~Question~ Does God speak to us today outside His word?

Would God ever speak OUTSIDE His word?
~Hebrews 1:1-2~

Utilizing the power of Sola Scriptura, is there any verses that claim God will speak directly and personally to us today outside of the Bible?

I hear people say, I heard a still small voice(out of context verse), I had an impression, I think God said.
Is any of this found in the Bible?

I've never read anywhere God speaking this way to anyone.

God never spoke in an impression, or a feeling or a nudge in the Bible? Why are so many getting this?

Who is speaking to them if they're hearing these things, or is it just their own selves?

I've prayed and prayed about things, and life decisions but I've never gotten answers or impressions like all these people.

If it were true He spoke outside the Bible why does he only speak to some and not others?

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit, brother?
This is not a doctrinal question, but have you been filled with the Holy Spirit since you believed Acts 19:2? I am asking you, has this really happened to you?

The filling with the Spirit is a transaction, where God fills hungry, thirsty, empty, and cleaned vessels.

If not, then ask, and if nothing happens, keep asking.
I baptized a young lady in water 3 years ago and layed hands on her to be filled with the Spirit. Nothing happened and I knew nothing happened, but she kept asking, seeking and knocking. A couple of weeks ago, she received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

There are several incidents in Acts where believers were not yet filled with the Spirit. Read it in Acts for yourselves.

When you have experience this, you will not only understand his word better, but also hear his voice - for his sheep hear his voice, and this still applies today.

The 5 solas is a clever invention of man. Sounds very biblical, but the concept as such is not in the bible, it is a compilation, a simplification. It is an incomplete concept with faults and ommissions.

God still speaks to us today outside the bible, but will never contradict it.

Every great man of God in history would confirm that God has spoken to them outside of reading verses in the Bible.

"Christian believers make a great mistake when they refer only to the Bible as the Word of God. True, the inspired Bible is the Word of God speaking to our hearts and to our souls. But in referring to the Word of God, we do not mean just the book””printed pages sewed together with nylon thread. Rather, we mean the eternal expression of the mind of God. We mean the world-filling breath of God!

Has the Lord ceased speaking? Or is He still speaking but humankind has closed its heart-ears to His voice? God continues to speak and if we listen His voice penetrates to our heart core.” ~~AW Tozer

Hello👋

Yes, mate I have been.

But my question on this is, where does it say in the Bible that after the baptism you will hear His voice?
Everyone who heard it previously didn't have the baptism.

I believe the reference from John 10 "my sheep hear my voice." Is referring to the salvation call. Jesus was speaking in a parable and the context of it was about salvation.
Jesus calling/drawing his sheep Roman's 8:29-30 John 6:44.

But my questions are:

~How is it that some believers can tell the voice of God and others can't?

~Wouldn't God communicate like He did in the Bible, audibly?
Many claim impressions, nudges or a still small voice(that verse is always used out of context because it was still an audible whisper)
But It doesn't say anywhere that God communicated that way or will communicate that way.

I've had people tell me "God said this."
If I have to question if God really said something was it really from God?

My concerns are:

~If God seems to be speaking to everyone today(outside of the Bible) why didn't He speak as much in times past/old testament?

~If God gave us everything that pertains to life and Godliness(His word) since all is written in there.
~2 Peter 1:2-3
How would he speak directly to us outside of His word?

~If God speaks outside of His word wouldn't it be as authoritative as his word?

~If it's as authoritative we would have an open canon of scripture, but the book says not to add or take away from it.

What's concerning to me is many teaching that you have to "tune" into the right frequencies to hear God. That was never taught. And since some are supposedly "not hearing" they go seeking signs and words and experiences instead of scripture.

As you see where we have a big problem. But if this was such a big problem why didn't Paul address it in his letters, or the other Apostles. They never taught how to hear God or to listen for a voice. Even Jesus when he taught us how we should pray. He never said to tune in and listen for a voice.

I'm really troubled by how many are claiming God communicates in mysterious revelations when in the Bible He communicated audibly and they didn't have to think it was God.

Wouldn't that mean the Bible is insufficient if He spoke outside of it? Today we have a bunch of people running around always looking for a word, whether it be for a life decision, who to marry, where to go to college. Now their faith is based off experience, leading into Pietism.
It does say in days of old he spoke through the prophets, but in these last days have spoken to us through His Son.
So If Jesus ascended into Heaven, how does God talk directly to us when He left us His word?

These are Biblical though there are Biblical references of them.
~Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
~Sola fide ("by faith alone")
~Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
~Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
~Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

This is a touchy subject but I'm going to ask you as Paul asked some disciples on the way:

19:1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?” They said, "Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”

5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

Have you had this experience?

God bless,
Lisa

Hello, mate.

Yes I have had the baptism experience.

The Solas should add

"sola spirtu sanctis"

The spirit filled man does trust God even though he does not know where he leads. In order to hear his voice we must surrender and follow.

John 3:8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Note it does not say here "understand my word" but "hears my voice"

John 18:37 ... Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Most of the time God speaks is still through his written word though, but he uses many other ways to speak to us, circumstances, friends, enemies, visions, dreams. Often he tries to speak to, but we are "dull of hearing".

He knocks, but not everyone opens
Revelation 3:20

Are there a few names you could name??

There cannot be any buts.
"The Bible is the word of God, but..."
"The Bible is our final authority, but..."
If it's authoritative because God spoke it, then wouldn't God be speaking authoritively OUTSIDE of scripture? Sine God doesn't speak authoritatively in one place but not speak authoritively in another.

The problem this creates is an open canon of scripture.

I'm not saying God doesn't speak at all today, He does. He just doesn't do it in the way all of these hyper charismatic's try to make you believe He does it.

God's word is either living and powerful, or it isn't.
If you have the Holy Ghost, the Bible shouldn't just be a "sewn together book" because the Spirit teaches us(illuminates)what is written in it.

The only one's who have closed their ears to God's voice are those who leave their Bibles on the shelf because they "want more".

Here's what Sarah Young, the author who claims Jesus regularly talks to her, said this:
"I knew that God communicated with me in the Bible, but I yearned for more.”

The end of the quote.
"God continues to speak and if we listen His voice penetrates to our heart core.”
The Bible does exactly that it pierces us as it's sharper than any two edged sword.

I am glad you tell me you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
What happened to you then? I am curious to know because this is a wonderful event.

