, life is to know
the voice of the Lord that you may follow and obey
Him. We may know all sound doctrines and
teachings well and do many miracles in His name,
have a spectacular ministry, but if we do not obey
Him to do the will of the Father, He do not know us
and we will stand in His judgment.

There are two dimensions in knowing the Lord in

His word, which is His will. The first is to know Him
in the Scriptures and the other His voice through
the Holy Spirit. Jesus answered and said to them,
“You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor
the power of God (the Holy Spirit)” (Matthew
22:29). Since the beginning of time God intended
for man to know his voice and since God’s written
word was freely available to him, He intended for
man to know Him in Scripture. God has never
changed His mind concerning this. Man has
changed but God has never changed. We need to
know and heed His written Word and obey His
voice.

This year is a season for rapid spiritual growth.

Therefore, we will endeavor to put our efforts
forward to know Him in meditation on the written
word and waiting on Him to know His voice better.
Unless we developed a love for the truth we will be
deceived in latter times. The Lord is already
imparting into the spirits of the new generation
saints worship and intercession in congregations
which experience renewal and restoration. True
worship is to worship the Lord in His word and true
intercession is to pray according to the word and
will of God.

If you want to excel in any field of science or sport

you need to do the basics flawlessly. Just as it is in
the natural so it is in the spirit. If you want to live in
the Spirit where you hear the voice of the Lord, the
Enoch and Elijah generation will be found with a
devotion to continually reviewing and practicing the
basics. The stronger your basics and the broader
your basis, the more you can build upon it, and the
greater the structure of that house.

Presently more or less 3 percent of professing

Christians in the United States have a biblical
worldview. Your worldview is how you perceive the
world. One of the purposes for the Bible was to
introduce you to God’s worldview so that you can
be reconciled to His worldview. The degree in which
your worldview differs from the Lord’s worldview is
the degree of your deception. You as a Christian
must set your heart to walk in truth.

Your worldview is formed through the things that

shaped your thinking. Your family background, the
news media, a secular education, the opinions and
influences of people are some factors that
contributed to your worldview. As a born-again
Christian, part of your reconciliation to God is the
reconciliation of your worldview to His worldview.
For this reason the Lord has given us the Bible,
sound teaching from knowledgeable and anointed
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers to equip us for service and to shape us
into the image of Christ. Our worldview must be
filled with knowledge of the truth. The truth, and
only the truth, will set us free.

The concept Christian is synonymous to the

concept disciple of Christ. It involves taking his
yoke and learns His ways by sharing His meekness
and lowliness of heart that you may know Him and
view the world through His eyes. When Satan
challenged Jesus who is The Word, He stood on the
written word. Jesus set the example that you must
follow. The two basic devotions of a Christian is
continues prayer and the ministry of the word. But
we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to
the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). Therefore, as a
disciple you must read the Scriptures and meditate
on what you have read. When the Holy Spirit
quickens it you are changed in the spirit of your
mind and you see things more like Jesus sees it. To
follow Christ in this way is not necessarily easy but
it is worth it. The contents of the entire Bible are an
overview of the whole creation, maintenance and
redemptive plan of God and are crucial for
understanding the different aspects of it that we
may apply its wisdom in the times in which we live.
I went through the Scriptures many, many times
over a period of thirty seven years and I cannot
recall a single contradiction in it. I must be honest
that in the beginning some things appear to be
contradictory when I took it out of context, but
when I start to see the whole picture, everything
fits the puzzle. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2
Timothy 3:16). The Word is infallible because the
Word is God. The written word contains God’s
eternal plan for mankind.

The Bible’s integrity is also established with many

prophecies that came to pass as stated. For
example the coming of the Messiah was prophesied
by many prophets over a four thousand year
period, and all of those prophesy God fulfilled. No
one else in history has ever had such credentials
not even Buddha or Mohammed. Jesus
accomplished all that was prophesied. Surely the
Bible’s integrity is established without a shadow of
a doubt. Knowing Him in His message is to be His
witness. To know the will of the Father in the gospel
of His kingdom is the most important endeavor we
can have in this life.

We dedicate this year to know the Lord in Scripture

by meditating on what we have read and start to
apply it to our own times as we establish, and/or
strengthen our biblical worldview. Growing into
Christ’s worldview develops the platform for
discerning the times that we may better accomplish
our own purpose in them. In doing so, we will
discern and interpret some major events and forces
in our times.

