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How do you interpret little signs from God ?

SelenaD

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Hello

I have a delicate issue and it's a little hard for me to explains but to make it short, how do you distinguish between useful warnings from God and fearful signs from "the devil" ?

I'm probably too sensitive toward those little signs in life, let me know what you think.

An example : I've been involved in a toxic relationship years ago and I always look for those little signs before I date again because I need God to agree with a new relationship. I met a guy who looked fine, and whose dog had the same name as my ex's dog (a pretty common name). I wondered if it was a serious warning or if it was me being paranoid. Just a few days after that, I learned this man had the exact same mental issue as my ex. At this time I've realized I had to be careful about that "signs".

But now I see them everywhere : it is often numbers linked to important events in my life, but also every random thing that can appear specifically Good or Bad to me. If those things look fine to me I will assume it is God supporting me in a way, and when it looks bad I just assume it is Satan trying to scare me.

But I don't know if things do work like that. I mean, my faith is so strong and I don't even know how God warns me. If you have any advice it would be really appreciated. :)
 
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Sketcher

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Well, I don't think his attractive looks or his dog's name really had any bearing on his mental issue or moral character. Perhaps you noticed a mannerism or a tendency he had which was the same as your ex's instead?

When God guides us, it's not quite like you described. God has a very quiet presence. You'll hear about the "still, small voice" that spoke to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9-18 I'm sure. And I have to say that it's true. If I were to compare God to a man, I would compare him to the kind of man who isn't the loudest man in the room, but doesn't have to be since he just has that much gravitas and everyone knows it. Satan on the other hand, is an overbearing accuser, one who distracts and frightens, who berates, bullies, and strips away hope. He's more than happy to tempt you to false hope, because it's just that much easier to strip away later. And he doesn't have to do it all himself. We do much of this to ourselves, and he is content to let us soften ourselves up for him to inject a little something extra to make it worse.

God, though - he knows you very deeply, and he loves you enough to send his Son to die for you. What he says will never contradict these fundamental truths. He also tends to speak to us more when we seek him in prayer and in reading the Bible. His response to your question may come later that week, later that year, or later still. But he'll tell you when he has his answer for you. He speaks through Scripture, he speaks through a call to pray for one or more people, he speaks through a call to do good to others. People can be so anxious for an answer that they "hear" from him but they really are responding to their own noise they made in their heads. Remember Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:5-13, and James 1:5-8 then, on how to speak to and hear from God.

Remember also, that a Christian is to grow. It is possible that you got a warning from God, to assist you like a crutch assists an injured leg. But just as you shouldn't have a broken leg forever, you shouldn't be broken in this area of your life forever. As a leg heals, a crutch is eventually no longer needed. Not that God is merely a crutch, he is so much more than that, but in his love for you he may have provided a crutch until such time as you do not need it. The takeaway I'm trying to give you is this: Don't be overly dependent on this type of feeling to guide you around men or toxic people in general. You may be healed enough someday so that you can train yourself well enough to recognize bad people. God will still be with you in this part of your life, but how he shows himself to be present with you will evolve as you grow in him.
 
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GracetotheHumble

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I personally don't put any stock in signs. Jesus said that an adulterous generation seeks a sign. I prefer to use common sense when it comes to life's decisions and not mysticism.

Having a dog with the same name or the same medical diagnosis is merely a coincidence.
 
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BeStill&Know

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I agree with both members above. I went through a season of years when I was young, that I kept seeing the same word, like names and numbers over and over again. I was always asking the Lord what did they mean??? Looking back I know now what they meant... nothing... though I believe the Lord may use an occasional number or name, to get our attention, He uses His Written Word mainly... My experience was nothing more that a deceptive distraction, gnawing constantly in my mind, so I would focus on that, instead of the pure unadulterated wisdom packed Words of Jesus. Be Blessed with His Peace, 048.jpg 12508869_473475986174405_1824588390234996852_n.jpg 11009955_10153533154595772_8104200094963674066_n.jpg Wisdom and Love.
 