I do not know where this notion comes that God cannot speak today because the canon of scripture is closed.

Of course it is closed, but if God calls somebody to Mexico or China, where would you find this in the bible? These things are not in disagreement with the bible.

A friend of mine was praying about going to Russia with her husband. One day she sat on a train and a drunkard started a conversation with her and randomly spluttered completely out of context "Why don't you go to Moscow"

Justin- I am with you when it comes to the "hypercharismatic” crowd. I know exactly what you are talking about because I have been in fellowships like that ( didnt hang around very long though).

I do believe some are more in tune to hearing from the Lord than others. My wife is much more in tune than I am, but I have a lot more Bible knowledge than she does. I do long to hear directly from the Lord more than I do and I pray for it but doesn’t seem to happen that often.

The one thing I know about people saying they have a "word from the Lord”- if it’s true you know it when you hear it. So it also a matter of discernment.

God speaks to us in many ways. The Spirit of God is living within us to lead us into all truth. We should be led by the Spirit.

"One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2).

Many other ways God will speak to us. He speaks to us through our brothers and sisters, through the gifts of the Spirit, through dreams and visions.

It is essential that we are rooted and grounded in the Word. It is clear that some voice or leading that is contrary to the scriptures is not the will of God .

The Spirit and the Word agree.

Quote A friend of mine was praying about going to Russia with her husband. One day she sat on a train and a drunkard started a conversation with her and randomly spluttered completely out of context "Why don't you go to Moscow"

Brilliant

I had a friend in church and she had met man called Pete Sealy, on a road trip she was asking God if it was his will if "Pete Sealy" was to be her husband.

Just after finishing praying looking out the car window a Heavy Goods Vehicle passed with the huge letters on it - Sealy the one for you.

Quote: "I knew that God communicated with me in the Bible, but I yearned for more.”

I'm not satisfied with the way things are
I've got a longing down in my heart
I love Jesus and He loves me
I've got to know him more intimately

Don't know the woman but there is nothing wrong with yearning for more deeper relationship with Christ.

I've heard the Lord calling me when going through depression. He called my name out. In a loving tender way.. it's always a surprise. As He cuts through the middle of your thinking to speak.

My concerns are:

~If God seems to be speaking to everyone today(outside of the Bible) why didn't He speak as much in times past/old testament?

~If God gave us everything that pertains to life and Godliness(His word) since all is written in there.
~2 Peter 1:2-3
How would he speak directly to us outside of His word?

~If God speaks outside of His word wouldn't it be as authoritative as his word?

~If it's as authoritative we would have an open canon of scripture, but the book says not to add or take away from it.

What's concerning to me is many teaching that you have to "tune" into the right frequencies to hear God. That was never taught. And since some are supposedly "not hearing" they go seeking signs and words and experiences instead of scripture.

As you see where we have a big problem. But if this was such a big problem why didn't Paul address it in his letters, or the other Apostles. They never taught how to hear God or to listen for a voice. Even Jesus when he taught us how we should pray. He never said to tune in and listen for a voice.

I'm really troubled by how many are claiming God communicates in mysterious revelations when in the Bible He communicated audibly and they didn't have to think it was God.

Wouldn't that mean the Bible is insufficient if He spoke outside of it? Today we have a bunch of people running around always looking for a word, whether it be for a life decision, who to marry, where to go to college. Now their faith is based off experience, leading into Pietism.
It does say in days of old he spoke through the prophets, but in these last days have spoken to us through His Son.
So If Jesus ascended into Heaven, how does God talk directly to us when He left us His word?

Justin: You asked a very good question, and I can tell by your tone that you are not a person bent on argument, but a man who wants genuine truth. I would like to take a stab at addressing the question and some of your concerns from my own perspective.

You asked, "If God seems to be speaking to everyone today(outside of the Bible) why didn't He speak as much in times past/old testament?"

Someone asked whether you had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus referred to in John 14 when He spoke of the other comforter, the Holy Spirit, that He would send. He said that the Holy Spirit had been with them (in Jesus) but would be in all of them. This baptism was initiated in Acts 2, and continues to this day. God speaks to us through the person of the Holy Spirit. Paul talks extensively about the Holy Spirit speaking directly to Him and those ministering with Him in 1 Corinthians 2. So, the reason we don't see as many people hearing God speak them in the Old Testament is that it was reserved if you will to those who God chose to speak to. But now any believer can hear God speak through the Holy Spirit that dwells in that believer. In fact, if I could sit down with you and ask you about your walk with God to this point, I will be you also have had God speak to you. I think all of us have felt that we should do one thing and not do another, and recognized it was the Holy Spirit directing us.

You asked, "If God gave us everything that pertains to life and Godliness(His word) since all is written in there.
~2 Peter 1:2-3
How would he speak directly to us outside of His word?"

This verse actually says that God has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness through knowing Him, and that by knowing Him we can access the great and precious promises that allow us to actually partake of His divine nature in our own lives. It is the restoration of the Zoe life of God that was lost when Adam sinned. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:15-18 that in having the vail removed from our hearts so we can interact with God face to face, we are transformed into His image from one level of glory to the next. His written word is the bedrock foundation, the inviolable standard by which all other things are judged in our lives. But He desires to interact with us personally to transform us into His image, and this happens both through the written word and through His speaking directly to us. In fact, it is impossible to rightly divide the written word apart from the Holy Spirit speaking to us as we study the word. Our own intellect, fallen with Adam and needing renewed, cannot understand it. This is also what Paul says in 1 Cor. 2 when He says that the natural man (the part of us that is the human intellect or soul) cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God, because they can only be discerned by the spirit.

God speaks to us in a variety of ways. I can only speak to the way He speaks to me. He is pretty plain with me. In a church service Sunday, I heard these words in my head about a couple that were there. "Tell them I am not ashamed of them.", and then a few minutes later, "They have had a conversation about Me that was filled with regret." So I obeyed. Come to find out, they had just been talking at home about how they had walked away from God and had not been seeking Him diligently. I was able to encourage them and pray for them. Sometimes I have what I can only say is an impression in my heart about something. I have never heard an audile voice. I have had a few dreams that were very vivid and a woke with a start only to immediately hear God telling me the interpretation in my heart. Both times this happened it turned out to be totally accurate.

You asked, "If God speaks outside of His word wouldn't it be as authoritative as his word? If it's as authoritative we would have an open canon of scripture, but the book says not to add or take away from it."

