In John 10:3 we read the words of Jesus,
"The sheep hear His voice." Then
in John 10:27 we read, "My sheep hear My voice."
God is the same yesterday, today, and
forever (Heb. 13:8). As He spoke to
individuals in the Old Testament, He desires to speak to us today.
And as a father enjoys speaking to his
children, so God our Father also enjoys speaking to us.
Below are 11 ways God speaks to us. The first ten are from Rev. Robert Morris,
pastor of Gateway Church.
1. God
speaks through circumstances. When
Jonah refused to obey God, Jonah was swallowed up by a whale. Jonah was now ready to listen to God in the
belly of the whale. God again spoke to
Jonah when the vine grew to provide a shade for him from the heat. Circumstances that happen in your life are means
for God to speak to you.
2. God
speaks through wise counsel. The
book of Proverbs repeatedly states that a wise man seeks godly counsel. Wise counsel may also confirm what we have already heard
from God. Prov. 15:22, "But with
many counselors they succeed."
3. God
speaks through people. God speaks to
us through godly people. God spoke to the
kings of Israel by the prophets that He sent.
4. God
speaks through peace. Col. 3:15,
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." God is a God of peace. When we hear God's voice and we have peace,
we know it is from God. In addition, the
word "rule" means "to reign and be the deciding factor." If we do not have peace, it is not of the
Lord. The principle is: Don’t move
forward if you don’t have peace.
5. God
speaks through dreams and visions.
Joseph, Solomon, Jacob, Peter, and Paul heard God through dreams. This method is still available to us
today. Acts 2:17, "'And it shall be
in the last days,' God says, 'That I will pour forth of My Spirit on
all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your
young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams.'"
6. God
speaks through our thoughts. Amos
4:13, "For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind
And declares to man what are His thoughts." God places His thoughts into our minds. But we need to be careful, for not every
thought is from God. Matt.
1:19-21 is a good example how God spoke to Joseph through his thoughts. Note the phrase in v. 20, "But when he
had considered this." When Joseph
was thinking of what to do, God then spoke to him in his thoughts. So when we have a thought, we must judge if
it is: from God; aligned with Scripture; and aligned to the character of God.
7. God
speaks through natural manifestations.
In Rom. 1:18-20 God made Himself known to man through nature. In John 12:27-30 people heard God's voice
through thunder. God can speak to us through thunder, floods,
hurricanes, and other natural events.
8. God
speaks through supernatural manifestations.
God spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Ex. 3:1-4); to Gideon through
a fleece (Judges 6:37-40); and to Saul through a bright light (Acts
9:1-5). God even spoke to Balaam through
a donkey (Num. 22).
9. God
speaks through the Bible. 2 Tim.
3:16. Scripture is always the voice of
God speaking to us. God uses Bible
passages to speak to us.
10. God
speaks through a whisper. God speaks
to us through a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12).
11. God
speaks through His Spirit. God
speaks to us through His Spirit speaking to our spirit. Rom. 8:16, "The
Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of
God."
May we become a people who have learned to
discern, listen and obey His voice.
