Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 24:1 The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord; 2 for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.
Read the entire Psalm
God is the owner of all because He is the maker of all. Thank Him for what He has made. Praise Him for sharing His goodness with us through His creation.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 3:1-7
New Living Translation
3 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over 2 by observing your pure and reverent lives.
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 5 This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. 6 For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunity to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Peter said that if husbands fail to love their wives, then their prayers are hindered. Again, there is wider application for this principle than just the husband/wife relationship. If we live in consistent, willful, unrepentant sin, then there is a blockade between us and God. If we are living in this state of unrepentant sin, we may have all manner of things on our minds and hearts that are of great importance to us. God, however, has just one thing on his mind. He wants us to repent and to turn from this sin. We do not have to wonder if there is some secret sin that we are unaware of and God is using this to hold a grudge against us. God is not petty, like we often are. He is faithful to show us our sin and to forgive and restore us if we are faithful to ask and honest enough to pay attention. Is there a barrier of sin between you and God? God stands ready to take it down; all you need do is confess and turn from your sin. Is there no barrier of sin in place? Rejoice! Give thanks! This is because of God’s great mercy to you.
Application: Ask God to reveal sin. Repent of that sin. Believe that God has forgiven you.