And we heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have this prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.     2 Peter 1:19 HCSB

When God speaks, you need to listen. It’s just that simple. Now some of you may be saying, well I will if He ever speaks to me. Perhaps you are thinking that God has never spoken to you. If this is the case, you need to look at a few things. You need to consider things like, have you wandered too far from Him to hear what He is saying? By this I mean, were you in a close relationship with him, but strayed? Perhaps you have never been in a close relationship with Him. James 4:8 tells us that if we will draw near to Christ, He will draw near to us. He will meet you where you are. You don’t even have to get all cleaned up, He will do that for you.

Our scripture passage is talking about God’s prophetic word and Peter is actually referring to the time on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. Peter saw Christ’s transfiguration clearly on the mountain when God’s voice said out loud, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”  Peter wanted to convey Christ’s magnificence. He also wanted us to strive, like Jesus, to please God. He goes on to say that God’s word is like a lamp in a dark place that will shine for us until Christ calls us to heaven where Jesus will be our light. In Revelation 22:16 He refers to Christ as the Bright Morning Star.

If you are not spending time in prayer and Bible study, then you are not in a close relationship with Jesus. For those of you who say you don’t need to go to church to be in close relationship with Him, do know that you have to at least be in close communication. For those of you who think you can have a good, rock-solid relationship without communication, you are kidding yourselves. When we pray, we are speaking to God. When we read our Bible, God is speaking to us.

There was a time when I found the Bible to be confusing and I had a hard time reading it. But, once I entered into a good, solid relationship with Jesus Christ, it became much easier. When I call it the good book, I mean it’s like the best book ever. The Old Testament is like an ongoing story that teaches us some really good life lessons. The new story begins by telling us about Jesus’ birth and talks about His life and death and teaches us how to be more like Him.

Do you recall those old commercials?  If you are too young to remember, I’ll explain, there would be a crowded room full of people all engaging in different conversations. The room would be noisy and then this guy would start to say something and the room would get really quiet. Everyone would stop what they were doing and lean in to listen. And then this voice would come on and say, “When this person talks, people listen.”

Can you imagine how awesome your life would be if you paid as much attention to your Lord and Savior? Perhaps He’s talking to you but your are too busy listening to the noisy crowd. Maybe He has been trying to talk to you for years, but He just can’t get your attention. Let me warn you,  if God wants your attention, He will get it. He may have to bring total devastation to get you to a point where you are willing to pay attention to Him, but He can get your undivided attention. I just strongly encourage you not to make Him work so hard to get it.

Many of us only turn to God when the problem is too big for us to handle. News flash people, they are all too big for you to handle. Our little seemingly insignificant problems can turn into monstrous problems if we don’t stick close to our Savior. It doesn’t matter what religion you are or how often you go to church. What matters is the relationship you share with Jesus Christ.

We are to put Him first in our lives. We should value our relationship with Him more than any other. If you can’t hear Him speaking to you, maybe you are too far away. Get closer to Him through daily, continual prayer and Bible study.

Believe me when I say, when God speaks, you better listen.

Have a great weekend!