How do we hear God's voice?

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I don't think it has to do with the Spirit being on the speaker so much as the hearer. 1000 people can hear the same Spirit-filled sermon, but only those to whom the message becomes rhema get the benefit of the Spirit. God can speak to us even through a coffee commercial.

That's right, but one of the main God-ordained instruments is the preaching of the Gospel by a person who is called of God to preach it.

 

[1stcenturylady]

Here's my approach to walking in the Spirit.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:5–6)

We censor every impure thought or imagination. And change the channel in our thinking on any thought that does not conform to obedience to Christ. But we let the valuable and biblically sound thoughts through.

I often have scripture and biblical concepts running through my head, in my voice. Especially at night when shallow sleeping. Knowing God is speaking to me through them. And much of it ends up on paper to share with others.

I needed more space to answer this post, and I like how God speaks to you through the scriptures. He does me to. When I was a baby Christians and desperately needed a "word from the Lord" I would open my Bible and read. Here is another excerpt from my book.

It was 1978 and I was a year old in the Lord from 2-9-77 and still learning about trusting God and not being anxious. I was working at a small television production company in Beverly Hills and remember my boss, who was one of the company's managers, was unwarrantedly angry at me about something that wasn't my fault, so much so that when I went home from work, I was afraid I was going to be fired the next day. That night in bed I opened my Bible to get a "word from the Lord." It opened to Psalms 37. The gist of it is "don't be afraid of evil doers for their time is short. You will look for them and they will no longer be there." I hung on to that verse. The next day I trepidatiously went to work to find that my angry boss had been fired! It was a small office and the Vice President heard the whole outburst. That day I was promoted to office manager. I was so astounded that I pulled my Bible from my purse and showed him and another employee the verses I had read from the Lord. Even though he was an atheist, at Christmas, my present from him was a gold cross from the Smithsonian.

 

[1stcenturylady]

That's right, but one of the main God-ordained instruments is the preaching of the Gospel by a person who is called of God to preach it.

I can accept that, but "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the RHEMA of God."

 

[Neogaia777]

So it is you thinking spiritual thoughts?

I'm back...

The thought process has two sides, one is you, and the other can be God, if you've moved up through the ranks, so to speak, or otherwise, it can be another (lesser) spirit in some cases (until you do) (move on up through the ranks) (again, so to speak)...

God Bless!

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I can accept that, but "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the RHEMA of God."

That's why every preacher who preaches God's Word should pray earnestly that the voice of God is heard through his preaching. He may form the words, but it is the Lord who needs to do the real talking.

 

[1stcenturylady]

That's why every preacher who preaches God's Word should pray earnestly that the voice of God is heard through his preaching. He may form the words, but it is the Lord who needs to do the real talking.

I remember some sermons where the preacher seemed to be talking just to me, and other times I would wish so-and-so was here to hear this. LOL

 

[Dave L]

I'm back...

The thought process has two sides, one is you, and the other can be God, if you've moved up through the ranks, so to speak, or otherwise, it can be another (lesser) spirit in some cases (until you do) (move on up through the ranks) (again, so to speak)...

God Bless!

Is it always your thinking voice? Or different voices independent of you?

 

[Dave L]

I needed more space to answer this post, and I like how God speaks to you through the scriptures. He does me to. When I was a baby Christians and desperately needed a "word from the Lord" I would open my Bible and read. Here is another excerpt from my book.

It was 1978 and I was a year old in the Lord from 2-9-77 and still learning about trusting God and not being anxious. I was working at a small television production company in Beverly Hills and remember my boss, who was one of the company's managers, was unwarrantedly angry at me about something that wasn't my fault, so much so that when I went home from work, I was afraid I was going to be fired the next day. That night in bed I opened my Bible to get a "word from the Lord." It opened to Psalms 37. The gist of it is "don't be afraid of evil doers for their time is short. You will look for them and they will no longer be there." I hung on to that verse. The next day I trepidatiously went to work to find that my angry boss had been fired! It was a small office and the Vice President heard the whole outburst. That day I was promoted to office manager. I was so astounded that I pulled my Bible from my purse and showed him and another employee the verses I had read from the Lord. Even though he was an atheist, at Christmas, my present from him was a gold cross from the Smithsonian.

Thanks for sharing this! I wish I could read your book. A similar thing happened to me. A banker was furious that I would not press charges on the writer of a bounced check. After pounding his desk in protest, he wrote me a loan covering the amount of the check that I paid it off with my part time minimum wage job. About a year later the banker ended up doing 5 years in the federal pen....

 

[Dave L]

Dave, Most of the time God starts with John 15:7 (not the numbers but the words) and then what I am to pray about. I pray with the knowledge that I am abiding in Jesus, and do hear his voice and ask for what God tells me to ask for. It is answered immediately time and time again. That is not me. That is not coincidence. It is not vain imaginations. It is supernatural and straight from God.

