The Holy Spirit in Your Bible Study: How to Get Revelation from God's Word
I am convinced that my first words were a sermon. I remember being nine years old, in front of the congregation, telling them the Good News of Jesus Christ. I just knew that this is what I was called to do. I had to make God proud. Little did I know, that my religion almost cost me my relationship with God. I can feel the “Mary what does this have to do with getting revelation from God’s word” stares from here. I have a point, I promise. Allow me to walk you through the scripture and make it plain. But first things first, a disclaimer: not everyone hears from God the same way. Whereas He speaks to me with pen and paper, He might speak to you in visions, and another person in dreams. Be open to hearing from God however, He speaks.
In the book of Second Chronicles, chapter 7, verse 14 is where we will be today.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins, and restore their lands.”
Whether or not you’ve read this particular scripture before, the breakdown is quite simple. The writer here gives us the step-by-step guidelines we need to continuously be in God’s presence. He tells us right here how we can get revelation from God‘s word every single day. Receiving revelation from God and intentionally inviting Him in is a daily choice we must make. There are two reasons I know this to be true. The first is found right in the above scripture. The author uses the word “if,” which is a conditional word, meaning you can choose whether or not you receive God’s daily download. The second is in Revelation 3:20, which says, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.”
So let’s break 2 Chronicles 7:14 down a little further… Step one to receive revelation from God’s word: humble yourself. If you really want to hear from God, you have to take it upon yourself to remove yourself from the process. God can’t get to your spirit when your flesh is in the way. If you’re like me, the question came to mind “well why is He telling us to humble ourselves? Why can’t He do it?” The answer to that can be found in Joshua chapter 24, verse 15. He implores the people, “if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, then CHOOSE whom you’re going to serve.” God wants you to choose to love and serve Him.
“REVELATION IS BUILT ON A RELATIONSHIP, NOT RELIGION.”
Step two: Pray. Simple, right? To some, maybe. Others of us are still trying to figure it out. What is prayer? Prayer is communication with God. God wants to hear from you. I’ll go as far as to say He’s looking forward to hearing from you every single day. In fact, when was the last time God heard your voice, and you weren’t asking Him for anything? This leads me to step number three.
Step three: Seek His face. Most of the time, we as Christians, myself included, ask God for a lot of things. Grace. Peace. Money. Favor. A house. A car. We desire physical tangible things. But right here God is saying that He wants His children to seek Him for who He is, and not for the things that He can give you. God is not a genie. Learn to seek His face and not His hand.
The fourth and final step in receiving revelation from God‘s Word: turn from your wicked ways. Ouch. I know that one hurt me. Remember earlier on when I said my religion almost cost me my relationship with God? This scripture right here single-handedly showed me just how wicked I really was. I was the believer described in Matthew chapter 7. I was so ready to point out what was wrong with others that I ignored the blaring red warning signs in my own life. I invite you to bring yourself into the spotlight, shine a light on everything that you’ve done wrong, and recognize that you are not perfect. Ask God to help you fix it, then turn away from it.
Lastly, think about this: what does “humbling, praying, seeking, and turning” have in common? Relationship. Revelation is built on a relationship, not religion. Be intentional about pursuing God in His word and watch Him meet you there.
Further Resources:
TikTok Video: How to differentiate between intrusive thoughts and God’s voice
TikTok Video: 6 ways God might be trying to speak to you
TikTok Video: Prayer for starting your quiet time with Him