The Scriptures are the basis for all Christian

doctrine. All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness (2
Timothy 3:16). The revelatory gifts of the Holy
Spirit (prophecy, word of knowledge, word of
wisdom, interpretation of tongues, interpretation of
dreams and visions, discernment of spirits) are not
given to establish doctrine. It is meant mostly to
direct the Church in the present emphasis of the
Holy Spirit and sometimes in revealing future
events. When revelatory gifts have been
inappropriately used to create new doctrines, these
are false teachings and have often formed the basis
of a sect or cult. We should avoid those who use a
dream, vision or “wild revelation” to establish
doctrine. The Bible alone is given to the Church for
doctrine and instruction in righteousness. On the
other hand, Scripture was never meant to replace
the Lord’s intimate communication and interaction
with us, which He normally does through the
revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit. His sheep know
His voice, and the Lord knows them and they follow
Him. Those who do the will of the Father are the
brother, sister and mother of the Lord. The quality
of communication with the Lord establishes the
level of relationship we have with Him. Our
communication with Him is not only historical facts.
We do not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew
4:4). We have to gather everyday fresh manna. As
our head has direct communication with each cell
of the body, Jesus desires direct communication
with each member of His body. If our hearts do not
condemn us we have confidence toward God. Jesus
purchased on the cross for each of His people a
personal relationship with God. Every Christian
should both know the Lord in the Scriptures, and
His still small voice. The army of the Lord will be so
close to Him before the end of this age that they
will march in formation, they will not break ranks
and they will not push one another. His church
which is His bride and army will also have a loving
and romantic communication with God and then
again communicates about strategic purposes or
work, but His love will always flow like a river and
fall like the rain. What a phony relationship it would
be if the bridegroom on the wedding day handed
his bride a text book on marriage behavior so he
would not ever have to speak to her again! Having
sound doctrines is essential but your personal
relationship with the Lord is your most prized
possession. Truth is revealed by the Holy Spirit in
Scripture but the love for the truth is birthed in an
intimate relationship with the Lord. Those who
remain in love with the Lord will endure to the end.
Our major calling in life is to love God above all
things. To get busy in ministry or religious activity
can never substitute our intimate relationship with
the Lord. Unless you have learned to daily sit at His
feet you may not endure to the end. Love is built by
sharing, communication, personal touches, and
trust. Having doctrines and teachings without an
intimate personal relationship with the Lord is to
have a form of godliness but without the life of His
power. A single touch from the Lord can accomplish
what years of teaching are unable to achieve.
However, teaching is also important. Developing an
unassailable personal relationship with the Lord
include both growing in the knowledge of sound
doctrine and maturing in a love relationship with
Him, which include learning His voice better.
Having the one without the other is to go cripple in
your walk with God. Maturity brings more
responsibility and greater authority, just as with
growing children. Maturity lessens the need for
basic instruction in every small thing. As it is in the
natural so it is in the realm of the Spirit. The Lord
did not lead the apostles of the early Church all the
time around by the hand. They made most
decisions about what to do and where to go without
a direct revelation from the Lord. They followed the
inner-witness of the Holy Spirit within them
because they knew His voice. Naturally they made
mistakes just like us today because they know in
part and they acted in part. When the apostles
needed to change direction the Lord would redirect
them in a dream, vision, or word. They were mature
servants of the Lord and His relationship with them
was different than the immature which need
constant guidance, just like children. It is not a
shame to be immature just as it is no shame to be
a child. However, it is inappropriate to remain
immature in the Lord just as it is inappropriate for a
child to remain immature in the natural realm. It is
such a shame to see from time to time elderly
people behave without nobility or grace. One of the
prophetic emphases of the Holy Spirit is that this
year is a season for rapid growth in the Lord. This
open door is the grace of God. Let us make use of
the goodness of God in the right season. Nothing
flourishes out of its season.

Our devotion to know the Lord’s voice is that we

may learn to obey Him in all things and thus doing
the will of the Father. In all this we seek to mature
in knowing His mind and heart that He may entrust
us with more responsibility and authority for His
kingdom sake. The mature ones are the ones that
bring fulfillment and joy to the heart of the Father.
Yahweh will be forever our God and Father and our
eternal devotion to Him is to do His will. The basic
knowledge to know the Lord and His ways are
written in the Bible. To sink our roots deeper in
knowledge and understanding of His written Word
is not only to read it but to meditate on it day and
night. And we shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers. When you meditate on His word the Holy
Spirit will reveal to you the Truth (The Word; Christ)
and you will be changed in the spirit of your mind.
A healthy relationship with God is to know both His
voice and the Scriptures together. You will discover
that His voice will never contradict the Scriptures.
True prophecy and the other revelatory gifts of the
Holy Spirit will never contradict sound, biblical
doctrine. Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in
heaven (Psalm 119:89). Scriptural truth is the basis
for getting to know His voice.

