When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.     John 16:13 ESV

Since rededicating my life to Christ, I have spent a great deal of time in prayer and Bible study. This life-changing event had me wanting a close relationship with Him. I try to adhere to Proverbs 3:5, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t rely on your own understanding.” There was a time or two, however, when I thought God was speaking to me audibly.

As I’ve studied the Bible more, I have come to realize God doesn’t speak to us audibly. He revealed the future to John in the book of Revelation, and that was it for His revelations to us. His written word speaks to us and tells us all we need to know.

This is why Bible study is so important. We should submit to Christ with all our hearts. We should humble ourselves and give our lives over to Him. We should always be alert, as Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8, because the devil roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Without prayer and Bible study, that could be us.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, He fills our hearts with His Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit guides us through God’s word. He speaks to us through God’s word. Through God’s providence, he has set things up in my life to help guide me on the path He has chosen for me. I will admit, however, that sometimes I was reluctant because there were things that took me out of my comfort zone. Through prayer, however, I knew I could not say no.

I read about Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and John (and many others), and think about how awesome it must have been to have God actually speak to them and instruct them on what He wanted them to say and do. And imagine being an apostle and walking side by side with Jesus as He taught the multitudes. Imagine being there as He suffered rejection and experiencing some of that rejection. And the most awesome part of all is their interaction with Jesus. They travelled, lived, and conversed with Him on a daily basis.

We can and should spend our days filled with His Holy Spirit. We should speak to Him through prayer and be aware of what He says to us through Bible study.

Of course, there is always a flip side. This is why we must be so careful. I hate to admit it, but there were times when I thought God was telling me to do something. Things were falling into place for me to do things that I shouldn’t have done. I thought this was God. Be very careful with this. We are told in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul warns the church in Corinth to be aware of false apostles, deceitful workers, who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. In verse 14, he says, “And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

If we are being tempted to do something wrong, this is not God approving our sin; this is Satan tempting us to sin. James 1:13-14 says, “No one undergoing a trial should say, ‘I am being tempted by God.’ For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.”

The devil wants to lead us into sinful behavior because he knows this blocks our communication with God (Isaiah 59:2).

There is a reason the Bible is called God’s Word. That’s because it is God’s Word. It’s how he communicates with us. I have heard people who haven’t picked up a Bible in quite some time say that God told them to do something. Be very careful because if you are not in prayer and Bible study, or you are being tempted to sin, that is not God. Please be sure before you comply or respond.

Have a great day!