Yes, it would be as authoritative as scripture. It would be God speaking, right? But don't get me wrong. God is not leading men to continue to write scripture today. God most often speaks personally, and next most often to a corporate body. And He will NEVER speak in contradiction to the already established written word. That written word is the more sure word of prophecy. So a person can judge a spoken word by comparing it to the written word, and that is important.

To a believer, hearing God's voice should be natural. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." The only "frequency" we tune into is our natural relationship with God through Christ by which we have the ability to hear Him speak to us through the Holy Spirit. In other words, there is no "frequency" to tune into.

John 14:26 and 16:3 speak to the role of the Holy Spirit in speaking to us. John tells us that the Holy Spirit will declare unto us things to come. It reminds me of a time I was praying about a new vehicle for my wife and I. Ours was on its last leg and we needed one. I felt the Lord ask me, "What do you want?" I replied, "Lord, my wife wants a van." I heard, "What color?" I did not care, so I randomly said, "Lord, blue would be nice." Then I heard a number, "11,000 dollars." I prayed off and on about this for two years. Then my wife and I went to look for a car. The first thing we drove was a blue van. I did not, at that time, remember my conversation with the Lord. When I asked how much we could make a deal for if some things were repaired, the salesman said, "11,000 dollars". I knew immediately this was God's will. He literally showed me a thing to come. I was so excited.

None of this makes the Bible insufficient. Like someone else said here, sola scriptura is a man made construct. The written word is given to us. It is inerrant. It is God's word. But it is not the only way God communicates.

Are there people who are, frankly, just off in lala land? Sure. Can we find abuses if we start looking at man? Yes. But that cannot be the lense through which we interpret scripture.

Paul saw things in the church at Corinth that needed correction, and He was bold about it. Yet He called them saints. He gave them instruction about how to steward the gifts of the Spirit that were operating among them. Yet he told them they should covet to prophesy. He told them how to steward tongues and interpretation, but he told them not to forbid speaking in tongues.

I hope the spirit I am writing this in is coming through. God speaking to me is such a strength in my life and ministry, and I would love to see you writing soon that you are hearing God and are excited about it. But I really believe that you probably hear from God and don't recognize it. God wants to speak to you. Think about it this way. Would God want close, personal, intimate relationship with us and NOT want to speak to us?

Hope this perspective helps. Bless you brother.

I would add something else. Just a question. How do we know that the writer of Hebrews was referring to the written scripture when He wrote that the word of God was quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword?

I am not asking that to start anything. I believe that the written word IS all that this verse says that it is. But how do we know that this is only speaking of the written word? Just a question to make the brain turn a bit. Maybe that turning had great bearing on the discussion in this thread.

Todd: There are some crazy charismatics. There are some pretty sane ones as well. I have encountered both. And, I might be considered both, depending on who is making the judgement. Actually, I was raised in very traditional pentacostal circles. We believed people who clapped in church were wild and fleshly. So the charismatic movement was considered intensely crazy by our group. Honestly, it was a little legalistic if you ask me. But still GREAT people who loved God. They just did not get it right all the time, and I fully understand I don't either.

Guess that is part of the discernment you spoke of. We need to hear from the Holy Spirit to discern properly.

Hearing the voice of God is a very important subject, and one that is vital to our spiritual growth and walk with the Lord. I have never heard the audible voice of the Lord, but because I have allowed the Word of the Lord to dwell in me richly, I have been led by the Holy Spirit, and He speaks to me mainly through His Word. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit.

There are many situations that we deal with in life where we are not sure what the will of God is, but we can be assured that the Holy Spirit has been sent to lead us into all truth, and to bring the Word to our remembrance. When I am walking in the will of God and being led by the Holy Spirit, there is a peace in my heart. There is a knowing that the Holy Spirit gives that I am following the Lord and walking in His will. When I move in an area that is not the will of God, there is what I would call a check in my spirit.

We can know the will of God through the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

If it were so important why didn't the Apostles especially Paul address it?

Nowhere is it recorded that we should be "listening" for some voice to guide us.
Or "tuning in" to hear God talk to us.
Not even Jesus taught it when he taught us to pray.

My argument is not about God speaking or not speaking today, He does(Through His word), and he directs us if we have the Spirit.

But when you have all these people claiming God giving them mysterious revelations. Everyone having a word from God today. And people claiming God talking to them through secret messages. Something is wrong.

God never communicated "secretly" as in strange hidden messages to anyone in the Bible. This is not in reference to the Parables of Jesus, but a whole different subject.

Which brings me to this next point where in one of his books Bill Hybels while fishing in his boat one day, claims God gave him a message from a beer can floating along. Or at least he says he thought it was God.

Do you see the problem here?
All these people who claim that God speaks to them or they "think" they're hearing from God, always seem to end up with more questions.

This all leads to confusion, and we know God is not the author of confusion.

The will of God is simple to know, if we don't already know it we don't know our Bibles. ~1 Thessalonians 4:3 1 ~Thessalonians 5:18 ~John 6:40
It's not some mystery that we have to guess, figure out or hope we get right. This too leads to confusion.
God gives us wisdom and will direct our steps for any decisions we decide to make if we ask.
As long as we're within the moral will of God and Godly wisdom revealed in scripture.
As Paul, who said he "decided" to spend winter in Nicopolis.
~Titus 3:12

That wasn't God talking in a direct quotable sense though. That does sound however like He was USING that situation to perhaps open a door.

God's word already tells us though if we decide to marry, to marry a believer. Simple. It's not some game of roulette, who do i marry? Who do I not marry? That's confusion. And there's no hermeneutical grid for interpreting such signs to draw out some meaning that's divinely authoritative enough to make a decision. Nothing warranted in scripture that says we make our decisions based of of some sign or experience we've had.

I believe it was just a coincidence.
I say this because from my experiences, that is NOT God's way of speaking.

I used to believe God spoke that way until I started actually reading my Bible myself.

