ESOCS Devotional 13 August
TEXT: 1 Samuel 3: 1-21
MEMORY VERSE: “And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.” 1 Samuel 3: 6 -7
An important problem man needs to solve, especially Christians, and an important resource they need to appropriate is recognizing when God is speaking. Severally you will hear people who say that they were “led” to do, not to do, or led to say a thing. At other times, people say there heard a voice asking or directing them to do a thing. But how can you be sure of who or what is speaking to you. How can you recognize the voice of God in the midst of the several things that speak to man both in his heart and in his ear? Especially when you have not heard God speak before.
Samuel had a problem of knowing who spoke to him. He had not heard God speak before; and so, there was no way he could have identified the voice that called him as the voice of God. To think about it, any being could have been calling him. Maybe Eli, a worshipper, or an evil spirit. He ran to Eli in response to the call of God, for he thought Eli called him; for it was only Eli he knew that could call him at that time of the day. In the same way, many assume they are led or spoken to by God. Just mere assumption.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
How can you identify God’s voice? A wise man or Christian will not be in haste to accept as the voice of God when an unknown entity speaks. A number of approaches are recommended
- By introduction and guidance: This is what happened in the case of Samuel. Eli perceived that God was calling him and guided him on what to do. By that ,introduced him to the voice of God and God took it from there.
- By questioning: Another way is to ask the entity to identify himself. God introduced Himself to Moses and on his way to Damascus when Jesus called out to Saul, Saul asked Him “who arth thou Lord” and Jesus identified himself.
- By the word of God: In the Bible, God reveals Himself. It is there that you get to meet God, know him, His character and understand His voice. If you by study and meditation are filled with the word of God, God will not only speak to you but you will know when He speaks for you will know his voice for His word is in you.
CHALLENGES
- Have you at any time felt that God was speaking to you?
- What made you think that God was speaking?
PRAYER POINT:
- Precious Father, teach us to know you that we may know your voice and understand when you speak. Keep us from the spirit of error. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Zechariah 2:1–13; 3:1-10; Romans 6:1-13; 6:14-23
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ESOCS Devotional 13th August
