O
THE
vercoming
Need Guidance? God’s Got It!
SERIES
‘…HIS SHEEP FOLLOW HIM BECAUSE THEY KNOW HIS VOICE’
JOHN 10:4.
E Stanley Jones tells of a missionary who got lost in the jungle. Looking around,
he saw nothing but bush. Finally, he came across a village and asked one of the
natives if he could lead him back to the mission station. The man agreed. ‘Thank
you,’ said the missionary, ‘Which way do I go?’ The native replied, ‘Just walk.’ And
Help me to know
so they did, hacking their way through the jungle for the next several hours.
Your voice, Lord,
Stopping to rest, the missionary looked around again and had that same
and to move away
overwhelming sense of being lost. ‘Are you sure this is the way?’ he asked his
from the infl uences
native guide, ‘I don’t see a path.’ The guide replied, ‘In this jungle there is no path.
and voice of the
I am the path!’
evil one. Let the
depth of our
Feeling lost today? Pray this prayer: ‘Lord, You said, “I am the way,” so I’m turning
relationship bring
to You for guidance. I’m afraid to trust my own instincts, for too often they’ve got
me to a place
me into trouble. You said Your sheep follow You because they know Your voice.
where I know when
Teach me to recognise it now. Keep me from making a wrong move, for I seek only
You are speaking
to do Your will. You promised, “…along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will
to me. Shape my
turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth …”’
life, Lord, that all
(Isaiah 42:16 NIV). ‘Turn on the light. Smooth out the rough spots. Point me in the
the distractions
right direction. I submit my way to You, trusting You to direct my steps. In Christ’s
fall away and I can
name, Amen.’
focus on spending
more quality time
Hearing God
in prayer with You.
‘SPEAK; FOR THY SERVANT HEARETH’
Amen.
1 SAMUEL 3:10.
One day, an American Indian who was visiting New York City turned to his friend in
Times Square, tilted his head and said; ‘I hear a cricket.’ ‘You’re crazy!’ replied his
friend. ‘No, I hear it,’ the Cherokee answered. His friend replied, ‘It’s rush hour. The
city’s full of noise, and you think you can hear a cricket? No way!’ ‘Yes,’ said the
visitor, then he walked over to a big cement planter outside a building, dug into the
leaves underneath it and pulled out a cricket.
Turning to his friend he said, ‘It all depends on what your ears are tuned to hear.
Let me show you.’ Reaching down into his pocket he pulled out a handful of change,
dropped it on the pavement and immediately every head within half a block turned.
‘See what I mean?’ he said. ‘It all depends on what you’re listening for.’
The fi rst three times that God spoke to Samuel, he thought it was Eli, the high
priest, calling to him. But the fourth time he said, ‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth,’
and his life was changed forever. If you’re serious about hearing God, get rid of the
distractions and set aside time to be alone with Him. Learn to be more sensitive.
God will speak to you through a) your Bible b) your thoughts c) your desires d) your
circumstances e) those He sends into your life. But it begins only when you pray,
‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth.’
14
page14-15.indd 2 12/8/09 09:49:35
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36