Tune Into His Voice
ICS Daily Devotions
Luke 5:16 (NKJV) So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Jesus had a habit of withdrawing from the crowd to pray alone in the presence of the Heavenly Father. His ministry was very busy, and everyone sought Him once His fame had spread throughout the villages. There will never be an end to ministry time, and there will always be many needs that demand attention. However, the tyranny of the urgent did not dictate Jesus’ actions— He had His priorities right. Therefore, He chose to leave the crowd, the endless crying needs of mankind, and withdrew Himself to be in God’s presence to pray alone. Jesus practised this discipline frequently by intentionally withdrawing from the crowd into the wilderness.
Choosing to be alone with God is a deliberate decision. Our tasks will never be fully completed, so we must prioritise what is truly important: to be God’s presence. If we let our busy schedules dictate when we have time for the Lord, we will never find the time. Likewise, we need to intentionally set aside moments to be with the Heavenly Father regularly, as this begins in the quiet place—our closet—where we meet with God and He meets with us. No longer will you only hear about others’ encounters with God, but you will have a genuine and personal experience with Him.
The Lord is calling us away from our preoccupation with ourselves and our busyness to focus solely on Him. He reveals the things He has stored for us in the secret chamber. He will speak to us.
We all need God’s wisdom on how to handle various situations and the people we work or interact with, but we must first listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to us before we speak out or act on what we have heard from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 10:20 (NKJV) for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
In the above Scripture, Jesus was referring to the abilities of the Apostles after His resurrection because the Holy Spirit would not come until He had ascended to be with the Father. The new era in which we as New Testament believers find ourselves now is for all His children to be led by the Spirit of God. This was also something new to the Apostles because they no longer had Jesus with them after His resurrection.
We are used to operating in the realm of the soul, which comprises the mind, emotion, and volition. Our natural mind cannot understand spiritual matters unless it has been renewed with the Word of God. If our mind is not renewed, it will hinder us from receiving from the Holy Spirit that which is spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit within us communicates with our spirit man. Therefore, we must learn to tune in to His voice by prioritising being in God’s presence.
Sermon Series： The Norm in the New Era
