In John 8, Jesus was speaking to a group of Pharisees who did not believe He was truly the Son of God. Notice what He says in verses 42-47, “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
These Jews did not want to believe Jesus was the Christ, and they did not want to truly follow Him, therefore they did not understand what He was teaching or hear God’s voice in their hearts – they were the “religious” leaders of their day, yet they did not TRULY believe in God or else they would have accepted Jesus’ teachings and followed Him gladly.
Many people today claim to believe in God, yet they never hear God’s voice in leading their lives because they don’t really want to follow God and obey His commandments, they like the Pharisees would rather have their own self-serving version of “religion” than TRUE faith in God and His Word. If we TRULY believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ – He will lead and guide our lives and we will understand and know His will and the ways in which He wants us to follow Him.
To faithfully live the Christian life and have God guide and direct us, we must truly believe in Him. If we trust Him, obey Him, and faithfully give Him our lives – He will speak to us. Not audibly of course, but by His Word and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples in John 14:26, “…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…” As true believers in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to lead and to guide us.
If we’re not hearing God through His Word and Him working in our lives, there are several possible explanations:
1. We don’t truly have a relationship with God. We may know all about Him, but we’ve never given Him our heart and life.
2. We’re not listening. We’re too caught up in making our OWN way in this world and doing what WE want to stop and listen to what God wants.
3. We’re too focused on this world and it’s entertainments and pleasures, and we’re too distracted to even know God is speaking.
4. Our minds are already made up on what we want to do with our lives and until God agrees with what WE want, we’re not interested in hearing from Him.
5. We are too afraid God will make us do something we don’t want to do – so we’re not willing to give Him complete control of our lives.
6. We seldom read God’s Word and pray, thus never giving God a chance to speak to us.
7. We have sin in our lives and live contrary to His teachings and we’re not willing to give it up, thus our sin has created a barrier between us and God.
If we TRULY give our hearts and lives to God – He WILL guide and direct our lives. Sometimes we just have to be patient and wait for Him. Like the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God…”
Are you listening to God and seeking to walk with Him every day? That is the ONLY way to truly KNOW Him and see Him work in our lives!