God Speaks

Last week the ladies in our group had a discussion about God speaking to us through other people.  You know the saying we have heard, “God told me to tell you.” We discussed our view on this subject but my head just kept running with it so I did what any other lover of the scripture would do, I went to the Word to see what it says about “How God Speaks”.

This was a fun adventure as I found so many treasures.  What I want to look at today are three points

1. How does God speak
2. How do I know it’s Him
3. A few ways that He may choose to communicate.

First, How does God speak?

1 Kings shares a beautiful truth that God showed Elijah and we can learn from it today.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord wasnot in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord wasnot in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV

How simply beautiful is this?  I didn’t grow up with a yelling parent but I have some friends who did.  They would cringe when they heard their name yelled knowing a butt chewing would followed.  That was just how their parents communicated. Our Heavenly Father does not communicate in such a way.  His voice is a still small voice. His voice leads me to change because it is pure love and goodness. His voice is just enough to get my attention and lead me in the right direction.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

Isaiah 55:12

This leads me to the second point, How to know it’s Him?

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

James 3:17 KJV

Read that again.  If it is Him speaking it has all of these characteristics. It’s simple.  I ask myself, is it:

• Peaceable
• gentle
• full of mercy
• without hypocrisy
• easy to entreat
• without partiality

When God speaks it is beneficial to us.  It helps us. It’s a gentle guide. It oozes with love.  It is not:

• a hammer
• hypocritical
• a mallet
• a shove it down your throat “how do does it taste, eat it eat it”

It is very easy to tell the two apart.  Once again, it is simply oozing with love. It is love at it’s finest.

Thirdly, I want to look at Ways He may choose to communicate.

1. His word, the scripture, the Bible

 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged [a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the [b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psalms 107:20

 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 every good work.

II Timothy 3:16

God speaks to us directly through His written Word.  There are arguments that say this book has stuff left out of it, this book has stuff added to it, this book has mans’ ideas in it.  I say all of those arguments are pointless.  True or not true to God is still able to communicate to us through this book.  He is, He has, and He does have His signature throughout all of it. His hand is in all of it. He can and does communicate to us through His Word!

2. The Holy Spirit in me

¹³ Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

John 16:13

The Holy Spirit within me speaks to me concerning All truth.

My Holy Spirit is a form of the All knowing, All Powerful, and Everywhere Present

Creator of All.

This resides inside of me!

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Philippines 2:13

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6

3. I speak for God  

The first place I do this is to myself.  I heard a man say this week,

“You are the prophet of your own life”.

What did he mean by this?  

What is a prophet? A prophet is one who foretells or forth tells.

When I speak over myself, my words speak into existence in my life God’s promises.  My words speak into existence future victories.  My words speak into existence atom changing life.  

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 19:14

I speak for God over my own life.

Here is somethings I speak often:

He forgives my iniquity, He heals me, He redeems my life from destruction, He crowns me with living kindness, He satisfied my mouth, He renews my youth, His mercy is great to me. I am love, I am joy, I am peace, I am abundance, I am strong….

When I am in the habit of thinking and speaking this way for myself, then speaking this way to others is second nature.

I speak for God

Honestly, just these three are enough for me to say, “let’s call it a day and close shop on this sharing”. But our God is so gracious, loving, and abundant that He communicates in many other ways.

4. In our Praise

 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.  Psalms 22:3

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4

Have you ever been singing a song of praise and then all of a sudden you get it? Whatever that “it” was that you were working on in your heart, it just makes sense and you get it?  That’s God speaking!

In gratitude we are at our highest mental state, our highest mental elevation, our highest “vibration”.

This is where He resides, the highest vibration.

I recently went to Colorado.  We stayed in a cabin that was on a mountain of 11,000 feet elevation.  That is a pretty high place!  One night we set outside and star gazed. It was breath taking.  There were so many stars in the sky.  I have never seen so many stars.  I could even see the Milky Way.  “Are these things in the sky every night”, I though to myself. “Well, yes” I replied to myself.  The difference in this night and other nights is that I was at a higher elevation than I usually live in.  At a higher elevation I could see the blessings that are already in existence. I just didn’t know, when living in the lower elevation, they were there.  See my point?  Elevation make a difference. In praise and worship we are remembering what we are grateful for and rise to a place where we can see more of the blessings that God has already made available.

5. Others

Now before I give you the verses on this I want to say, the scriptures are filled with places where people have spoke on behalf of God to others.  So, if it bothers me that God works in others also then I gotta let that go.  He will work in me for my life as much as I allow Him to do.  At times, I may need a little help and He is just so good that He will help me.  Let’s look at a hilarious illustration of how He spoke through others to get someones attention

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.

Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lordstanding in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

Numbers 22:21-38

 

He couldn’t hear.  He couldn’t see.  He was focused on what He thought was right so he just kept forcing it.  Even with the donkey fighting him the whole way he couldn’t “hear”. He just kept forcing his way.

Force is not flow, by the way.

So God, in His mercy and generosity, opened the mouth of a donkey to speak.  Here is the beautiful point, He wants to and is willing to speak to you even if He needs to use an ass to do it. HA!  So, never judge someone, God can work in ALL kinds of ways.

It is not my burden to hope God works in others.

It is not my burden to squeeze life or grit my teeth hoping others can hear Him and will listen.

It is my joy to know that He works in me and trust that He knows how to work in others too.  It is my job to live worry free and trust!

What is the point to this entire sharing?

Simply this:

God is ABLE.

He is able to make all grace abound towards me/you, that me/you having All sufficiency (however He needs to do it) in All things may abound to every good work.  This should eliminate all fear…..God will do His part.  I just live, walk, be, stay in gratitude, have peace, flow with the Father, relax and trust that in all my way He will direct my path cause He knows how.  He can do it.

God Speaks. He speaks in many ways. I don’t have to worry if I will hear Him or not because one way or another His will always gets done on earth as it is in heaven.