Susan preaching at Mugs ‘N Muffins at Redwood Falls.

Dear Precious Friends and Partners,

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27 KJV) 

One of the areas where we all need help from the Lord is guidance. It’s not always easy to know what to do. But thank God, the Lord has promised to speak to us and be our guide.

Hearing God’s voice is normal! He talks to His people, and He guides us in the way that we should go. But it’s not always easy to discern God’s voice in the midst of the noise of the world and the clamor of our own thoughts and emotions.

Please allow me to share some thoughts from the Scriptures to help us find our way:

1. Choose to follow Jesus. Jesus said that His sheep follow Him. The first step to finding guidance from the Lord is to make a choice from the heart to follow Him. Often, when we can’t find our way, it is because we have not surrendered to the will of the Lord. When we go back to square one and say, “Lord, your will be done,” our direction becomes clear.

2. Quiet your natural mind and sensitize your spirit. Recognize that God leads us by His Holy Spirit through our spirit (our innermost being). The Scripture says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God, (Romans 8:16 MEV). In other words, God talks to us about our salvation … and everything else … in our human spirit. 

When we are born again, our spirit is joined to the Lord. (1 Cor. 6:17) We are one with Him. It’s not something we need to try to achieve. It’s already been accomplished through the new birth. The problem is that we have competing voices—sometimes from other people or from evil spirits. But often there are conflicting voices within ourselves. 

The Bible teaches us that we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. See 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Each part of us has a voice. As you know, your body has a voice. You hear from it every day at lunchtime. But your soul (your mind and emotions) also has a voice. This, I believe, is the area of our greatest struggle in hearing the voice of God. Our analytical minds and our emotions are screaming, and God is speaking in a “still small voice.” (I Kings 19:12) Therefore, to hear the Lord and receive His guidance, we must learn to quiet our souls and tune into the Holy Spirit. 

We can cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit through praise and worship, prayer (especially praying in the Spirit), and meditating on the Scriptures. These things will help us to become sensitive to the Lord’s voice. It takes the Word of God to distinguish between the soul and the spirit. See Hebrews 4:12.

3. Keep on keeping on! Following the Lord is not an exact science; it’s a lifestyle! We grow in hearing God’s voice through practice. There will be times that we will make mistakes, but the key is to continue to walk “after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV) Sometimes we will begin to go in a certain direction and realize, down on the inside, “This is not right.” So we back off and try again. The key is to keep walking and keep your ear tuned to the heartbeat of God.

Not every voice we hear is the voice of God, but as we cultivate our relationship with the Lord, we can expect to hear and know His voice. Just take a moment, quiet your heart, and ask, “Lord, what are you saying to me?”

Mugs and Muffins in Redwood Falls

It was a joy for me to go with Susan as her chauffeur for a speaking engagement for a women’s event at Living Word Church in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Susan kept the ladies in stitches without trying as she delivered her words of encouragement to the group, who were from various area churches. She brought a clear message of the cross and led the women in a prayer of repentance. She also gave away many copies of our new book, “Following Jesus: A Simple Guide to the Christian Life.” 

Here’s what Pastor Nikki Towery said:

Our women’s group was so blessed to have Susan as our Mugs and Muffins speaker! I don’t think we have ever laughed as hard as we did that morning! She has a way of taking a very serious topic and adding humor to it, which really brought in all the generations in the room. She also took the time to minister to everyone who wanted prayer. Since that day, multiple women have asked when she will be coming again, and I can’t wait to invite her back! Thank you, Susan, for using your God-given sense of humor to minister the Word we so desperately need to hear!

Following Jesus: A Great Follow-up Resource for Pastors

I was talking to one of our partners about our book, “Following Jesus: A Simple Guide to Christian Life,” and they said that it would be a great resource for pastors to give to new converts. I agree! That is the primary reason that I wrote it: as a follow-up tool for those who receive Christ. It contains basic truths that many people need to learn, such as: 

• Why we all need Jesus, and how to receive Him.
• The need for repentance, water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
• Growing in Christ through the Word of God, fellowship, Communion, and prayer.

I encourage you to purchase the book and leave a review on Amazon.com. Here’s the link>>> Your review will cause more people to see the book on Amazon and motivate them to purchase it, which will help them to know the Lord. You can also order as many copies as you want on Amazon to use as a tool to help others follow Jesus.

Let’s Pray for One Another!

Last month, I shared the message on “Hearing God’s Voice” with a young people’s group from Outpost Church, which was meeting in Lino Lakes, Minnesota. I also shared this message at the Country Church in Ruthton, Minnesota, where Susan and I had a wonderful time ministering to a multi-generational crowd. 

Susan and I are praying that God’s voice will become clearer to you as you draw closer to Him. Please let us know if you have specific prayer requests. As we are praying for you, please pray for us as we look ahead to the new year. Pray that the Lord will lead us to the ripe fields where we can reap a harvest for the Lord. All God’s blessings to you and your family this Christmas and in the coming new year.

Onward!

Tom

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