My own experience:

I prayed for my sick mother to be healed while she was on her death bed. I prayed and prayed, and started seeing "mysterious signs" like on TV commercials which mentioned the SAME stuff I've heard from my sister. Referring to the number 3. And about it being a number of perfection. The first time my mother was in the OR 3 times, her cancer came back 3 weeks later, and we were in a room called Baird 3. Strange right? So I "thought" somehow it was a message from God! THEN my mothers old friend from church visits and brings along someone else who claimed "God told her" my mother was going to be healed. And I told her about my eerie experience and she shared how she SAID God woke her up at 3:33 am to pray. So I thought God has to be speaking through these "signs" which there was no way to exegete them. Conclusion, she wasn't healed and none of these "signs" had any meaning, nor were they divinely authoritative because God doesn't speak that way. As I said above there is no warrant for that in scripture at all.

I liked somebody alot, I thought I was going to be with them because I saw all these "signs". Their name started showing up alot on TV, in my Email messages. Then a ring commercial would come on saying "you have found the one." And another on the News mentioning South Africa, which is funny because this person wants to be a missionary to South Africa.
However they didn't feel the same way so we stayed good friends. That was not God speaking. God doesn't speak that way and He never has.

If you're within God's moral will, and Godly wisdom revealed in scripture the Bible tells you who to marry, a believer.
~2 Corinthians 6:14.

See what I'm getting at? God doesn't speak in these "mysterious signs" which have no exegetical grid to be interpreted as divinely authoritative to guide you in decision making.

[As Paul, who said he "decided" to spend winter in Nicopolis.
~Titus 3:12]

and he also heeded the vision of the Macedonian man and knew what was going to happen to the ship and gave instructions. They also collected alms in response to Agabus prophecy. That was a spiritual guidance followed by a moral decison and an action - to send relief to saints in Judea.

Here we have a good example how it works hand in hand: The ability to make sensible, moral decisions and to follow the spirit.

GS-

Just curious how you think the Father communicated with the Son.

GulchStepper,

I see that you only joined sermonindex 2 days ago. I just wanted to encourage you to continue posting. Thus far I am appreciating your posts on this thread/topic.

This thread is good reminder of the need for balance in spiritual things. When we tend to overemphasize the rational, we soon become cold and calculating and stop seeing the need for the wonder and awe of the mystical, which can hardly be examined or explained.

Many truths appear in sets, both wings are needed to fly.

In Christ,

God is speaking to His Church Through His Son, but do we have ears to hear?

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”( Revelation 3:22)

In the OT God didn't speak as often as people think He did. In fact some people went their whole life without hearing God. Like Nehemiah.

I understand where you're coming from with Paul.
The Canon of scripture wasn't closed back then so understanding that is important. Since the Bible is now complete. God was speaking to them revealing to them the mysteries of God which they recorded for us in scripture for today, everything we need to know about God is in His word. We have those mysteries today written in the Bible. There's no "new" revelation being given, if that were so the Bible wouldn't be complete, now there's "illumination" where God by his Spirit opens our eyes to what is already written so that we understand who God is and know Him better. ~Luke 24:32
Just look at all these false religions claiming "new" revelation from God, Mormonism, Islam, and even certain circles in Christianity like the Charasmatic and Word of faith movement.
It's impossible to know God outside of his word. People today are seeking subjective signs to know God better.

So if today God is speaking outside of scripture how can so many be missing it? If so many are missing it today how would it be any different back then?
If this were the case Paul and even Jesus would've expounded on this issue and we would have a whole book dedicated to hearing God's voice outside of written scripture.

John 10 is the most misquoted passage.
It's always used out of context.
Who was Jesus talking to? We have to back up to ~John 9:40
The Pharisees. And He's using a parable of a shepherd, he isn't referring to a literal voice ~John 10:6.
He addresses the meaning in v.26 which deals with "believing" they didn't believe because they weren't sheep.
So Jesus says "My sheep hear my voice." That is the salvation call, because next verse He says "And I give unto them eternal life."
Jesus is dealing with salvation in this passage.
Not teaching a principle about hearing a literal voice.

John 14 Jesus is talking about His words, v.25 He says He spoke these things being yet present with them. In v.26 He says the Spirit will teach us all things and bring to remembrance what Jesus has said. ~Hebrews 1:1-2
The question is, if we have a complete Bible with everything we need to know. And the spirit teaches us, why do we need to hear voices outside of scripture or need a complex system to know and hear God? Does the Spirit teach us outside of scripture?

I'm not putting your experience down, but "I felt the Lord ask"? If God speaks by feelings or thoughts then we're in big trouble! Because we get thousands of feelings and thoughts per day. And if knowing God's will is based on somehow tapping into or tuning into these subjective feelings and thoughts we're in even bigger trouble because then we're so easily able to miss God's will in everything which will lead to dire consequences!
God's word is objective and His will is already clearly seen in it for our lives.

But all these people in lala land are claiming to be hearing from God? Are they wrong? They say they know God's voice.

I'm not against the use of spiritual gifts, but they're for the edifying of the Church, not for gaining some personal revelation or magical experiences.
You don't control the gifts either, they aren't like a switch that you turn off and on.

God speaks to me by His word. That's the best way to hear God. Not by introspection, imagination, or extrasensory perception. If these were the means of seeking God's will, scripture would encourage believers in such practice. But nothing in scripture teaches that a believer is to seek guidance through such means.

"Every now and then I meet with people whom I think to be rather weak in the head, who will journey from place to place, and will perform follies by the gross under the belief that they are doing the will of God, because some silly whim of their diseased brains is imagined to be an inspiration from above. There are occasionally impressions of the Holy Spirit which guide men where no other guidance could have answered the end. I do not doubt the old story of the Quaker who was disturbed at night and could not sleep, and was led to go to a person’s house miles away, and knock at the door just at the time when the inhabitant was about to commit suicide ”” just in time to prevent the act. I have been the subject of such impressions myself, and have seen very singular results therefrom; but to live by impresssions is oftentimes to live the life of a fool, and even to fall into downright rebellion against the revealed word of God. Not your impressions, but that which is in this book must always guide you. "To the law and to the testimony;” if it be not according to that word, the impression comes not from God ”” it may proceed from Satan, or from thine own distempered brain."

Is the truth that which I imagine to be revealed to me by some private communication? Am I to fancy that I enjoy some special revelation, and am I to order my life by voices, dreams, and impressions? Brethren, fall not into this common delusion. God’s word to us is in Holy Scripture. All the truth that sanctifies men is in God’s Word. Do not listen to those who cry, "Lo here!” and "Lo there!” --Charles Spurgeon(excerpts from "A Well-Ordered Life, and Our Lords Prayer for His Peoples Sanctification).

