Jesus turned to me and said, “My Father loves you so much that He sent Me so that you could have eternal life with Me.”

18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. The revelation is the LORD speaking directly to us; the restraint is godliness and casting it off leads to destruction. Wisdom’s instruction is this: “to believe in the one He [God] has sent.” John 6:29.

People shouldn’t be surprised when I say that Jesus talks to me regularly, even constantly. EVERY CHRISTIAN has this opportunity. There IS a learning curve to understanding:

1. We must learn to recognize that He is talking to us,
2. We must understand the lingo–there is a vocabulary that we need to learn,
3. We must know the things He is likely to say to us–and NOT say to us. For instance, God convicts, but never condemns with His words to us. Ex. God says, “You just lied. Repent now.” Satan says, “You just lied. You’re a bad person; you are dirty and will never be clean!”

The Word of God, a.k.a. the Bible, is our link to God, our guidebook, reference manual, and primer for knowing God. HE wrote it so that we can know Him better and so that we’re all on the same page, so to speak, concerning His character and His Plan. Problems arise when people make much of the words and forget to consult the Author. I would like to introduce a unique way of thinking about the Word of God. I read it in a book recently. It is from The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker, page 208:

“I…I have the second riddle,” I said.
“Riddle? You mean the finger.”
“Finger? No, a riddle. A clue.”
“We call it a finger. It points the way, like a finger that points to the sun. It isn’t the sun, it only points to it. Like Scriptures. They aren’t the Word; the Word is Justin [Jesus]. The Scriptures only point to the Word. Remember, set your eyes on what is unseen, not on the finger itself. If you focus all of your attention on the finger, it will block your sight of that to which it points. In this way the letter–that is, Scripture–kills, but the Spirit gives life, as written.”

For instance, when I read John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that anyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life,” I understand that Jesus came to pay the penalty for my sin. But, it’s not until I hear His voice say to me, “My Father loves you so much that He sent Me so that you could have eternal life with Me,” that I begin to comprehend the passion, the fervor, the LOVE that is behind those words. When He talks to me, I EXPERIENCE Scripture–I experience CHRIST! Now, you know why I have made it my life’s ambition to know the Bible. It’s Christ’s lingo; it’s His vocabulary. When I study the Jewish sacrificial system, I no longer see just dead animals and macabre sacrifices. I see a foretelling of the sacrifice that Christ would make on the cross for me. All of a sudden, it’s personal. I feel remorse for the necessity of Him having to leave heaven to do that for me, but I also feel overwhelming gratitude that He did!

John 3:16 is just one example. If we let Him, He will speak to us in EVERY verse–even the Old Testament. My personal life passage that I read EVERY morning is,

²³ Yet I am always with you;  you hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:23-26

Not, “He is always with me,” but I am always with HIM! He holds my hand! He guides me with His counsel–WOW! And He promises to take me to be with Him in glory. Does it get any better than that? What do I care about this world? What is there here that would keep me from Him? There are many loved ones in heaven, but He is the ONE that I desire to see, to kneel at His pierced feet, and say, “Thank You, Jesus.” My heart and my flesh (my sinful nature causes me to) fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and He will finish what He has begun in me. He is my portion, my stake, my allotment, my inheritance forever. When I read these words, I am speaking what He has revealed to my soul. It is truth on a level that goes WAY BEYOND intellect. It’s personal.

Today, pick up your Bible and read; expect Him to speak to You through what you read. Ponder it; apply it; ask Him about it, and then wait for insight and understand to enter your heart. Don’t believe it can happen? Then, read Proverbs 2. Oh, and shoot me a text about what God says to you…!

Abba, I pray that You would open up the minds and hearts of Your children as they open up Your Scriptures. You thought enough of us to write down what You think of us–if we would only take the time and make the effort to read it for ourselves! I know “You have loved me with an everlasting love,” just as You loved Israel. I glory in that love, O LORD. May we feel Your excitement when we read Your Scriptures; may we bask in Your presence and drink in Your wisdom and knowledge. Know our hearts, O God. We are Your children! Amen.