Hearing from God
‘…Search, and you will find…’ Matthew 7:7
To hear from God you need: 1) A regular time and place. Some prefer morning. ‘…In the morning my prayer comes before you’ (Psalm 88:13 NIV). Others prefer evening. ‘Let my …praise [be] like the evening sacrifice’ (Psalm 141:2 NCV). Others prefer encounters throughout the day. ‘Evening, morning and noon I cry out…’ (Psalm 55:17 NIV). Just find a time and place that’s right for you. ‘How much time should I take?’. As much as you need. Your time with God should last long enough for you to say what you want, and for God to say what He wants. 2) An open Bible. Before reading the Bible, pray. Don’t go to Scripture looking for your own idea, go searching for God’s. ‘…Hunt for it like hidden treasure. Then you will understand…and you will find that you know God’ (Proverbs 2:4-5 NCV). God seems to send us messages as He did manna: one day’s portion at a time. He gives us: ‘…A command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there’ (Isaiah 28:10 NCV). Choose depth over length. Read until a verse ‘hits’ you, then stop and meditate on it. Understanding comes a little at a time, over a lifetime. 3) A listening heart. James writes, ‘The man who looks into the perfect law…and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who hears and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness’ (James 1:25 PHPS). We know we are listening to God when what we read in the Bible is what others see in our lives.
The Bible Is God Speaking to You (1)
‘…The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ John 6:63
Did you know that the longest telegraphic message ever dispatched was in May, 1881? It carried 188,000 words. It was printed in full that day in the Chicago Times. One of the nation’s leading newspapers gave space for four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans. ‘A triumph of publicity’, was the verdict of the nation’s press. All this was done because the Revised Version of the New Testament in English was on sale that day. In New York City, 33,000 copies were sold within 24 hours, setting a new sales record for any book. Why does the Bible remain the world’s most widely read book? For one simple reason: you read every other book – the Bible reads you! You say, ‘But I don’t get a lot out of the Bible when I read it.’ You are not alone; many people say the same thing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. F. B. Meyer, one of history’s great Bible teachers, writes, ‘Read the Bible not as a newspaper, but as a love letter. If a cluster of heavenly fruit hangs within your reach, gather it. If a promise lies upon the page as a blank cheque, cash it. If a prayer is recorded, launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire.’ Why do we keep going back to the Bible? Because in a world where trust is in short supply, ‘…Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave…’ (1Kings 8:56 NIV).
Do You Need a Breakthrough?
Bob Gas
‘…They called the name of that place Baal Perazim.’ 1 Chronicles 14:11
The Bible says: ‘The Philistines…made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of God saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” The Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.” So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim [which means “breaking through”]’ (vv. 9-11 NKJV). To get a breakthrough in your life you must do what David did: 1) He reminded himself that ‘the Lord had made him king’ (1 Chronicles 14:2). You must remember Who called you, and Whose spirit lives within you. God called David, and He’s called you too. When you know that, you won’t let the enemy put you down or push you around. 2) He enquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines?’ (1 Chronicles 14:10 NKJV). Have you talked it over with the Lord? God doesn’t respond to your need, He responds to your obedience. When you’ve obeyed Him, you’ll win. 3) He gave God the credit: ‘God has broken through my enemies’ (v. 11 NKJV). Sometimes God will do it for you, other times He will do it through you. That’s why you must hear from Him before you make a move. You can’t do God’s part, and He won’t do yours. It’s not just a matter of ‘doing something’, it’s a matter of doing what God tells you! When you do, you’ll get a breakthrough.
inspiration4generations 