Brother, what about personal guidance? Just for example, say that I am praying about whether or not I am to accept this job offer or should I move from one location to another when the opportunity has been presented to me. It would be difficult for us to find the guidance we need through the Word, so we would be dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit. Does this make sense to you?

GS if you have no desire to hear from the Lord, or if you think that’s impossible, that is certainly your prerogative. Why do you care if others long for greater communion with God?

””””””””-
The Discipline of Hearing
By Oswald Chambers

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. ””Matthew 10:27

Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into "the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). "Whatever I tell you in the dark…” ”” pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood”” darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.

After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, "How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart”” a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.

Quote by GulchStepper: In the OT God didn't speak as often as people think He did.

Heb 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.

Your contradicting scripture.

Thousand upon thousand times you'll find phrases in the OT such as, "And God spoke to Moses" or "the word of the Lord came to Jonah" or "God said."

And it continues into the NT God spoke to Mary through an angel; he spoke to Joseph through a dream; he spoke to the shepherds through an angel and he spoke to the Magi through a dream.

Yes, God speaks!

No man in there right mind would pick up the bible read it from the front to back and then think that God doesn't speak directly to men and women.

Justin,

Thanks for bringing this topic to the forum.

If you have not already seen this, I think you'll appreciate it;

https://youtu.be/MmJrRx663hg

How To Hear the Voice Of God- Derek Prince (Part 1)

https://youtu.be/6qH4kfZG0iU

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Rom 8:14

Develop a Personal Relationship With the Holy Spirit

The very first thing we need to know if you want to learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit is that you can develop a direct personal relationship with Him the Holy Spirit.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Cor 13:14

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit” Phil 2:1

The two key words in these two verses are the words "communion” and "fellowship.” And both of these two key words are being tied in direct to the Holy Spirit Himself. In other words, the apostle Paul is telling us that we can have direct communion and direct fellowship with the Holy Spirit Himself.

Put those two key words together and they spell one thing ”“ personal relationship.

The Holy Spirit is Our Personal Guide and Teacher in This Life

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26

However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth John 16:13

If the Holy Spirit is our personal Guide and Teacher in this life, then this means He will start to communicate to us so He can teach us what He wants to teach us. And our part will then be to learn how He will communicate to us so we can pick up that communication when He does start to release it to us.

Do Not Resist, Rebel, Grieve, or Quench the Holy Spirit

But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them. Isa 63:10

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thess 5:19-22

You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Acts 7:51

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Eph 4:30

When you really study the intense wording of these verses, you can tell that God the Father is telling all of us loud and clear that once the Holy Spirit starts to move in on you and your life, that He will want us to work in cooperation with Him. God does not want us resisting Him, quenching Him, grieving Him, or trying to rebel against Him. If you rebel and resist the Holy Spirit, then you are rebelling and resisting God Almighty Himself and His Son Jesus Christ. And that is not a place you want to be in with the Lord.

The other thing to pick up on these verses is that they are more proof that the Holy Spirit does have a specific ministry with all of us and that He can become very active in our daily lives.

8 different ways that the Holy Spirit will lead us and communicate to us in this life.

The Inner Witness ”“ The Inner Knowing
The Word of God
Leadings
Check in your Spirit
Visions
Dreams
Prophecies

This is where each Christian has to make their own choice as to whether or not they want to tread into these kinds of waters with the Lord.

The Inner Witness ”“ The Inner Knowing

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Rom 8:16

I tell you the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit Rom 9:1

The first verse is telling us that the Holy Spirit Himself bears witness in our human spirit that we are children of God. And if the Holy Spirit can bear witness in our human spirits on that issue, then I believe He can also bear witness in our spirits with other things as well.

The Word of God

The next way that the Holy Spirit will communicate knowledge to you is sometimes by giving you a direct verse from Scripture.

This is why it is so important for each and every Christian to spend as much quality time as they can in loading up their mind with the Word.

If you do, then the Holy Spirit can bring back up to your remembrance certain Scripture verses when you may need them because you have already done your part by getting the Bible verses "in you.”

Leadings

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Rom 8:14

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matt 4:1

If God is telling us that we are to be led by His Holy Spirit, and then He shows us that His own Son Jesus was also led by the Holy Spirit, there can be no other conclusion to come to other than God wants all of us to learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit in this life.

Some people will say I had a "leading” from the Holy Spirit to take that new job. Other people will use the terms "unction” or "prompting.”

They will say they felt or sensed an unction or prompting from the Holy Spirit to do something specific.

Check in Your Spirit

They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia … They tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. Acts 16:6-7

This verse tells us that the Holy Spirit forbid them from going to Asia and Bithynia. And if the Holy Spirit was forbidding some of the apostles to move in a certain direction back in the beginning of the NT, then He can still do the exact same thing for all us in this day and age.

Visions, Dreams, and Prophecy

And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29

There are two basic types of visions that you can receive from the Holy Spirit.

One is called an "open vision.”

The other is called a "closed vision.”

Open Vision ”“ an open vision is when you receive a vision with your eyes wide open. Many of these visions will be in actual 3-D and if God should allow it, you can actually be a part of that vision itself.

But for the most part, they are very rare, and most Christians will never receive these kinds of open visions from the Holy Spirit.

Closed Vision ”“ the second kind of vision you can receive from the Holy Spirit is what is called a closed vision. A closed vision is when you receive a vision in your mind’s eye.

Though a closed vision does not seem to be as heavy or as dramatic as an open vision is, do not let that fool you. They are both visions and a closed vision is just as powerful and just as dramatic as an open vision is.

Though many people will never receive an open vision in their life, not so with the closed vision. The Holy Spirit loves to give these closed visions and He will do it quite frequently to those who will be open to receiving them, since a closed vision is receiving a picture in your mind’s eye.

You will have to learn through a process of trial and error when a vision is coming in from your own natural imagination or when it is coming in direct from the Holy Spirit.

he next way that the Holy Spirit can use to communicate something specific to you coming from the above verse from Joel is in your dreams.

Dreams

In other words, you can receive a dream direct from the Holy Spirit. Another word for dreams is that they are "visions of the night.”

As you all know, the Bible has many examples of people receiving dreams from the Lord. God used an angel in a dream to tell Joseph to immediately flee to Egypt right after Jesus had been born, as Herod was getting ready to kill all of the first born.

