...you can listen to God's voice...

“22 Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

24 Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it” Exodus 20:22-26.

Here in this text are some extremely important Words of God: “I have spoken to you” …and so “Do not make any gods to be alongside Me”   (verse 23). 

I can’t tell you how many people in my life have told me they don’t believe God talks to them! But here is God telling us, “I have spoken to you!” So, if God tells us that He is speaking to us, the challenge is that we aren’t listening to Him! We aren’t hearing God!

In my life I hear God’s voice when I read the Scriptures. When a Word, like a phrase or a sentence or story, from the Bible strikes me or truly garners my attention, I believe that is one of the ways God speaks to me! I also feel God speaks to me when someone else says something to me, or does something, that truly inspires me or pulls me to pay attention to what they said or did!

But I have to listen to what I am hearing and seeing and feeling! And then I have to spend some time with the Lord and tell Him How I wish to respond. 

I also pray that God will guide me in what I am hearing and seeing, and in what others are saying or doing in their life. You see, I just can’t let these experiences disappear. I have to try to keep them alive by reading more Scripture or by trying to help others. I have learned to talk to God throughout the day, asking Him to keep me focused on His presence, His voice, His desires for me — in this day only!

Remember, there is a reason Jesus taught us to pray that He would “give us our daily bread!” I try not to make huge plans with God, but instead just take steps for today! I try to ask God for His “daily bread” for me TODAY!

So consider how you have heard God’s voice in your life and felt His plans for you! Pray that you hear what God has spoken to you! And remember, without a plan to hear God in the Scriptures and in your daily life, you will end up making other gods alongside God (verse 23)! And making other things in your daily life “another god” will push you away from hearing God’s voice in your life.

Pray today that you will hear Him speak to you — today!

Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.