Receiving God's Revelation
God is revealing Himself to us all of the time. Some people receive His revelations of Himself, but most people miss them. It is a matter of attitude and trusting God. Joseph had two famous dreams in which God showed him and his family what would happen later, when they would bow down to him in Egypt.Joseph seemed to receive God's revelation, even though he did not fully understand it. His brothers missed it because of their envy and hatred. Jacob pondered what it might mean, so he was at least open to what was going on.(Genesis 37:9,11) How are you at receiving God's revelations of Himself to you?
God still uses dreams to speak to people today, but not as much as in the past. Now, we have the Bible, which is the complete revelation of God to us for all of the basic information we need to live our lives in His will.(II Timothy 3:16,17) Also, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through prayer, other believers, and circumstances. Nothing we receive from God by these means will ever contradict anything in the Bible, so we must be careful to compare them to the Word and to see if all of these agree. However, the key to receiving the Biblical revelation or any message from God is our attitude and our faith or trust in Him. If we have a fleshly attitude of pride or envy or hatred, we will not be able to hear the Spirit speaking to us very well, and we are prone to simply reject what God is saying if we do hear it. Also, we must want to trust God and obey His will. Then, He will show us. However, He will not cast His pearls before swine.(Sorry, but that is what Jesus said in Matthew 7:6, not me.)
I pray that we will earnestly seek the Lord with an open heart and say what Samuel was told to say by Eli, "Speak Lord, your servant hears." Then, whether we are reading the Bible, praying, speaking to other believers, or having a dream, we will be prepared to hear and obey what He says. Try it and see what happens.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 38-40.
God still uses dreams to speak to people today, but not as much as in the past. Now, we have the Bible, which is the complete revelation of God to us for all of the basic information we need to live our lives in His will.(II Timothy 3:16,17) Also, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through prayer, other believers, and circumstances. Nothing we receive from God by these means will ever contradict anything in the Bible, so we must be careful to compare them to the Word and to see if all of these agree. However, the key to receiving the Biblical revelation or any message from God is our attitude and our faith or trust in Him. If we have a fleshly attitude of pride or envy or hatred, we will not be able to hear the Spirit speaking to us very well, and we are prone to simply reject what God is saying if we do hear it. Also, we must want to trust God and obey His will. Then, He will show us. However, He will not cast His pearls before swine.(Sorry, but that is what Jesus said in Matthew 7:6, not me.)
I pray that we will earnestly seek the Lord with an open heart and say what Samuel was told to say by Eli, "Speak Lord, your servant hears." Then, whether we are reading the Bible, praying, speaking to other believers, or having a dream, we will be prepared to hear and obey what He says. Try it and see what happens.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 38-40.