How do we listen to God?
Channel: Chapelstreet Church
Date: 2023-03-27

How do we listen to Jesus?

Studies have shown that a person’s voice is just as unique as his or her fingerprint; no two people have the exact same vocal tone or timbre. This is why, for instance, pets can recognize the voice of their owners, and infants can recognize the voice of their parents. When you practice listening to someone, you begin to be able to recognize his or her voice—even without seeing this person.

Jesus’ voice is also recognizable to those who practice listening to him. As Jesus says in John 10:3–4: “The sheep listen to [their shepherd’s] voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them…and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

Jesus wants you to know his voice. He wants you to be so familiar with the way he speaks that you can pick out his sound in a crowd. He wants you to be able to distinguish between his voice and the voice of the Tempter and Accuser. He wants his loving voice to be your source of direction, strength, hope, and joy.

How can we grow in recognizing Jesus’ voice? It all starts with listening to him. In today’s video, Alli Goble explains what it means to listen to the voice of Jesus, and how this listening leads to life.

This is Day 11 of our 20 Days on Following Jesus series. Find the rest of the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0lnY-4k_FoicFce0YaSUseBovJiNQ7GO 

A Prayer for Today
Everlasting God, you alone have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Your Word renews my mind (Romans 12:2), nourishes my soul (John 4:14), and lights my path (Psalm 119:105). Thank you for speaking to me through your Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17), through your creation (Psalm 19:1–6), through your people (Colossians 3:16), and ultimately through your Son (Hebrews 1:1–2). Lord, I want to know your voice and follow your voice. Teach me to listen well. Make me sensitive to your leading. Help me recognize your voice more and more, especially as I meditate on your Word. Use me to speak words of life to those around me today. I love you, Lord. Amen.

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RESOURCES REFERENCED IN VIDEO
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Two daily rhythms to grow in listening to God
  •  Meditate and Feast on the Word of God for (at least) 5 minutes each day.
  •  Practice two-way journaling

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BIBLE VERSES REFERENCED
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John 10:27 (ESV): “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Psalm 1:1–3 (NIV): “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers.”
1 Corinthians 2:9–12 (NIRV): “‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has known what God has prepared for those who love him.’ But God has shown it to us through his Spirit. The Spirit understands all things. He understands even the deep things of God. Who can know the thoughts of another person? Only a person's own spirit can know them. In the same way, only the Spirit of God knows God's thoughts. We have not received the spirit of the world. We have received the Spirit who is from God.”
Matthew 4:4 (ESV): “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Psalm 5:3 (NIV): “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

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ADDITIONAL VERSES 
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Deuteronomy 6:1–9 (NIV) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deuteronomy+6%3A1-9&version=NIV
Psalm 1 (NIV) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+1&version=NIV
John 10:1–30 (NIV) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A1-30&version=NIV

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SONG SUGGESTIONS
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Tis So Sweet (Jadon Lavik) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8evsR4Uhdbk
Show Us Christ (Sovereign Grace Music) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIi5SAVMRw 
Speak, O Lord (Keith and Kristyn Getty) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my90e3a_nlM

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