Psalm 85:8-9 NLT
I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.
“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying…”
How do we listen to God?
I believe there are several ways, but I think there is a hierarchy of listening that we have when it comes to “listening” to the Lord:
1. Reading the Bible – This is the most important place to go to listen to God. The Bible is sufficient in every way to help us through the challenges that we face.
It is the best source of answers that we have for the trials we face, and it has the answer for everything that we can face. Period.
In my humble opinion, as a Christian, there is not one day that should pass that we shouldn’t be in God’s word. We wouldn’t consider leaving the house without bathing or brushing our teeth, isn’t our soul more important than our physical body?
2. Prayer – God wants a personal relationship with us, and that requires verbal communication from us to Him, He will speak to us through His Word, and we speak to Him through our prayers.
We’re commanded to “Never stop praying.”
I caution here to verify any communication in your head you feel that you have received from God, you verify with scripture.
And I’d suggest that the real Devine communication will reflect changes or actions that you should take and not actions that others should take. This doesn’t mean that God will not suggest that you speak into another believer’s life, but make sure to check the motivation of this communication.
3. Through good Biblical preaching and teaching – Get in front of a Pastor who preaches the word of God and is faithful to staying in scripture with his message.
There will be a concentrated focus on the Word of God, it’s a message, and it’s the practical application for our lives.
Nothing will replace being with the people of God while listening to the message. “Do not neglect the Assembly of God…”
And I’d further suggest that you carve out at least another 30 minutes a day to listen to biblical preaching during the week, re-listening to your Pastor’s message and finding other sources of Biblical preaching, YouTube, or podcasts; with today’s technologies, you can find it.
4. Fellowship with others to study the word of God – It is important to be active in Life Groups or other forms of group Bible study.
You have insight that others would find useful, and they have insight that you would find useful.
We are called to go through this adventure together. Christianity is a team sport, everybody serves uniquely in the church, and we need each other.
You may be saying to yourself, “How do I find the time to do all of that?!?!”
God will provide all the time you need if you make these things a priority in your life.
Here’s the promise:
Matthew 6:33 NLT
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
“Everything” includes time.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for saving me. I pray, Lord, that You give me the confidence and faith to know that if I put You first in my life, You will provide all the time I need to get it done.
That I do this because I love You and want to grow closer and get to know You better and not out of a misplaced sense of duty but simply because You are my Lord and Savior, and I willingly want to know You and Serve You.
Understanding that the closer I come to You, the closer You come to me and that through that closeness to You, I become more useful to those around me and glorify You in the way I live my life.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
