When God Speaks To You?

[chipaha38]

How do you know when God is speaking to you?

Can anyone help me understand this and to know when God is tellng me something. I pray and I talk to God and sometimes I feel like he's tellng me something, but I'm not sure if it's him or just my mind reacting to what I've just thought or prayed about?

I want to know when he's talking to me and to learn to do what he's telling me to do.

I lean on his word and his direction so much and alot of times that's all I have. I fully trust in him and I just need to know when to listen and how to follow his directions for my life.

If anyone can help me out on this, I really would appreciate it.

[nChrist]

I want to know when he's talking to me and to learn to do what he's telling me to do.

I lean on his word and his direction so much and alot of times that's all I have. I fully trust in him and I just need to know when to listen and how to follow his directions for my life.

Hello Chipaha38,

Each Christian will answer this question according to their maturity in Christ and their personal fellowship with Christ. I think you have already addressed the primary concerns: reading HIS WORD and prayer. I would add that it is many times also a matter of waiting upon the Lord for guidance and the path HE wants us to take to do HIS will. Regardless, more reading of HIS WORD and more prayer are always the best course.

The answer might be in the reading of HIS WORD, or it might be the leading of the HOLY SPIRIT living in your heart. The more yielded you are to Christ, the more stronger the leading of the HOLY SPIRIT may be.

There is no hard definition of this question or answer, as the quality and quantity of fellowship between the believer and Christ is a key issue. The maturity of the Christian and what they ask for is also a major issue. I know this answer is pretty vague, but I hope it helps some.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Allinall]

Amen Tom!  Well put.  

[Allinall]

Sister, I would like to add a bit here to what Tom's said, and hopefully it will help as well.  Consider this passage to begin with, from 1 John 4:1-6:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Now, this may seem like a confusing passage, but let me share the one thing that stands out most to me.  The Holy Spirit will never lead you contrary to the Holy Bible.  If you feel God has impressed something upon you, then test it with the word.  If it fits, it's truth.  If it doesn't, throw it out.

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Allinall,

Amen Brother! That portion of Scripture and your thoughts speak volumes. The world is still pushing and pulling on us to do things contrary to HIS WORD, and this would not be a leading of the Holy Spirit.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[BUTCHA]

blackeyedpeas
Allinall,

thanks i didnt pose the quistion but often feel the same way as the auther of this thread , and as usual the both of you are uplifting

[jive4005]

I hear you... you REALLY wanna be sure it isn't your imagination! Right?! That's how it was for me at the beginning.

I've been saved about 10 yrs now. I must say up front that when God initially conforted me it was powerfull, so I knew it was Him. After that the conversations started. PTL they haven't stopped.

The question of hearing vs. imagining (aka "wanting" to hear Him) stands. I can only say how it was for me.

At first I was very reluctant to acknowledge that it WAS God talking, that I wasn't nuts and that the little voice I heard was indeed real. That's where my faith came in. It would be so easy to say it was phoney and ignore it. Life sure would have been simpler. But faith (which I see as spiritual strength) allowed me to accept the proddings and leadings of what I heard/hear. I know that God will never have me go anywhere, do anything or even say anything to me that doesn't line up with His Word. So, that is the benchmark... if I go forth and it works out, great! A blessing in evidence! If I go forth and it doesn't work... either it wasn't of God OR it was a lesson I needed to learn. It's failing is a blessing as it sets me closer to my goal... mirroring Christ.

The more you listen and attempt obedience(activate your faith), the more you'll connect and get that Holy Ghost boost! Chance it! He's there... but listening often takes time and patience... and always takes faith.

In Christ,
Deke

[Allinall]

blackeyedpeas
Allinall,

thanks i didnt pose the quistion but often feel the same way as the auther of this thread , and as usual the both of you are uplifting

Thanks Brother!  God bless.  

