Today’s Bible Verse
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.
John 10:4-5 (NLT)
Don’t Follow the Judas Goat
You may be thinking, what’s a Judas goat? It’s a goat that is trained to lead a herd of sheep or cattle to a specific place. They are famous for being used in slaughterhouses where the goat will lead the sheep or cattle towards the slaughter while the goat’s life is spared. Doesn’t it sound like how the enemy works? The enemy wants to lead us to a specific destination that will harm and eventually destroy us. John 10:10 is a familiar scripture:
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJV).
As sheep are familiar with their shepherds’ voices, we also must be familiar with our shepherd’s voice, Jesus’s voice! The Bible refers to Jesus as being the Good Shepherd. As believers, it’s important to know the voice of Jesus in our everyday lives.
Jesus wants to lead us to His perfect plan for our lives, but we must always open our hearts to Him when He speaks. Dr. Frederick K.C Price once said, “You can’t pick up a FM channel on an AM dial.” If we are not aware of Jesus wanting to speak to us, if we are not expecting Him to speak to us, we will eventually follow another voice that will lead us towards the slaughter (like a Judas goat).
Romans 8:14 says, “The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit” (TPT). This scripture defines the mature as someone who is led by His Spirit. Three voices speak to us every day: there is satan’s voice, your voice, and Jesus’ voice. When we can distinguish who is speaking, as a believer, that is fruit and evidence that we are growing and maturing as a disciple of Christ. When we step out in faith and follow Jesus’ voice and His promptings in our lives, we can experience God’s blessing and promises for our lives. (Walter Arguelles)
Change My Story
Everything that Jesus speaks is in alignment with what the Bible says. Jesus will never tell us, “It’s okay to walk in bitterness and strife,” or “It’s okay to enjoy that ungodly party,” or “It’s okay to miss the tithe this week because of a mortgage bill that needs to be paid.”
Everything He tells us to do is according to what the Word says. When Jesus prompts us to trust in what the Word says and act out in obedience to His Word, we can experience the promises and blessing of God.
Examine the decision we choose to make and ask: “Is it based on the Word of God?” and “Is it being led by the Spirit of God?” Let’s open our hearts today and allow God to show us areas in our lives where we may be listening to a wrong voice (which is probably a Judas goat, leading us to a place that will hurt and eventually destroy us).
Today’s Declaration
Lord, I declare that I am your sheep, and I know the voice of the true Shepherd, Jesus. I repent if I followed a stranger’s voice that led me to a place that wasn’t Your will. Today is a new day. I declare that I am growing and maturing as a disciple of Christ because I’ve made a quality decision to listen and follow You, Jesus!
Today’s Bible Reading
- Old Testament: Ezra 1-2; Proverbs 1
- New Testament: Luke 13:1-9; 1 Timothy 1:1-11
