It’s not enough to just listen to a sermon, or a church lecture, or a Christian podcast. You must also try to hear what God’s saying to you personally through it. You can hear something totally different from what the listener next to you hears. That’s because God personalises the message to you.

The Bible is called ‘the living Word’ (see Hebrews 4:12), and certain Scriptures will suddenly come to life, jump out, and take root within you. Sometimes you’ll hear what nobody else hears. You might even miss several of the points that are talked about, but still come away with the answer you needed.

Paul said, ‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ’ (Romans 10:17 NIV). When you can say, ‘This message is for me, and I understand what God’s saying to me,’ the faith that comes from hearing is doing its special work within you.

Before Israel went into battle, the prophets would consult God so they could be sure He was leading them and they weren’t just doing their own thing. God honours faith when it’s based on what He promised. We can’t say God failed us if He didn’t promise it to us in the first place.

We should also be careful of reaching for a promise He made to someone else. Not every promise is ours, even if it’s one we like the sound of. The whole of God’s Word is important and relevant to us, but there are specific promises He wants to fulfil in your life because your calling is different from everyone else’s. That’s why we must always look to God for clarity and confirmation.

What Now?

Get together with a friend and read a Word For You reading or listen to a lecture or podcast by a Bible teacher. Have a chat about the points or ideas that most stood out to each of you. Then spend some time praying about what God highlighted and what He wants each of you to personally learn from it.