My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
— John 10:27 (NKJV)
It wasn’t an audible voice. It wasn’t a burning bush or a blinding light on the road. It was something quieter than that, but no less real. While sitting in a room full of pastors and youth leaders, in the middle of a meeting that was supposed to be about strategy and vision-casting, I heard the Lord speak four words into my spirit: It’s time to grow.
I’ve learned over the years that God doesn’t always speak the way we expect Him to. We often wait for the dramatic: the earthquake, the fire, the whirlwind. But just as He did with Elijah in the cave, God frequently chooses to speak in a still, small voice. And the challenge isn’t that God isn’t speaking. The challenge is that we’re not always positioned to hear.
Think about that for a moment. I wasn’t in my prayer closet when I heard those words. I wasn’t fasting on a mountaintop. I was at a pastors’ conference, sitting in a chair, with ears and heart wide open. But I was there. I had shown up. I had put myself in a place where the voice of God could reach me.
That’s the first step in having your borders enlarged: being available. You can’t hear the call to grow if you’re not in a posture to listen. You can’t receive a new assignment if you haven’t reported for duty.
Too many believers are waiting for God to send them a certified letter before they’ll move. But God is already speaking. He’s speaking through His Word. He’s speaking through the people He’s placed around you. He’s speaking in the quiet moments when the noise of the world dies down just enough for His voice to cut through.
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