I was recently browsing through Facebook and saw one
of those pictures with a funny saying. It reminded me so much of a friend of
mine, that I reposted it with the inscription, “This sounds like something you
would say.” She laughingly responded to this by saying, “So true!”
This funny statement reminded me of my friend only
because I know her so well. We have had numerous conversations concerning the
very topic that the picture referred to. When I had first seen that post, I
literally could hear her voice in my mind speaking those words. I also knew how
she would respond upon seeing the post. There was no fear that she would be
offended by my statement, but rather that she would laugh just as I had. And
laugh she did.
Sometimes we may see or hear something that reminds us
of the word of God. A loving attitude displayed through the actions of another,
a statement of wisdom or sometimes just a random thought may put us in mind of
the Lord. This sounds like something You would say, Holy Spirit. This sounds
like something You would do, Jesus. This sounds like something You have done
for me, Father. If we open our eyes and ears we can see and hear behavior that
it imitates God every day.
Do we know the Lord well enough to recognize Him in
what others have said? Have we studied His Word well enough to know when wisdom
lines up with the true wisdom that He has taught over and over again in the
Scriptures? Have we studied His character so well that we see it shining
through people we have never even met before?
The best way to know if what we hear sounds like
what the Lord would say is to study what He has actually said. By studying the Scriptures
we learn what God has spoken to His people through the years. We have been
instructed to not simply read but to study. “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested
by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly
handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP) God has called His people His sheep. “Then shall they know [positively] that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord God, And that you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are [only] men and I am your God, says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:30-31 AMP) Jesus explained that His sheep know the voice of their shepherd and will follow it. As we become more familiar and knowledgeable of all that the Lord has said, we will actually begin to hear His voice and recognize it. “The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27 AMP) We recognize not only what He says, we follow Him.
When others speak to us with wisdom, we will know because true wisdom agrees with the Word of God. If the counsel given does not agree with what is written in the Scriptures we can know that that is not coming from the Father of light. Anything that truly comes from Him will sound just like something He has already said. The church at Berea was praised for checking the Gospel against the Scripture. “Now these [Jews] were better disposed and more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready and accepted and welcomed the message [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] with inclination of mind and eagerness, searching and examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 AMP) They recognized the sound of truth in Paul’s teaching, but they tested it against the truth of that they already knew was from God. We must do the same.
Know the Lord and His word well. Then test everything you hear by asking, “Does that sound like something the Lord would say?”
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