Archive for November, 2008

“He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.” – 1 Samuel 28:6

There are three main ways that God speaks to his servants today.  One way is through dreams.  Most of our dreams are not from God, of course – they are just from our minds, usually the things we have been worried about during the previous days.  Even so, most Christians have had some dreams where God spoke to them, or He showed them something that would happen and then they saw the fulfillment later, just as the dream foretold.  Some people have even converted because Jesus revealed himself to them in a dream.  This is also one of the main ways He spoke to people in the Bible.  The second main way that God speaks directly to us today is through a direct revelation from the Holy Spirit while we are awake.  This type of experience belonged to the prophets had in the Old Testament, but now it can happen to any true believer.  Sometimes this experience is visual, as when we see a vision while we are praying.  Other times, the Holy Spirit gives a revelation that is verbal, as when words come into our hearts while we are praying, interrupting our own thoughts.  Occasionally, we may even hear an audible voice speaking words while we are in fellowship with the Lord.  These direct revelations – the experience the prophets had – are the second way that God speaks to each individual.  

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Hebrews 4:12 - “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 All true Christian believers know that the Bible is God’s Word.  Every believer knows that the Bible was verbally inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), and that it is relevant for our lives today.  The problem is that many Christians think of the Word only as something from the distant past.  True believers hold to the Bible, study it, teach from it, and base their lives around it.  Yet many do so as if the Bible were merely a document given long ago, like a Constitution of their religion.  There is another dimension to the Word of God.  It is alive and active.  God is still speaking through the Word today. 

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