The Bible is a practical book that can be applied to our present lives. It is much more than a holy book. We realize that many Christians find it difficult to interpret, but if thoroughly studied, you will find that it tells you how to live an abundant life with your needs being met.

Many do not understand that the Bible tells us God expects us to communicate with Him. In order to continually communicate with Him, you must have His Spirit in your life. That does not mean God does not hear all prayers, regardless of who is praying, but without His Spirit you may not be able to get an answer.

When you accept Christ into your heart the Bible tells us we will become reconciled with God. 2 Corinthians 5:17–20 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

God brings us back to Himself by erasing our sins and reconciling us. The Holy Spirit gives us a new life and makes us righteous. We are no longer God’s enemies but His adopted children. We cannot come to God without having repented and having a pure heart. Once God makes us a new person, His Holy Spirit protects us from Satan’s influence. That does not mean Satan isn’t going to mess with us and cause all kinds of problems, but he can no longer influence us. All sin is the result of us, our flesh and one’s carnal or original nature. Scripture says we must surrender our flesh to the Holy Spirit and allow His Spirit to guide and council us. A reconciled Christian saying: “The devil made me do it” is no longer an excuse. It is you, your flesh, who caused the sin.

If you are married and you are not considerate of your wife you will find communicating with God will be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7 “ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

The Bible has described the woman’s role in marriage as being submissive. Scripture defines how a husband is to treat his wife. Biblical authors have said that husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church. That may require putting her needs above the husbands. She is to be honored, protected, given security, treated as a partner and is to be respected. He is to relate to her with courtesy, consideration, insight and tact. Scripture says if you don’t, your communication with God will be hindered.

We are told that to communicate with God we must make restitution and reconcile with anyone who we have wronged. Matthew 5:22–24 “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and then remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

Broken relationship can hinder our communications with God. If we have a problem it is our duty to resolve it as soon as possible. We are hypocrites if we claim to love God yet, hate others. Our attitude toward others is a reflection of our relationship with God.

Another thing that will block our communication with God is an unforgiving spirit. Matthew 18:21–22 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” How difficult this is for many people. Yet, it is one of God’s requirements if you want an open line of communication.

You cannot rob God and have an open line of communication. Malachi 3:7–10 “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (It has worked for our family.)

We must not live a life of continual disobedience if you want open communication with God. 1 John 3:21-24 “ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” Psalm 66:18–19 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.”

Sadly there are Christians who feel guilt-ridden, unsure of their standing with God. Their hearts are not at rest and they may not want to draw near to God. Instead, they may wish to flee from His presence. John is saying believers will have this assurance; they can approach God if their conscience is clear and the Holy Spirit will provide a sign of His presence. I find that something supernatural will take place from time to time. Once we know that we belong to God’s family, we will know that He will receive all of our communications. Remember, God wants to communicate with us every single day! Jesus set for us an example of how often and the length of His communications.