Showing posts with label sword. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sword. Show all posts

Friday, December 27, 2013

The Flaming Sword

Flaming Sword, by Amanda Labrie
I have written previously about the Lord's holy fire in my article, Holy Fire Baptism, and now I would like to show you something you may not have seen before in Scripture. I want to first prove from the Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ carries a flaming sword, and then share a testimony of a divine revelation that confirms this.

The Word of God is a Sword
The Holy Spirit spoke through the apostle describing the Word of God as being sharper than any double-edged sword: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb 4:12).  The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, penetrates further than any other sword.  It reaches places that no open-heart surgeon can ever reach. It actually pierces between soul and spirit, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts.

Jesus is Called the Word of God
Jesus is the Word of God, according to the apostle John.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Joh 1:1) and “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14)

A Sharp Sword Proceeds from His Mouth
When John saw the risen Lord Jesus Christ on the Isle of Patmos, he said, “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.” (Rev 1:16)

Jesus said, "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: (Rev 2:12)

Jesus said, “Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.” (Rev 2:16)

The Lord fulfills what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who said, "He made My mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid Me; He made Me into a polished arrow and concealed Me in his quiver." (Is 49:2).

The Lord Slays the Wicked with the Fiery Breath of His Mouth

The apostle said that Jesus would overthrow the evil, antichrist ruler with the fiery breath of His mouth.  "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming."  (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

The fact that He is able to overthrow the lawless one with His breath implies that it is fiery breath, which the prophet Isaiah explicitly declared. As I have written about in my article, The Holy Fires of Hell, the prophet Isaiah described the Lord in his wrath with flames coming forth from his mouth.  He said, "His lips are filled with indignation And His tongue is like a consuming fire; His breath is like an overflowing torrent..." (Is 30:27-28).  Jesus slays the wicked with His lips! “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked” (Isa. Isa. 11:4). 

The apostle John wrote: “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, ‘Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.’ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” (Rev 19:13-21)

Fire from the Mouths of the Two Witnesses
During the 42 month period of Great Tribulation, the Lord will give His two witnesses power to destroy their enemies who try to harm them, which they will do with fire that comes from their mouths. "If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die." (Rev 11:5).  If He gives such power to His witnesses, don't you realize that He Himself possesses even greater fire power?

Fire From Heaven Consumes the Wicked
The apostle John received a revelation of the future, final battle against satan and his evil hordes.  He wrote:

"When the thousand years are over, satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Rev 20:7-10)

The Lord's Fiery Countenance
Although the Bible does not say explicitly that the Lord's sword is a flaming one, here are some more reasons why we might assume it is. 

The apostle John described His fiery countenance like this: "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." (Rev 1:12-16).

Since His eyes are like blazing fire, His face is like the sun shining in all its brilliance, and His feet are like bronze glowing in a furnace, we see a definite continuity of the fire theme from His head to His feet.  Every aspect of Him shining brilliantly and He even holds seven stars in His right hand.  So it would be consistent for the sword that proceeds from His mouth to have the same aspect to it.

The Lord's Flashing Sword
In the Song of Moses, he sang about the flashing sword of the Lord: "I lift My hand to heaven and solemnly swear: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen My flashing sword and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.” (Dt 32:40-42, NIV). 

Some other Bible versions refer to it as "My lightning sword," since the Hebrew word baraq means "bright, lightning, or glittering." (Strongs). The Lord grasps His flaming sword that flashes brightly like lightning. He grasps it in judgment. And with it He will take vengeance on His enemies and repay those who hate Him.

The Flaming Sword That Turns in Every Direction
The flaming sword was originally stationed near the garden of Eden to keep fallen man from partaking of the tree of life:  “So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Gen 3:24).

Since Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, He would never give a sword to any created being that was greater than His own sword.  We know from Scripture that fiery breath and a sharp sword both proceed from His mouth.  Therefore, it is my sincere belief that Jesus has a flaming, two-edged sword that turns every which way.  If you do not believe it is a flaming sword of fire, then you must suppose that our Lord has a metal sword sticking out of His mouth.

Lord Jesus, You are El Gibor
You are a mighty Man of War
Arise now with your flaming sword
Eternal praise shall be yours forever more.

-- Anonymous adult, Verses to the King


Confirmation from Revelation to Samuel
Samuel Oghenetega
I have written in a separate post about the Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, a fourteen year old Nigerian boy, which happened in June and July of 2013.  In that visitation, the Lord referred to His flaming sword of fire a few times as follows:

Prepare for the rapture
The Lord gave Samuel a message for His Bride. "Prepare for the rapture. It will be like a dream."  The Lord gave him Mt 24:29-31, and he saw a picture of the people being caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and the caption said, “Come, My faithful servants.”

