DAY TWO

Take a moment to look
back over your Bible study from yesterday. Pray and ask God to speak to you in
today’s Bible study, building on what you learned yesterday. As you approach
your Bible study today, pray this simple request: “God teach me today more about
you and how I can follow you.” That simple request should be asked of God
everyday for the next three weeks. Approach your study of God’s word assuming
that God is going to teach you about Himself and about how you can follow Him.
1 John 2

STUDY
Try answering the following “digging questions.” Keep in mind
that, just like yesterday, each question may have more than one answer or set of
answers. Your answers can be brief (even one or two words) but make sure that
you can make sense of them later.

WHO? WHAT? HOW? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?

Were any of these more difficult than others? Why?

When asking “digging questions” of scripture, it’s important to remember that
you will not always find obvious answers to all of them in the text. Sometimes
the foundation of truth already laid in your heart and mind by previous Bible
study may help you fill in the blanks. Sometimes, you will find that one or more
of the questions simply do not apply to the passage you are reading. That is
fine. Don’t ask more of scripture than God intended. Simply use the questions as
a guide.

MEDITATE
Take a moment to meditate on 1 John 2 again. Sometimes people read scripture
too fast and don’t take enough time to think about what it means and what it
could mean for their life.

Write down your thoughts and concerns as they occur to you. Be honest. No one
has to read your journal but you.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it is God wants you to learn and how you
can apply it to your life. Then listen for the Holy Spirit’s response.

Listening to (and hearing) the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit may
respond by bringing scripture or sermons that you have heard to your mind. He
may bring words, phrases, or names to your mind. He may simply remind you of
what you just read or show you areas of your life that you need to give to God.
He may be completely and frustratingly silent for now. The ways that He may
respond are too numerous to write here, but God does know how to speak to His
children and He desires to lead us. It would be absurd to say that our main task
is to follow God, but know that God is not interested in leading us. We follow,
He leads.

For now, listen the best you know how and write down ANYTHING that occurs to
you as you listen. Don’t be afraid to write down things that may not make a lot
of sense at first. Learning to discern the Holy Spirit’s voice takes practice
and patience. You learn God’s voice like you learn other voices, by listening
and spending time with them. John 10:27

EVALUATE

Look back over what you have written. Check what you heard against the
truth you know.

Checking against truth: If you ever feel unsure about whether what you
hear during your quiet time (or from someone else) is really from God, compare
what you heard against scripture. God doesn’t contradict Himself. So, when you
hear something that contradicts (goes against) scripture, you can assume that it
did not come from God. As you grow and mature, it will be easier to check this
on your own. For now, you may need to run your questions by a GOD-SEEKING adult
to see if you are on the right track.

Can you think of any verses that would contradict what you believe you heard
God saying to you through the Holy Spirit? If so, write down as much as you can.

Can you think of any verses that reinforce what you heard? If so, write them
down.

PRAY
Hearing from God is amazing! However, the relationship that
you have with Him is a two-way relationship. He is waiting for your response, in
words and in your actions. You must let God do more than talk, you have to let
Him change you or else you have only had a brief moment of spiritual “feel
good.”

Pray and thank God for speaking/guiding you in your Bible study. Tell Him
what it is you heard Him saying to you. Openly and honestly, respond to what He
has told you. Tell Him the positive and the negative. He can take it, and
besides, He already knows. Make any commitments that you need to make. Ask God
to help you keep those commitments and to show you when you have a chance to use
what He has taught you. Write down anything you want to remember from this
prayer time.

Title today’s Bible study.