God? Is that you?

[karisma]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

 

[Adstar]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

I suppose if you have not experienced it yourself it is very hard to explain it to you using Words.

I have had things revealed for me after prayer, things that i could not have hoped to understand using my limited logic.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[christianmomof3]

That is a good question. I think part of the answer lies in the Body of Christ. Often I know that something is of God because the other members of the Body of Christ are also in agreement on it.

Of course there are groups of nuts out there all thinking they are following God and then committing suicide with spiked cool-aid and such, but there is a difference.

As Christians we have the Spirit and the word. We have the Bible as our guidebook and the Lord Himself as the guide.

As Adstar said, it is difficult to explain if you have not experienced the Lord.

His thoughts are higher than mine, deeper than mine, more peaceful and loving than mine and much better than mine.

 

[ebia]

You are quite right - some people with mental illness are equally convicted that it's God speaking to them. Saying "you would know if it happened to you" doesn't get one anywhere since the mentally ill "know" it is God speaking to them.

Just as the medical profession needs to tell the difference, so do we, by examining what we are being told. Is it consistant with a God worth following, and is it consistant with other revelations of God?

 

[Calminian]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

Just to echo what's been said, God speaks to us through His Spirit but also tells us to test the spirit's to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). There's a check and balance system in Christianity. Had certain people understood this they never would have committed such heinous acts in His name. The christian must never abandon logic. It's impossible to interpret a single sentence in His Word without it. We are to love God with our heart and mind (Matt. 22:37). This instruction started all the way back in the Torah (Deut. 13). Warnings of false prophets and spirits are replete in scripture. If we ignore the checks and balances were are vulnerable to them.

 

[Rafael]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

We know, instinctively, just from life itself, some of what is right and wrong - like murder is wrong. There is more than just listening to what life tells us, as Christians also have God's word and the Holy Spirit that never goes against that living Word. They are all in agreement and would never break God's commandments or love, as love fulfills God's law.
What wonderful things does life say of our Creator and then what does the fact that sin and death entered in to that picture of life do to mar what was once perfect? In my opinion, life, in the light of God's word, is the greatest language and witness to God that there is, and even death witnesses to the fall of mankind depicted in the scriptures. We can see that life is complex in beauty and design, with fantastic potential, yet it is flawed with the hatred, selfishness of man, and the horror of death. These things are given account of in the Bible, truthfully, with the extremities of what sin and death have done not being glossed over for the sake of what could be a nice little book of axioms. No the Bible shows that it takes the life blood of God Himself to save mankind back from the sin and death that Adam fell into and left as an inheritance for all of mankind that followed through his seed.
We have life and the other witnesses of God to help us, and the Christian also receives the Spirit of God as a helper, but it would never be to go against God's laws. The spirit of the world is deceived by the devil, who has been and always will be a deciever. Those that do go against God's laws, yet claim it is God that instructs them, have been deceived by the "father of lies", the devil, or one of his messengers, as one third of the angels fell with the devil after they rebelled against God before this world was ever set into the light.
As I have read the Bible, I have seen that the words contained within it are played out in life, showing me the wisdom of God so that I can live right before Him. Jesus told us that His words were spirit and life to those who would hear them and do them. People that claim to murder in God's name are led by the spirit of this world which is owned by the devil until Jesus returns.

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

2Corinthians 4:4 Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

 

[WhoeverLovesGod01]

Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children.

Do you believe God would do that? Therefore, they're wrong or lying.

 

[dvd_holc]

basic truth, God is holy and pure. His truth is reality and goodness. Goodness always provides love and sustenance to life. Wickedness always takes, destroys, and lies. God's Spirit gives life to all mankind. Every action is rooted and produces in one or the other.

Halmark of Spirit of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The spirit of the Devil turns God's intended purpose for humanity into lesser parts that can't give the last effect of God's Spirit; it niether satisifies the spirit of men nor builds men up.

If you are wanting judgment more than mercy, if you want vengence more than forgiveness, if you accuse others more than building others up...then it is the spirit of the accusor that is speaking.

But don't accept a partial life of sometimes wanting judgment, vengence, and accusement, but long for a life where the conflict of accustations are conquer by the act of the mercy of God flooding your life. Forgive others as God has forgiven you in Christ Jesus.

 

[karisma]

So basically what it sounds like is that as long as a thought is in line with your understanding of the Bible, it's from God? What if you just had your own thought of something that is in line with your Biblical beliefs?

I guess I'm still confused as why you would think it from God.

 

[WordForUs]

So basically what it sounds like is that as long as a thought is in line with your understanding of the Bible, it's from God? What if you just had your own thought of something that is in line with your Biblical beliefs?

I guess I'm still confused as why you would think it from God.

You don't need to be confused.
Knowing God is like knowing your Boss at work.
I give a very bad example but if you hear someone saying that your Boss told you to take a 3 months of payed vacation when you have the right of only 1 day, just for example, then you know that someone is lieing to you, ergo this didn't came from your Boss.

Knowing if something is from God requires the knowledge of God.
But the knowing God thing is complicated because there are many examples of people that never heard of God and yet they felt His call when He spoke in there hearts.

What i'm trying to say is that God can touch anyone.
And yet if that someone is not listening then no one can reach him.

In other words.
You know if something is from God when you are able to receive something from God.

The people that kill someone and say god told me to do it are simply mad.
Because you don't need the Bible to know that when you feel such anger in you that's not even good for humans, whats left for God...

Anyway it's realy simple if you try to understand that if you submit yourself to Good you will know what is from Good and what is from Evil.

I hope this helps

 

[dvd_holc]

So basically what it sounds like is that as long as a thought is in line with your understanding of the Bible, it's from God? What if you just had your own thought of something that is in line with your Biblical beliefs?

I guess I'm still confused as why you would think it from God.

