THE VOICE OF GLAD TIDINGS - PART 2

THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2024

What is this voice of glad tidings? God is waiting around to be gracious to you! Although in the context of our referenced Scripture, it was a voice specifically directed to the Israelites, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, assuring them that the time of their tears was over, and if they cried for help, God's grace would respond to them. For this God, the moment He hears, He answers. Moreover, how does this voice apply to the saints in today's world? More below!

Reference: Isaiah 30:21 The Voice (Voice)

"Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: 'Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go' whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left."

Indeed, as a born again Christian, your ears could hear sweet words behind you: 'Go this way." Question: Does this voice matter to you? Firstly, we have a Master, who is the good Shepherd, and since He ascended into heaven, He assigned a teacher to us, who is forever present in us and with us. For the Israelites, the teacher was right there, with a voice that constantly worked to get their attention and to turn them from a negative direction to a positive direction, whenever they wandered left or right. Got it?

Beloved, to hear this voice matters, but you must be a sheep that belongs to Christ, whose role in our salvation is the great Lord and good Shepherd. To that effect, He stated in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (KJV). Did you notice that the sheep also have a different kind of life known as eternal life? Now watch this: My sheep hear my voice! Who are the sheep? Generally, sheep are mere animals that don't have a spirit. Of course, animals are not spirits; they only have soul and body. This is why they don't need salvation which is divinely designed for mankind, meaning that when they die, that is the end.

So this must be a special kind of sheep with a tripartite nature, because in order to hear the voice of the Spirit of Christ and have eternal life, this very sheep must have a spirit where the Holy Spirit resides. Remember this eternal life is in Jesus Christ, those who have received Jesus, have eternal life (see 1st John 5:11-12 NLT).

When we believed in Christ and received Him as Saviour and Lord, He came to live in our spirit, the deepest part of our being. By dwelling in our hearts, the voice of His Spirit became active, but our soul - mind, emotions, and will - can still choose to ignore this voice, until we deliberately train our spirit to be sensitive to it, as we continually renew our mind with the Word. When the voice becomes clearer and we obey it, it shows that the glory of God truly shines in us in its fullness.

Now, one of the ways a sheep that hears the voice of Christ's authority can train his or her spirit to be very sensitive to that voice - is by speaking in tongues. To that effect, Pauline epistolary expression in 1st Corinthians 14:14 reads, "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful..." Got it? Speaking in tongues fine-tunes our spirit man and grants us full participation in the realm of the Spirit, thereby empowering us to clearly hear and step into the voice of Christ's authority.

The voice of the Holy Spirit consists of the truth, divine wisdom, and righteousness; a voice that cuts through the darkness of ignorance and negativity. It corrects, directs, edifies, empowers and embodies an unfailing beacon of hope. The voice is a path for those who have lost their way, and a source of comfort in adversity. It grants the assurance that God is with you, and accentuates His constant guidance in your life. It is the voice that has the ability to will anything God has said in His Word into being, because it is grounded in the supreme authority of the Scripture. However, those who are carnally-inspired are incapable of detecting the sound of this voice because carnality can cause hearing difficulties, making it hard for them to perceive the voice.

This voice is highly esteemed interpreter of the Scripture characterized by spiritual illumination and enlightenment. It is a voice that grants transforming recognition to any human condition, and ensures effective Kingdom results. It promotes the efficacy of divine reality that transcends the physical realm and encourages the hearer to action God's will. Therefore, as a born again Christian, in any given situation, refuse to accept anything other than the teacher's voice concerning your life, by maintaining constant partnership with the Holy Spirit. Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 85:8; John 10:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Exuberant Declaration:

I am a sheep that clearly hears the voice of my Master, and I pay attention to what I hear, as I follow Christ. Praise God!