Mark Virkler's blog

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (Jn. 10:27).

Question from Sue: In the Tent Time, it's encouraging kids to learn how to hear God's voice. I think this is awesome. But the thought crossed my mind and I wanted your answer – Is it possible for someone who has not yet received Jesus to in fact be able to hear Him? I'm thinking of the Scripture, "My sheep know My voice." I'm wondering if children who have not been led into salvation with Christ will still hear from Him?

I sure hope the Bible says to study, because when I was a young Christian, I memorized this important command from the King James Version:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15 KJV).

This resulted in me devotedly applying my mind and intellect to the acquisition of knowledge of the Bible for many years. However, one day I discovered that the New King James Version replaced the word “study” with the accurate meaning of the Greek word spoudazo (G4704), which is, “Be diligent.”

The easiest way to get a messed up journal entry, and an improper answer back from the Lord in your journaling, is to pray with an idol in your heart (Ezek. 14:4). 

Praying with an idol in your heart is defined as having my eyes fixed on something other than the Lord as I pray. The Bible tells me to fix my eyes on Jesus, which allows me to do what I see Him doing (Heb. 12:1-2). King David did this (Acts 2:25). David said, "I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand" (Ps. 16:8). 

My journey in learning to hear God’s voice has been very similar to Mark Virkler’s journey. Like him, I was taught that hearing God’s voice myself did not exist or was bad and wrong. Like him, I set aside a season of life to seek God about this, and like him, I learned from God to hear God. I was very encouraged when, years later, I read his book 4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice to see that what God had taught me and what God had taught Mark Virkler was the same. However, I was very grateful for the book, for unlike me, he was able to put what I was doing into words!

As parents we want to hear God’s voice but most of all we want to be able to teach our children to hear the voice of God.  We can “train them up in the way they should go”. But we want their hearts to burn brightly for Jesus when they are teens and into their adult years.  We want our children to be fervent lovers of God throughout their lives.   

My attitude toward marketing had always been "yuck". I told the Lord that I hated marketing. The Lord spoke to me: "I want to teach you to LOVE MARKETING, and to become good at it. For you will become good at what you love." 

Background to the Journaling: Earlier in the day my son Ben had sent me a little video of his children playing in the park and they were in a little play castle and his three year old  boy Blaize was pretending to sell and buy ice cream through the castle window . As I closed my eyes to see where He was, Jesus and I were standing watching them, and He said:

Lord, You have said You watch over Your word to perform it.

• The LORD said … I am watching over My word to perform it (Jer. 1:12).
• For I the LORD will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed (Ezek. 12:25).
• Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances (Prov. 25:11).

The underlined word in each of the above verses is dabar (Strongs # H1697). The definition, according to Brown, Driver, Briggs is: speech, word, speaking.

"I have been “sick” for about 30 years (I turn 50 this year). At age 16 I had my first hip surgery and since then many other difficulties. I developed fibromyalgia and that got worse over the past few years. In December 2015 I was bitten by a spider and got a myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and several viruses caused Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

In this study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology, group members chose one of three behaviors which they personally desired to create new habits around:1) drinking, 2) eating and 3) exercising.