Jeremiah
29:11 says:
God’s
plan is to bless those who call on his name. If the promise of Jesus is void,
perhaps the previous Scripture is as well. Of course, neither is void! All of
God’s promises are valid today. Jesus said he is the “same yesterday, today and
forever (Hebrews 13:8).”
Listen
We must come to God in expectation.
We expect him to speak to us because he has promised us he would. We must
listen to what he has to say to us. If we are speaking, we cannot hear what he
wants to tell us. There are many ways to hear God’s voice; through his Word,
through others and his still small voice that speaks to those who have ears to
hear him.
His Word
It is through his Word that we
receive his grace. His grace is everlasting, but can only be heard by those who
listen intently. Listening includes the written Word of God. For as we read, we
hear the words in our mind through his Word.
Through Others
We can hear him through others. However,
this can be a double edged sword. Many come in the name of Jesus to tell what
he wants you to know or do. When
someone tells me that they have something God
wants me to do I always reply something like, “Thank you for your concern.
God speaks to me as well and will confirm to me what you have said if that is
what he wants for me.” This does not mean that he might not confirm what he is
impressing on us through another.
Never form your life by what others
want for you. God speaks to his leaders personally. Who are his leaders? They
are those who hear and obey his Word. They are those who actively seek what he wants
them to do for his glory.
His Still Small Voice
A major issue that
has been discounted by some is God speaking to us directly. I have heard some
“preachers” say that God no longer speaks to us. One even went so far as to say,
“If you are hearing voices it is demonic; demons are the only voices one hears
in the twenty-first century.” Does that mean it is only Satan who can speak to
us? God does not have the power to speak to his children? The absurdity of the
previous thinking is mind boggling. God’s Word came to Abram in a vision
(Genesis 15:1). Joel 2:28 says:
The above passage is reiterated in Acts 2:17.
God promises us that he will guide us in everything we do, which includes
speaking to us through dreams and visions.
God
Wants You to be Successful
It has always been in God’s plan for
his children to be successful. God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden.
He gave them all of the ingredients to live an eternal life of perfection. He
loved them and cared for them. They were richer than could be imagined by the
standards of the modern world. However, they chose to seek another way; a way
that was not God’s way and were cast out of the garden.
Since that time, God has given his
children the opportunity to accept his ways and be blessed in ways that we
cannot imagine. Satan has convinced many believers that God wants us to live in
poverty. Many have accepted the words of Satan rather than the words of God.
They walk defeated; believing the lies of the Destroyer rather than those of a
loving Father.
Nevertheless, the reality is that
God’s plan is to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11). His plan is that we live in the
abundance of his love (John 10:10). It is the plan of a loving Father to give
us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). If we delight ourselves in God he
will give us the desires of our heart. However, those desires should be rooted
in the Word of God; then, his desires will become your desires and you will
receive whatever you ask for in his name (John 14:12).
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