The Lord said, "There shall be wars and earthquakes before I come. I will heal the sick. Keep on praising me and I will rise with my flaming sword to fight."

Hell shall not prevail
"I shall hear and answer the cry of my very elect. I shall stand with my flaming sword against the darts of the devil, and satan and hell shall not prevail over you. The grace that thou seekest shall I deliver unto thee."

Pray for the salvation of your soul and other souls
"If you want me to save others, keep on praying for them and I shall arise with my flaming sword. And I and Michael the archangel and his hosts shall war and fight and shall deliver them."

Jesus rebukes satan to his face
Samuel said: “Then from 11:00 to 11:54 PM, He gave me the diagram of Lucifer himself.  And this is what he’s saying: ‘No! Humanity cannot be saved from my hand.  I am Lucifer! No, no, no!  Linda (Ngaujah) did her own damage.  Ezekiel Moses did his own.  Michael Sambo did his own.  Abraham Yakubu did his own.  And…No, no, no! This little boy, Tega Samuel Immanuel wants to cause (cost) me more damage.  Beelzebok and Jozebok, prepare the army for battle.  This must not happen.  Prepare for battle. No, no! I was cast out from heaven.  Now I am in my kingdom, which is hell fire. What have I done to deserve this damage.  It was only humanity that chose hell. No, no!  I shall be prepared for battle. I am Lucifer, and no one can take away humanity from my hand!’

“So after that, Jesus Christ now answered. Jesus said with anger (at that time his eyes were red), ‘I, the Lord of hosts, rebuke you, satan! Did you shed your blood for their souls? You wicked and unfaithful servant of My Father’s house! Because you want to overthrow My Father, and you did not succeed, then you are cast away.  Why are you now complaining?  I shall kill you with my flaming sword of fire.  In our last battle I will, at the last day of My Father’s judgment. And My Father shall be seated in heaven, and watch I and you and your armies fighting, and I shall prevail over thee, and the name of My Father shall be glorified.’”

When Samuel heard the Lord say to satan, "I shall kill you with my flaming sword of fire -- in our last battle I will, at the last day of My Father’s judgment," it seems to agree with the passage of Scripture I have already quoted in Revelation 20:7-10.

Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Be not afraid, son, I am with thee, and Lucifer shall not overcome thee, because I have chosen you.”

Samuel says, “After I finished drawing the diagram of Lucifer, I fainted. They could not carry me. I became as heavy as sand.”

Putting it All Together
The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and Jesus' name is called the Word of God. Furthermore, the Scripture teaches that He will destroy the lawless one with the fiery breath of His mouth, and His wicked enemies with the sharp, two-edged sword that proceeds from His mouth.  I believe it is a flaming sword that turns every which way, burning with His holy fire, which the Lord clearly revealed to Samuel Oghenetega.

The Lord instructed us to keep on praising Him, and to keep on praying for the salvation of others' souls.  He reassured us that He would hear and answer the cry of His very elect.  He promised to arise with His flaming sword and fight against the devil and his demons on our behalf.  He shall deliver His chosen ones from the enemy.  satan and hell shall not prevail over us. And He shall deliver unto us the grace that we seek.

The Lord said, there shall be wars and earthquakes before He comes. He is going to shake this world one last time.  He is coming right away.  He has sent His angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Behold, the day of our Lord’s wedding is at hand." Repent! The Lord has spoken. Only the ones who are truly seeking the Lord with all their heart will be spared from the coming judgment.  The Lord is coming only for a holy people, ready, without blemish, without wrinkle and without defilement.  He is not coming for those who have walked away from Him.

As the Scripture says, "Every Word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar." (Pro 30:5-6) For there are "those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth." (Pr 30:12).

The only way we can have purity and holiness in our lives in these last and evil days is through repentance, the blood of Jesus, and the holy fire.  The third and final baptism with which He’s going to clean up His Church is the baptism of fire.  He’s going to make us ready to turn loose this world.  It is a holy fire, because it is not produced by man. It is produced by the one, true, holy God.  It is a promise for the believer, according to Mt 3:11.

If you love the holy fire of God, then you are wise.  Ask the Lord to purify you with His holy fire from everything that will not pass through the fire as purely from Him.  Ask Him today for the Holy Fire Baptism.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Flaming sword" graphic by Amanda Rae Labrie.

