By: Carole and Bruce Haines

 ⁴ When he (the Good Shepherd) has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:4-5 NIV)

“Don’t talk to strangers!” Do you remember this wise warning from childhood? As a little girl, sayings like this sank deep into my tender, impressionable heart.

The stranger’s voice, that Jesus speaks of here, sounds like fear for myself. It masquerades as worry in the dark of the night as I lie awake, unable to fall back asleep. It taps me on the shoulder when I feel some physical ailment or discomfort. It whispers to me when there is more month than money to pay all the bills. My stranger’s voice is always painting worst case scenarios in my thoughts. Yet God is transforming my mind through His Work, teaching “me to take every thought captive and make it obey Christ”
(2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV).

The Stranger’s voice is going to be different for everyone. And yet I am sure we each hear it.
They will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10)

Do we follow its voice, do we recognize it? Is it louder than the voice of our Good Shepherd? Could it be that we have been listening to it, believing its lies, feeding it, and giving it too prominent a place in our life? There is a Native American Proverb that accurately portrays this internal conflict.

“Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil, and the other is good, and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins, I answer, the one I feed the most.”

– Sitting Bull

The fear, anxiety, and hurt that so often steal our attention all become stronger the more that we acknowledge their presence within us. The Good Shepherd is also present within us, and his voice is speaking to our spirit. He offers peace and security when we give attention to His voice above all others. God’s Word reveals to us that when we focus on the shepherd’s voice, we have peace.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)
Learning to ignore the “voice of strangers” is a discipline we all need to develop, especially in difficult times. Practicing this discipline trains our minds to recognize our Good Shepherd’s voice. As we dop this, the stranger’s voices will become just that; strange to us. And we will hear even the quietest whisper of God; those precious words He speaks to us. O train our hearts to hear only the still. mall whispers of our Savior.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

Let’s set our gaze on Him. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and train our ears to Hear His voice alone.