About The Author

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Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Convinced Part Four

John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

The reason sheep know a shepherds voice is they spend time with him.

Shepherds would sing and talk to young lambs in order to familiarize them with their voice. This way if a stranger came along and tried to get the lamb to leave the fold it will not recognize the strangers voice and would run away.

Being in the flock is important for a lamb it is the safe place to be while learning the voice of the shepherd. The shepherd is among the flock talking, and tending to his sheep.

If a lamb were to stray from the flock it would be at risk from wolves, and other predators. But while it is with the flock it has protection until it learns to rightly hear and follow the voice of the shepherd.

One thing is for certain, until we learn to hear for ourselves and become convinced we are not very likely to achieve much if anything in the kingdom.

We won’t have much to stand on in faith because it is through the release of grace that comes with hearing God that we are enabled to take a stand. The reason we are witnessing so much wishy washy Christianity today is fewer and fewer believers are hearing from God like they should. They are not becoming convinced.

What is hearing God for yourself worth?

What time are you willing to give?

What would you be willing to give up?

How much prayer and study would you be willing to engage?

How connected to other stronger believers would you be willing to be?

The first step to turning your life around in this area is to become convinced you need to be able to hear God for yourself.

2Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Like Abraham, Paul had heard the Lord and had become convinced in God’s ability to keep His promises.

We too can enjoy the peace and the freedom that comes with hearing God and having confidence in His promises for our lives, if we will make the investments required to position ourselves to hear.

His sheep know Him and hear His voice and another they will not follow.

It always begins with right relationship to Him. Sin and rebellion block our consciences from being free and clear to hear. If there is un-confessed sin in our lives it will hinder us from hearing what God wants to say to us. Let’s pray that God by His grace and mercy will begin to speak to each one of us clearly.