Hearing from God

Where to begin reading the Bible and hearing God’s voice

Be Still

Take some time to quiet down your mind and ask God to show himself to you in this time. 

Focus on a selected scripture 

Instructions:
Each circle represents an area of life (e.g.,school, work, hobby, neighborhood, etc.) where you interact with others socially. In the lines below, write names of people within that context. Ask God to highlight certain names and places.

  • What does the text say? (Summarize the passage in your own words) 

  • What does the text mean? (What stands out? What does this text tell us about God/Jesus? What does it say about us/people? 

  • What does this mean for my life? (What will you specifically do to respond to the things God is showing you? Who can you share them with?) 

 Spend some time in prayer:

A simple way is to go through the acronym PRAY – Praise / Repent / Ask / Yield 

Praise 
Spend time in worship by praying back what God showed you in the Bible about himself, or other things that come up. You can start with: “God, you are …” 

Repent 
Repenting is about turning away from our sin and asking God to help us live holy lives. Is God calling you to ask forgiveness about something or turning away from something? 

Ask 
God is a loving father who enjoys hearing from us. What are things you want to ask God for? 

Yield 
Yielding is about giving God control of our lives and surrendering our plans to his perfect will. How is he calling you to yield control to him?


HOW TO READ THE BIBLE 

Tips as you begin 

  • Find a physical copy or download an app: Try the YouVersion Bible app. 

  • Choose a contemporary translation (try NLT or NIV). 

  • Use the table of contents (or scroll on your phone) to locate the book (i.e Genesis, John, etc). 

  • The first number refers to the chapter title, the second number(s) represent the verse(s). 

  • Read the passage a couple times. Try to really sit in it as you spend time meditating on the questions. 

  • Focus more on application rather than feeling like you have to understand every little piece of the story. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand everything. 

  • As you dive deeper into the Bible, check out an app that explains some of the background of the books. Try bibleproject.com or use the ReadScripture app. 

  • Gather others in your family or friend circle and discover this together. Try using DBSgroups.com – It’s amazing what a group of people can learn together! 

Suggested scriptures to begin with: 

  • John 15:1-17 

  • John 3:1-21 

  • Luke 23:26-49 

  • John 20:1-18 

  • Psalm 1:1-6 

  • Romans 12:1-2 

  • Matthew 11:28-30 

  • Philippians 4:4-9 

  • Galatians 5:16-26 

  • Matthew 7:24-27 

  • Philippians 2:1-11 

  • 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 

  • Deuteronomy 30:11-20 

  • 1 Peter 1:13-23 

  • Colossians 3:1-17 

  • Psalm 86 

  • Ephesians 6:10-20 

  • John 14:15-27 

  • 1 John 4:7-21 

  • Romans 8:1-17 

  • 1 John 1:5-2:6 

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 

  • Go through the Gospel of Mark, section by section

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Words Create Worlds

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Relationship Mapping Exercise