Scripture and God's Voice

Without question, the greatest blessing the church received after Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the Bible.

Paul says, “is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Reading the words inspired by God Himself and recorded for all time can be unbelievably useful for us as believers. The words written in the great gift we call the Bible are the foundation of a shared faith that spans the globe and goes back thousands of years.

I can happily assure you that in your journey seeking out the voice of God, He will never contradict Himself and the things He has laid out for the church going all the way back to Jesus.

Walking with God and hearing His voice will make scripture come alive, not become obsolete. The Bible is not a set of rules that must be followed; neither is it a loose collection of suggestions that each Christian can pick and choose from depending on their personal convictions. There is a straight path in between these two options. One that will not drown you in legalism or let you wander into thorny bushes of pluralism that will entangle and hurt you.

Yet, reading and memorizing books and verses is no guarantee of intimacy with God. The Pharisees had pretty much memorized the Bible of the time, and yet they had managed to completely miss Christ! We can and will do the same if we pursue spiritual knowledge for knowledge's sake.

This is what Paul is describing in 2 Corinthians:

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6).

God is longing to speak to us! He loves His children and wants to reveal His character to us! The Bible is one of His sweetest and most precious gifts in this regard, but we must approach it as children, letting Him do the leading, just like he shows us in Hosea.

“I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them” (Hos. 11:4).

So dive into Scripture! It is an incredible way to encounter God. But do so with a surrendered heart and childlike faith. Only then will you encounter the Author and not just the writings.