Author's note If you enjoyed this post, please see Opportunities to Serve the Body of Christ.  You may also enjoy Holy Fire Baptism, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetaga, Linda Ngaujah Revelation of Heaven and Hell, The Refiner's Fire, The Three Elijahs, The Burning Ones, The Holy Fires of Hell, and The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer. You find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and you can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Hearing the Lord's Voice

Do we only know how to recognize and listen to the voice of a man, such as a pastor, preacher, or blogger? Or do we know how to recognize and listen to the voice of the Lord? What have we been trained to do?

One of the most important aspects of seeking the Lord is hearing His voice. Every disciple needs to learn to do this as an essential part of making Christ central. Let's turn to the Scriptures and let the Word of God speak for itself.

Jesus said His sheep would know His voice
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (Joh 10:27). If you are one of His sheep, Jesus said you would hear His voice. It comes with being a sheep, and sheep are not very smart. So don't feel like this is beyond your ability to do.

Moses heard the voice of the Lord
The Lord spoke to Moses on top of a mountain in a burning bush. "When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 'I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look." (Act 7:31-32)

Peter heard the voice of the Lord
There was a time when God was about to direct Peter to begin taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Up to that point, they were only preaching to Jews. But God first spoke to a Gentile man, named Cornelius, who sent his servants to get Peter. "On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.' Again a voice came to him a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky." (Act 10:9-16).

Sometimes the Lord speaks to both parties, in order to prepare them for something extraordinary. In this case, He spoke to Cornelius and Peter to prepare them for what He was about to do in their lives, before they even met each other. I've seen the Lord do this over and over in my own life. For example, before and after we were married, the Lord has spoken to both my wife and I about many things, including ways He was directing us to serve Him.

Paul heard the voice of the Lord
When the apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus, sent with authority to persecute the disciples of Christ there, the Lord met him on that road in a vision and changed his life. "And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.'" (Act 9:4-6).

When the Lord speaks to you, sometimes He will ask you a question. He already knows the answer, but wants you to discover it yourself. So don't be surprised if the Lord asks you a question.

We must not harden our hearts when we hear the Lord’s voice
The writer of Hebrews stated: "He again fixes a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, 'TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.'" (Heb 4:7)

This teaches us that when the Lord speaks, you have a choice. You can either humble yourself and receive what He tells you. Or you can harden your heart. Be careful not to harden your heart. In order to avoid that, you will need to have faith and believe what the Lord is saying.

God’s Word is active and living
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12)

God's Word is alive. So when He speaks to you, it penetrates deep down inside of you, reaching places that even a surgeon could not reach if he were to cut you open with a knife. The Word is sharper than any scalpel. It's able to get into our soul and spirit and separate the two. It's able to show you your own thoughts and motives.

Israelites perished because they didn’t listen to the Lord’s voice
"For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey." (Jos 5:6)

It's true that thousands of Israelites perished in the wilderness, because they did not listen and obey the Lord's voice when He spoke. So we need to be careful that we are not merely hearers, but also doers of God's Word.

The voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic
"Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array. The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!" The LORD sat as King at the flood; Yes, the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace." (Psa 29:1-11)

When the Lord needs to utter His voice, He can make it loud and clear, if He needs to. It's powerful and majestic, and shakes the wilderness. So no matter where you are at, trust more in His ability to speak to you than in your ability to hear from Him.

Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord
Isaiah the prophet had an amazing vision of the Lord. Here is what the Lord said to Him at that time. He wrote: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isa 6:8)

You see how the Lord asked him a question, as He did with Paul? The Lord was looking for a voluntary commitment from the heart, and Isaiah willingly offered Himself to the Lord for His service.

Samuel heard the voice of the Lord
Perhaps one of my favorite examples in Scripture of someone hearing from the Lord is Samuel. When he was just a boy, serving in the temple with Eli, the priest, "the LORD called Samuel; and he said, 'Here I am.' Then he ran to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he said, 'I did not call, lie down again.' So he went and lay down. The LORD called yet again, 'Samuel!' So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he answered, 'I did not call, my son, lie down again.' Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, 'Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening."' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'" (1Sa 3:4-10)

As a little boy, when he first heard the Lord's voice, it sounded familiar, and he thought it was the person in the other room. But he quickly learned that it was the Lord speaking. When you go before the Lord, you should pray with an attitude like Samuel, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening."

