How To Recognize the Voice of Christ

HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF CHRIST

By Apostle Felix

4  And when he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them and they will follow him, for they are familiar with his voice. 

5  But they will run away from strangers and never follow them because they know it’s the voice of a stranger.” 

6  Jesus told the Pharisees this parable even though they didn’t understand a word of what he meant. 

John 10: 4 – 6

Babies are an interesting little human beings. They are born with a phenomenal voice recognition mechanism. They recognize their parents’ voices with their eyes closed. One of the sensory organs that is more active than others is the hearing. They are move sensitive to noises around than objects before them. Babies learn the language by hearing. It is impossible to learn a language and be able to speak. It is the hearing that necessitates speech. A baby born in a Damara speaking family will speak Damara, makin all the click sounds without a struggle. A person exposed to hearing Damara helps with speaking because it provides the auditory feedback necessary to learn, refine, and maintain speech production. Hearing allows one to monitor speech, understand the sounds of language, and learn how to produce speech sounds correctly. Without hearing, it is difficult to develop speech, and even for those who can hear, hearing loss can impact speech clarity and communication.

Hearing then has great impact on one’s spiritual growth. Not just hearing, but what one is hearing has a great bearing on the spiritual direction one takes. Solomon, in Proverbs really stressed on the importance of hearing.

5  A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 

Proverbs 1: 5

What you give your ears to, is what will be in control of your life. The one who is speaking in your ears, is the one directing the affairs of your life. You cannot avoid the one who has your ears. Wisdom is the ability to distinguish. Therefore, the ability to recognize the voice of Jesus is wisdom. Unfortunately, we have a generation that is unable to distinguish the voice of Jesus from the voice of falsehood. The children of God keep on following wolves around and they have been mauled and destroyed. How can the church be helped to recognize the voice of Christ?

15  After they had breakfast, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you burn with love for me more than these?” Peter answered, “Yes, Lord! You know that I have great affection for you!” “Then take care of my lambs,” Jesus said. 

16  Jesus repeated his question the second time, “Simon, son of John, do you burn with love for me?” Peter answered, “Yes, my Lord! You know that I have great affection for you!” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 

17  Then Jesus asked him again, “Peter, son of John, do you have great affection for me?” Peter was saddened by being asked the third time and said, “My Lord, you know everything. You know that I burn with love for you!” Jesus replied, “Then feed my lambs!

John 21: 15 – 17

After the resurrection, Jesus spoke to Peter to take care and feed His lambs. He referred to His church. Feeding the lambs is a priority with Jesus. The question is, what kind of meal should be provided for the lambs to feed on? It is not just any meal. Jesus prescribed the meal that should be served for His lambs. The meal is Himself. He is the meal, the bread of life. He said, the meal Moses provided was not good enough. It had no ability to give eternal life. He is the bread that gives life.

32  “The truth is,” Jesus said, “Moses didn’t give you the bread of heaven. It’s my Father who offers bread that comes as a dramatic sign from heaven. 

33  The bread of God is the One who came out of heaven to give his life to feed the world.” 

34  “Then please, sir, give us this bread every day,” they replied. 

35  Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty. 

John 6: 32 – 35

The ability to distinguish between the bread of life and manna is wisdom. Manna is food that is based on dead works. Dead works have got to do with works primarily to earn God’s favour. It is a reliance on personal performance to win God’s favour and blessing. This is when we hear one emphasizing works over the grace of God. For example, a pastor would be telling the congregation to give money in order to be blessed. That will create a dead wok mentality in people. People should not give so they can be blessed. That is a manna meal. The bread of life is when one is blessed in Christ and give as a result.