ICS Daily Devotions
Hearing the Voice of God
Joshua 1:1-4 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
The similarities we can draw between the Israelites journey into the Promised Land and our new life in Christ is the part focused on walking out the lifestyle of faith in response to God’s calling upon our lives. God desires for us to seek out His will for our lives because He has chosen us and predestined us to be His children before He created the universe (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Joshua lived a lifestyle of faith that really pleased God. God spoke to Joshua very clearly because he had a close relationship with Him. Even though he was a “goal getter” and had a “can do” spirit, he patiently waited for God’s green light before he actually entered the Promised Land occupied by giants. He waited for God’s spoken word instead of rushing ahead of God’s leading. It would be foolish, presumptuous, and even suicidal if they went ahead to conquer the land without God’s spoken Word. However, Joshua walked and obeyed the instructions of the Lord.
To walk with the Lord means to do our daily Bible reading. This way, we can hear more clearly His still silent voice, and we will be more sensitive to the spontaneous prompting of the Holy Spirit, as well as receive dreams or visions from the Lord.
In this current age, many entrepreneurs and businessmen have the same “can do” and “goal getter” personality exemplified by Joshua, but lack the obedience and patience to listen to the voice of God. In order to walk in God’s blessing and protection, we need to learn to set aside time to tune into God’s voice. For believers, who have made a big decision to move back to their home country, they need to ensure that God has spoken to them personally. That’s because God has a specific calling on our lives. If we don’t take time to hear from God, we will be walking in His permissive will, rather than the plans that He has for us.
John 10: 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Jesus is referring to the sheep from his sheepfold and He knows them well. The sheep’s refusal to listen to the Shepherd’s voice will cause him to stray away. Therefore, it is important to set aside time to listen to God’s voice. Even if God’s will is different from ours, we can rest assure that He has good plans in store for us.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! – Psalms 46:10
Journaling is one way of hearing from God. Most importantly, we need to reflect on what God has spoken to us in our daily quiet times before acting on it in obedience. The Word gives substance to our faith and anchors our soul throughout the whole process before our promise is manifested in the natural realm.
Sermon Series: Moving Forward
