Abide, Listen, and Follow: Closing the Gap Between Jesus and Our Daily Choices

Have you ever wondered why, if Jesus lives in you, your choices aren't perfect every single time? It's a thought-provoking question that gets to the heart of Christian living. If we have the fullness of God within us and are connected to Jesus, what creates the gap between His presence and our daily decisions?

Why Don't We Always Make Perfect Choices?

The answer often comes down to three simple categories in how we respond to situations:

• I don't know, and I don't ask - so I don't learn anything about it
• I don't know but I do ask, then I don't follow through - or I already know but choose not to do it anyway
• I know, I ask, I check, and then I do it

The question becomes: why don't we ask? Often it comes down to pride, presumption, or fear.

The Blindfolded Walk: A Lesson in Trust

Consider this powerful illustration: A father leads his blindfolded daughter through a woodland with three simple rules - the father will never leave you, you can ask him anything, and only listen to his voice. Initially, the daughter walks confidently with her father's hand on her shoulder. But as she grows comfortable, the father removes his hand and stops speaking, yet she continues walking confidently in the wrong direction.

When a stranger's voice offers help, she follows it deeper into the woods until she's completely lost. Only when she cries out does she hear her father's voice - he had been there all along, never leaving her side.

This mirrors our spiritual journey. We start close to God, but as we grow comfortable, we begin operating on presumption rather than staying connected to His voice.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd Who Never Leaves

Jesus reminds us in John 10:14-16: "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

And in John 10:27-29: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

The Difference Between Routine and Relationship

There's a crucial distinction between abiding as a routine and abiding in relationship. We can go through the motions - pray, worship, read scripture - yet still operate on autopilot in our daily decisions. The disciples experienced this. They had been abiding with Jesus for years, learning from Him, but they weren't always truly hearing Him.

Even when Jesus told them He was going away, they didn't ask where He was going. They had gotten comfortable in their groove with Jesus and stopped actively listening for new revelation.

The Holy Spirit: Our Helper and Guide

Jesus promised in John 16:13: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

The Holy Spirit serves as our Helper, always glorifying Jesus and revealing Him to us. If something doesn't glorify Jesus, it's not from the Holy Spirit. This is our test for discerning God's voice.

Learning from Joshua's Mistakes

The story of Joshua at Ai provides a powerful example of presumption versus seeking God's guidance. After the great victory at Jericho, Joshua sent spies to assess Ai. But notice what happened - the spies didn't just bring back a report; they told Joshua the strategy.

They said, "Don't send all the people up there. Let's just take 2,000 or 3,000 men. Don't weary all the people, for there are only a few of them." Where was the mindset that had just completely destroyed Jericho? It had shifted from total dependence on God to compromise and presumption.

Joshua followed their strategy without consulting God, and 36 men died as a result. The consequence of not listening can be serious and have long-lasting effects.

The Problem of Hidden Sin

The defeat at Ai wasn't just about presumption - there was hidden sin in the camp. Achan had taken spoils from Jericho against God's command, hiding them in his tent. When confronted, he confessed: "I saw among the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I coveted them and took them."

Achan's presumption was that he could take what he wanted without asking God. But when God later gave permission to take spoils from Ai, it shows us that God's "yes" in His timing is always better than our "no" when we want to do things our way.

How God Speaks to Us Today

The truth is, God's voice often sounds like our own thoughts because the Holy Spirit works through our minds and spirits. But we learn to recognize His voice through His Word and by taking time to listen.

John 1:1 tells us: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And verse 14: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Jesus is the Word, and the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us through Scripture.

As Jesus promised in John 14:23: "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

The Promise of Recognition

Jesus promises that His sheep know His voice. If we listen, we will recognize it. The Holy Spirit connects with our spirit, helping us understand and apply God's truth to our lives.

The key is recognizing that moment when we make decisions - am I listening? I know I'm abiding, but am I actively seeking God's guidance? The Good Shepherd is always leading, but I need to follow His voice, not the familiar voices of presumption, pride, or fear.

Life Application

This week, challenge yourself to pause before making decisions - both big and small - and ask: "Am I listening to God's voice in this moment, or am I operating on presumption?" Practice the discipline of seeking God's guidance not just in your morning devotions, but throughout your day.

Remember the three rules from the woodland exercise: God will never leave you, you can ask Him anything, and listen only to His voice through the Holy Spirit.

Ask yourself these questions:

• In what areas of my life am I operating on presumption rather than seeking God's guidance?
• How can I better distinguish between routine religious activity and genuine relationship with God?
• What "familiar voices" do I need to stop listening to so I can hear God's voice more clearly?
• Am I taking time to truly listen for God's direction, or am I just going through the motions of spiritual disciplines?

The goal isn't perfection, but connection - staying close enough to the Good Shepherd that we can hear His voice above all others and follow where He leads.