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How does God Speak

Reading the Bible

Having accepted that God wants to speak to us through his word, the bible, it is important to establish a regular, disciplined pattern of bible-reading, on a daily basis. God longs to speak to us, but it is not useful to simply open the bible with your eyes closed, point a finger on the page and believe that this is what he is saying to you. God can of course speak to us in this way, but he looks for a more disciplined approach to his word:

2 Tim 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

Psa 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

As an athlete will discipline himself to train every day, so in the same way the children of God need to discipline and train themselves. As we apply ourselves regularly to God's word, he will begin to speak through the scriptures we are reading. Very often people find that a particular verse will stand out from the rest, for example, one might be reading through the book of Matthew and come to the passage in chapter 6v25-34 which begins:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"

It may be that the person is actually worrying about finances at that time and this verse can be a source of comfort, reassurance and relief. As the person grows in their Christian life and begins to remember scripture, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind the verse at appropriate times. It is only through a regular, disciplined reading of the bible that this can happen.

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