God Speaks
Thank you for taking the time to read my post today. We have some exciting things to look at in the Scriptures! It is awesome to know that our God is very personal and will do what is needful for each of us to hear what He needs us to hear and know. He desires that we have an open line of communication with Himself. Eric
We are going to begin by looking a bit at our Triune God. God manifests Himself to us through three entities or personalities. We have God, the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and God, the Holy Spirit. It is amazing to think that God, our Creator, loves us so much that He has provided absolutely everything we need to regain the life He had chosen for us to live when mankind was first created.
Revelation 4:11 (KJV), “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” ‘Pleasure’, the Greek word thelema means: what one wishes or has determined shall be done, thing willed. Mankind is a part of that creation and each one of us was/is His idea.
1 John 1:3, “We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Genesis 6:9, “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.“
Isaiah 43:7, ”Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” The word kabod translated glory means splendor, honor and reverence.
It is difficult for me to even imagine the relationship Adam and Eve had with God before the fall. We know that in order to restore God’s intended relationship with man, Jesus , God’s son had to come to pay the penalty of sin. However, with Jesus coming to the planet as a man, He had the same limitations of a physical man. Thus, God knew that man also needed the constant Presence of the Helper or Holy Spirit, as recorded in John 16:13 - 15, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.'“
In John 16:7, Jesus told the disciples it was for their advantage that He return to the Father The Holy Spirit was sent when Jesus returned to be with the Father. When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside each one of us to convict, guide, teach, and help us. What a wonderful provision for us to live a victorious life in Christ!
As followers of Christ, many of us have probably heard, “The Lord spoke to me.” Or, in reading the Bible or fellowshipping with fellow believers, we are continiually exhorted to obey the Lord by listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit’s directives.
Some of the questions I have been asked over the years are, “How does the Spirit of God speak to us?” “How can I know His voice?”
Thus, my goal for today is to have us look at the various ways the Spirit of God speaks to us.
Most of us, myself included, would like God to speak so loudly and clearly there is no doubt or chance for us to miss it. That is not the way He predominantly speaks to us. Look at what transpired between the Lord and Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13 (ESV), “And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The Lord’s voice was not in the wind, the earthquake, or fire but it came as a soft whisper, in a still small voice.
In Philippians 1:9 (NKJV) we read, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,“ The root word for the word translated discernment is aisthanomai which means: to perceive with the mind, to understand. Usually, ‘discernment’ is understood and manifested as coming from an inward thought or word. The Spirit of the Lord gives us discernment through an inward thought or word.
The more intimate we are with someone, or the more time we spend with them, the easier it is to recognize their voice. Likewise, the more time we spend with God, in His Word, and in prayer, the more we learn to recognize His voice and the easier it will be to recognize that He is speaking to us. Have you ever had a thought, and not followed up on it, only to regret that decision a half hour later when you realize, it you would have listened, the situation you were in would have been better? We need to recognize those inward thoughts as the voice of the Spirit.
We have a myriad of ways we can communicate with one another today. We can speak face to face, call on the phone, write letters, text, use facetime, skype, or zoom, or (old school), send telegraphs, faxes, or for those in the Navy, use flags. Sometimes we whisper, other times we shout, we can speak to someone personally or sometimes through a messenger.
So also, God speaks to us in many ways.
God speaks to us most frequently through His Word.
2 Peter1:20 and 21, “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”
Romans 15:4, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled.”
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV), “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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.”
It is essential for us to know God’s Word and to allow Him to speak to us in this way.
God speaks to us audibly. We see many examples in the Old Testament.
1 Samuel 3:10 and 11, “And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening." 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, "I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.”
Exodus 3:4, “When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied.”
Exodus 33:11, “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.”
God speaks through visions.
Acts 16:9, “That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"
God speaks through His creation.
Psalm 19:1 and 2, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. 2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.”
He speaks through dreams.
Genesis 37:5, “One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever”
Matthew 1:20, “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 2:13 and 19, “After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." ... 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.”
God plants ideas in our mind. (thoughts)
1 Chronicles 29:18, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.”
He also speaks through other people. (prophets, ministers, non-believers)
Ephesians 4:11-13, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
The Lord speaks a warning concerning those people who say they speak a word from the Lord.
1 John 4:1, “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God.” If that testing needs to take place, you need to know if they are someone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God Who has come in the flesh and is the Son of God.
God speaks through angels.
Luke 1:11-13, “While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.”
Luke 1:26-33, “In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
When I was attending Bible School at Rhema in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a student attending Oral Roberts University, was sharing his testimony at church. The young man was very nervous and was struggling to speak. Suddenly, one of my friends and a fellow student from Rhema became very excited and was pointing at the stage. Later, I found out that he and several others, saw an angel walk out onto the stage, whisper into the young man’s ear then leave. After this happened, the young man was no longer nervous and was able to share a good testimony.
God does speak to us today. His Holy Spirit is very active in bringing God’s messages to us! Sometimes, He gives guidance or directives concerning every day issues that require a gentle nudge. At times, He speaks to us concerning life changing events!
God is always with us. He is always directing our path leading us to a path which will keep us in His will and lead us to accomplish His will.
Learn to discern His voice!
Choose to respond with obedience and follow His directives!
Continue reading God’s Word and remember to communicate with Him throughout your day!
When we need wisdom, He said, “Ask.” Then we read in Proverbs 2:6 (ESV), “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;”
Always remember, communication is a two way street. Don’t dominate your prayer time with Him. Good communication contains listening as well as speaking. Talk with Him as you would your most intimate friend.
John 15:14,15 (ESV) recorded Jesus speaking to His disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
He calls us friends!
Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture is taken from the New Living Translation.
ESV English Standard Version
NKJV New King James Version
KJV King James Version