The Lord has enabled us to know the mind of Christ
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ." (1Co 2:16)

Who has ever heard of someone knowing what God is thinking? Yet that's exactly what happens when we are a disciples of Christ. We actually have His mind, and through prayer we can discover what the Lord desires in a given situation.

John heard the voice of the Lord
The apostle John recorded his experience on the isle of Patmos. He wrote: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, 'Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.' Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength." (Rev 1:10-16)

John clearly heard the Lord's voice as loud as a loud trumpet, and like the sound of many waters. He also saw visions from God. We have the book of Revelation today because of it. All that happened to him while he was in a lonely, desolate place, being persecuted for his faith in Christ. So when you feel alone, remember that the Lord may want to speak to you during that time when you are free of distractions.

When everyone is hearing the Lord, there is a common sense of expectation for God to move
The prophets Elijah and Elisha both knew God was about to take Elijah. :And it came about when the LORD was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, 'Stay here please, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.' But Elisha said, 'As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So they went down to Bethel." (2Ki 2:1-2)

Not only Elisha and Elijah knew, but the prophets at Bethel also knew God was about to take Elijah. "Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, 'Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?' And he said, 'Yes, I know; be still.'" (2Ki 2:3)

Because Elisha knew the God was about to take Elijah from him, he followed Elijah, so that he could be with him when it happened. "Elijah said to him, 'Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.' But he said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So they came to Jericho." (2Ki 2:4)

Even the prophets at Jericho knew the Lord was about to take Elijah from Elisha. "The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, 'Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?' And he answered, 'Yes, I know; be still.'" (2Ki 2:5)

Elisha insisted on staying with Elijah, knowing God would soon take him. "Then Elijah said to him, 'Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.' And he said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So the two of them went on." (2Ki 2:6)

I just want to point out that when all these people -- Elisha, Elijah, the prophets at Bethel, and the prophets at Jericho -- were all hearing from the Lord about the same thing, they had a sense of expectation. And the same is true today in the Church. When the Body of Christ is listening to the Lord's voice, we will all be hearing the same thing. Then we'll have a mutual sense of expectation for what the Lord is about to do.

Elijah heard the Lord’s voice in a gentle breeze
The prophet Elijah fasted for forty days after eating and drinking. "So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God." (1Ki 19:8)

The Word of the Lord came to him while fasting for forty days. "Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1Ki 19:9)

He spoke to the Lord of his zeal saying, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1Ki 19:10)

The Lord was not in the wind or earthquake. "So He said, 'Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.' And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake." (1Ki 19:11)

The Lord was not in the fire, but in the gentle breeze. "After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1Ki 19:12-13)

At that time, the Lord's voice was not in the tornado, and it was not in the earthquake or the fire. It was in a gentle breeze, and what Elijah heard was a still, small voice. Many times this is the way the Lord will speak to you. It's not dramatic. It's just a still, small voice in your heart. You need to learn to distinguish it. Often fasting will help you hear more clearly what the Lord is saying to you.

Putting it All Together
Moses, Peter, Paul, Isaiah, Samuel, David and John heard the voice of the Lord. So did the Israelites, but they perished in the wilderness, because they didn’t listen to the Lord’s voice.

When everyone is hearing the Lord, there is a mutual sense of expectation for God to move. Elijah and Elisha both knew God was about to take Elijah, as did the prophets at Bethel and Jericho. Because Elisha knew the God was about to take Elijah from him soon, he insisted on staying with him.

The voice of the Lord is powerful, majestic, and shakes the wilderness. John heard it as loud as a loud trumpet, and also said his voice was like the sound of many waters.

The Word of the Lord came to Elijah while fasting for forty days. The Lord was not in the wind or earthquake. The Lord was not in the fire. Elijah heard the Lord’s voice in a gentle breeze.

Jesus said His sheep would know His voice. That means you can hear the Lord's voice. It's not that difficult. The Lord has enabled us to know the mind of Christ. Many times the Lord’s voice sounds like our own thoughts. It will come to us as we quiet ourselves before the Lord in prayer and worship and reading the Word.

God’s Word is active and living. But we need to believe the Lord is speaking to us and act upon what we hear. If we don’t believe, we will not act. If we don’t believe or act, we will harden our hearts. We must not harden our hearts when we hear the Lord’s voice.

Let me encourage you today to listen for the Lord's voice. Get alone with him and quiet yourself. Worship and read His Word, and then wait upon Him to speak. He will be faithful to do it, and it will always agree with the Scriptures. Then just be sure to do whatever He tells you.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading The Voice That Changed Everything, Inquiring of the Lord, Led by the Spirit - Part I, and Led by the Spirit - Part II.  You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.