When you are born again – and getting to know Jesus, the main thing you want is to know Him more!…..   That is because it opens the door to the best and most important things that you can know in this world.

And this is not a “self serving” thing because our having personal fellowship with Jesus and God the Father – affects us in every relationship that we have.  I’m still “flesh and blood” after being born again ….  but I had this new dimension added to my life – the capacity to get to know Him and to begin to understand the things of the Kingdom of God.

……. But notice that I used the word “capacity“….  because if you stay so caught up in the affairs of this life that you do not take the time to get to know the One who gave you this new life in Him – then you may be very little different in many respects than those who have not accepted Jesus as Savior….. “I’ve seen that,  and I say that –  because  it is in our times of  personal fellowship with Him that we get to know Him – who He is and what He is like – and the things that belong to us because of that relationship. We spend time with Him …..  we get to know the “taste and the feel” of His presence –  and (a bonus!) we see a definite and very desirable change taking place in us! …… And it is no small thing that as we are enjoying all of this – that our capacity to recognize God’s voice is also growing!!

What is it like to “hear” God speaking to you personally??

This following  narrative  about two people that had walked with Jesus as His disciples – may very well express what it often  feels like to hear and recognize His voice….

LUKE 24: 13 – 32 (paraphrased):  On the third day after Jesus had been crucified, two of His disciples were walking to the village of Emmaus – which was about 60 furlongs from Jerusalem.  As they walked, they talked of all the things that had come to pass in the last few days – including the fact that some women  (also followers of Jesus)  had gone to the sepulcher of Jesus earlier that day  and found not Jesus, but had instead seen a vision of angels there – saying that Jesus was risen from the dead. …..

Thus as these two disciples walked on the road to Emmaus – talking and reasoning together” about all these things  – Jesus Himself drew near and started walking with them ….. But their eyes were held fast (“blinded” as it were)  by their reasonings (ie. that Jesus was dead) – so that they did not recognize Him.  “What are you talking about?”  Jesus asked the two.  In reply the two began to explain about who they had thought Jesus was – – but now He was dead – having been crucified and buried – this being the third day after His death …… along with the details of the women who had gone to the tomb  earlier in the day and seen “a vision of angels which said Jesus was alive!” ….. So that the two were filled this day with all kinds of thoughts and reasonings about what could possibly be going on here!   To which reasonings Jesus answered –  “Fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken;  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory”? ….. And then as they continued walking, Jesus expounded unto the two from all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.

As they drew near to Emmaus,  the two constrained  Jesus to stay with them, sup with them – and as Jesus sat at meat with them,  He took bread and blessed it – broke and gave of it to them   ….. And their eyes were opened and they knew (recognized) Him….  And He vanished out of their sight …..  Then they said one to the other  “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us by the way,  and while He opened the scriptures to us?!!”

I could not give you a better description (in a nutshell) than what those two on the road to Emmaus just said about hearing His voice.

We were created with divine purpose – to very personally and experientially  know God our Creator …. John 17:3  “And this is life eternal  – that  they might know  You – the only true God,  and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” 

There is no doubt that He wants us to hear and recognize His voice – How many times did Jesus say “he that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying?  (Seven times in Revelation 2 and 3 – as well as several times in the gospels)   God gave us “an ear to hear” in our born again spirit – and it is very important that we spend one on one time with Him and start developing that capacity  we have in our born again spirit to hear Him.  He’s got things to say to you that you both need and want to hear …..  So … How’s your hearing?

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This and the three posts – on March 13, 17, & 20 – are the first posts in a series  that started March 11 about  “These Three Things …. Training Your Spirit to Hear” .  I have been sharing about the value of personal worship in getting to know the “feel” of God’s presence and in developing your spirit to hear and recognize His voice.  I’ll continue with the second and third things that we need for that in the coming posts on this blog.  I hope this is helpful to some of you.   Have a wonderful rest of your day!