Sometimes we struggle with understanding God. We may read the Bible and look at different stories of people who hear God’s voice and understand where He is leading them… but we may ask “does He still speak to His people today?”. Maybe you’ve asked that question. Well… I believe that the Bible has the answer for you and any who would ask that question.
YES! God does still speak today!
The next question that we need to ask is ‘How can I hear God speak?’
Well, there are some things that we need to say. Nope, I’m not talking about magic words or anything like that… but I am talking about attitudes of our hearts.
To Hear God speak, I need to say:
1. Here am I
1 Samuel 3:1-8 shows us the story of Samuel. At this time he is a young boy, Bible scholars think he might have been around 12 years old. His attitude is one of availability. He is available to Eli, the head priest, when he thinks that Eli is calling for him. This type of attitude is one that God loves.
You see, a lie that we sometimes buy into and that I’ve heard over the years from young and old alike is this: ‘I’ll get more serious about my faith when ________________ happens’. For some that means growing up, getting a better job, getting married, having kids, when that certain sports season is over or when God does something for them. This is the WRONG attitude to have. It says to God “I’m not available to you”.
How available are you to God?
What does your priorities say about your availability to God?
What might you do to make yourself more available to the things that God might have you do?
2. Speak, for your servant is listening
1 Samuel 3:9-14 tells us how Eli instructs Samuel to respond to God after he kind of figures out that if it wasn’t him speaking to the boy, it was God. “Speak, for your servant is listening” is an attitude of the heart that acknowledges God’s authority in our lives. A servant is one that has a master. A master is in direct control of, and has authority of, their servants. Basically this attitude says to God- “I’m ready to hear and do what you say“.
If you are a follower of Jesus- this is the attitude we NEED to have.
This begs the question: How do we hear from God?
We hear from God through:
A. His Word. This is the primary source of hearing from God. 2 Timothy 3:15 tells us that:
‘All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be equipped for every God work.’
This means that the Bible is God’s words to us about who He is, what He has done for us, what it means to follow Him and our mission and purpose on this earth. It is HIS WORDS to us.
B. His Spirit. As a believer in Jesus you have the Holy Spirit living in you (Ephesians 1:13-14)! The Holy Spirit’s job is to teach us, lead us and guide us into all truth (John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:13). The Holy Spirit also helps us to understand God’s word and convicts us of sin. So… God speaks through His Holy Spirit. God can also, through the Holy Spirit, speak to us through Other Believers. That is a part of the reason why being connected to a local church body is VITAL to a Christian’s life and faith.
C. Our Circumstances. God can use our circumstances to speak to us as well. Don’t believe me? Think about Jonah. He heard God’s command but chose to disobey. He went the complete opposite way that He should have went. God used a violent storm to convict Jonah of his sin and to bring him to repentance. God used the circumstances of many throughout the Bible to speak to them. God can use your circumstances too.
3. Your Will be done
In 1 Samuel 3:17-21 God speaks to Samuel and gives him his first task. God is not pleased with the house of Eli and there is judgement for Eli’s house. Samuel has been living with Eli for most of his life. Eli is like his father. This must have been tough! But Samuel is obedient to God. He tells Eli all that God said to him and Eli, instead of arguing or being angry at Samuel or God for this proclamation, teaches us a very important attitude of the heart. Obedience.
Jesus said in John 14:15:
“If you love me you will obey all that I have commanded.”
This isn’t very popular. We want our way. There is a movement in our culture and society to ‘pick and chose’ what we want to listen to and obey from God’s Word. The rest is just fluff. Either the Bible is inspired or it is not. There is not middle road. I for one believe that it is inspired and that it has authority in the life of the believer.
Obedience says to God, “not my way, but Your way.”
How obedient are you as a follower of Jesus?
What is 1 thing God might be calling you to obedience in? What is holding you back?
ftcyouth 