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Have You Heard From God - Part 1

So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Samuel 3:9

Too many of us think of prayer as just talking to God, rarely stopping to wonder if He might want to talk to us. How does God speak to us? 1) Through His Word. A familiar verse jumps off the page and takes on new meaning. 2) Through people. But you cannot be so preoccupied, or selective, that you do not recognize them. 3) Through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads, rebukes, encourages, comforts, and stretches us. A lot of us, however, do not seem to expect God to speak to us at all. By our actions you would think that Jesus packed up and went back to heaven forty days after His resurrection and has not been heard from since. No, the Bible is full of accounts of God speaking to His children. If the essence of Christianity is a personal relationship with God, then God must still speak today. But you cannot build a relationship on one-way speeches; you need regular, intimate contact between two persons, both of whom speak and both of whom listen. Hearing God speak to us through His Spirit is not only normal, it is essential. Paul wrote, "You are controlled by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you" (Romans 8:9). Once you turn your life over to Jesus, it cannot be business as usual. Life no longer consists only of that which can be seen, felt or figured out. It includes walking by faith! Trusting God! Constantly opening yourself to His voice and to the leadings of His Spirit!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me search your Word and listen to your voice, knowing that you care about me and want what's best for me. By your Spirit, through your Word and through others, speak to me Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen