HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 66
page A64
Communication continued
• J E R E MI A H 1 5 :1 6 | “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and
my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.”
Just as a piano is tuned against a standard tuning fork, so you become in tune with God
only when you compare yourself against the standards for living found in the Bible. As God
communicates to you through the Bible, you will begin to “hear,” or discern just what he
wants from you. As your “spiritual hearing” is enhanced, you will become a good listener
and will be able to hear clearly when God calls you to a certain task. Would God say you
are a good listener?
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 2 :1 6 | “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach
him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit helps you understand the mind of Christ. He
gives you guidance, wisdom, and discernment that is not available to those who don’t love
the Lord.
Why should I listen to God?
• DE U T E R O NO MY 6 :3 | “Listen closely . . . and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you.”
• DE U T E R O NO MY 2 8 :1 3 | “If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am
giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not
the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.”
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Listening opens the pipeline to God’s blessings, for only when we listen do we know how
to receive them.
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• PR O V E R B S 1 :2 3 | Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make
you wise.
Listening to God makes us wise.
• PR O V E R B S 8 :3 2 | “Listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful.”
Listening to God brings lasting happiness.
• I SA I A H 4 6 :3 | “Listen to me. . . . I have cared for you since you were born.”
Listening to God allows him to care for us as he would like.
• I SA I A H 4 8 :1 2 | “Listen to me . . . ! I alone am God, the First and the Last.”
• H O S E A 1 4 :9 | Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment
listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by
walking in them. (See note on page 796.)
We listen to God because he is the source of all wisdom and knowledge.
How do I listen to God?
• PSA L M 4 :3 | You can be sure of this. . . . The Lord will answer when I call to him.
• PSA L M 5 :3 | Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
Through prayer.
• PSA L M 4 6 :1 0 | Be still, and know that I am God!
Being quiet helps us hear God’s voice.
• 1 K I NG S 1 9 :1 2 | And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the
fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. (See note on page 321.)
God is big, so we expect him to speak with the voice of thunder or lightning or earthquake
or fire. But God often expresses his powerful love in gentle whispers. Listen for God’s
whispers as well as his shouts.
What does God want in my communication with him?
• PSALM 145:18-19 | The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
• H E B R E W S 1 1 :6 | And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to
come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.