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ViaCrucis

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The thing about the human brain is that it is a fantastic organ for making sense of things. It's because of how our brains work that we are so good, as a species, at problem solving, and figuring out puzzles, for figuring out how the natural world operates, and for language. The downside, however, is that the human brain is sometimes so good at this that it is always trying to make sense of things and put things together. So sometimes we'll see faces in rocks, logs, or in a slice of burned toast. We'll focus on similarities between things and make terrible jumps--e.g. horoscopes. We'll try and find signs in coincidences, and come up with elaborate explanations for things that aren't exactly accurate.

It's important to understand this about ourselves because we can then start to look at things more analytically and critically. Are these things signs? Or is our mind playing tricks on us?

Occam's razor can be a useful rule of thumb, that the simplest explanation is usually the right one; are a series of coincidences a sign from God, the devil, the universe, angels, demons, spirits, ghosts (etc) or is it really just coincidence? Often our brains can be very selective in the information it receives, it'll pick up on what might seem to be a pattern and filter everything else out, and so we miss that what we're seeing isn't really a pattern at all just a string of coincidental things.

Applying a bit of skepticism, critical thinking, and a rational analysis to things can help tremendously in ensuring that we are arriving at a correct conclusion, and not making assumptions that lead us to incorrect conclusions.

Rather than assuming an outside force is behind "patterns" in life you may notice, consider that it, in all truth, is probably all in your head. Because the most likely case is that it really is just your imagination. And this is true for all of us.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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SelenaD

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Thank you so so much for your messages this means so much to me.

I don't have the chance to be surrounded by Christians and I always kept this doubt for me, trying to find explanations by myself. Deep inside I couldn't believe God would use such tricky "signs" to warn me about important things but on the other hand, I didn't want to miss anything from him.

Thank you all for your help. God bless you :angel:
 
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GracetotheHumble

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Thank you so so much for your messages this means so much to me.

I don't have the chance to be surrounded by Christians and I always kept this doubt for me, trying to find explanations by myself. Deep inside I couldn't believe God would use such tricky "signs" to warn me about important things but on the other hand, I didn't want to miss anything from him.

Thank you all for your help. God bless you :angel:

You are welcome Selena. Hopefully in the future you are able to look at things that happen in you life with a balanced perspective and not read so much into the happenings. God bless you as you seek his face. Gracetothehumble
 
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Ubuntu

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There is something called the guidance of God, and sometimes we do experience signs from God. Jesus said that his sheep know his voice. In my experience God is interested in us and he wants to guide our lives. However, “real” signs from God are relatively rare and so striking that we immediately know that they're from him.

If we are unsure whether or not something truly is from God, chances are that it's just some random event. Not every “coincidence” that happen in our life is a sign from God. If we constantly see “signs” everywhere I'd be inclined to say that this is something that originates in our own mind, not something that comes from God.

Another thing to remember is that there are other supernatural forces out there as well. God is real, but so is the devil. That's why we should “test the Spirits”. Even supernatural events that happens in religious settings, are sometimes from our enemy instead of from God. This means that the Bible has to be the supreme authority in our lives. Guidance from God won't ever conflict with the Bible.

About the specific case you mentioned. If you soon found out that this guy had a serious mental problem, would God need to show you a sign in order to warn you about him? Perhaps the fact that you learned about his condition was the God's way of telling you to stay away from this person, not the thing about the name of his dog?
 
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GracetotheHumble

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About the specific case you mentioned. If you soon found out that this guy had a serious mental problem, would God need to show you a sign in order to warn you about him? Perhaps the fact that you learned about his condition was the God's way of telling you to stay away from this person, not the thing about the name of his dog?

So if someone has a mental disorder you should stay away from them? Sounds like discrimination.
 
