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Hearing Voices

brightlights

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Should Christians expect to hear God talk to them? I do not mean through hints or bible, I mean an actual voice. The voice might tell them what to do, for example.

No.

Christians should expect God to speak to them through the normal means that he has promised to speak through - generally through creation and especially through the reading and hearing of God's word. The reading and hearing of God's word can take many forms but usually it takes the form of personal reading and study, listening to sermons, group study, and counsel from godly friends and elders.

God can speak audibly to anyone at anytime and it may be that he still does this on occasion. But this kind of revelation has always been rare for God's people. Consider Moses, for example. God spoke audibly to Moses but he did not speak audibly to the 600,000 Israelites who travelled with Moses. He spoke to them through Moses.
 
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Radrook

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I wonder why this topic doesn't take off.
It doesn't take off because it is very controversial and very difficult to pin down scripturally. It can only lead to scripturally referenced argument followed by scripturally referenced counter-argument ad infinitum and most Christians are extremely reluctant to engage in discussions that make a full circle and wind up as inconclusively vague as they started.
 
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redblue22

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It doesn't take off because it is very controversial and very difficult to pin down scripturally. It can only lead to scripturally referenced argument followed by scripturally referenced counter-argument ad infinitum and most Christians are extremely reluctant to engage in discussions that make a full circle and wind up as inconclusively vague as they started.

Some people talk about God's "leading," but they seem to have more in mind signs or feelings. Lately I keep running into those who say they hear voices telling them directly what to do.

Thank you for explaining. I had no idea that some topics are too controversial for christians.
 
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Radrook

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Should Christians expect to hear God talk to them? I do not mean through hints or bible, I mean an actual voice. The voice might tell them what to do, for example.
That expectation is not recommended. It can lead to paying attention to personal auditory hallucinations and belief of claims made by money-grubbing charlatans. The Word of God was provided for instructional purposes and it is the means that should be relied upon.
 
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Radrook

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Some people talk about God's "leading," but they seem to have more in mind signs or feelings. Lately I keep running into those who say they hear voices telling them directly what to do.

Thank you for explaining. I had no idea that some topics are too controversial for christians.

Christians are willing to deal with controversial issues that can be proven conclusively via scriptural support.
But certain subjects are inevitably unprovable and one comes back full circle to "WE can't really say 100% for sure!"" So such issues can cause Christians to not participate in a discussion in order to avoid wasting time.

I personally ask God to talk to me personally and would appreciate it if he would. However, if indeed I have him do so, how am I to prove to anyone else that it was really God and not:

1, An auditory hallucination
2. A deceiving spirit?
3. An anti-biblical NT concept?

After all, we are told to by the Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy to rely on the Bible for instruction and not on personal revelations from God. All things are written for our instruction.

2Tim 3:16
15From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.…

So if indeed the Bible in itself offers guidance, then direct messages can be scripturally deemed as unnecessary. True, they were essential for the writing of the Bible. But that period is over with since the mission was accomplished. However, who is to say that God would not make a special exception? And there is the crux of the matter. We can view such claims as suspect but cannot dismiss them with 100% certainty.

BTW
There are then Christians who would point out the occasions where God's Holy Spirit spoke to Christians as evidence that such voices from God do occur. The leading of Phillip to baptize the Ethiopian Eunuch is one. They would cite scriptures where Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit would tell us what we are to say when preaching the gospel. That might be interpreted as hearing voice.





This scripture:


1 John 4:1

New International Version
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.



will l be countered with this one:



1 Corinthians 13:8

New International Version
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.


So the discussion would Ping-Pong back and forth and finally wind up back at the start with "We really can't say with 100% certainty one way or the other"

However, one thing is definitely for sure, if a message claimed to be from God is antichrist, or anti biblical in any way, then it definitely isn't from God. Now THAT is 100% certain.
 
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miknik5

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Should Christians expect to hear God talk to them? I do not mean through hints or bible, I mean an actual voice. The voice might tell them what to do, for example.
No. GOD's VOICE, when one hears HIS VOICE will first and foremost reveal the TRUTH of THE GOSPEL of HIS SON

This is the first thing that a Christian will hear
 
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miknik5

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It doesn't take off because it is very controversial and very difficult to pin down scripturally. It can only lead to scripturally referenced argument followed by scripturally referenced counter-argument ad infinitum and most Christians are extremely reluctant to engage in discussions that make a full circle and wind up as inconclusively vague as they started.
It can be pinned down to the TRUTH that anyone born of HIS SPIRIT will glorify CHRIST

Just as the HOLY SPIRIT does

John 16
 
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miknik5

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So, do you hear voices?
HE opened the eyes and ears of my heart to HIS WORD and led me by HIS SPIRIT to read THE WORD

HE did not direct me outside of THE TRUTH of HIS WORD

For God's VOICE and SPIRIT does not contradict HIS WRITTEN WORD and HIS WRITTEN WORD does not contradict HIS VOICE and SPIRIT
 
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redblue22

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With so many people hearing voices, it seems a discussion should be had. It is probably not a gift I would readily accept. Actually, it doesn't sound too much of a gift when described. People who hear voices seem to act like they are super-christians putting their voices on equal or above the bible. Maybe I'll wait and try my question somewhere else.
 
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miknik5

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With so many people hearing voices, it seems a discussion should be had. It is probably not a gift I would readily accept. Actually, it doesn't sound too much of a gift when described. People who hear voices seem to act like they are super-christians putting their voices on equal or above the bible. Maybe I'll wait and try my question somewhere else.
Certainly


Just keep Isaiah 8 in mind
 
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Grafted In

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I believe He can and does speak to believers through other persons and when He does He breathes faith into their words that can do mighty things.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Romans 10:17 KJV.

I think this verse may very well mean that the ability to "hear" God comes by reading Scripture and that faith comes to us as He speaks to us through others.

The 2 biggest miracles in my life occured as another person spoke to me. One was a Christian , the other was not.
I am not saying that Scripture backs me up 100%, but....2 monumental miracles.

And, of course, that is certainly not the only means by which we recieve True Faith in God.

Also, Jesus woke me just as I was nodding off to sleep one night and spoke audible words "in my understanding" . That's about the best way I can describe it. I "heard" in my understanding.

It was not something I suddenly understood by normal thought processes, nor was it an audible voice.
It was in another realm, one not existing in our 5 senses.
 
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Celestial Warrior

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Should Christians expect to hear God talk to them? I do not mean through hints or bible, I mean an actual voice. The voice might tell them what to do, for example.
I hear the voice of our Lord Jesus all the time. It isn't quite audible like you would hear someone speak to you in your ears. It is a quiet and still small voice that is definately not my imagination or my mind. Listening to his voice has saved me many times from near death experiences and has helped me to avoid many tragedies from occurring, if I had not listened to him speak to me.
 
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Sultan Of Swing

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Should Christians expect to hear God talk to them? I do not mean through hints or bible, I mean an actual voice. The voice might tell them what to do, for example.
Since the Scriptures themselves tell us they are sufficient for us, no, we should not be expecting God to audibly speak to us.

I am not saying God wouldn't audibly speak to us, God does as He likes, but it isn't the norm we see from the sufficiency of Scripture, already breathed by God and able to equip us for every good work, and to make us wise unto salvation.
 
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