Prophecy

The third way God can communicate directly to you coming from the above verse from Joel is by prophecy, one of the 9 gifts from the Holy Spirit is the gift of prophecy.

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” 1 Cor 14:4

Prophecies from the Lord can cover an extremely wide range of situations and issues, covering everything from predicting future events like they use to do in the OT, to giving someone counsel, encouragement, confirmation, instruction, and possible correction when it may be needed.

Also, all prophecy needs to be properly tested, as the Bible tells us that there will always be false prophets walking among us, along with the possibility of well-meaning believers prophesying out of their own imaginations.

All prophecy always needs to line up with Scripture. If it does not, it should be immediately rejected. God will never go against His own Word when delivering a prophetic word to someone.

Again, any believer can have the Lord manifest this gift through them at anytime that He will want to do so. You do not have to hold the actual office of a prophet in order for God to manifest this gift through you from time to time.

The Bible tells us that in the latter days God will be pouring out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh and when He does, it says our sons and daughters will be prophesying.

This means that there are going to be many believers who are going to be getting this gift manifesting through them with a lot of frequency in the coming years.

When Paul says in the above two verses to "desire earnestly to prophesy” and to "desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy,” you know that this is something that the Lord would really like to do more of with His children.

Colin,

You said,

"The Bible tells us that in the latter days God will be pouring out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh and when He does, it says our sons and daughters will be prophesying.

This means that there are going to be many believers who are going to be getting this gift manifesting through them with a lot of frequency in the coming years."

Peter said in Acts 2:14-18,

"Men of Judaea, and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem, be in no uncertainty about this matter but pay attention to what I say. For this is not intoxication, as you suppose, it being only the third hour of the day. But that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams; and even upon My bondservants, both men and women, at that time, I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy."

You referenced the passages above in Acts. You then stated that "this means...", as you went on to tell us all.

But according to Peter, the prophecy of Joel he quoted says otherwise. Peter tells us that "that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened."

Peter tells them specifically in regard to this matter they're witnessing then and there, what it is and what it is not, "...be in no uncertainty about this matter but pay attention to what I say. For this is not intoxication, as you suppose..."

No man ought put any slant of any sort upon the Scripture to fit their interpretation, but ought to allow the context of the text to be its own interpreter as the Holy Spirit teaches us.

You then go on to say,

"You will have to learn through a process of trial and error when a vision is coming in from your own natural imagination or when it is coming in direct from the Holy Spirit."

By what authority do you make such a claim? I contend that you open wide the floodgates of deception by such a belief or teaching.

Hi Justin,

You got many good responses from the brothers here.

Do you actually want to hear from God or prove that one cannot hear from God apart from scripture?

I think you have to get rid of the idea, that God only speaks through the written word and anything outside it is adding to scripture - that idea a misinterpretation and not found in sripture either.

As for Spurgeon, there is a well known incident where Spurgeon gave a word of knowledge in one of his sermons about a trader who opened his shop on Sunday and made a certain amount of money and the trangressor in the congreation got convicted and came forward.

My own experience:

I prayed for my sick mother to be healed ...

Justin: Our own personal experience is so near to us, and can affect us in profound ways. I hear what you are saying, and I have heard these things many times before, and perhaps even said something similar myself. We have so much invested in our own experience and when our expectations don't pan out, it truly does make the heart sick. But our own experience is not the plumbline by which we establish truth, and it is not the basis upon which we build scriptural interpretation.

The New Testament is replete with examples of God speaking directly to men. I will list just a few that might be good to look at. Eph. 4:21, "If so be that ye have heard him (Jesus Christ) and have been taught by him" Matth. 10:19 and 13:11. Take no thought what you will say because the Holy Spirit will tell you and your words won't be of you, but of Him. Heb. 3:7-8 Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Acts 9:4 Jesus spoke to Saul on the road. Acts 10:13 Jesus spoke to Peter. John 5:25 The hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live. John 10:16 Speaking of Gentiles, I have other sheep not of this fold that will hear my voice. Titus 1:18 A prophecy was spoken over Timothy and Paul told him to use it in spiritual warfare. Obviously someone had to hear that word and deliver it. This list is only a scant few of the many I can find.

My point is this. The word of God tells us that God speaks directly to us and gives us many examples. In fact, it is one of the defining marks of the new covenant that we will have intimacy with God restored through the Holy Spirit and that we can now speak directly to and receive directly from God.

You had a couple of experiences where you and others missed it. That seems to have caused a reaction in you that has shaped the way you believe. But we cannot allow the failures of others or of ourselves to redefine how we see the truth of God's word. That is to base truth on fallen man's failure to live in it perfectly. But truth transcends us. It is true no matter what. Now the real question. How do I learn to walk in this truth? That is the difficult part, and I have made MANY mistakes along that path, yet I am learning and growing every day. I hear God's voice and can obey Him so much better now than I used to, to the point that I often have God speak specifically to me about what to say when I minister to people in prayer. I am growing in confidence in my own ability to hear Him.

God speaks to His children. He does so in impressions, thoughts, direct communication to our hearts and minds, dreams, visions, and at times circumstances. (Be careful with circumstances.) You seem to me to be at a point of crisis between your experience and what it seems to have told you, your reaction to it and the denominational teaching you are receiving, and the reality of things you see and hear from other believers, even here in this thread. This is never a comfortable place as it causes us to answer questions in our own heart. But God wants to root you firmly in truth. Ask Him to speak to you. If you are in earnest with God, He will. And it will open up a whole new chapter in your walk with Him.

Faithful obedience... wether the Lord speaks to you thru His word or thru His Holy Spirit is His desire. He even gives us grace to perform His word, ours is a ministry of reconciliation, is it not?
Are there not multitudes plagued fear?
Fear has one objective, make you it’s slave-
Do we not have the cure, the truth that sets men free!?

It’s like a group of football players where some saw the coach write the play on the board and others heard him call it ... as long as we each obey what we are told, the coach a responsible for the rest, he is the play caller.

wether written or revealed, His word commands us to testify of Christ, live a life worthy of the gospel wherewith we were called, make disciples ✝️

Quote: Peter tells us that "that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened."