Other times after I've looked for my cat for 45 min with no sign of her and its getting late, God interrupts my yelling for her, with a still small voice, "I know where she is." Then I hit my head, and say, "I could have had a V-8!" LOL I then, just say, of course You do! Can you please send her home. Then I just walk back to the house just in time to reopen the door for her to come in.

I walk with a cane and one day I mislaid it. I looked everywhere. It was missing for three days, and then God spoke and said, "I know where it is." And I say, of course you do, could you direct me to it. I then looked down without even one step, and there it was. If it were a snake it would have bit me!

That happens with my keys a lot to, but He always speaks to me first before I pray, and I find them. Same thing happens with my Bible.

Here is a chapter from the book I'm writing that has to do with one of the most memorable times God spoke to me after the tremendous 8 sentences He spoke the night I was baptized in the Spirit. This is 2 years later.

===

I’ll never forget one of my first lessons in prayer. It was 1979 and I had only been saved and baptized with the Spirit for a couple years, and was still just a baby Christian when it came to living and walking in the Spirit.

I had heard many prayers during my life as a Christian. Some beautiful, long and melodic, with many addresses to the Father interjected into every sentence. Others were booming, forceful and authoritative, with countless scriptures flawlessly quoted. I remember my reaction to these prayers. I was intimidated. So much so, I hated to pray my modest prayers in public. I was certain my very simple prayers were not being heard. I was equally certain that the authoritative prayers of veteran Christians, and even my friend’s beautiful prayers were skyrocketing their way to heaven and bombarding the throne room of God, cutting through to the head of the line, leaving mine on the ceiling where they hovered like ghosts.

I was working for a company selling integrated circuits via the telephone. Five other girls and I were crammed into a small room with wall-to-wall desks. We would call companies like Xerox and ask what part numbers they were short of on their production lines. One little part, if missing, could shut down a whole production line, causing the loss of thousands of dollars in man-hours. Some orders were for as much as 10,000 pieces. Scarce parts that would normally cost 80 cents per part could be sold for $12.95 a piece! Companies agreed to pay these prices rather than see their production lines go down. If you received the orders, your monthly commissions could be in the thousands.

However, one of the girls, Lorraine, was very depressed, shy and quiet. She spoke to no one at work. Each month she would make her $1,000 draw and seldom more. Her depression showed in her face and voice, thus, affecting her sales. It became a vicious cycle. To top it all off, she and her husband were going to have a baby. Instead of a joyous occasion to be looking forward to, it seemed to be just another financial pressure.

One day after work as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw Lorraine leaving the building. She was walking slowly as a defeated warrior in the battle of life, with her head down and her shoulders slumped. My heart suddenly swelled up with the love of Christ as I watched her, seeing her as if for the very first time.

Quietly, almost tearfully, I whispered this long theological prayer . . . “Oh Lord, bless her.”

That night I got distracted and thought no more about it (spiritual pious giant that I was). Nor did I think of her the next morning as I got ready for work. But as I was pulling out of my driveway, I heard God’s voice within me interrupt my thoughts.

“Lorraine will have the biggest sale she has ever had today.”

Surprised by the voice (as I always am to this day when He speaks to me) I exclaimed, “Oh my . . . thank you, Lord!”

I couldn’t wait to get to work to tell Lorraine. It would be the first time I had ever spoken to her, I’m ashamed to say.

I found her in the coffee room before our work day began. “Lorraine, today you are going to have the biggest sale you have ever had!”

She just grunted.

During the morning, periodically, I would ask her if she got her big sale yet.

“No,” she would quietly reply as she dialed another phone number.

“Well, don’t worry, I know you will,” I said.

As the day drew on I started getting busy, and I forgot about Lorraine. Four o’clock came and it was time to get ready to leave. Then I saw Lorraine leaving, and I remembered the promise.

“Lorraine, well, did you get it?”

“Uh huh,” Lorraine replied with as much enthusiasm as a wet noodle.

“Lorraine! Why didn’t you tell me?” I excitedly questioned.

She just shrugged her shoulders. Lorraine had gotten a $30,000 sale, by far the largest sale she ever had before or since. At 2% of the gross, she made $600 on that one sale.

One young Jewish woman in the last desk behind us who had heard my conversations with Lorraine during the day just had to ask, “Linda, how did you know?”

I told her the truth. “God told me this morning, and when He tells you something, you can believe it.”

Looking back, I seemed to be the only one really affected by the prophecy. My trust in God and His unbiased love grew that day. Also increased was my ability to determine His “voice.” It is not external, audible and heard with my ears. Rather it is internal, bubbling up from within the depths of me, and heard with my spirit. After all, the Holy Spirit lives within those filled with His Spirit.

