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 38:9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded.
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance.
12 Those who intend to kill me set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.
Read the entire Psalm
My every desire is in front of you. Is there anything that you desire good or bad that God does not see? You can sometimes hide your desires from others, but God sees every desire. He also knows every disappointment and frustration because your sighing is not hidden from Him. Rather than take you down, which is what the enemy wants, God, the all-knowing one, wants to be your refuge. Turn to Him with your desires and sighing. He knows them all. Be open with Him. He really does want you.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 John 1:1-4 – Christian Standard Bible
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
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 leading small groups at River. Pray for the leaders retreat this weekend that leaders would be encouraged and equipped to lead.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
God’s purpose for us is fellowship. Fellowship with him. Fellowship with Jesus. Fellowship with each other in the church. This fellowship is how we experience joy. Our joy is in part now, but it will be in full in eternity. Salvation can be a somewhat confusing term. When people are “saved,” we largely consider what they are saved “from” not what they are saved “to.” For instance, if you read that a fireman saved a person, you don’t immediately think “Oh, he was saved to a sidewalk” you think, “He was saved from a house fire.” While it is true that our salvation in Christ is from separation from God, we must focus our attention on the fact that we have been saved to eternal fellowship with the Triune God and with his church. Salvation to fellowship is not just a future reality, it is a very present experience for believers. An experience that we are meant to enjoy now and find joy in forever.