Let’s peek at John 10:27:
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

We can have clean hearts; we can be free from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness; but if we don’t do what He asks….He’s not likely to talk often.

As I was praying about doing this post, I asked the Lord what little pictures I should put scattered throughout. Out of nowhere came the words: road signs. Not in a million years would I have thought of that on my own! Road signs. And then He spoke this: Road signs are just like me speaking to you. Sometimes I speak a warning, sometimes I speak a direction, sometimes I speak a directive, sometimes I speak a caution. Every single time I speak – it is for your benefit and you must follow!”

Wow! I love when He does that.

There is a little verse in Luke 16:10:

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.

I think it is the key to many things in our spiritual walk. Frankly, if I can’t trust my kids with $1.00 why would I hand them $100.00? If I can’t trust them to obey me in the house, why would I hand them my car keys?

So where does obedience start? Well obviously it’s a heart issue, but it starts with obeying God’s word. Period. There is no option. We must obey God’s word. And that is God’s first test. Why would He talk to us if we aren’t even listening and obeying His written word? His word says things like: Do not lie. Do not steal.

For instance: How many justify their lying by calling it “little white lies”? Oh.my.gracious. Dear friends – there are no such thing!! Little white lies, my eye. Lying is lying. And then it really amazes me that these same little white lying folks are disturbed that their kids are lying to them. Hmmmm. God’s word says we are to keep our hearts pure. We do that by ‘feasting’ on good things. Wholesome things. Things that build. That honor God. That draw us to Him.

I have to tell you a little story….Once upon a time Dw and I were pastoring on the East Coast. He was the District Supervisor in our denomination for Virginia and West Virginia. This meant that he oversaw all the churches in these two states, besides pastoring our church. He dealt with removing pastors, appointing pastors, tough situations, sometimes really tough situations.

Through a series of events Dw had to go to meet with a man who was planting a church and considering joining our denomination. The man and his wife graciously invited us to their home for the meeting. We had driven a long way so when we arrived at their home I asked if I could use their ladies room. The wife showed me to the powder room. I went in and sat down and glanced around. There was a magazine rack next to the commode. Did you realize that you can tell alot about a person by looking at their magazine rack? Alot.

Well right on top was a magazine that made me gasp! I was like, “Nu-uh!” I could not believe my eyes! I had never before opened this particular magazine. It was a magazine that I’m guessing had been bought by the lady of the house. I was shocked that she had it in her magazine rack….and this couple even had young children at home! The cover alone was gross. The articles disgusting. I debated opening it up and peeking. But I thought, “No, Lord. I want my heart to remain pure.”

I was troubled. Why would this pastor’s wife have this magazine? Why was it in her rack? I finished washing my hands and went back to the meeting. The meeting went well. I drink alot of water and a few hours later I went to the powder room again.

And guess what I found? The magazine had been removed! It was nowhere (I even peeked under the counter to see if she had stuck it there – she had not.) Ha! I was shaking my head…she had obviously removed it because we were there…..yet God was watching all along.

Isn’t it funny that she was uncomfortable with us seeing it, but not uncomfortable with God seeing it? But that’s the stuff I’m talking about. God pleads with us to keep our minds pure and yet people will watch any movie that comes out (cause so-n-so is in it!), sing along with trashy songs, and buy cruddy magazines….why? Seriously, why would God speak to us if we won’t even listen to what He says in His word?

I remember a time many, many years ago. It’s a long story but suffice it to say that a friend had betrayed me. She was my very best friend. We had been friends for 20 years. We knew each other well. If something went wrong, she was the first person I called. Before we moved out of Buffalo, we did stuff together all the time and we talked on the phone daily.

Anyway, one day she betrayed me. I was broken-hearted. Truly broken-hearted. It had not been a misunderstanding. No, she had intentionally done something that was very painful to my heart. Dw was in shock too. I remember going to church the very next day and a tender-hearted older gentleman came to me and said, “Linn, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve lost your best friend.” Tears burst from my eyes. He couldn’t have been more prophetic with his comment! I sobbed for days. It was too unreal. How could my long-time, deeply trusted friend do this to me?

