Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice…and they follow me…no one will snatch them out of my hand.” [John 10:27-28]
Transcript
Today, we are going to take a “Posture of Peace” by following the voice of love.
Posture is a short, audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything. Together, we’re going to be emboldened to take a daily Posture of perfect peace.
Listen to this powerful truth that Jesus shares in John 10:27-30. He says, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Now I’ve spoken in past episodes about how I believe the root cause for so much of the anxiety and panic and stress and fear that we experience, is really an accusation, an accusation is at the root of it all. And the accusation simply put, is this. I am not completely loved by God. Now that accusation can take on different forms. Sometimes it looks like an accusation we receive from another. Sometimes it’s an accusation that we hold against another or one that we are holding against ourselves. And then sometimes the accusation is very bluntly an accusation we hold against God. But no matter how it manifest, it’s a denial of the truth. And it’s a denial that we choose to carry with us by believing we’re all alone in this life, by believing that there is separation or the possibility of separation between us and our Heavenly Father. But Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice and they follow me. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” He confirms, there’s no separation. Romans 8 also confirms this truth.
You know, when you listen to or follow another voice, you know, it can be the voice of your hard circumstances or the voice of your past or the voice of your negative emotions or even the voice of, you know, unloving actions from another. When you follow those types of voices, you open yourself up to walking in lies instead of walking in the truth. It doesn’t make the truth any less true. You’re still loved, you’re still accepted. You’re still not separated from the love of the Father but you’re unaware of it. And people who are unaware that they are completely loved, do ridiculous things, like trying to earn something they already have. The love of God can not be earned, only received.
And your enemy, your real enemy, not your next door neighbor but your real enemy satan, he cannot change this truth, so he tries to change your mind instead. The Bible says that he is the father of all lies and he is the accuser of God’s people. That’s all he’s got, lies and accusations. That’s what his voice sounds like. He wants you to believe you’re separated from your Father. You’re separated from the truth, you’re distant, you’re all on your own, you’re not completely accepted. You’re not completely loved. There’s more to do, there’s more to add to the finished work of Jesus. This is what your enemy wants you to believe.
So my question for you is simple today, whose voice will you listen to? Whose voice will you follow? The voice of love or the voice of the liar. Now just a word of encouragement on this, from my own experience. When you are not convinced you are completely loved, even answering this kind of question can be done in dread instead of delight. So I wanna invite you to delight in the truth today. Delight in putting it into practice, delight in receiving the love of God, delight in believing that you are completely loved. Don’t let fear guide you in this practice. Oh my gosh, I’m gonna get it wrong or I’ve got it wrong this whole time. Or I’ve wasted so much time. No, that’s fear talking, let love guide you. Remember, God is love. So if you wanna know what His voice sounds like, look to His word. I would encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 13 today. He is patient, he is kind and his faithfulness is covering you today.