Hearing From God

From: The Word For Today - Bob Gass Ministries

1 Samuel 3:9 "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening."

Too many of us think of prayer as just talking to God, rarely stopping to wonder if He might want to talk to us. How does God speak to us?

(1) Through His Word. A familiar verse jumps off the page and takes on new meaning.

(2) Through people. But you can't be so preoccupied or selective that you don't recognize them.

(3) Through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads, rebukes, encourages, comforts and stretches us.

A lot of us, however, don't seem to expect God to speak to us at all. By our actions you'd think that Jesus packed up and went back to heaven 40 days after His resurrection and hasn't been heard from since. No, the Bible is full of accounts of God speaking to His children. If the essence of Christianity is a personal relationship with God, then God must still speak today.

But you can't build a relationship on one-way speeches; you need regular, intimate contact between two persons, both of whom speak and both of whom listen.

Hearing God speak to us through His Spirit is not only normal, it's essential. Paul wrote, "You… are controlled… by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you" (Romans 8:9). Once you turn your life over to Jesus, it can't be business as usual. Life no longer consists only of that which can be seen, felt or figured out. It includes walking by faith! Trusting God! Constantly opening yourself to His voice and to the leadings of His Spirit!