Listen to the Voice of God
This post is from page 113 of Seize the Moment: New Testament Devotions for Today! The second book in this devotional series will be released this fall.
To whose voices are you listening?
Acts 12:21-24 contrasts a man’s voice with God’s voice,
On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
The people were listening to their political leader, King Herod, as if he was a savior and a god, rather than looking to God himself for their hope and salvation. Two thousand years later, the same thing is happening in America today; so many people are putting their hope in politicians and celebrity voices rather than in God. We are looking to our cultural elite to save us, when there is only one name on Earth that can save—the name of Jesus Christ!
There are a lot of voices speaking today. So many, in fact, that it sounds like a cacophony of dissonant blowhards. It is my hope that these daily devotions are reminding you to listen to the Spirit-empowered Word of God, alive and active in the world today, calling you to the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Are you being more influenced by the voices of people, or the voice of God?
I am inviting you to start again. Start reading your Bible again, start praying again, start attending your local church again. We need an active relationship with God in our daily and weekly rhythms of life! Today is the day!
Seize the moment and return your heart focus to God and listen for His voice.
Dr. Jerry D. Ingalls is the author of SEIZE THE MOMENT: NEW TESTAMENT DEVOTIONS FOR TODAY! and LIVE LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY: THE 40 PROMISES IN 40 DAYS CHALLENGE! Dr. Ingalls serves as the Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana. He is an ordained minister and has been serving ABC-USA churches in pastoral ministry since 2003. Prior to serving in pastoral ministry, Jerry honorably served in the US Army as an Infantry Officer with assignments in the 82nd Airborne Division (2-505th PIR) and the US Army’s World Class Athlete Program, earning awards such as the US Army Ranger Tab, Airborne Wings, Air Assault Wings, and the Expert Infantryman Badge. Additionally, Jerry served as a Chaplain Candidate and graduated from the US Army Chaplain School (2007). He has earned a
Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Pastoral Studies with honors from Grace Theological Seminary (2020), a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Fuller Theological Seminary (2008), an MS in Counseling and Student Development from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University (2000), and a BS in Psychological Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point (1996).