March 9, 2011
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Stupid Ideas
Suppose your friend called you up one day and said, “Hey! How about we get some guns and go rob the 7-Eleven!” 
I am quite sure most of you would say, “What? Are you crazy! I am not doing that!” It is totally irrational, right? (I really hope none of you have “friends” like that!) The thing is, you see that suggestion for what it is — just plain wrong and STUPID!
But, suppose your worst enemy whispers in your ear, “You have been sick for a week. It’s probably cancer. You’re going to die.”
Why do you not respond the same way? -- “What! Are you crazy? I’m not doing that! I'm not falling for that!” I don’t know. But usually, we listen. We consider. And often, we start to worry.
The enemy goes around tempting and lying to us. He does it every single day. That’s his job. That’s his nature. He wants to get us to doubt God. He wants to fill us with fear. He wants to put suspicion in our minds. He wants to build walls between us and others. He wants to make us angry and bitter. He wants us to feel worthless. He works to bring depression. He wants us to feel justified in being selfish, or proud, or envious or lazy and undisciplined.
Why are we such suckers? Why do we so often listen and contemplate these lies?
(John 10:26-27 AMP) But you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine]. The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.
If you belong to God, you can hear His voice. Maybe you didn’t know that. Maybe you have never tried to listen. But these verses tell us that if we belong to God, we are to be listening and hearing HIS voice, and following HIM.
In these scriptures, Jesus is using the picture of Himself being the shepherd, and we the sheep. Hey! We are smarter than sheep. If sheep can hear, recognize and follow the voice of their shepherd, than we can, too! Good to know, right? Baaaaaahhh!
(John 10:3-5 NLT) The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."
Maybe we should start asking God to help us to better know His voice. Maybe we should start spending more time with Him than we do with anyone or anything else, so we will grow in knowing and trusting Him. There are all kinds of voices vying for our attention. Out there where we live, there are all sorts of philosophies, vain imaginings and lofty thoughts that demand to be listened to. There are also lies and crafty suggestions that on the surface, may sound OK, but underneath are dark and dangerous. If we want to stay safe, we will stay close to our Shepherd. If we want to avoid being led down the wrong paths, we will learn to tune out the other things and tune in to HIS voice.
Lord, tune our ears to hear YOUR voice.
Comments (22)
Amen
I am trying to maitain a positive attitude at work. Trying to be an inspiration for others to follow. To be careful with my words and actions, with th eattitudes I display. It is hard sometimes, I feel as though I am swimming against a tide of negativity, anger and discontent. Many people seem to derive their happines by ridiculing their situations and others. I think they are listening more to the enemy rather than the Lord. Join me today and pray for them, if but just for a moment.
@Aloysius_son - I will do that, John. May God's joy be your strength, and may He give you wisdom to know how to reach them.
Good thoughts. We need to watch what we think about.
btw, love your profile pic.
i can feel your pride and joy from here!
good to know stuff mae. i appreciate {once again} what you shared,
often so timely for me...thanks for listening to His whispers.
i am slowly catching on that it is easier to hear Him when i am
staying Right Next To Him...
Great post especially today, just this morning I was SHOOing him out of my mind! ; )
I like the way you introduced this topic. Thank you for sharing this post and, that's such a lovely profile pic.
Amen! Answer the lies like Jesus did with "It is written," with the Word. And yes, we should ask the Lord to help us hear & know His voice - very important.
when my oldest was young his best friend said that to him and he said,"I'll go with you and wait outside." he said,"I knew it was wrong but i couldn't talk him out of it mom." Well, the cop that caught up with them knew me cause I worked with his wife and he knew Steve was a good kid and he believed him. His friend is in prison and my son is doing fine.
I know your point was to stay close to God and know his voice but I just had to tell you about my son and how lucky he was that day.
Sometimes the "thoughts" get away from me...it takes a bit before I even realize how "toxic" they are but thank God when I do I can identify where they are coming from! Now to recognize it quicker!
This is a wonderful post!!!! thank you for sharing!
Amen from me too. When I get restless and anxious I love to listen to God's word or my favorite 'Mountain Anthems' singing.
Lots of voices out there today, listening for His voice is imperative...thanks for your comments today...think Jesus would get hassled by religious leaders today? Think he would!! Blessings to you today!
Boy, I needed that! That's exactly what's been happening around here. The doctors have got us terrified.
"Lord, tune our ears to hear YOUR voice."
my heart-cry lately.
recognizing too how subtle the enemy is and how quickly i'm tangled in his lies b/fore even realizing...
finding alot of comfort in His Word lately- seeking to keep my mind RENEWED!
Excellent post AND comments! The enemy is so very crafty! As I get older and spend more time curled up in the Lord's arms, I am able to discern that alot of nonsense comes only from satan who waits nearby to trip me up. I KNOW it's him and only in my weakest moments, I begin to believe the lies. "Warfare prayer" is something more people need to be more aware of in order to fight off satan. Bless you, dear lady!
yes, distractions keep our eyes off the Shepherd - distractions through things, people, thoughts, etc. In these last days, it is going to be vital we hide in the shelter of his wings, close to his heart!
Great post! Something I need to think about today...
Excellent, excellent, excellent! Thanks for posting this!
I MISS YOU!!!
Amen. I needed to read this today. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent!
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