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 31
Lord, I seek refuge in you;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by your righteousness.
2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
you lead and guide me
for your name’s sake.
4 You will free me from the net
that is secretly set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit;
you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth.
God is a place of refuge. He is a sure and safe place. Praise him because he is a refuge.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 15:18-27 – Christian Standard Bible
Persecutions Predicted
18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.
The Counselor’s Ministry
26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
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.
- Pray for Christians who are suffering and persecuted because of their faith.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Read the Bible!
Jesus said, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. 32 You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Christians are called to remain in God’s Word through thick and thin and to stand firmly on God’s Word.
If we’re going to abide in Christ, we need nourishment from God’s Word in order to produce fruit. We can intake the Bible in a lot of different ways. We can listen to sermons, read commentaries, go to conferences, and these are great ways to get God’s Word into our hearts. But friends, nothing can replace just sitting down and reading God’s Word. It’s a gift to us, in the best way. Getting to know God means sitting down with Him just like you would with any other friend you have. And getting to know Him. If you’re not in God’s Word daily, I’d challenge you first to read it and understand the story. Don’t complicate it by trying to do in-depth Bible study or all these other methods we think will help us grow deeper in our walk. The best thing you can do is just sit down, open His Word, and meet with Him. And as you read and become familiar with His story, your soul will be strengthened by the nourishment of His Word. My challenge to you today is just to do it. Make time in your life for God’s Word; I know you won’t regret it.