Bible Question:

How do you know when Jesus is talking to you? When I am talking to Him and asking for advice, how can I tell if it is Him who is telling me what to do?

Bible Answer:

There are several ways in which God talks to us today. He speaks to us through the creation, through our conscience, and He speaks to us directly through the Bible. The Bible study Seeking God’s Will will also help provide direction. It is important to realize that Jesus does not normally speak to us individually or by an audible voice.

Speaks To Us Indirectly

God has designed the world that we live in in such a way as to encourage men and women to ask. “Is there a God?” Therefore, it should not be surprising that God has designed into our universe contradictions and mysteries. Our world was designed by God and not by random chance.

One such mystery is that scientists now know that the universe is made of stuff like ourselves and other stuff that “isn’t like the stuff of which we’re made.” They call it dark matter, but scientists do not know what the “stuff” is. They have not been able to find it. The scientists who assume that dark matter exists have discovered that this still does not explain the structure of the universe. “There’s a third component out there, and it’s not matter but some form of dark energy . . . After adding up all the potential sources of dark matter and ordinary matter, astronomers still come up two-thirds short.”[1]. God has given the scientists a clue that there is a cosmic designer power at work – God. Man does not have all of the answers. He will always be digging because God is infinite and He has designed this universe to reflect Who He is.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB)

We live in God’s universe – not a scientist’s universe. A scientist would have created a simple, sterile, mathematical place to live. The universe tells us that there is a God.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans. 1:20 (NASB)

God also speaks to us through our conscience. God has written His moral law into our conscience to convict us of sin and to encourage us to be holy.

. . . they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them . . . Romans 2:15 (NASB)

Speaks to Us Directly

For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ . . . (NASB) Matthew 15:4

God spoke to some of the prophets in dreams and in visions.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed . . . (NASB) Daniel 7:1

Every word in the Bible is from God. That is the message of the next verse.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness . . . (NASB) 2 Timothy 3:16

Answers To Prayer

The message so far is that God does speak to us in a number of ways. When we ask God for advice and direction, some teach and others believe that God will speak to them directly. God has rarely spoken directly to us. Yes, he spoke to the apostles and prophets, but how many prophets and apostles were there? Today God may speak to an individual, but that is not the norm. If God does, then the Old Testament test as to when God has spoken is that there are no mistakes in what is said (Deuteronomy 18:15-22).

Based on the claims of all current day “prophets,” one would conclude that God has made some serious mistakes. One gentlemen recently told me that He speaks to Jesus every day. He went on to tell me that Jesus had made a mistake about the man’s love life. When this happens he says that he talks to Jesus about His mistakes. The correct conclusion is that this man was not talking to Jesus, but to a demonic spirit. The man is also not a prophet of God. There are many “prophets” today who claim to speak for God, but the truth is they are false prophets. God has not spoken to them. Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-22, there are no prophets of God today. This does not mean that God cannot or will not speak to someone in the future.

God normally gives us an answer through the Bible or by changing the circumstances in our lives. He usually changes events to move us in a direction. Gideon was a great example of one who sought God’s direction by asking for unusual events to occur to give him a sign. Many Christians have found that God will speak to them through circumstances too.

Then Gideon said to God, “If Thou wilt deliver Israel through me, as Thou hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that Thou wilt deliver Israel through me, as Thou hast spoken.” And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Thine anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground. (NASB) Judges 6:36-40

Conclusion

God leads us through our consciences, the Bible, the leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14), and through our circumstances. I find that God is constantly leading me as I ask Him to change the events in my life, and to speak to me through His Word. He has been very faithful to give me guidance. God guides us in supernatural ways, but that is not God’s usual method.

 

References:

1. The Greatest Unanswered Questions of Physics. Discover. Feb. 2002. p. 38.

 

Suggested Links:

Seeking God’s Will
How do I know if my prayers have been answered?
What can I say in my prayers?
Does God hear the prayers of unbelievers?
How to study the Bible
Solid Roots Study
What is the Bible?