This year we must intensely focus to seek the ways

of the Lord in the Bible. The love for the Truth will
compel us to seek His ways. We will also seek to
know His voice better by getting closer to Him. For
this to happen we need to exercise waiting on the
Lord and meditation on His word. This is not
legalism but a dedication of love to Him that we
may grow rapidly in the knowledge of knowing Him.

The strong and the solid in the Lord will perpetually

grow in understanding the wisdom of the Scriptures
as well as knowing the voice of the Lord, in a never-
ending pursuit to know Him better. This is our focus
for this year. If it is the only two things you will
accomplish this year you will have done well; you
would have achieved more than most saints have
accomplished in a lifetime.

There will never be a variance between Biblical

truth and any revelation that flows from the Holy
Spirit. The Word and the Spirit is one. God cannot
lie for His word is settled in heaven. The Lord has
never changed but man fell from truth and life into
deception with the transgression. The covenant in
the blood of the Lamb is the way back from our
deceptive hearts toward Eternal Truth. The
Scriptures alone is a trustworthy foundation for
judging all prophecy. No prophecy or message from
God has the authority to judge the Bible. True
prophecy harmonizes with Scripture.

The most important aspect in knowing biblical truth

and knowing His voice is to realize that The Truth is
a Person and not just information. And though I
have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, but not
love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). Illumination
without a faith-love relationship with God is
information.

Illumination with a faith-love relationship with God

is revelation, which is the unveiling of Christ. The
voice of the Lord is like the voice of your father
which you know. I loved my father dearly and I
knew both his voice and the way he walked. He
could be so far from me that I could not recognize
his face but by his walk (he was not limping) I could
identify him among multitudes. When you are in a
deep relationship with the Lord you learn both His
voice and the way He walks. One day, many years
ago, I heard a voice speaking to me, saying,
“Andre, my brother.” I sensed a scratching
sensation in my spirit and I knew it was not my
Shepherd. Because of those beautiful words I
desperately wanted it to be the voice of the Lord. I
knew it was not the Lord’s voice, so, I rebuked the
deceiver.

Normally we recognize a person by his face or

voice. The Scriptures encourage us to seek the
Lord’s face and to know His voice.

I have studied the Bible over a period of 37 years. I

did not come to know the voice of the Lord only by
reading the Bible. I came to know His voice by
prayer, waiting on the Lord, meditating on the word
and visualizing the will of God for my life. I am
blessed in seeing vision and dreaming divine
dreams. I am not engaging in all these activities
just to hear His voice? I am a man of faith that lives
in the realm of God Spirit that is why I engaged
myself in spiritual activities. If I do not live in the
realm of God’s Spirit, these activities will become a
heavy legalistic burden to me that will crush me
into depression and guilt.

For living in the Spirit study my previous articles.

In the realm of the Spirit is no time or division, it is
the realm where you share the Lord’s life with Him.
When you share the Lord’s life with Him it takes the
burden of you to perform. Sharing His life is to flow
with His Spirit. It is not a passive thing because
faith, hope and love are vibrant activities filled with
life and peace; these three are three doorways into
the realm of God’s Spirit, which are the three
dimensions of a divine relationship. Nobody taught
me this; the precious, all compassionate Holy Spirit
is teaching me the ways of the Lord.
The Spirit of Truth which proceeded from the Father
is testifying of Christ. He brings into remembrance
the things of the Lord in Scripture. He can only
bring into remembrance what is available in your
memory banks. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures
as the first line of defense. The more word you
have in your heart the more the Holy Spirit can
communicates with you. The more you hear from
the Lord the more clearly you learn His voice.
Spiritual growth is important because it is His sheep
that hear His voice, not the lambs. The immature in
the Lord need to follow the more mature men of
God until they know the voice of the Lord well
enough that they can discern it from all others
voices. However, it is wisdom to engage into a
relationship with the Lord immediately regardless
the level of your maturity.

The longer you are in the presence of the Shepherd

the more intimate you will know Him. The more you
stay focused on the Lord the quicker and better you
will know His voice. Focusing on the Lord is vital
important to live in the realm of God’s Spirit.
Without focusing on the Lord all your endeavors
will turn into legalism that counts for zero. Without
focusing on the Lord you will not breakthrough into
the realm of Spirit.