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In this article I’d like to share some ways God speaks to us. Unfortunately, some think that there is no God because He hasn’t made Himself more obvious. Others think that God exists, but He is not a very good communicator. Both of these viewpoints remind me of my studies as a Communications major at Moody Bible Institute and Biola University. We were taught that communication is a two-way process. For there to be real interaction, there must be a communicator and there must also be someone listening. I am convinced that God has communicated clearly, but that too often we aren’t listening.
Why aren’t we listening? Mark Twain said it well, “It’s not the things in the Bible which I don’t understand that bother me, it’s the things I do understand.”
“Selective hearing” is when we hear what we want to, and don’t hear what we don’t want to hear. Some of us (particularly husbands?) are quite good at this. Perhaps this is part of our problem hearing the wonderful ways God speaks to us today! A major question to consider is how much we really want to hear God’s communication to us.
If we’re willing to listen, here are 6 wonderful ways God speaks to us today (which all happen to start with the letter C):
1. Creation.
This is perhaps the greatest reason that most people believe in God—because it seems obvious by simply observing the world and the universe that they came from somewhere and didn’t just happen. It seems that only those hell-bent (literally!) on denying the existence of God are the ones who look around and try to say there is no God.
For more on this, see my article “7 Amazing Ways God Reveals Himself to Us,” particularly the words of Lee Strobel in that article. Lee was forced to become a believer when he recognized the complexity of creation.
“From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.” (Romans 1:20 GW)
2. Commands.
By commands I mean the words of the Bible, God’s written communication to us. Some communication is verbal, but everyone who has made a formal communication knows how important written communication is! An agreement with a handshake won’t hold up very well in a court of law.
“Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval.” (2 Timothy 3:16 GW)
God has communicated very carefully and clearly in written form in the Bible. If you want proof of this, there is a lot—I suggest you start with my brief article “4 Reasons You Can Love and Trust the Bible Today.”
I love how the Bible starts with “in the beginning” and ends with a description of eternity and our eternal homes. It is God’s comprehensive and complete written revelation, which is truly amazing.
3. Circumstances.
By circumstances I mean the open doors, unique opportunities and special life situations that God brings our way.
Jesus regularly performed ministry based on circumstances. He came across people with needs and ministered to them. It was all in God’s sovereign plan from a wider perspective. But from the human viewpoint, it looked like circumstances.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “…pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word…” (Colossians 4:3a ESV)
Likewise, we should pray for “open doors” or circumstances through which God is speaking to us. Or as Henry & Richard Blackaby call this, “Watching to see where God is working and joining Him in it.”
4. Christ.
Jesus is certainly one of the major ways God speaks to us. In fact, He is called “The Word!” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 ESV)
Why is Jesus called “the Word?” Because through His life and His teachings, God has spoken to us so clearly! For example, He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.” (John 14:6) How could He be any clearer than that?
Earlier in that passage He made it clear why it is so important to come through Him to the Father: because of the mansions He is preparing in heaven for those who receive His gift of salvation. “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3 NIV)
To receive the gift of salvation and eternity in a “mansion” in heaven, please go HERE.
For some of the proof that Christ is the Savior, go HERE.
5. Community.
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15 ESV)
God speaks to Christians through other believers in Christ. Sometimes that guidance is generalized wisdom, and other times it is specific advice or “a word of wisdom” given to an individual (see 1 Corinthians 12:8).
We disregard the wisdom of the community of God at our own peril. Many disasters can be averted if we listen to God speak to us through others in the body of Christ. Are they always right? No, of course not. That’s where we must rely on the final way God speaks.
6. Conversation.
The last of these ways that God speaks to us is through conversation. This is called listening prayer or hearing from God through His speaking to us personally. Usually it is not an audible voice, but an impression, a conviction, a leading or a prompting.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 ESV)
I’ve written a lot about this conversation we have with God in these articles and podcasts (including the fact that it can never contradict Scripture):
Podcast: Does God still speak today?
Podcast: How can I hear God’s voice?
Conclusion: Aren’t these wonderful ways God speaks to us today?
The big question in my mind is this: Are we willing to listen?
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Additional resources about related subjects on this site:
Vlog: The Heavens Declare
Vlog: The Heavens Declare
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