God Speaks to You
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Does God speak to you?
A lot of us do not believe this, but we have a God who speaks and He wants to speak to you.
Relationships are about communication and communication is about sharing yourself and listening to the other party. This is how God wants you to build your relationship with Him as well.
God Does Speak
We have a God who speaks. This is what separates our faith from the vast majority of other faiths. We have a God who talks to His followers and He wants to speak to you.
The fact that God speak is established at the very beginning of the Bible. It says that God spoke and He created all the heavens and earth (Genesis 1). It wasn’t by waving a wand or throwing some kind of dust into the air. God simply spoke and everything came to be.
Throughout the Bible, we are given accounts of God speaking to people. God spoke to Adam and Eve. God spoke to Moses, Noah, David, and all the prophets. He spoke to Paul, Peter, and the other disciples. He speaks!
In fact, Jesus is even described as the “Word.” John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus’ life was the very message of God, and that message is told to us in several different ways, including God speaking directly to us.
Why Does God Speak?
There are some who believe that God has done amazing things, but He now has stepped aside and let the world just go. He is no longer involved in the way that things occur. This is continuously contradicted by the Biblical account, which tells us that God continually intercedes. He is involved in what is happening in the world, and will continue to do so, including when Jesus returns.
For the believer, this is important because it would make no sense to be praying to God if He was disengaged in our lives. Jesus gave us the model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) because He knew the Father was listening to our prayers and was ready to respond to them. He made it clear that God is fully engaged in the world today.
Because He is engaged, He is also interacting with us. This starts with the fact that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within each one of us (1 Corinthians 6:19). God is dwelling in you, giving Him a direct path to communicate with you. The reason He is dwelling in you is because He wants to have that close, personal relationship with you.
As mentioned, all relationships are built on communication, and so God is communicating with you as well. Romans 8:26 tells us that God is there during our weaknesses and that He helps us to know what to pray, but He is also there to speak to you directly.
How Does God Speak to Me?
The hardest part for many Christians is believing that God speaks to them. They do not believe that God does, are unsure when they are hearing God, or are sure He does not care enough to speak to them, so they doubt. It may seem unlikely to us, but this is what our Father in Heaven does.
If you doubt God is talking to you, why is that?
Jeremiah 33:3 declares, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” If you are seeking an answer from God, He tells you that He will answer. He also assures you that you will find Him when you seek. Jeremiah 29:13 reads, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” This is reiterated in Deuteronomy 4:29, where it reads, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
If you want to find God, you will find Him. If you want to hear from God, He will answer. He is just asking you to seek.
The problem is that God does not necessarily speak to you in an audible voice. He may do that, but it does not mean that He will. You also cannot expect that you heard from Him because a situation was so unusual. Because it was so crazy, then it had to be God.
The Bible shows us how God speaks. It also shows us how we can trust that it is God speaking. So, let’s look at how God is speaking to you.
Through the Bible
The place to begin is with the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Every word in the Bible came from God. When you are challenged by something, want to draw closer to God or be a better man of God, need correction or to correct another, or want teaching, God has spoken to you through the Bible.
Scripture is your first place to find God speaking to you. It is also where you should look if you want to make sure that it is God speaking to you. If you are given a Word from God in some other way, it should always align with the Bible. God would not give you a special revelation that violates what is taught in the Bible.
This is another reason why it is so important to read and learn from the Scripture. This is God’s way of providing for you when you are unsure if you are hearing His voice.
Have you ever wondered about what you should do then found you were reading the Bible, and the answer was right there?
Through the Words of Others
God can speak to you through the words of other people. You may find that a pastor delivers a message to you on Sunday that answers a question had. Maybe a friend or close confidante will tell you what God is revealing to them about your circumstance.
If you have received a message from God and you unsure if you heard correctly, consulting someone else may be the solution. Working on the Principle of the Double Witness, you can approach someone in a close walk with God and ask them to pray. God could reveal the answer you are looking for to them.
Has someone ever delivered a message from God that you knew was for you?
Through Circumstances
You may be seeking God’s counsel on what to do, and His answer could be to change the circumstances you are in so that your decision is clear. He may take one of the options away, as an example. If you are going the wrong way in a decision, He may have things go badly so that you become aware that you are headed in the wrong direction.
God may give you certain dreams. He may bring people across your path that show you that your direction needs to change. There are actually many different ways that God could answer you through your circumstance.
Has a circumstance demonstrated that God is speaking to you?
God Speaks Directly
You have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, so you may hear God say something to you. He may speak in an audible voice or give you a feeling. Job 33:14-15 declares, “For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds,” He may speak in a dream. He may also speak to you directly.
One thing to keep in mind is that God is not going to speak to you like He is talking through a megaphone. It will likely not be a loud voice. He may also not speak to you when a lot of turmoil is going on around you. You may need to go someplace by yourself to hear Him. In fact, you should take time every day to let God speak to you. Find a quiet place where you clearly hear God.
Have you ever had a feeling that let you know that God was speaking to you?
Over the next week, please spend at least 20 minutes a day quietly sitting and listening for God. We will discuss this more next week.
Bible Passages for the Week:
Monday – Jeremiah 33:3
Tuesday – Isaiah 55:11
Wednesday – Revelation 12:10
Thursday – 1 John 5:14
Friday – Hebrews 4:12
Saturday – Pick a passage from Scripture that teaches you about God speaking to you.
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© 2024 Dr. Robert Pannier, Hope CDA, All Rights Reserved