Acts 2 :16-18 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

Read it carefully it says the prophesied outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days

It began on that specific Day of Pentecost, yes, but is not limited to that single day. No, but rather God had promised the Holy Spirit outpouring in the "last days ((plural)) in those days ((plural)) The baptism with the Holy Spirit, as well as the accompanying gifts of the Holy Spirit, are for the entirety of the "last days”, including those in which we live.

In fact, on that first New Testament Pentecost, Peter clearly said that the baptism with the Spirit and the resulting power which they had received was for you and your children and for ((all who are far off)) ”” ((for all whom the Lord our God will call)) Acts 2:39.

Quote: "You will have to learn through a process of trial and error when a vision is coming in from your own natural imagination or when it is coming in direct from the Holy Spirit."

By what authority do you make such a claim?

Spiritual maturity is not instantaneous and final. If it were so, what would be the point of the exhortation in Heb 6:1 Let us go on to maturity.

I have made many mistakes, I have missed the mark many times and but they are also valuable lessons.

Here is an example of one - while in prayer meeting for a evangelism outreach - during the prayer (deep groanings) I kept seeing two men that I had spoke to the day before, rather than asking them - I kept snapping my mind back to the prayer - get behind me Satan.

Well that night who came along to the outreach meeting the two men plus another 6 of the family members. Some got saved other recommitted there lives to Christ and some got filled with the Spirit.

You see that "vision" of the two men wasn't an assault from Satan on my mind it was God trying to let me know about these two men... I had missed it.

I should have been like Samuel and said "Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening”

I posted a quick reply yesterday as I was waiting on a plane and didn't get down all that wanted to write.

Quote: But according to Peter, the prophecy of Joel he quoted says otherwise. Peter tells us that "that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened."

No what Peter says is - this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel

So what did Joel say and has happened as you claim.

It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pogur out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:28-32

In describing the outpouring of the Spirit in the end times, Joel prophecies state that the sun, moon, and stars would be dramatically altered Joel 2:10, 30-31; 3:15.

Joel also prophesied that there would be signs on the earth.
The wonders in the earth will include manifestations of blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.

Blood is one of the major signs. It will flow in unprecedented amounts ”“ this is clearly great tribulation events. Blood is seen in the first three trumpets and the second and third bowl judgments Rev 8:7-10, 16:3-4. Also The two witnesses will have authority to turn water into blood.

Joel is telling us during the last days of Israel history, during the tribulation period, the Spirit of God will work in a mighty power in the saving of both Jews and Gentiles and there will be mighty signs in the heavens and on the earth.

Penetecost

Joel saw the end point of the whole process.
Peter focused on the onset of it.

There is no reason to restrict Joel’s prophecy about the gifts of the Spirit to one event, if the Spirit was given at Pentecost and Joel described it to include the Day of the Lord

Then there is no basis to exclude the gifts today ”“ since we are clearly between those points of time.

God speaks .

That’s not up for debate, wether we have heard Him correctly or not could be-

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God

This is another non-negotiable (for me).

If someone honestly wants to learn to hear the Lord, then they will.
If they want to debate wether it’s possible to hear the Lord, they will.

In the spirit of honesty,... many of the times where He made a clear assertion to me to do or say a thing, it put me in a very uncomfortable/awkward position and more often than not I argue that I’m not gonna do it, but when He presses (and He does do more than just ask or suggest) the weight of His command is sufficient in itself to bring about completion of the thing.

But because this is not uncommon for me and others that I know hear from the Lord, it’s not a debatable issue under any circumstances...
our God speaks and He has spoken to us through His Son ✝️

And the words of Jesus quoted above from Matthew 4:4 (Himself quoting Old Testament) are demonstrated quite clearly after the resurrection in
Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot

How could Christ be the Head of His body without communicating with it?
He commands His body and those whom obey are sons and daughters and those who don’t are bastards.
We have a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek yet whom is not unfamiliar with our infirmities, is their doubt He ministers unto His people?

Let the WORD dwell in you richly, it’s living 🙏🏻

My purpose for posting this question was to see if there were really scriptural evidences of this occurring today because I've found that multiple times in the Bible it is nowheres mentioned. Although there were some informative posts and responses, none of them really provided any scriptural answers in proper context but rather human experiences.

I've heard about that incident. I do believe in words of knowledge don't get me wrong, but that's not getting a direct "quotable" word from God. But what do you say about all these people, false teachers included who say "God spoke to me."?

To them they believe it just as much as anyone else who supposedly heard God speak to them. If our experiences and emotions can be unreliable then how would someone exegete an esoteric sign or voice, they've heard to draw out some meaning of it and prove it was really from God?

Please show me where I'm contradicting scripture??

If you look at the lives of these people, like Jonah, it is recorded that God only spoke to Jonah five times in Jonah.
Nehemiah didn't hear God speak at all according to his book.
The only time I've seen so far is Moses got spoken to the most. The other instance was the disciples but they had Jesus physically present.
That white page between the OT and NT is where God hasn't spoken in 400 years.
I just don't understand how some people say they hear him everyday, and tells them where to go have lunch, or where to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving, or what car to buy. Never seen that happen in scripture🤔

I never said God doesn't speak, but when you have all these charismatics going around saying "God told me" or "God said this" and then it breeds confusion as there becomes so many other voices then that's dangerous ground.

But what do you think about all the people who prophesied and said God told them Trump would serve a second consecutive term as president? And the people who prophesied and said God told them Covid was ending last year, and that 2021 would be the greatest year with billions of people getting saved and millions of miracle ministries(Sid Roth)?

Why do you need personal guidance when you have His word already? Is it insufficient to guide enough??

There's nothing wrong with accepting a job if your intentions are good, and if the job is good if you use Godly wisdom or have sought counsel. Moving from one location to another doesn't diminish anything. As long as you're walking already in the will of God 1 Thessalonians 4:3. If you're moving let's say to another state to be in a good church because you don't have one then that is using wisdom. As long as what you're doing is in Godly wisdom and His revealed will in scripture Romans 12:1-2.

Many of us make hundreds of decisions everyday, like what toothpaste to use, what route to drive to work, what hand to open the door with, what we're going to have for dinner.

It's not difficult, if the word says what you are seeking is not sinful and will honor God then you're free to make that decision.
Paul said he decided to winter in Nicopolis. ~Titus 3:12
Acts 15:36-40 is another good example where decisions were made.

