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One tip I was given for studying the Bible was to keep an eye out for things that repeat within a verse, chapter, or book. Take note if a word or phrase appears more than once - God is trying to get a point across or draw attention to something. But what I came to realize was that God not only does that in the Bible, but He speaks that way to us in our personal lives as well.

How many times have you thought something was just a coincidence at first and then it happened again…and again? The other day at church I had a moment with a friend before the service started. She mentioned how God was talking to her about a certain situation and the word “hope” kept coming up. Part way through the message the word “hope” came out of our pastor's mouth. My friend turned slightly and I caught her little smile. It brought a smile to my face, too, as we both knew that at that moment God was talking to her.

This brings us to another way our Heavenly Father communicates with us - repetition. When we see a word, theme/idea, or verse appearing in numerous places, we need to pay attention as God is trying to give us a message. I stopped believing in coincidence a long time ago…about the time I began understanding that God loves to communicate and be involved in the daily lives of His children.

Here's part of the fun when God speaks to us through repetition - “it” could show up about anywhere - it's not always in the Bible alone. I think I may have told you about the time “faithful” followed me around like a shadow on a sunny day. God can be pretty creative where He places things - He knows where and when we'll come across them.

There are numerous reasons God speaks to us through repetition. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of my childhood. I remember having been told many things by my parents numerous times, NUMEROUS times. Many of those messages sunk in eventually and had the desired effect. Others, well,... let's just say my mom still hasn't given up hope.

It wasn't always trying to fix my behavior that had my parents repeating themselves. Sometimes the importance of the message warranted it being repeated. (Have you told your kids today that you love them?)

One man in the Bible had a specific message repeated to him numerous times from different sources. When leadership was being passed from Moses to Joshua, the following statement came up again and again: “Be strong and courageous…” (Deut. 31:7,23 and Joshua 1:6,7,9,18) And it wasn't only one person who said it to Joshua. Moses said it to him. God said it to him. And then the Israelites said it to Joshua. Can we safely assume he may have needed to hear those words? (Aren't there times when we, too, could benefit from hearing those exact words over and over?!)

Repetition can be helpful in getting those important messages to move from our heads to our hearts. Sometimes that journey is a long one - we may need to hear something numerous times for it to become heart knowledge where it begins to truly transform our lives.

There were times my parents said something, and then they said it again, emphasizing the fact that THEY were the ones saying it. They were reminding me of the authority they held - it wasn't being said to me by just anyone. When we hear a similar message coming from more than one place, it helps to establish it's God speaking and not just a random comment made by a friend in passing.

Confirmation can also be established through repetition. I love confirmation to an annoying degree - just ask my husband. There are times my hubby will ask me to help him while he's farming. I'll ask him to repeat what he said because I want to be sure to get it right. I'd hate to end up in the wrong field with two young children in the backseat who have memories like elephants. And later on be faced with: “Mom, remember that one time when you drove down the wrong road?”

God understands our need for repeated confirmation or encouragement especially as we make life-affecting decisions. So if you're unsure about an important decision, don't hesitate to ask God for input. Think Gideon in the book of Judges. God repeatedly offered confirmation and encouragement to him in different ways.

As our Heavenly Father, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that God would use repetition in His “parenting” of us. He, too, has a desire to see us learn, grow, understand, and be encouraged like our earthly parents. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Exercise: Take a moment to consider: Has there been a similar theme in the conversations, devotionals, articles, songs, or posts you've been coming across? Have you seen or heard the same message in numerous places? What was it? Did you take hold of it? What was God's purpose in repeating it to you?

Tip: Ask God to open your eyes to all the places He's speaking to you from. Have you written anything off recently as mere coincidence? Take another look at it.

This can't be stressed enough - repeated messages from God will line up with Scripture. Our enemy repeats himself as well. If you hear that you're failing from numerous sources - that message doesn't line up with the Bible, SO it's NOT from God. Capiche?!

And, by the way, “Be strong and courageous.”