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farout

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Hello

I have a delicate issue and it's a little hard for me to explains but to make it short, how do you distinguish between useful warnings from God and fearful signs from "the devil" ?

I'm probably too sensitive toward those little signs in life, let me know what you think.

An example : I've been involved in a toxic relationship years ago and I always look for those little signs before I date again because I need God to agree with a new relationship. I met a guy who looked fine, and whose dog had the same name as my ex's dog (a pretty common name). I wondered if it was a serious warning or if it was me being paranoid. Just a few days after that, I learned this man had the exact same mental issue as my ex. At this time I've realized I had to be careful about that "signs".

But now I see them everywhere : it is often numbers linked to important events in my life, but also every random thing that can appear specifically Good or Bad to me. If those things look fine to me I will assume it is God supporting me in a way, and when it looks bad I just assume it is Satan trying to scare me.

But I don't know if things do work like that. I mean, my faith is so strong and I don't even know how God warns me. If you have any advice it would be really appreciated. :)


For me I read the Bible every day and I believe I am able to hear the direction of the Holy Spirit in ways other than numbers and signs. For me when God speaks its always by His WORD. I believe God gives direction in many ways. I pray for God to lead me. I believe these are the ways Gods directs and speaks to me
 
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Ubuntu

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So if someone has a mental disorder you should stay away from them? Sounds like discrimination.

Perhaps I misunderstood what the OP wrote in her intimal post, but to me it sounded as if she wanted to stay away from this guy due to her previous experience with someone who suffered from the same mental issue, and that it was a deal breaker to learn of this guy's condition. She spoke of a “toxic relationship”, and I took this to mean that the “mental issue” somehow was intimately connected to this.

Of course, not all “mental issues” will necessarily disqualify someone from having a meaningful relationship, but in this case I think it's clear that she wanted to avoid a destructive relationship, which we must commend her for.
 
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stevevw

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I think we should use all our senses to determine whats going on. We have a mind, emotion, body and spirit so we have to be in touch with all of these to know ourselves and what is going on around us. I think a simple way to look at Gods directions is to realize that it will always be something good that for yourself, others and honors God. We are also people who need to grow and sometimes we make mistakes in our inexperience and lack of knowledge. You become older and wiser to things and become more mature. So long as you learn form your mistakes thats all that is important.

Trusting God and doing His will is part of it to. Often I find Gods will be something that I may not find is my first choice of things especially in my younger years. God doesn't just want us to be good, He also wants us to become better people in our characters. He wants us to face our fears and overcome the things that hold us back because this stops us from being the type of person who can move forward and do our best work.

The bible talks about God being the potter and we are the clay and that we are molded and tempered like metal into the shape of a person Gods know we are capable of being. This is the best person we can be and its sometimes hard to submit and go through the ways that are best for us which will help us become better people. But the great thing is God will always give us the strength and not give us anything we cant handle. He wants us to become better people in all our lives mentally, emotionally , physically and spiritually. Its just sometimes we forget that God works in practical ways as well and may want us to get over some fear or anxiety in our lives thats holding us back. This may take some professional help or practical help that some may not associate with God. But the ways of God are many and God will use whatever it takes so long as we are willing to trust Him.

Signs are not always some bolt of lightening or revelation from God in a spiritual way. We have to use reasoning and logic as well. The sign might be that you are seeing yourself repeating past mistakes and that these are warning signs that its not a good idea to do something. Our feelings may take over and logic goes out the window. So we have to use all our senses to understand ourselves and then know what is best for our lives. That way we are more open and ready to know God and what he wants for us in our lives.
 
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SelenaD

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Thank you so much for all your kind advices.

GraceToTheHumble, I didn't want to tell because someone has a mental illness, I wouldn't want to talk to him. I meant I recognized a behavior that can be harmful and I didn't want to repeat a mistake I made in the past.

Again, thanks to all of you. Your advices are precious to me.
 
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