Gentle Exercise

Physical movement supports the fast and lifts mental clarity. Try stretching or a peaceful walk.

Activity Ideas

• Start the day with a simple stretch routine.

• Walk outside and soak in nature’s beauty.

Mindful movement energizes both body and spirit.

God Speaks

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21

This week, we will explore how God speaks to us. Yes, the Bible is the primary and authoritative way, but the Lord also speaks to His people in many other ways.

Remember what Peter declared in Acts 2:16–18, quoting Joel: God’s Spirit would be poured out on all people—men, women, young, old, servants, everyone. Some common ways the Lord speaks include:

• Receiving a word (prophetic encouragement or direction)

• Whispers of the Spirit

• Audible voice

• Pictures (dreams and visions)

• Our body or emotions

• A literal word in our mind’s eye

• “Your knower” (that deep inner sense or conviction)

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the ways we will discuss as the week progresses.

Yeah, OK?!

Depending on your cultural or church background, some (or all) of these may feel foreign or even suspect. Might I suggest we first read what Scripture itself says about God speaking before we reach for the fire hose on the Holy Spirit?

I grew up attending or visiting nearly 100 churches. My father would take my brother and me “church hopping,” as some call it—but our real reason was to experience different styles of worship music. During those years, I witnessed a variety of spiritual gifts. Looking back, I saw some spiritually vibrant churches, some very dead ones, and everything in between.

My curiosity about the fullness of the Spirit has always lingered, but I approached anything not explicitly written word-for-word in the Bible with a skeptical eye.

That changed one day after a season of fasting and pressing in prayer. I had been asking the Lord about these various ways He might speak. While praying on my couch, I lay back—and the Lord physically held me down. He spoke directly to my mind with these words: “Jeff, I will do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. Do you understand?”

There was no fear—only certainty that it was the Lord. My main prayer at the time had been: “Lord, if You can do these things in church or at conferences with crowds of people, then surely You can do this right here in my own home, just You and me.” The Lord heard and answered.

That encounter began a journey of allowing the Holy Spirit to speak as I learned to listen.

Notice the word I used: allowing. Yes—we must allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us. As we grow in our relationship with Him, Scripture provides ample evidence that our relationship with God is not a monologue but a dialogue.

Consider this: If the Bible were outlawed where you live and you no longer had access to the written Word (as is true for believers in many places today), would you no longer be able to hear from God? Is the written Word the only way God speaks? The answer is no.

Men and women of God have been hearing from the Lord for thousands of years—long before the full canon of Scripture was compiled.

This topic may rock your theological world for a moment, and that’s okay. Before we dive into chapter-and-verse evidence for these ways of God speaking, spend some time tonight asking the Lord: “Do You really still speak today through receiving a word, whispers of the Spirit, audible voice, pictures (dreams and visions), our body or emotions, a literal word in our mind’s eye, or that deep ‘knower’ sense?”

Lord, Speak To Me

Meditation Questions

1. Have I taken a fire extinguisher to the Holy Spirit’s fire in my life?

2. Do I even believe God still speaks to us in these ways today?

3. Have I personally experienced God speaking in my life?

4. If yes, meditate on that time and categorize that conversation into one of the ways listed above.

Meditative Passages

• Acts 2:16–18

• 1 Corinthians 13:9–12

Meditative Thought

Is this statement true? “All of God’s friends in Scripture had a dialogical relationship with Him—e.g., Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Daniel, John, Paul.”

Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to speak afresh this week. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.