Does God Speak To People As Clearly Today As He Did In Biblical Times?

My husband and I are currently facilitating a discipleship class at our church. We have taken this class before almost two years ago. One of the questions in the homework material caused me to we write a super long response and I decided to turn it into a blog post. Does God speak to people as clearly today as he did in biblical times? My answer to this question was basically the same as the first time we took this class but this time I was able to expand on my answer more throughly.

When I look at the Old Testament I see that God only spoke to a select few. The majority of people in scripture weren’t hearing God’s voice or able to be in direct contact with him. He spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden, warned Noah about the flood, called Abraham to be the father of a nation, and gave Moses the Ten Commandments. These are just several of the examples of who God spoke with directly. God reached out first and desired a relationship with his chosen people.

I have personally never had a burning bush experience like Moses did but that doesn’t mean God doesn’t speak to me. The bible is God’s written word and it has convicted me deeply by revealing sin in my heart and calling me to repentance.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

In the Old Testament and up until the death of Jesus the bible explains about the temple and how this huge curtain was hung in order to divide God from the outside world. The curtain separated the Holy of Holies which is were God’s presence resided on earth. Very few people had access to God in the Holy of Holies. God is setting the plot of his story up for the ultimate redemption by showing with the curtain that man is separated from God by sin. Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this curtain once each year to enter into God’s presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins by offering an unblemished sacrificial lamb.

When Jesus died the need for the curtain was no longer necessary. The curtain being torn signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile. Sin offerings were no longer needed because Jesus himself was the ultimate sacrifice.

Jesus, being both fully God and fully man, came to communicate with his creation because he desired a relationship with them. Jesus came to call us out of our sin and into his holiness and grace. Jesus is crucified and he becomes the sacrificial lamb and the ultimate high priest. After Jesus ascends into heaven the Holy Spirit comes.

“But the advocate the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all the things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

When I speak and act in ways that I know can only be described as the Holy Spirit working in and through me I hear God speaking clearly.

When I react with kindness instead of hate, I hear God.

When peace instead of worry blankets my spirit, I hear God.

When I love another mothers child like they were my own, I hear God.

Anytime I see the Lord at work in the life of myself or of another believer I hear God clearly speaking to me. Showing me his goodness and revealing how powerful the gospel is to transform lives.

The people in biblical times didn’t have copies of the bibles accumulated in their homes. They were living what would later be written about to encourage and edify others who were to come after them.

Living in the United States and reading about the persecution of my brother and sisters in Christ around the world is horrifying. As is knowing that there are still nations that do not have a printed copy of the gospel in their own language. I realize I am blessed to be able to study the bible freely, to go to church without fear of being persecuted, and to have a copy of the bible in a language I can read. I used to take these things for granted but I don’t anymore.

I have discovered that the best place to hear God speak is through the Bible and by seeking out mature believers to help me clarify my thoughts and opinions and align them with scripture. It is dangerous to base what you think God is saying on one verse instead of in the context of the passage of scripture you are reading and without learning what was happening in the culture and at that time in history.

I am thankful for the bible, my church, and community of believers that God has surrounded me with. God does speak clearly today we only have to seek him.

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3 Biblical Reasons to Take Care of Your Body

What motivates you to take care of your body? Here are 3 biblical reasons to take care of your body that personally motivate me. Fitness, just like anything, can become an idol if you allow it. By shaping your worldview around what the bible says,taking care of your body can be another act of worship.

3 Biblical Reasons to Take Care of Your Body

TAKING CARE OF OUR BODIES GLORIFIES GOD.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Cor 10:31

God created your body. He wants you to take care of it. Illness, disease, and death are going to happen. No one, not even Christians are immune to it. It doesn’t matter if you tithe your 10%, give a little extra, serve in a ministry, and honor your spouse. Life happens, everyday, all the time. There is only so much we can do to take care of the bodies we have.

Self care is a discipline. It takes dedication, time, and effort to grocery shop, cook healthy meals, and workout. Just like reading the bible, praying, and tithing are considered spiritual disciplines, the process of taking care of your body to glorify God is also a spiritual act. More on this also in the next section.

