Consciously, deliberately, intentionally cultivating a Life of intimacy with Abba, of communion with Christ Jesus, allows us to receive His wisest counsel… to hear from God about everything that concerns us. I cannot stress strongly enough how important this is if we would dwell in the refuge of God. Jesus in John 10:3b said of the Good Shepherd, of Himself, “...the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them....” Being the point-man in any part of the spiritual arena, in any facet of this Conflict against the kingdom of darkness, means you are the first to take fire from the enemy— often with no artillery and no backup. Which is precisely what it’s like to walk in a pastor’s shoes. It means you’re the first one killed in an ambush. It means you bleed first. And the man or woman who is unwilling to accept this, as distasteful as it is, has no business assuming the mantle of leadership. “And his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.... [V. 9] I am the Gate; whoever enters through Me will be kept safe and secure. He will come in and go out, and find pasture [green grass to feed on and living water to drink]. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy [‘steal’ our joy, ‘kill’ our hearts, and ‘destroy’ our lives]; I have come that they may have Life, and have it to the full,” vv. 9-10. Notice there is a condition to the shepherding of Jesus and the protection it provides: you must listen to His voice …and no other. Not your own, not the enemy’s, not the well-meaning but misguided voices of friends and family and other believers. His voice— His counsel— His guidance. In dangerous days like the ones in which we live, you cannot simply live life on your own intellect or intuition, on your best guess or a reasonable hunch. You need the wisdom of God!
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 04:17:26 +0000
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