Since she lived in NY and I lived far away, we did not see each other after “the incident”. Weeks passed and eventually my denial and disbelief turned to anger. If I told you the whole story you, too, would be angry for me. But anyway, at that point I needed to talk about it so I got on my computer and I typed her a letter!! I typed and typed and typed and typed! It was about 20 pages. I didn’t send it, but every now and then I would “tweek” it. {It was actually very therapeutic.} Eventually the 20 pages were narrowed down to 13-1/2 pages. I decided I was going to send it to her. She definitely needed to understand just how much she had hurt me.

I still didn’t send it for a few more weeks. Then I finally decided, “okay, tomorrow I will send it.” The very next morning I woke up and God spoke very clearly before my eyes were even open. In an audible voice He said:

“In everything Christ must have the preeminence.”

I instantly knew what He meant. I would obey. He must have the preeminence. I took that 13-1/2 page letter and tweeked it down to just 1-1/2 pages. I told her how much I loved her. How much I treasured our friendship and how much I wanted to work through this – because we had had too good of a thing going – too good to just turn and walk away. I had forgiven her. I mailed it with sweet peace. I had listened to my Lord. {On a sidenote: she chose to never respond, and yes, it still baffles me to this day.}

But no matter what I have no regrets. I let Christ have the preeminence. But what if I had chose not to obey Him? What if I had justified to Christ what “needed to be done”? Would He have trusted me with more? Would He have whispered secrets to me? I have my doubts. Now don’t get the wrong idea: I have missed the mark many, many, many times! But the secret is to repent and turn and obey!

Remember in Part 2 of How To Hear God Speak I told the story of the Lord telling me that I needed to go get a bag and fill it for the Emma in the neighboring city whom I met in a restroom? I had a choice. I could obey or do my own thing. I chose to obey.

Just yesterday I went to town with the kids. We needed to get out of the house.
We went to Starbucks as our sweet friends, Dan & Lavonne, sent Liberty a gift card for her birthday. She was elated and so we went to get her Carmel Frapp. We were inside and I had ordered and paid for my Americano. Liberty had ordered and paid for hers. There had been someone who had walked in right behind us. She looked like her life had been a struggle, probably for many, many years. She looked beaten up by life, deeply saddened by life, and obviously very confused.

We go in to Starbucks often enough, our town is small, too, and so we know the people who work there. Jenny was doing the register. At one point I turned and apologized to the woman who had come in after us. She was waiting amongst all the confusion that my little boatload was creating at her side. She shrugged it off. My heart broke for her.

The Lord whispered in my ear, “Buy her drink.” So I motioned to Jenny. She took my money. The lady never even saw it happen. She went to hand Jenny her credit card and Jenny said, “She got it for you.” She turned to me with a shocked look. I walked with her toward the door as we left. She thanked me and said that I didn’t need to do that. She said it several times. I said, “God loves you very much.” She turned away. I imagine that she cannot even comprehend that God loves her. So I have been praying for her. That He would begin to soften her heart and that she would meet Him in a very real way. But what if, when the Lord whispered for me to pay for her I had rationalized it away? I would have missed a wonderful opportunity to be His hands by loving that woman.

Liberty hadn’t seen me pay for her. As we were walking to our car Liberty whispered to me, “Did you see that man? I think she used to be a girl.” I told Liberty I had paid for her. She was like, “You did???” We talked about how much pain she must be in and how much God loves her. We have prayed for her together since.

What if I’m not faithful in little things like the drink at Starbucks? Why would He trust me with big stuff?

Ummmm, He probably won’t.

So we must obey the little promptings. We must obey His word. We must obey the signs He gives us. We must obey His whispers. We must get rid of the garbage: the little white lies, the cruddy movies, the lousey magazines, the trashy books, the junk that keeps us from hearing His voice….cause when we are clean and open and obedient we will be prepared to hear the Voice of God – the maker of Heaven and Earth…the maker of the stars….the maker of mountains and trees, the defender of the orphan, the advocate of the poor, the protector of the widow, the maker of it all….the one who longs to have us hear His voice…the one who longs to whisper secrets to us….

The LORD confides in those who fear Him….Psalm 25:14 niv