– John 10:22-30 NKJV – 22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
When my son Nathan was 4 years old, we were watching a creation science TV show. The topic of the program was called, “What happened to the dinosaurs?”. As I sat there listening to the program, my son Nathan turned to me and said, “Daddy, I know what happened to the dinosaurs.” This struck my curiosity because you know how kids can say funny stuff. I said to Nathan, “OK, what happened to the dinosaurs?” He spoke up with full confidence and said, “Jesus kicked their butts”. It was funny to hear him say that, but he was serious in what he told me. So, I asked him, “how do you know that Jesus kicked the dinosaurs butts?” Nathan’s reply was, “God told me”.
Kim and I have learned over the years that when our kids come to us with stories, we are not to discourage them. We want to encourage our kids to hear from God. Of course, to think that dinosaur extinction came about because Jesus kicked the dinosaur’s butts does sound silly ha-ha, but the fact that a 4-year-old could get any type of revelation by saying, “God told me”, blesses me.
God is not a mystery! He reveals His mysteries to His children! It is amazing that for centuries parents encourage their children to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Boogie Man. However, it surprises me when parents discourage their children from believing in the supernatural ways of God. Or when parents discourage their children from believing in Jesus and stories read in the bible.
My children look at Jesus as a superhero. When I was kid, if children would get into a fight, it was customary to say things like “my daddy is bigger than your daddy”, or “my daddy can beat up your daddy”. For some reason Nathan and my stepson Randy would remind me that Jesus is stronger than me. They would both tell me things like “you’re not as big as God, no one is”. Out of the mouths of babes. I guess we do need to be reminded sometimes that God is bigger than us.
Why is it so easy for kids to grasp the spiritual attributes of God but as adults with our intellectual minds we try to rationalize when God is moving. As a grandparent I have seen how my grandkids are also sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the presence of God.
With children, whether it is hearing God’s voice or seeing into the heavenly realms of God, we should always encourage our children because it is going to be their generation that impacts the next generation. As adults we need to have childlike faith and not lose our awe and wonder in God.
1 Sam. 3:1 NKJV – “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.”
Imagine what that must have been like back then, when the word of the Lord was rare and there was no widespread revelation. But still Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli, and Samuel grew up to be a great prophet. God is still pouring out His revelation on people today. All He asks is for us to hear His voice. I could not imagine living in a time when the word of the Lord was rare and with no widespread revelation. Open your eyes and ears to the Lord. Hear His voice, listen to what He has to say. God is always speaking to us; we just need to tune in to what He is saying and to listen to what he has to say.
It took me 25 years before I was a Christian to realize that God is real. Since becoming a Christian, God has taken me on a wonderful journey of experiencing His mysteries, hidden treasures, and revelation. My children and grandchildren experience God too. My stepson Randy was baptized in the Holy Ghost at an early age. Nathan has seen Jesus more than once and has had angelic encounters. My daughter Jaedyn loved to prophetically sing and dance before the Lord and would lift her hands during worship. No one told her at that age to worship God like that, it just came natural to her.
God does not want us to be afraid of His supernatural power or His gifts. God is real and He is alive! God is not a mystery! He reveals His mysteries to His children. So, whether it is through prophetic revelation, words of knowledge, dreams & visions, entertaining angels unaware, or reading His word, God wants to make His mysteries known to us. He does this so that we will “know Him” and not just know about Him. He provides all of this so we will have a more intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.
Always remember that God is not a mystery! Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in parables, but as Christians we can get a spiritual sense of what Jesus is talking about through parables. God does not speak in riddles to His children.
Matthew 13:10-11 NKJV – And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them (the Pharisees) in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given”.
I will expound more on understanding parables in another blog post.
God moves in supernatural power. The same God that spoke to the prophets and priests in the scriptures is still speaking to His children today. Just remember that the prophets and priests that we know about in the bible were ordinary people just like us. The difference is they answered the call of God. Being obedient to God is key to hearing His voice. The more obedient we are to His leading, the more God reveals to us. He is calling on us today. The same Holy Spirit that was poured out on the apostles during the day of Pentecost is still being poured out on us today.
I Cor. 2:9-11 NKJV – But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
God is not a mystery! He reveals His mysteries to His children. Get hungry for more of God. Get into His presence and receive all that He has for you today. Tune in to what God is speaking. Hear His voice, obey His commands, and follow His lead! Pray before reading the bible and ask God to give the revelation that you are seeking.
– In future blog posts I will expound on different ways of hearing God’s voice. I am passionate about helping people to hear God’s voice. I also have future plans to author a book on prophetic gifts.
