Introduction.
Dear friend, Samuel's first book describes how young Samuel heard and understood the spoken word of God. The Bible says that the Word of the Lord was scarce at that time, so Samuel had to learn to recognize the voice of God and not confuse it with ideas that conflict with the true character of God.
Samuel learned to authoritatively repeat the Word of God.
Samuel not only learned to clearly hear the Words of God, but he could also repeat them with authority. The Bible says of him: "And Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, and he did not let any of his words fall to the earth." And all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord (1 Samuel 3: 19-20).
Sometimes we let our preconceived notions about God influence what we think about listening to them. For example, if we think of God as a wise and considerate counselor, we will be sensitive to his love when we suffer calamities due to our own madness. On the other hand, if we think that God is a vengeful judge, we will expect to hear words of condemnation and punishment when we act foolishly.
Our relationship with God influences how we listen to God.
If we approach God as his saved children who live under his grace, we are sure that he will say the words we really need, even if they are not what we prefer to hear. When we understand that his love is infinite, we can believe everything he tells us.
This same problem occurs in any area where the idea we form about God's character may conflict with the Scriptures. We may think that he is a generous provider or he deceives us and sees him as a cheapskate. We can see him as a faithful and reliable guide or turn aside thinking that he is our faithful friend, but only in the good ones.
Too many Christians stumble over misguided notions of God that distort our benevolent Father, constant, patient and worthy of all our trust. We have all heard too many non-biblical ideas that are offered as if they were true of the gospel, and those mistakes can cause terrible emotional and spiritual bonds.
Our vision of God must be centered and founded on the Bible.
If we know him as the God of love (1 Jn 4: 8) who wants us to approach the throne of grace with confidence (He 4:16), our trust in Him will be more and more complete, with respect to everything that He says. . Follow the advice of 1 Thessalonians 5:21, examine everything you hear and keep only the good.
Examine everything you hear and keep only the good.