Category: Finding God

For years I considered a lot of the Bible pretty boring. Okay . . . really boring. Reading through the first five books where God explains the “law” was sorta boring. Reading pages of “So and So was the father of . . .” was sorta boring as well. And reading one of the Old Testament books written by a prophet, where it can be really difficult linking the prophecy with the historical context — that’s just . . . tedious.

But it all has a purpose.

I had a high school literature teacher named Mrs. Nisun who taught me that “the author puts every word in the book for a reason. Pay attention to all of them.” I think she was talking about Nathaniel Hawthorne when she said that, but how much more true is that when the author is God? I began to enjoy those “boring” parts of the Bible a lot more when I seriously began learning about Him. Learning the history and context of the books. I learned why the first five books of the Bible needed to be as long and tedious as they are. I learned why the genealogical information was important.

The Bible is jam-packed with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. All of it — even the boring parts.

On several occasions I’ve heard the argument from a non-Christian that they don’t want to get involved in church or Christianity because the church is filled with hypocrites.

I’m a hypocrite on some levels. I’ll be one of the first to admit it, but I know I’m not alone. A hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does the opposite. I may tell someone else, “Read your Bible everyday.” Yet the next day I might get busy and push aside reading my Bible myself. That’s being a hypocrite. If hypocrisy is measured strictly in action, then all Christians are hypocrites on some level; no one is perfect. We say (at least by association): “don’t sin” and then we turn around and do it. That’s hypocrisy, and every Christian does it.

But what those who have fallen away from Christ don’t understand is that a Christian’s relationship with God is not about having each and every action perfect. Christian’s know that we will sin, but we also know that we are moving away from sin. We try not to. If hypocrisy is measured strictly in action, then we’re hypocrites. But a Christian’s life can’t just be considered in action, but also in the heart. To stick with my Bible reading example, when I realize I didn’t read my Bible on a day I quickly reorient my heart towards God and get back on the right page. That doesn’t excuse my screwing up. But it explains how hypocrisy can exist in each of us. It isn’t always pure evil. In strictly action, I am a hypocrite sometimes. But in heart (since I repent of the sin), I am not. I say one thing, slip in doing the opposite, and then fix it.

Since I know I will probably fail sometime, should I keep my mouth shut and not proclaim God’s truth? Of course not. “Woe is unto me if I don’t preach the Gospel,” right? (1 Cor. 9:16). I will boldly preach truth. Sometimes I will blow it (and then fix it). That makes me a hypocrite sometimes. That doesn’t change truth.

So when a non-Christian says that they don’t want to get involved in a church because its full of hypocrites, I say, “Yes, it is. What does that have to do with you?”

I want stuff from God. I want to hear His voice. I want spiritual wisdom. I want supernatural knowledge. I want to see and be a part of divine healing of all kinds. I want to receive a prophecy, or maybe give one myself. I want the signs and wonders of God to be present in and around my life. You probably feel the same way, especially when you hear about supernatural encounters had by others.

In Acts 2, the disciples all went into a room together. The Bible says that they were continuously in the temple praying, and I can only imagine that they were in the room praying as well. After that, God showed up in a very supernatural way. That was the point where supernatural gifts were released in their fullness and made available to every Christian. What initiated this move of God?

We need to chase after God; the heart of God. That should come first. The signs and wonders of God will show up and will be present in the lives of those who seek the heart of God. Often its easy to get excited and seek after signs, wonders, and special gifts. The signs, wonders, and special gifts of God are consequential. We should seek the heart of God first. The signs will follow.

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing a blog series on Hearing God’s Voice. I’ve talked about hearing God’s voice through circumstances, divine revelation, Godly counsel, and through the Bible.

Is one of these “more accurate” than any of the others? Yes. I believe so. Correct interpretation of the Bible is always the true voice of God. Every time. God will never speak something contrary to what He’s already said (in the Bible).

Just like in my pizza hut example, hearing God’s voice through circumstances is subject to human error. Hearing God’s voice through divine revelation is also subject to others’ selfish desires. And the Godly counsel we receive could always turn out to be not-so-Godly after all. But correct interpretation of the Bible is a sure thing. Every time.

Of all the ways God speaks to us, I believe the Bible is the most overlooked. That’s pretty ironic, because when I think about it, its probably the most obvious as well.

I have a tendency to first look for God’s voice in places besides the Bible. I’m not sure why. But really, God put the Bible here to reveal His will for our lives. The other ways should only supplement His voice in the Bible. If you want to hear God’s voice, the Bible should be the first place we turn.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

Another way God speaks to us is through Godly counsel. A great Bible example is in 1 Samuel when God called Samuel. Samuel was a boy who lived with Eli, a priest. Samuel heard someone calling him three times in the middle of the night, and he thought it was Eli. After the third time, Eli told Samuel that if he heard someone calling his name again, he should respond, “Yes, God. I’m listening!” Samuel did just that and then God spoke to him (through divine revelation). The point here is that God first spoke to Samuel through Eli.

Let’s start listening for God’s voice in the words of others.

God can also speak to us through divine revelation. This is when God shows us something directly in our spirit. I’ve see two types of divine revelation. One is when I am praying, seeking God’s face, and I hear (maybe “feel” is a better word-because its not audible for me) God say something in my heart. The second type is when someone else has heard something from God regarding my life. The latter should always be treated with extreme caution; unfortunately some people manipulate others by placing the words “God says that you need to . . .” in front of their own personal desires. But I believe both are totally valid.

I don’t get how some people don’t believe that God speaks through divine revelation today. Some people believe that God limits his communication with us only through the Bible (which is partly true, but that’s for later). That bugs the snot out of me. The entire book of Revelation was nothing more than a Divine Revelation to the apostle John. The conversion of Saul to Paul was certainly a divine revelation; in fact, the book of Acts is jam packed full of them!

I think that God speaks to us in this way a lot more than we realize. We are just too “loud” to realize it. We need to shut up in order to hear divine revelation more often. Not just audibly but quiet down in our spirits — staying focused on God and remaining moldable.