An amazing story! Elijah the prophet who single-handedly stood up against 450 prophets of Baal, was on the run. He had been threatened by Jezebel the idolater, agent of the devil and wife of King Ahab. Through all his positive and negative experiences, he still had the discernment to recognise the voice of the Lord. Come to think of it, how many of us would have felt that God was speaking through the wind? For many of us, the earthquake would have been equivalent to an incontrovertible sign of God's presence. Remember that Elijah had called down fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice he presented to God during his encounter with the false prophets of Baal. Many people would have concluded that the presence of fire was a clear sign of God's presence. But God was in none of these.
Would you be able to recognise God's voice if He called? He called Samuel when he was very young and Samuel had to learn through Eli the prophet how to not only recognise His voice but also how to respond to it.
"Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord , nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.) And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”" ( 1 Samuel 3:6-10, NKJV)
Having learned to recognise God's voice, Samuel obeyed God and became a great prophet. You see, it all boils down to discernment, paying attention and obedience. What are you hearing? The sound of the TV or fake news, false prophecy, biased and compromised 'ministration' or preaching, rumours of Christ here and there, etc?
Jesus said that in the last days, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." (Matthew 24:23-24)
Many will be deceived in the last days which are upon us right now. They will be deceived because they will be distracted by the strong winds, earthquakes, fire or other natural phenomena. They will be deceived by what they listen to, what they watch, the sort of company they keep, and the devil. What are you hearing? Is what you are hearing pointing you towards Jesus or turning your attention away from Him? God is not the author of confusion and His voice can be heard above the sounds and noises all around us. That is, if you listen.
Hearing the still small voice of God takes genuine desire and deliberate effort. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27). It can be said that to hear God's voice, one must be like sheep, ready to be led and to follow without hesitation. Are you willing to be led or do you want to do your own thing? To hear God's voice, you must eliminate other voices via understanding His Word and taking heed to it. At Mount Carmel, the children of Israel were undecided hanging between two opinions. Elijah was literally on his own when he faced the false prophets of Baal. An individual who does not hear from God has a very high chance of being undecided and confused with regards to the issues of life. Elijah heard from God and challenged the 450 false prophets and emerged victorious to the glory of God. Elijah was a warrior. Are you a fighter, fighting the good fight of faith or are you relenting your efforts having absorbed false news? You see, false news did not start with the News Media, it started with Satan. What you hear is either the truth or false news. Interesting, right?
Knowing what to listen to is something every child of God has to learn, cultivate by way of constant practice. It is a continuous process of verification because not only are there lots of voices but new voices arise each day. Unless one is really walking in the Spirit, it is easy to be deceived. The devil is an expert at disguise. How do you think he was able to deceive Eve? The desire for the spectacular, the quest for the unjustifiable, the reckless yearning to be on the edge, the innate characteristics of pride, the inordinate longing for satisfaction of the flesh, the pursuit of pleasure at the expense of life and more blinded the spiritual eyes of Eve. She yielded to the deceptively mild tone of the devil, underestimating the cunning of the devil and somehow thinking that he was on her side. May God deliver us from inappropriate actions which consequently lead to unnecessary suffering, in the Name of Jesus.
So, even in his distress, Elijah recognised the voice of God. What a great lesson!!. Don’t allow your situation to propel you into insensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Don’t forget that God is with you and that if He allows you to experience some hardship, there is a reason. Do not allow your challenges to weigh you down. Remember God is always with you and He always desires to speak to you. God spoke to Elijah as he stood at the entrance of the cave and gave him specific instructions.
These instructions were delivered at a specific place at an appropriate time. Many have missed the Word of the Lord because they have been gallivanting all over the place. Although God is omnipresent, there are circumstances under which He will speak. At certain locations, only certain words can be spoken. Christians have missed the Word of the Lord because they refused to go to church or do something that God asked them to. Elijah's instructions from God came at the entrance to the cave not at Mount Carmel where he had an encounter with the 450 prophets of Baal. Do you get the point? When and where you receive your next instruction will depend on whether you are obeying God right now. Sometimes our disobedience will delay the next set of instructions, leaving us in a spiritual limbo that in realistic terms would be self-imposed.
What you hear is a function of what you are listening to. In Psalm 81:13, God said "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!"
If you want to hear right, you must pay attention to the Word of God. Read it, study it, meditate on it day and night and you shall be prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8)
May the good Lord grant you grace and wisdom to heed His Word in Jesus' Name.
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