In a time of war, every Christian will want God to help them, protect them, and tell them what to do to be safe and provided for. If a crisis were to erupt, prayers will fill the throne room of God, as people cry out in desperation for direction and aid. But for you to get your answers, for you to receive your help, two factors are at play. God must give the answer. And you must be able to hear the answer. In order for God to protect and provide for you, you must know God’s voice, hear God’s voice, heed God’s voice and and obey God’s voice.
I wanted to teach my youth group at church some of the principles of the Kingdom of God, so I lined up two rows of tables, forming an isle down the middle. In this isle, I placed many objects on the floor. Then, one by one, I blindfolded these teenagers and told them to walk down the middle of the isle without stepping on any objects. If they stepped on anything, all the rest of the others watching would make blowing-up sounds. First time you step on any object, you are injured. The second time, you are dead. The kids had great fun attempting to figure out how to walk this isle without getting blowing up.
Of course, no one was able to make it all the way to the end without getting blown up.
Then I gave them each another chance; however, with this second attempt to walk the isle, one of the other teenagers in the group used voice commands to walk them through. The one giving voice commands told them where to step, how big a step to take, and which way to turn to avoid objects If they listened to the commands and obeyed what they were told, they could actually make it to the end of the isle without getting blown up. If you did not listen to the voice and follow it, you would not make it. And they learned that, when obeying, details mattered. If you only listened to the parts you liked, or did not pay attention to the details, you didn’t make it.
One of the many lessons I taught out of this exercise was that you must Know God’s voice, you must hear God’s voice, and you must follow God’s voice in order for God to be able to protect you.
Know God’s Voice
The only way a father can protect a child is if that child obeys his voice. When the ball bounces out into traffic, will the child heed the father’s voice saying, “Stop!” to his own benefit and protection? Or will the child heed his own emotions screaming, “Mine!” and face the perilous consequences? The father sees more, knows more, and perceives more than the child. The father’s voice offers protection to the child – but only if the child heeds the voice. It is pure foolishness to ignore the father and run into the street. But children do it every day. They must be trained to heed the parent’s voice. Any parent knows this takes time. You cannot wait until the ball is heading for the street to begin training the child to obey the parent’s voice. This must be done ahead of time, or the child is in great danger.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
John 10:4
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
If you belong to God, if you have the Spirit of God, then you are supposed to know God’s voice. God can lead you, provide for you, and protect you, but it is up to you to know God’s voice so that you can receive what He is handing you.
Christian Prepper Provision #2
You know God’s voice so well that He can lead you anywhere at any time. You know God’s voice so well that you will not mistake His voice for the enemy’s voice, or the voice of your own logical thoughts. You know God’s voice even when it is only a whisper, and you can even hear that small still voice over the loud commands of your emotions.
(Christian Prepper Provision #1)
How well do you know God’s voice? Can you hear it? Can you differentiate between His voice and the voice of another? Can you even tell the difference between when you hear God’s voice or simply the voice of your own thoughts or logic?
You cannot wait until crisis hits before you begin practicing discernment between voices. You must be, like the child with the ball, already trained to hear God’s voice, heed God’s voice and obey His voice, no matter what the circumstances are in your life. Like that father, God earnestly desires for you to be safe and provided for, but for that to happen, you must heed his voice, or you will face perilous consequences.
If war were to break out, emotions and fear will try to rule you. They will demand to be heard and obeyed. They will sound louder than God’s voice. Only those trained in discernment will correctly hear God’s voice and be lead by Him into His safety and provision.
Whether war begins or not, you must begin your training today! Only the Father can see and know everything – well beyond your ability to perceive. In all areas of your life, you need to be able to know God’s voice and be led by His Spirit. In a time of crisis, it can mean the difference between protection and peril.
This is a series of posts designed to prepare the Christian for the possibility of global are, as well as for the war we call “life.” Please be sure to sign up for updates so that you can receive notifications when these posts are published.
Other posts in the series
A Christian Response to WW3 – Introduction – how should a Christian prepare for the possibility of war?
Christian Prepper Provisions – What a Christian need to store up for crisis.
Provision #2 Know God’s Voice (current post)
Provision #5 – Coming Soon
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