THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD
Tuesday – July 18, 2017
Greetings and welcome back to The Three Minute Word publications and our study from the Book of Hebrews. God is so good! It is also the day that I remind us all to refresh our prayers (decrees) for the United States of America, and the various governments across the land. The picture above is of the U. S. Capitol. Pray fervently for the Trump administration and all the Godly peoples surrounding him. President Trump cannot make America great again by himself however God can make America great again through President Trump and the fervent prayers of God’s people. You may think you don’t like President Trump, well get over it and empower God to work through him and others to reverse the carnage of the last twelve to sixteen years (even the last one-hundred years). No force can withstand faith in God, faith in His Word, obedience to that Word, and our unwavering response to the still small voice giving us all direction. Not even close! God is so good! We the people of God are far from helpless. The forces of evil have zero chance of victory in the face of an awake, cleansed, arisen believer of one mind with Christ who knows who they are in Christ. We are far above the enemy; the enemy must bow (not optional) and the Lord is exalted and receives all the glory. Now back to our Bible Study. We will review our primary text in Hebrews and finish with our secondary text in Mark today.
Hebrews 2:4 (KJV)
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
We have been teaching about the veracity of the Word of God which is sure in the mouth of angels, the mouth of Prophets, and most certainly in the mouth of the Son (Jesus Christ). What about in our mouth? Hopefully you are not struggling with the answer to that question. The Word of God in the mouth of a person of unwavering faith spoken in obedience to the leadership of the Holy Spirit (still small voice) will have the same result as if spoken by angels, Prophets, or Jesus. By the way, if you are looking for a booming voice from Heaven to guide you, that isn’t going to happen, get used to, practice the still small voice. When we say we can’t or don’t hear the voice of the Master we are incorrect and calling our Savior a liar.
John 10:1-5 (KJV)
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
The Shepard is Jesus and the Porter is the Father. Jesus says we know His voice. It seems obvious that multitudes are following the voice of another due to the stealing, killing, and destroying happening in their lives. No, things are not the luck of the draw and bad things do not happen to good (sinless) people. Bad things are presented to good people on a regular basis but we are (according to Jesus) equipped to recognize those things as not from the Shepherd and not receive them. Have we been practicing following our own non-Scriptural voice or the voice of the enemy so long that we no longer recognize the voice of the Shepherd? Seems like repentance might be a better route than calling Jesus a liar. Now let’s turn our attention once again to our secondary text in the Book of Mark.
Mark 16:15-20 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Yesterday we had considered briefly that believers “shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” I don’t know about you but this seems like a command, a command when obeyed produces a certain outcome which is the recovery of the one prayed for. Like many things in Scripture they must be viewed through the lens of the whole of Scripture. For example, a person confessing to believe but does not have an unwavering belief in their heart (thinking, imaginations) will not get the promise. Prayer (decrees) uncoupled from faith, and obedience to the leadership of the Holy Spirit are empty words. Perhaps we need to be like this father recorded in the following Scripture.
Mark 9:23-24 (KJV)
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
MAILING ADDRESS: 3 Rosswood Green Lane, Unit Two, Oakland, Maine 04963