JESUS DIED SO YOU COULD LIVE.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. -Romans 12:1

This reason is super important so don’t miss it. Your life has a purpose (Jer. 29:11). It is easy to go through seasons of our lives on autopilot missing all the good God has placed around us. I am totally guilty of this. Any other moms to little ones agree? I can become so consumed in my own little world that I miss opportunities that I could have been used by God to bless another person.

God is whispering to us all the time. It is a matter of deciding who we will pay attention to. God’s whispers or the enemy’s lies. I have battled with anxiety and can happily say that God has given me the power to overcome my anxious thoughts by leaning on Him and being in His word daily. Read my post 10 Bible Verses for Anxiety. Doing this wasn’t easy and it took time, prayer, and effort on my part to say NO to lies I was hearing and to start allowing God’s truths to permeate my life. By listening to the enemy’s lies I was not being able to live out my purpose for God, instead I was in a place of constant fear.

By taking care of our earthly body we have the potential to be God’s hands and feet here on earth. Our spiritual, physical, and mental health need to be aspects of self care that we evaluate on a regular basis. Exercise for the purpose of maintaining the health God has given you is not vain. It is one of the ways we can show God, and be a witness to others, that we care enough about the body we have. By keeping God at the center of everything we do, even exercising and at meal times, we are ensuring that our bodies do not become a stumbling block for us but another way to give glory back to God.

Make no mistake about this. Living an unhealthy lifestyle has the high probability of ensuring you less time with your loved ones and less time to make an impact for Christ to others.

THE BODY IS GOD’S TEMPLE.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. -1 Corinthians 19:20

The Holy Spirit lives in you. Our bodies are a gift from God and do not belong to us. As Christians we need to realize that our bodies are on loan to us until heaven. If a friend loaned me an item that they greatly valued, they would expect me to return it to them in the same condition. They would be hurt and disappointed if I returned it to them destroyed. Shouldn’t we as Christ followers view our bodies with the same care and respect we would for a friends treasured belonging?

With social media and fitness magazines constantly blasting us with before and after pictures and telling us about the latest diet craze it can be challenging at times to remember that taking care of your body needs to remain rooted in God. NOT what the media says. If we rely on the quick fixes of this world we miss out on the power that comes from asking God to give us the spirit of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Today is the perfect day to start making healthy changes. Start small and don’t try to do everything all at once. Get out for a walk everyday, drink more water, up your veggie intake, or eat your meals at home. And just to clarify, eating meals at home means cooking the meals, not ordering in ;). Small daily changes over time can add up to huge health benefits a year from now. Most importantly remember this about your body…

God created. Jesus died for it. The Spirit lives in it. So we better take care of it. -Pastor Rick Warren

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I Need Jesus

Philippians Four NineteenFor the most part I consider myself to be a fairly good person. According to a recent news poll from a major news organization, 85% of people who believe in heaven but are not necessarily Christian believe that they will go to heaven.  Even more surprising is the fact that 77% of people who claim no religious affiliation feel that they are good enough to go to heaven because they feel they are a “good person.”

The truth is I am not a good person. I have a dark side and if you are honest you do too.

I think about me first, not others. 

I hurt those I love. 

I say things I regret. 

Everyone of us has made mistakes, lied, or cheated. You and I are free to make these choices. What a boring life this would be if we were all programmed to run on autopilot with no authentic feelings or emotions.

No matter how good we are, how happy we are, how rich we are,  how great of a spouse/parent/friend we are,  it will never be enough. We will never be good enough until how we define goodness changes.

All of us have been given a choice. The Bible says that we as humans, when given a choice between life through obedience and death through disobedience, will disobey.

Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal. Romans 3:23

Enter Jesus.

Jesus is good enough. What we can’t do, Jesus has already done.

Jesus came in order for us to see how much God loves us. If you are a parent, like myself, you know the massively huge love you have for your child. The greatest gift God has given us was allowing Jesus, his child, to die on the cross for our sins so that we could live in eternity with Him.

There is good news! This gift is FREE. If you are ready to stop living by the worlds truths and know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, simply pray, “Lord, Jesus, I believe you died for me. Come into my life, forgive my sin- make me into the man or woman or teenager that you want me to be. Give me your purpose in living, give me your perspective and what life is all about,” and He’ll do that.

If you have any questions about what it means to know God please feel free to email me or leave a comment. I would love to talk with you more!

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