I hope that Lorraine will someday look back and realize God loves her and had favor on her that day, but while I knew her, Lorraine’s personality and demeanor never changed, and the Jewish young woman, ironically, only scoffed at the mention of God. She is one of millions who believe you can talk to God, but if He answers you, you must be nuts.

Some go so far as to say, a miraculous answer to prayer is the devil’s work! Why? Pathetically, because those people, who are Christians, themselves, erroneously believe we can pray to God, but the only way He answers us in through the Bible. It is as if, once the books of the Bible were compiled, God’s work was done and He took off to Bermuda!

The Bible is not, itself, an idol to be worshiped, but His breathing Word, a powerful tool to help us know about, and have an interactive relationship with the living God, Himself! It is not just a history book of an unrefined early church, which somehow does not apply to the very same church today, no matter how sophisticated we think we have become.

As for my simple prayer, I learned that God is not swayed by anything other than the true sincerity of our hearts. He’s not interested in chants, formulas, or our “many words.” Only a tender heart that longs to, and, more importantly, does, abide with Him.

I have walked with the Lord for many years now. By trial and error I have learned His will, and have become more and more determined to accept His will over my own. I have shed many tears. Tears of joy, as well as sorrow. So, in my case, I have found that my prayers are usually spoken to express my tears, not impress my peers.

Sounds like a great book. The way I interpret the Lorraine story is in your prayer of faith predicting the future. You prayed, God provided the unshakable faith telling you the answer is on the way. You knew it was real and spoke before you saw it happen because of the faith he gave you. Not to be confused with WoF mentality.

 

[Dave L]

Because imagination you dream up in your own mind. Visions come from God.

Visions in scripture are completely different from what you describe. Paul couldn't tell the difference between the vision and reality because it involved him and the entire landscape around him.

 

[Yarddog]

Visions in scripture are completely different from what you describe. Paul couldn't tell the difference between the vision and reality because it involved him and the entire landscape around him.

Just because YOU don't understand what vision in scripture are doesn't mean what people today experience aren't visions from God. You want to tell God what God can do. You tell people not to go outside of scripture by going outside of scripture. Follow your own rules and stop being hypocritical.

 

[Dave L]

Just because YOU don't understand what vision in scripture are doesn't mean what people today experience aren't visions from God. You want to tell God what God can do. You tell people not to go outside of scripture by going outside of scripture. Follow your own rules and stop being hypocritical.

If we do not anchor our thoughts in God's word, they can not serve good purposes.

 

[W2L]

When we go outside of scripture we get into trouble. Fallible tradition has divided the church.

 

[Yarddog]

If we do not anchor our thoughts in God's word, they can not serve good purposes.

Then do as you say. You go outside of God's written word.

 

[Dave L]

Then do as you say. You go outside of God's written word.

I'm not aware of doing so. If we can anchor our thoughts in God's word, then we can have faith supporting our claims. But without this, we have nothing solid to base them on.

 

[Yarddog]

I'm not aware of doing so. If we can anchor our thoughts in God's word, then we can have faith supporting our claims. But without this, we have nothing solid to base them on.

You keep telling people that God stopped speaking to people with the canon of the New Testament when no where in the NT does it say that. The Christian Church has never said that God ceased speaking to his Church.

 

[Dave L]

You keep telling people that God stopped speaking to people with the canon of the New Testament when no where in the NT does it say that. The Christian Church has never said that God ceased speaking to his Church.

God's word = scripture. God still speaks through scripture. But God does not speak verbally with anyone since scripture became completed in the first century.

 

[Yarddog]

God's word = scripture. God still speaks through scripture.

Scripture doesn't say that, you add that. God's written word is scripture. God's Word is Jesus Christ according to scripture. According to the written word, Jesus will take what the Father gives to him and give that to the Holy Spirit which will give to men who have his that Spirit. John 16:
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

But God does not speak verbally with anyone since scripture became completed in the first century.

This is you going outside of what scripture says. No where can you show this is anything other than your own opinion or something that you learned from man.

 

[Dave L]

Scripture doesn't say that, you add that. God's written word is scripture. God's Word is Jesus Christ according to scripture. According to the written word, Jesus will take what the Father gives to him and give that to the Holy Spirit which will give to men who have his that Spirit. John 16:
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

This is you going outside of what scripture says. No where can you show this is anything other than your own opinion or something that you learned from man.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17) (KJV 1900)

 

[Yarddog]

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17) (KJV 1900)

And? That doesn't say that God has stopped speaking through his Holy Spirit. The scripture which Paul was speaking of is found in the Old Testament. The New Testament did not exist as scripture at that time.