A PROCEEDING WORD

I recently heard this expression from a well known Bible teacher on a tape I was listening to, and it caught my attention. He meant that God is continually speaking a new word to us, and most of the time we are not listening. This word will be a word of revelation from the secret things of God. (Deut 29:29). In (Isa 64:4) we read "For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him". Paul was probably thinking of this verse when he wrote (1 Cor 2:9), which says more or less the same thing.

God's revelation to us who believe is progressive, from the moment of receiving Jesus as our personal Savior. He desires to reveal further truth to us, and will as He sees we are ready to receive it. We must be willing to receive further truth, so we are told to "ask, seek and knock". God created us with a free will that must be activated to search the scriptures for truth. Of course we know from reading (John 14:6) that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life", so really it amounts to seeking to know Him better!

Some well meaning people believe that God "spoke", and had His Word recorded in the scriptures, and today only "speaks" through this written Word. But because He is alive and well, and interested in communicating with His children, I believe He speaks to us today, if we are listening. He can speak in various ways to our regenerated spirit, which was dead, but comes alive when we are "born again" into His family. (Eph 2:1-10) He often speaks through prophecy, dreams, or visions, but these must always agree with the written Word. He often speaks to us by His "still small voice", which can only be heard by our spirit using our "spiritual ears" and not our natural ones, and then confirms it by prophecy from another member of His family.

So I encourage you to spend time quietly before Him, and expect to hear Him speak. Remember prayer is talking to God, but it should never be a monologue. Who would ever want to converse with a friend who did all the talking, and then left when they finished their part before you had a chance to reply? We would consider that to be very rude, and yet we often do that same thing to God! Perhaps we need to change the way we pray, and spend more time listening!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp