Good morning -
It's a question that people have been asking down through the ages: Is there a word from the Lord? There is an intense interest in knowing if there is an authentic word from the Creator to our generation. That drive has led many people to look in all the wrong places for that "word": mysticism, pantheism, and the occult, to name a few.
An important political leader once asked Jeremiah the prophet that very question:
"Now King Zedekiah sent and took him out; and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said, "Is there a word from the LORD?" And Jeremiah said, "There is!" Then he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon!" (Jeremiah 37:17)
The word of the Lord is not always pleasant, but it is always of the utmost importance. The Lord YHWH is intensely interested in His people and actively seeks vital communication with us. But as surely as the Lord wants to communicate with us, so does the enemy. It requires the utmost discernment to determine the authentic voice of the Lord from the enemy's counterfeit voice.
The Lord will never speak contrary to His written word. Many people have been caught up in demonic deception because they did not weigh "the voice in their ear" against the written word. A solid understanding of God's word and ways from the written word is the surest safeguard against such deception.
There is a human tendency to want something definitive to validate God's presence and our experience. Jesus warns that the yearning for such signs is an evil craving rather than a mark of genuine spirituality (Matthew 12:38-40). But still we want to hear the voice of God.
We have far more of God's voice within than we may realize. The dynamic presence and work of Holy Spirit within us provides more than adequate voice, teaching, and guidance (John 14:16-26, 16:7-15). We need only attune our senses to be aware of that which is within.
"Is there a word from the Lord?" Like Jeremiah, we can confidently respond, "There is!". That word today, however, need not be a word of judgment but a word of hope and comfort for all who seek. A precious gift of Jesus is the internal presence of the Helper, providing an authentic voice of the Lord amidst a world of deception and evil.
Listening for the voice within and within the word,
Pastor Steve
It's a question that people have been asking down through the ages: Is there a word from the Lord? There is an intense interest in knowing if there is an authentic word from the Creator to our generation. That drive has led many people to look in all the wrong places for that "word": mysticism, pantheism, and the occult, to name a few.
An important political leader once asked Jeremiah the prophet that very question:
"Now King Zedekiah sent and took him out; and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said, "Is there a word from the LORD?" And Jeremiah said, "There is!" Then he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon!" (Jeremiah 37:17)
The word of the Lord is not always pleasant, but it is always of the utmost importance. The Lord YHWH is intensely interested in His people and actively seeks vital communication with us. But as surely as the Lord wants to communicate with us, so does the enemy. It requires the utmost discernment to determine the authentic voice of the Lord from the enemy's counterfeit voice.
The Lord will never speak contrary to His written word. Many people have been caught up in demonic deception because they did not weigh "the voice in their ear" against the written word. A solid understanding of God's word and ways from the written word is the surest safeguard against such deception.
There is a human tendency to want something definitive to validate God's presence and our experience. Jesus warns that the yearning for such signs is an evil craving rather than a mark of genuine spirituality (Matthew 12:38-40). But still we want to hear the voice of God.
We have far more of God's voice within than we may realize. The dynamic presence and work of Holy Spirit within us provides more than adequate voice, teaching, and guidance (John 14:16-26, 16:7-15). We need only attune our senses to be aware of that which is within.
"Is there a word from the Lord?" Like Jeremiah, we can confidently respond, "There is!". That word today, however, need not be a word of judgment but a word of hope and comfort for all who seek. A precious gift of Jesus is the internal presence of the Helper, providing an authentic voice of the Lord amidst a world of deception and evil.
Listening for the voice within and within the word,
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 9:32 AM
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