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 141:3-6
Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts with evildoers.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me not refuse it.
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.
6 When their rulers will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.
Read the Entire Psalm
Prayer for Rebuke – Look at verse five. When was the last time you prayed for rebuke? What an interesting prayer. Praying for rebuke is a reminder that God cares for us and we need help and correction. Praise God that he cares and will instruct us. Ask him to rebuke you. Ask him to make you open to correction.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – The Message
4 Attention, Israel!
God, our God! God the one and only!
5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
6-9 Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.
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 today for Christian Challenge. They will be meeting tonight at the church. Ask God to strengthen the students in their devotion to Jesus.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. The heart is the thinking/choosing aspect of who you are. This is more than memorizing Scripture, but it’s not less than that. It is about the truth shaping how we see the world and what we value in the world. You can memorize words of Scripture and not be shaped by them. Satan can probably quote the entire Bible; little good it does him. On the other hand, that is no excuse to neglect the work of committing Scripture to memory. What we put in is what is likely to come out. We need to do the hard work to know Scripture. Part of that will include memorizing key verses. It will also include understanding key concepts and principles that allow us to move through life operating within biblical parameters. The old question and its very simple answer remain true: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” How do we approach this task of embedding God’s word into our hearts? We must take a slow, steady approach. Keep reading, keep learning, keep understanding, and over time God’s word will more fully shape how you move through life.