I can't tell you how many times I have gotten into a situation and wanted to hear God's opinion on something so I did exactly what everyone says. I got my bible and prayed for God to show me what I needed to hear. I open it to a random page, put my finger on a verse and it is something like "Jeshua begot Joiakim." Not exactly the dramatic word from God that I was trying to hear. I was doing it all wrong.
God is always talking to us. He cares about all the little stuff. He wants to be involved intimately in every detail of our life, closer than anyone else. Studying the bible is the way that we hear from God because it IS God. Jesus IS the Word. (John 1:1)
The reason we need to study the bible to hear from God is because if we don't know what the bible says we don't know God's character, or the way he works in our lives. If you don't know the truth, you can't tell right from wrong and you will have no discernment to make good choices.
Let's say you wanted to find an endangered animal in it's natural habitat, but you didn't know where to start. What would you do? You would get books and search the internet learning about it's eating habits, where it sleeps, what it looks like. You would want to know what kinds of noises it makes and what it's footprints looked like so you would know them when you saw them. You would need to know what the habits of that animal are in order to find it.
You must do the same with God. If you want to know how God speaks, the way he leads, and how he corrects then you have to know his character. You have to gather as many details as you can find. The incredible news is that it can all be found in his Word! There is no mystery. He left us the bible to study and learn all about his wonderful ways.
It is not responsible to go around saying that God told you something unless you have regularly been in the Word.
I once had someone tell me that God told them they needed to talk to me about something. When we talked they told me they could not forgive me and get over an issue that happened previously between us, and it seemed they wanted an apology. I had completely forgotten about it, and to be honest, I didn't think I did anything wrong. Whether I was right or wrong was really not the point. That wasn't God telling them to talk to me, that was their own issue of unforgiveness towards me. The bible says to forgive, even when the other person is wrong (Matthew 6:15.) If they knew the Word they would have just forgiven me and gave the issue to God. God would have gotten through to me a lot better than they did.
Christians can make God look really bad if we go around telling people "words from God" that are contrary to what his Word says!
If you want to hear God speaking to you then you must learn the bible inside and out, you must "meditate on it day and night." Jesus lives inside of us and according to the bible, we as Christians have all of his power available to us (Matthew 28:18-20.) The Word is a reflection of our spirit, a mirror. We check our physical mirror every day, often more than once a day. How often are we looking at our spiritual mirror?
I have gotten to the point now that even though I still have a lot to learn, if I need guidance on something, I don't have to open my bible randomly and blindly pick a verse that will hopefully fit my circumstance. I have learned so much that I can make decisions based on the knowledge that I have gained. When I don't know, I study, and don't stop until I find my answer. My mind is being renewed constantly through the word and I now hear God speaking what he had been speaking to me all along!
If you want to hear God more, study his word. Meditate (think) on it. Give yourself time to really contemplate it. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
XXOO
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8
God is always talking to us. He cares about all the little stuff. He wants to be involved intimately in every detail of our life, closer than anyone else. Studying the bible is the way that we hear from God because it IS God. Jesus IS the Word. (John 1:1)
The reason we need to study the bible to hear from God is because if we don't know what the bible says we don't know God's character, or the way he works in our lives. If you don't know the truth, you can't tell right from wrong and you will have no discernment to make good choices.
Let's say you wanted to find an endangered animal in it's natural habitat, but you didn't know where to start. What would you do? You would get books and search the internet learning about it's eating habits, where it sleeps, what it looks like. You would want to know what kinds of noises it makes and what it's footprints looked like so you would know them when you saw them. You would need to know what the habits of that animal are in order to find it.
You must do the same with God. If you want to know how God speaks, the way he leads, and how he corrects then you have to know his character. You have to gather as many details as you can find. The incredible news is that it can all be found in his Word! There is no mystery. He left us the bible to study and learn all about his wonderful ways.
It is not responsible to go around saying that God told you something unless you have regularly been in the Word.
I once had someone tell me that God told them they needed to talk to me about something. When we talked they told me they could not forgive me and get over an issue that happened previously between us, and it seemed they wanted an apology. I had completely forgotten about it, and to be honest, I didn't think I did anything wrong. Whether I was right or wrong was really not the point. That wasn't God telling them to talk to me, that was their own issue of unforgiveness towards me. The bible says to forgive, even when the other person is wrong (Matthew 6:15.) If they knew the Word they would have just forgiven me and gave the issue to God. God would have gotten through to me a lot better than they did.
Christians can make God look really bad if we go around telling people "words from God" that are contrary to what his Word says!
If you want to hear God speaking to you then you must learn the bible inside and out, you must "meditate on it day and night." Jesus lives inside of us and according to the bible, we as Christians have all of his power available to us (Matthew 28:18-20.) The Word is a reflection of our spirit, a mirror. We check our physical mirror every day, often more than once a day. How often are we looking at our spiritual mirror?
I have gotten to the point now that even though I still have a lot to learn, if I need guidance on something, I don't have to open my bible randomly and blindly pick a verse that will hopefully fit my circumstance. I have learned so much that I can make decisions based on the knowledge that I have gained. When I don't know, I study, and don't stop until I find my answer. My mind is being renewed constantly through the word and I now hear God speaking what he had been speaking to me all along!
If you want to hear God more, study his word. Meditate (think) on it. Give yourself time to really contemplate it. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
XXOO
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8