A friend shared a video with me about a man and his newborn daughter, just a few minutes old. She was crying, afraid, and confused. But when her father spoke, suddenly she calmed. And when he told her he loved her, she then opened her eyes for the first time. Well...of all the voices clamoring for our attention in this world, there is only one voice that can bring us peace: the voice of the Father! While long ago he spoke to the prophets directly, now he speaks to us through his Son, Jesus. And his message? That he loves you, and wants you to be his child.
#SetYourMindAbovePodcast
A friend shared a video with me about a man and his newborn daughter, just a few minutes old. She was crying, afraid, and confused. But when her father spoke, suddenly she calmed. And when he told her he loved her, she then opened her eyes for the first time. Well...of all the voices clamoring for our attention in this world, there is only one voice that can bring us peace: the voice of the Father! While long ago he spoke to the prophets directly, now he speaks to us through his Son, Jesus. And his message? That he loves you, and wants you to be his child.
#SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Hey everybody, and welcome back to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! I’m your host BJ Sipe – I’m a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In this podcast we take everyday, ordinary events and explore how they can teach us extraordinary, eternal truths. I’m so glad that you joined me for this episode. Now, let’s open up our minds, our hearts, and our Bible’s together.
I find all kinds of inspiration for this podcast. Of course, usually it’s through my own personal experience – daily, ordinary events in my life that teach me profound spiritual truths. Other times, I find inspiration through many of the listeners of this podcast that share their stories with me. Today happens to be one of those podcasts. Earlier this week, I received a notification on my phone that my dear friend and sister in Christ named Deb Johnson had shared a post on my wall. Deb is not the type of person to “overshare” everything; when she speaks, you know it’s going to be good or important. I was naturally very curious, so I immediately clicked the link to find a short video clip of a man speaking on stage. At first, I thought perhaps he might have been a comedian, because his first few comments are pretty hysterical. But as I listened further, I found myself on the edge of tears as I watched and listened to this man share a powerful lesson about his newborn daughter. I want you to just listen, and then when the audio is finished, we will come back and make some application from it. For those of you that are just reading this transcript and not actually listening to the podcast, you’ll have to just click the following link to be able to follow along with us. (https://www.facebook.com/lois.cadwallader.1/videos/337203678524768) I’m not crying, you’re crying – lol. But seriously, how powerful was that? This little girl had just come into the world, and yet even from a few minutes after birth – the sound of her father’s voice was a comfort to her. Knowing that her father was there, speaking to her, and reminding her that he loved her (though she didn’t know it yet) is what brough her peace, calmed her cries, and is when she finally for the first time opened up her eyes.
I almost don’t feel the need to make that much application today, because the lesson has already been shared with us by this man. All of us, every single one of us, have felt like that small child who was just born. In our life we have experienced seasons of uncertainty amidst a new environment. We have experienced pain, fear, and hunger. Just like that newborn child, perhaps we don’t even know who we are or what lies ahead of us. How do we find peace in these moments? How do we find guidance to navigate life through so much pain and uncertainty? Well, before we open our eyes, Jesus says that we need to open our ears. In John 10:1-5, Jesus would teach, ““Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” And again he would go on to say in vv. 14-16, ““I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Jesus truly is the good shepherd. We live in a world with so many voices, don’t we? We are constantly bombarded by voices from the news, voices from pop-culture, voices from our peers, voices from our schools, voices from athletes, voices from our family, and the list can go on forever. We can quickly become overwhelmed as we try to decipher whom or what to listen to. Sadly, many of these voices do not speak truth, nor do they have our best interests in mind as they shout loudly who we ought to be. And yet among these great many voices is one that sets itself apart from all of the others, the one voice we must look to for peace, the one voice we can trust that will calm us and guide us – and that is the voice of the Father.
But how can I know the voice of the Father? The answer to that question is perhaps much simpler than you think. What I am about to suggest might be taken by some as controversial, but I want you to just humbly consider these thoughts as we move forward. We do not need to worry about how we will know the voice of the Father, because he has clearly spoken to us through his son Jesus. We read in Hebrews 1:1-4, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.” There was a time long ago when God spoke audibly to people, just as clearly as you are hearing me now through your headphones or speakers. However, God no longer speaks to us in this manner today. So how can we listen to his voice? The text tells us – it is through his Son Jesus. Jesus would go on to tell his apostles in John 14:25-26, “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” The words that we read in Scripture are not the words of men, but they are the words penned by men inspired by the Holy Spirit – they are the words of Jesus. We can know the voice of the Father when we not only open up our ears, but open our eyes and read the will of God in Christ Jesus through his Word. Consider also what Paul would write to the Thessalonians in his first letter, second chapter, and thirteenth verse, “This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.” Do you want to know the will of the Father? Pick up your Bible, and you will know what God’s will for you through Christ Jesus is. The question remains – am I willing to listen to his voice? I pray that you will, because the message he is speaking to you is powerful – that he loves you, and he wants you to be his child. 1 John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!”
Thank you for tuning in for this week’s episode, and I would invite you back every Tuesday for a brand-new episode each week. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for occasional announcements and special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, please if you’re able to be sure to share it with someone else that you think could benefit from it as well. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.