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 71:1-8 Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced.
2 In your justice, rescue and deliver me; listen closely to me and save me.
3 Be a rock of refuge for me, where I can always go.
Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive.
5 For you are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth.
6 I have leaned on you from birth; you took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is always about you.
7 I am like a miraculous sign to many, and you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is full of praise and honor to you all day long.
Read the entire Psalm
Lord I seek refuge in you. If you could write a theme for all of the Psalms it would be God is our refuge. This word refuge comes up over and over throughout the Psalms. Even the Psalms of praise are a reminder that God is a worthy refuge. God is glad to be our refuge. Praise God the worthy and strong refuge.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 John 2:15-17 – New Living Translation
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
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
The lust of the eyes
“Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.” Proverbs 27:20
Death never says, “enough, I’m full.” The “eyes” of man, untethered from God’s Spirit, never stop scanning for more. They are never satisfied. The lust of the eyes is perpetually looking for more (or different) than what God has given. The eyes feed any heart that is not wrapped around Christ as King. We leak perspective, and the “holes” that cause the leak are the eyes. The eyes do take in what they see, but they then become the leak through which what is real and true drains from our lives. As we move through life looking around, we can see the glory and goodness of God and become more and more full by what comes in our eyes. We can also become more and more empty as we see all that we think we should have or must have, and contentment and joy leak from our lives. We feel a great many things as we walk through life, but we simply must learn to believe all that is real about our lives. Jesus is the King. We serve and live at his pleasure. What he is pleased to give us or withhold from us is his call, not ours. Use your eyes to “see” the goodness and glory of God, do not use them to scan for reasons to doubt and distrust him.