Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 9:15-17, Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.” 17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
Would it not be wonderful to hear God speak to us? Imagine being able to hear God’s voice instructing us and guiding us throughout our day. Would it not be life changing if we could hear Him warning us of what is to come, or speak to us about our past so that we could avoid some of the past mistakes? How comforting would it be for us to hear His voice while we are going through difficult times? Wait…what am I saying? If we are born again believers, we have the ability to hear God speaking to us! No…seriously…we do! Let me take us back to the basics for a moment. Do we know Jesus as our Savior? Yes? Well, then we have been indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16). If this is so, which it is, then we have God living in us. If you are reading this, it means that you have access to the internet. If that is so, it also means that one way or another, even if you do not have a hard copy of the Bible, you have the ability to find a copy of God’s Word right online. You see, the internet can be used for God’s glory, as long as the one punching the keys on the keyboard uses it in a pure manner, but I digress. So, we have determined that God seals us and indwells us when we accept Jesus as Savior, and we also determined that we have access to God’s Word. What is missing? What is missing is us putting in the effort to spend time with God in prayer and the reading of His Word. God spoke to Samuel because Samuel had an intimate relationship with Him. It was obvious that Saul did not, and because he did not, he had to have donkeys lead him along, while Samuel had the privilege for hearing directly from God. What side of that fence do we fall on? Are we a Saul, having to be led by donkeys, or are we a Samuel, seeking God, and hearing His Word directly from Him? I am not going to be saying anything that we do not already know. Psalm 119:105 tells us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” In John 16:12-14 Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” When we combine our Bible reading, and studying, with prayer, the Holy Spirit is there to illuminate the Word of God, give us understanding and help us to apply it. It is in our praying without ceasing that the Spirit nudges us and speaks to us in our day to day activities. He will remind us of what the Word says, convict us, and move us in such a way, that if we are obedient we will glorify our Lord and Savior. The key is that we obey. Jesus said in John 14:15-17, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” If we truly love the Lord, we will seek Him and obey Him. The Holy Spirit who indwells us will not fail us and will speak to us in every situation that He is needed. Let us strive to hear directly from God, rather than force the Lord to have to lead us using donkeys (figuratively speaking of course).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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