![]() ![]() Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. And Jesus gives us his authority to silence the enemy.Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. We know that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20). I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy nothing will harm you. ![]() They returned with joy and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Earlier, when Jesus commissioned his disciples, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, sending them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2).Īfter this Jesus sent out 72 others to do the same (Luke 10:1). Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19). Just before ascending into heaven, the Risen Lord Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. God has given us authority in Christ to silence the other sources and clear the way to hear God’s voice and be confident that it is God speaking. In the book Daring to Live on the Edge, Youth With a Mission (YWAM) founder Loren Cunningham points out that impressions on our spirit will come from one of four sources: (1) your own mind (2) the mind of others (e.g., the world) (3) the mind of Satan (e.g., demons) and (4) the mind of God. But what about those other voices? How can we be sure we are hearing only from our Lord? It is part of our birthright when we are born again by the Holy Spirit and become followers of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus is very happy to lead us as his disciples and those who follow him should be able to hear his voice and receive the guidance we need. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16, emphasis mine). “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. Later Jesus alludes to the gentiles who will also hear his voice and follow him. “But they will never follow a stranger in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (John 10:5). In the next verse, Jesus makes the point that we should not follow any other voice. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4, emphasis mine). He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. “The gatekeeper opens the gate for, and the sheep listen to his voice. Jesus is able to lead us precisely because we hear his voice and follow after him. As Jesus’s sheep, we should be able to listen to his voice and follow him because we clearly recognize his voice. These are times when we can seek God’s guidance through listening prayer.Īccording to Jesus, we are his sheep, the flock of his pasture. There are lots of voices telling us very different messages, and too often we find ourselves challenged and confused about what we should do in a given situation or what is really the best way ahead. Yet we are constantly being bombarded with the noise of the world all around us. This is really important because as followers of Jesus, we all desire to do the right thing and make the wisest choices. We focus our time of prayer on intentional, purposeful listening and let God do the talking. We wait on God in a time of silence, giving the Lord opportunity to speak to us. In making our request, we give God’s guidance authority over the other voices we hear throughout our daily lives. Listening prayer centers around a clear request for God’s guidance. But prayer is really more like a dialogue, where we speak with God and the Lord speaks to us. Most of us picture prayer sort of like a monologue: We talk to God, sharing our heartfelt thanks and offering up our petitions and requests. ![]()
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