God Communicates

ACTS 2:28 KJV 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Of course, God can communicate in any way He chooses, but it is very rare for Him to speak so that our ears hear a voice. However, God communicates all the time.

God normally communicates by thoughts which are whole ideas, not just individual words.

Sometimes God may communicate through individual words (especially if they are a quote from the Bible). But usually it is much faster than that and comes as a complete thought, not just one word at a time.

God lives inside the believer in Jesus Christ. As a believer, you are joined with Jesus in your spirit.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:17 NKJ 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

So when you are having a conversation with God, it will usually seem like you are having an inward conversation with yourself. Don't expect it to be coming from "outside of you."

So talking with God can sometimes seem like just talking with yourself, because God lives inside you. 1 Cor 6:19, 2 Cor 6:16

A thought from God may also come through another person. God lives in other believers, not just in you. Or it may have been recorded previously, either in written, spoken, or pictorial form.

It is not unusual for God to communicate with someone through another person without them even realizing they have been involved in a message from God.

God can communicate through a sermon. But that does not mean every sermon, or every idea it may contain, is from God -- no matter who preaches it.

Of course, every thought you have is NOT from God. Some thoughts originate with the devil. Some thoughts are just your flesh trying to control you. Some thoughts are the ideas of other people you have picked up.

So you have to learn to discern which thoughts are from God and which ones are not.

There are two criteria by which we can determine whether a thought is from God. The first is a knowledge of the written Word of God, the Bible.

God never changes. What He has said in the past is still what He would say today. Truth must be consistent. So when God communicates, those thoughts will line up with the written Word of God. They will never contradict the Bible.

The more familiar we are with the Bible, not just the letter of it, but the spirit of it also, the easier it will be for us to "know God's voice" and determine when a thought is from God.

Every verse of the Bible is inspired by God and can therefore be trusted. That does not mean it is a direct statement from God, but that even if it is telling history or a genealogy, God meant for it to be recorded. Thus, in that way, every verse is a thought of God, and therefore carries a message. This does not mean everything said in the Bible is the truth, for the Bible even records some lies of men (Job 42:7). But everything in the Bible is truly recorded, and in that sense is the truth, and therefore a message from God.

The second criteria is the inner witness. We will say more about the inner witness on another day.

Sometimes it is said that God communicates through nature. In the sense that God's creation gives the message of His great power, wisdom, and brilliance it is true. We can look at all God has created and know He is a genius.

However, God actually communicates directly with us through thoughts. Those thoughts can be about nature, but they are still thoughts.

God desires for you to communicate with Him, also. You should "talk" to Him about everything. Ask Him all the questions you want. (You won't always get an instant answer. But God doesn't mind you being curious. And when you are ready and capable of understanding the answer, God will get it to you.)

You can "talk" to God by actually talking out loud, or by an inward conversation, just in your thinking. God will hear you either way. And He will respond. Again, it may not always be an instant response. There could be many reasons for this. But if you will stay alert, you will realize when God responds and you will know He did.

The more you cultivate a relationship with God, the more you will understand this and enjoy it. Remember that all relationships are nurtured and deepened by communication.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 NKJ 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

SAY THIS: Thank you God for communicating with me. Help me learn how to know what you are saying and help me to be alert to your communication.