[C C]

   Test it out.  Be careful if you've just heard some tele-Evangelist telling you that something very lucritive is about to happen to you. . . .Or if you have anger . . .check all of your ulterior motives . . .search your heart and find out if there's any benefit in it for you . . .love doesn't seek its own so if you're seeking your own in it, it may be a snare and a trap.  When you're walking with the Lord, you wont be seeking your own.  

Also, there's a rule out that that Satan keeps . . .when Satan sees that someone is really appraoching God quite closely, you become the one he wants to pick on the most.

Have you noticed that some folks that don't have a thing to do with God have so many less problems?  That's not always the case, but Satan only has a certain number of demons at his beck and call and so they don't focus that much on folks that aren't getting anywhere near the Lord.  They wait until someone has taken sides and is standing.  Woooaaa!  So, imagine if you will, Our Lord is ready for you to let Him work through you.  When you're a baby Christian, Our Lord is looking out for you so you don't have to worry too much.  But in this battle, the Battle is the Lords, but letting Your Lord fight the battles is all about walking very closely with Him.  If you run ahead, you're not walking with the Lord. and You fall behind, you're not walking with the Lord.  

And NEVER forget about Job!!  The the Lord and Satan communicating about whether someone is a faker or not.  And don't forget that the Lord works in mysterioius ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  

Mostly, walking with the Lord is a relationship, the longer you walk the more you know Him.  

I used to have go to the Lord and ask Him a question and He would answer!!  Wooooooooa!  And I do what He said and things worked out so marvelously that I wanted to do it again!!!  Then I would go in prayer and say, "Lord, tell me what to do and I'll do it!!"  Then I found out that the Lord doesn't want "doers" he wants people that "Be"  "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD"  That's all that is required for us to have joy overflowing.  If we understand that in Him we are complete, we wont have to be doing all the time.  We can just be.  

There's a Bible STUDY that's WOW!  I don't mean this to be an advertisement.  Actually, it seems like so a low budget Bible study.  There's nothing really all that exciting and glamorous about it.  The preachers definately aren't strikingly handsome or anything.  But it's called Experiencing God, and one of the authors is Blackaby.  That's all I remember.  That book will change your life if you have any inkling that God might be trying to say something to you.

But I'm not suggesting you go out and buy it.  It's like a twelve vidio presentation, I did it at my neighbor's church.  But the thing that I learned and keep in mind from that study is when you first think you hear God and you're not for sure, "Don't just DO something!!  Stand there!"    And THEN after I decided that was my rule and I was going to follow it, I FOUND OUT THAT GOD DOESN'T LIKE US TO FOCUS ON OUR MAN-MADE RULES.  What if He wants something done right away and He doesn't want to have to tell you twice???   ;)If it's God and He wants it done you will hear Him.  After all, God is the Almighty!    It's all about the relationship.  

[felix102]

I couldn't help but smile when I saw your post.  
I've gone through the same exact thoughts too! I would listen to God in my head and I would ask "Is this God or is this just me??" Sometimes I would be so tired of thinking about what God wants with me and I'd just demand that He come down in front of me and talk to me in person. What talks to us and teaches us is the Holy Spirit. This is just God living inside you. And how do you know when God is talking to you? Brothers and sisters have said it before: if what the voice says parallels what is in the word, it is from God.

more reading of HIS WORD and more prayer are always the best course.

[Willowbirch]

"Don't just DO something!!  Stand there!"

Love that quote!  

[Aiki Storm]

Lately I believe God has been speaking to me by watching events by my own eyes.  One example of this was about a month ago when I was always in a rush and almost overwhelmed that I would not get all the things I needed to get done taken care of.  Not really a matter of life or death but I felt as though God was speaking to me as I was driving rather fast down the road.  I saw a bird up the road that wanted to cross.  Instead of flying over, it simply walked or hopped across the road.  It was oblivious to the numerous cars that nearly hit it.  Right after this happend I immediately found it odd and that it may have been a sign.  I imagined that bird being me and all of the dangers and worries in my life at that time representing the speeding cars.  I took the advice because I believed it was part of His will and it turned out that everything worked out very well.  Anyone else out there experienced this type of communication from the Holy Spirit?