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Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the Gate for the Sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the Sheep have not listened to them".
(John 10:7-8)
I must preface what I am about to talk about by giving credit to a precious Sister-In-Christ named Brenda Strohbehn Henderson (petalfromthebasket.com). As I began writing my blog page today, I realized that I have been running around in circles; trying to get everything on my "To Do List" done today. My personality type is one who sets goals and objectives daily and if I am not successful in fulfilling EVERYTHING on the "To Do List", I feel like I have not had a productive day. This frustration rolls into the time I attempt to spend time in The SECRET PLACE with Father God. As much as I would like to say that I discard any of the personal frustration from earlier in the day, I tend to bring a pocketful of disappointment in myself into my fellowship and communion time with Father God. I am a former semi-professional actor of stage, and as "talented" as I may have thought I was when I was younger (and far better looking LOL), Father God could see right through any attempts to mask my inner frustrations. There are so many VOICES that continually vying for our attention-- these "Voices", though some have very legitimate things to share, there are other "voices" (what I refer to those inner voices that tend to cause inner turmoil on the battlefield of the mind. Can anyone out there relate to this?
Again, may I draw your attention to Blogger and Writer, Sister Brenda, and her beautiful Blog page.
It was while I was researching to find particular scriptures in the Bible that referred to voices that continue vying for our attention throughout our entire day (and night), that Sister Brenda's Blog Page showed up on my IPAD screen. As I read her incredible blog addressing the very same issue I was planning to address today in my blog, I felt comforted to know that I was not the only one who has the challenge of following the right voices. From this point in my blog page, I would like to refer you to this precious sister's website because she so eloquently shares about this same challenge of hearing all of the voices (good and bad) that continue in attempt to pull us away from hearing The Good Shepherd's Voice. Her website address is as follows: petalsfromthebasket.com THE SHEEP HEAR THEIR SHEPHERD'S VOICE AND FOLLOW:
The Bible describes our relationship with God as in the relationship between JESUS (The Good Shepherd) and WE (The Sheep). We must understand that the responsibility of a Shepherd (at least in the Middle Eastern Culture) is to protect the sheep from danger and enemies. The shepherd makes sure that the sheep have nourishing food to eat and sufficient clean water to drink. But the Middle Eastern agricultural practices are very different than ours are in North America. There a shepherd does not keep the sheep penned up for 24 hours a day and bring fresh food and clean water to the sheep like we do here. A Middle Eastern shepherd does not use a dog to herd the sheep like we sometimes do here. And the Middle Eastern shepherd also does not use a dog to to herd the sheep from pasture to pasture as is done in Australia and New Zealand. In the Middle East, sheep may be penned up for safety at night. But during the day, the shepherd directs his or her sheep, not with barriers, and not with force, but with his or her voice. The shepherd talks to the sheep and sheep follow the shepherd because they know the voice of the shepherd.
JOHN 10:2-4 says, "The ONE WHO ENTERS by the GATE is THE SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP. The GATEKEEPER opens the gate for HIM, and the SHEEP LISTEN TO HIS VOICE.. HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THEM OUT. When he has BROUGHT OUT ALL HIS OWN, HE goes on ahead of them, and HIS SHEEP FOLLOW HIM BECAUSE THEY KNOW HIS VOICE". (My Emphasis)
DULY NOTE: The terms used in this aforementioned passage of scripture:
1) The ONE WHO ENTERS by The GATE (Shepherd of the Sheep)
2) The GATEKEEPER (This is not referring to The Shepherd who is there to bring His Own Sheep out of the gate of protection during the night hours. The "Gatekeeper" was an individual who made his or her
wages on providing a "Lodging for the Sheep during the night hours)" until The Shepherd Came to
Bring His Own Sheep Out.
3) The SHEEP LISTEN TO HIS (The Shepherd's) VOICE
4) The Shepherd Calls His Own Sheep BY NAME and LEADS THEM OUT.
5) When He has brought out ALL HIS OWN, He goes on AHEAD OF THEM; and
6) HIS SHEEP FOLLOW HIM Because They KNOW HIS VOICE
In conclusion, my friends, I want to encourage and challenge all of us to pray for great clarity in our ability to hear (and discern) the Voice of The Good Shepherd (JESUS CHRIST). We all experience MANY other voices that constantly bombard us -- demanding our attention, and although there are some very legitimate voices we should adhere (and tend to) (ie., our spouse, our children, spouse, "paying Cesar what is due Cesar (Bills Y'All) etc.,) we must also be certain that these "voices" (legitimate and those that the enemy will use to distract us from taking the time to get before GOD in THE SECRET PLACE and spend time in quiet fellowship), we DESPERATELY NEED to spend time in(Your "War Room of Prayer), or driving on the way to work....wherever Your Secret Place with God may be)-- More than ever, especially with Heaven's Clock that reads "11:59 and counting down" we need divine Wisdom, Discernment, Encouragement, Holy Insights and Instructions from The Holy Spirit of God in This Final Moment.
I love you all and pray that I am able to serve as a resource of encouragement, inspiration, blessing (and The Holy Spirit may impart a divine perspective that may challenge you in your daily with Jesus Christ and Almighty God). I would love to hear from you. Getting feedback is a great gift to a blogger-- we need the encouragement as much as we desire to encourage you, our readership (my friends). Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment on this blog site or you can contact me with your comments, thoughts, suggestions, healthy critiques or concerns at: JHudson1159@gmail. com
Be blessed and be a blessing to someone else today in Jesus' Name!
J.
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