Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

Devotional Text:  John 10:3–4 (NIV)

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

Every day, there is a conversation happening in your head. Some voices sound familiar. Some sound urgent. Some sound convincing. Some sound cruel. And not every voice you hear is worth following.

When Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice,” He wasn’t speaking in theory. Everyone listening understood exactly what He meant. In Bible times:

• Sheep were defenceless - they survived by staying close to the shepherd.

• Shepherds lived with their sheep - they slept near them, walked with them, protected them.

• Sheep recognised their shepherd’s voice - not his clothes, not his face, but his voice.

• Thieves didn’t care about sheep - they came to take, scatter, and run.

  
  

So when Jesus used this picture, it landed deeply. He was saying:There are voices that care for you - and voices that want to use you. The enemy rarely shouts. He whispers. He questions what God already said. He twists truth just enough to sound reasonable. He fills your internal dialogue with doubt, pressure, comparison, fear, and shame. And slowly - subtly - the power of God’s voice gets crowded out.

But Jesus says something important here: “The sheep know my voice.” Not learn it once. Not figure it out later. They know it. His voice brings clarity, not confusion. It leads - it doesn’t drive. It corrects - without crushing. It convicts - without condemning. Jesus doesn’t manipulate you with fear. He doesn’t pressure you with shame. He doesn’t rush you into panic-driven decisions.

If a voice drives you by fear, pressure, or shame - that’s not Jesus. God’s voice is strengthened through:

• The Word - truth anchors your thinking.

• Worship - noise quietens, focus sharpens.

• Prayer - relationship deepens recognition.

  
  

The more time sheep spent with the shepherd, the easier it was to follow him - even when others called. And the same is true for you. The question isn’t “Is God speaking?” The question is “Which voice am I trusting?”

Declaration

I decree and declare that I know the voice of my Shepherd. I reject every voice that brings fear, shame, or confusion. I choose truth over noise, and relationship over pressure.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, quiet the noise around me and within me. Expose the voices that are not from You - the ones that drain, distract, and distort truth. Tune my heart to recognise Your voice clearly through Your Word, through worship, and through prayer. Teach me to follow You with trust, not fear. Amen.

Practical Application

Today, pause and notice your internal dialogue.

Ask yourself:

• Does this thought bring peace or pressure?

• Does it draw me closer to God or push me into fear?

• Does it align with Scripture or contradict it?

Then do one simple thing: Spend 10 intentional minutes in the Word, worship, or quiet prayer - no multitasking. The more time you spend with the Shepherd, the easier His voice becomes to recognise. And once you know His voice, you won’t follow another.

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