Many great men of God who are/were not crazy charismatics took the idea of God speaking to them for granted. Read some of Tozer’s writings. Just recently I read Oswald Chambers discussion along these lines:
””””””””-

Are You Listening to God?
By Oswald Chambers

They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." ””Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God”” we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them”” not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

"You speak with us,…but let not God speak with us….” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, "Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

There are false prophets and false teachers

Right now we have a group of people who claim to be prophetic that aren't but we also have another group who claim they are teaching the truth that aren't.

False teachers say things like

Quote: "Hearing the voice of the Lord is not a new idea. I’m sure you could cite several biblical examples of God’s speaking to His chosen people to communicate to them His will. On a few extraordinary occasions in Scripture, whether through His Spirit or in an audible voice, God provided specific, practical instructions directly to individuals."

But before long into there sermon you hear

Quote "But that kind of communication, whether it’s audible or intuitive, is not trustworthy in fact, it’s useless.

The false teacher if you listen carefully to the message, you will find that Jesus Christ is not essential.

What do I mean well the Good Shepherd let's us know -

The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

"The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me"

But yet this false teacher says: that the voice of the good Shepard - "is not trustworthy in fact, it’s useless"

False teachers are ministers of unbelief - They delight in the shortcomings and misgivings of those who seek to minister the Gospel; instead of encouraging critical thinking and proper exegesis, he will rally his followers in disbelief, deceiving the minds of naïve listeners.

False teachers are opportunist - they exploit forms of truth for personal gain and interest. They fabricates there own message - His religion is self-made using a collaboration of teachings that suit his own desires.

False teachers will purposefully and skillfully twist scripture - He bears false witness against God, denying the truth and speaking perverse things. He will push agenda, redefine even the most fundamental truths, and make up stories that appeal to the human nature.

Hi Justin,

Just a question, are you Justin Peters by any chance?

This a really good question and I thank God for the brothers here that answered and they encouraged me to hear God's voice and to listen.

God has been speaking to man since the beginning telling us to abide in Him and to be fruitful and to repent of our wicked ways and to cling on to Him. He spoke to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, the prophets and the list goes on. He even spoke to rebellious kings like Ahab, Jeroboam through the prophets of God. He is speaking to you and me today. His creation like the rainbow is speaking to mankind how He made a covenant that He will not destroy the earth with flood again. But man did not listen to God and made the rainbow that belongs to God into an image. Also, God even spoke through Balaam a false prophet who was trying to destroy the Israelites about the Messiah to come our Lord and Savior Jesus.
God is the one who speaks to us and reveals to us about His Son Jesus Christ. How He came to us as a sacrifice and died for our sins and how God raised Him from the dead. Jesus is alive and He is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us. This was revealed by the Father to us by speaking to us. By convicting us through the Holy Spirit.
As a believer of Jesus Christ, we need to hear God's voice and some of the brothers that wrote gave great examples on how God speaks. .
Ps the LORD God is the same yesterday today and forevermore.
He is the first and the last. He does not change. So if He spoke to His servants, enemies and man in the past, He is still speaking to us now. When you know God, you will be able to discern His voice.

I hope that this helps you and others and hope you have a blessed day

With love
Robert

Justin, these are very good thoughts, I believe you are on the right path.
It is paramount to know the Word of God because there are so many false prophets and teachers out there now.
But I still believe we need to pray for help and personal guidance.
It is His Spirit together with His Word that we need.

Here is a good Sermon by pastor John Piper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHwCIx32AdY

I never said God doesn't speak, but when you have all these charismatics going around saying "God told me" or "God said this" and then it breeds confusion as there becomes so many other voices then that's dangerous ground.

But what do you think about all the people who prophesied and said God told them Trump would serve a second consecutive term as president? And the people who prophesied and said God told them Covid was ending last year, and that 2021 would be the greatest year with billions of people getting saved and millions of miracle ministries(Sid Roth)?

I'm a charismatic / pentecostal, whatever you want to call me, I believe that all the gifts are for today for the perfection of the Church. To me, the false that is out there proves the true! We can't have one without the other.

God does speak but what He speaks will align with His word. He will never tell anyone to leave their spouse to take up with someone else's spouse. Or to go ahead and appease their flesh and commit adultery. Those are givens.

God bless you brother,
Lisa

I was raised in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. When I went off to college, I soon forgot about God. Fast forward 20 years, and now I have a three year old son. I began to contemplate how I should raise my son. Being that I was raised in strict greek Catholic home, I thought that I should teach my son about God as my father had done.

Working in the garden on a Saturday morning, I thought about teaching my son as I had been taught. In that moment, a clear thought entered my mind,

"How will you teach him about Me when you do not know Me?"

That was the first time I heard God speak.

Hi Justin,

Just a question, are you Justin Peters by any chance?

GulchStepper: Please show me where I'm contradicting scripture??

"My sheep hear My voice"

God is the author of both creation and scripture. He speaks through creation (natural/providence) as well in various ways but everything has to come under the authority of scripture. Gifts of the Holy Spirit would be supernatural means of communication.

Psalms 19:1-14 -
Creation/nature -
[1] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. [2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. [4] Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, [5] Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. [6] His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Scripture (verses 7-11) -
[7] The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. [8] The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. [9] The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. [10] More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. [11] Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. [12] Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. [13] Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. [14] Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Cross reference to Psalm 19:1-6 -
Romans 1:18-23 - [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

A sermon on Psalm 19:
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1227161122560

"The creation is glorious to behold, and it is a pleasant and profitable study. Some think that when Isaac went abroad into the fields to meditate, it was in the book of the creatures. The creation is the heathen man's Bible, the ploughman's primer, and the traveller's perspective glass, through which he receives a representation of the infinite excellencies which are in God. The creation is a large volume, in which God's works are bound up; and this volume has three great leaves in it, heaven, earth, and sea.

The author of the creation is God, as it is in the text, God created.' The world was created in time, and could not be from eternity, as Aristotle thought. The world must have a maker, and could not make itself. If one should go into a far country, and see stately edifices, he would never imagine that they could build themselves, but that there had been some artificer to raise such goodly structures; so this great fabric of the world could not create itself, it must have some builder or maker, and that is God. In the beginning God created.' To imagine that the work of the creation was not framed by the Lord Jehovah, is as if we should conceive a curious landscape to be drawn without the hand of an artist. God that made the world and all things therein.' Acts 17:74."

Source:
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/bible_books/?view=book_chapter&chapter=17849