I told you God is reality. Reality is beyond subjective perceptions of individuals, or even discussions between the divided groups. Reality is truth. Truth, Hitler as the leader of the Nazis institued the slaughter of millions of people. The unrighteousness or sin of the Nazis blinded their eyes so that they tried to suppress the truth or reality of their crimes into a subjective understanding of the mankind and the purpose for it. Their subject view of their justice is not the reality of the events. Now, Iran is binding the truth that the holocaust never occured so that they can move forward in against Israel. Truth is beyond the subjective understanding of people...but sin always replaces truth with a lie.

To know God, is to be rooted in truth, reality. So then, you must have discernment of truth from lies. The discerment between truth and lies is always present in reality and also recorded within the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures were intended so that we might have understanding into the mystery of the intentions and plan of God. But God does not wait for you to open the bible to understand Him. God is active in your life to will and do for His holy, pure, and good intentions. The most complete understanding that is captured is contained in His writings. If you want to become complete and health human, you must learn the text, live the text, teach the text, pray the text, and die to the text. If you do these 5, then you become God's revelation for humanity.

 

[HannahAnna]

He tries to use our mind as his stomping ground, but when you've got Christ living in you depending, on our relationship with Him you will have a sense of discernment and you will know when you hear His voice versus the enemies and that is a great difference between the two, as for those who are mentally ill I coudn't tell you, but know this His mercy and grace is with those who find themselves in those conditions, to God be the glory in any situation we find oursevlves in, God is God and who are we to question Him, either way He is in control. Believe that.

 

[INRI2]

For a catholic it is very simple.

We know the difference between what is refered to as "the spirits" by testing them according to the church which by the promise of Christ recieved the holy spirit to guide it.

 

[The Virginian]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

As a husband has intimate knowledge of his wife, through the relationship he has with her, "for richer, for poorer...." even so, we can have an even more intimate knowledge and relationship with God, by spending time with Him!

It is that simple; now, how committed are we?

a bondslave of The Lord!

 

[rnrmachine]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

Because GOD Is Love not Crazy thoughts like that
If U know GOD then u will know what his thoughts are

 

[seajoy]

People talk a lot on this site about having a relationship with God. How do you know that you have a relationship with God? How do you know the difference between your own thoughts and thoughts that supposedly come from God? Some people claim God told them to do horrible crimes, like drown their children. They thought it was real. How do you know your thoughts are real?

We need not go by things we think God may be telling us. He gave us the bible, with all the promises that are needed for us to be saved. That is what we go by to know if our faith is real.

Our faith is a gift from God. Through Jesus we are saved.

1 Corinthians 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

seajoy

 

[Seekin'God]

The question simply is how do you know the presence of God? Not how to live for God, and what God is like. Just... do any of you feel the presence of God?

A question I'm exploring now. I'm trying to be a Christian. I've been going to church, reading the bible, praying earnestly.... I've never felt the presence, of God. No urging to do something.... no answered prayer.... no feelings of calm during prayers of distress. most times it feels like I'm praying to thin air. It's hard to have a relationship with a God who doesn't communicate, or His communication methods are difficult to hear or understand.

So the past 2 weeks I have done an experiement with no praying, no bible reading, no worship, no church. And you know, except for the one time when I felt the urge to pray, I really feel no different than when I did all those things.

So people, tell us when and how and give exact examples of God's presence... something to give us seekers hope.

 

[dvd_holc]

The question simply is how do you know the presence of God? Not how to live for God, and what God is like. Just... do any of you feel the presence of God?

A question I'm exploring now. I'm trying to be a Christian. I've been going to church, reading the bible, praying earnestly.... I've never felt the presence, of God. No urging to do something.... no answered prayer.... no feelings of calm during prayers of distress. most times it feels like I'm praying to thin air. It's hard to have a relationship with a God who doesn't communicate, or His communication methods are difficult to hear or understand.

So the past 2 weeks I have done an experiement with no praying, no bible reading, no worship, no church. And you know, except for the one time when I felt the urge to pray, I really feel no different than when I did all those things.

So people, tell us when and how and give exact examples of God's presence... something to give us seekers hope.

In the last 2 weeks, have you done anything of good report. Have you opened a door for a person? Have you shown kindness to a person that may or may not have desrived it? Have you controlled yourself from doing thing you discerned was wrong? Have you do anything that considered charitible? Have you said thank you to someone who did something good for you? Have you forgave anyone who did something wrong to you? Have you tried to build people up so that they love? In these things, God's presence dwells so then glorify God and be thankful of Him.

 

[Robinsegg]

The best answer I know to the question "how do you know when God is speaking" is this process:
1. Look it up. If the Bible contradicts what you've heard, it's not from God. If the Bible supports what you've heard, it's much more likely to be God.
2. Pray for clarity. Ask for peace and assurance that what you're doing is God's will. This is done after looking for confirmation in Scripture.
3. Talk to other Christians. Ask them to pray with/for you to know if this course of action is correct.

When following these steps, you'll rarely go wrong.
Rachel

 

[Seekin'God]

In the last 2 weeks, have you done anything of good report. Have you opened a door for a person? Have you shown kindness to a person that may or may not have desrived it? Have you controlled yourself from doing thing you discerned was wrong? Have you do anything that considered charitible? Have you said thank you to someone who did something good for you? Have you forgave anyone who did something wrong to you? Have you tried to build people up so that they love? In these things, God's presence dwells so then glorify God and be thankful of Him.

In all honesty, my good deeds/intentions have declined somewhat these last 2 weeks. I have tried to boost the morale of a cashier at walmart and tried to listen to a friend to really understand her. I quickly forgot to send a card to a neighbor. So that's God's presence? We are so self centered we need Him to think of others?
This is something to think about... thanks.