God speaks through a variety of different means, and the more sensitive we become to His voice, the more we will realize that God is always speaking if we will take the time to listen.
Here are 8 common ways God speaks to us.
1. An Audible Voice.
When God speaks it can sometimes sound like an audible voice. Please understand that this isn’t the same thing experienced by mentally ill individuals who hear voices in their heads. Most of the time when God speaks audibly the only person who hears Him is the one whom He is speaking. And even then it is a voice that is perceived deep within the heart.
2. A Sudden Supernatural Awareness From Heaven.
Hearing the voice of God may come as what could best be described as “a knowing” or a sudden awareness of something God is communicating. It has the same effect as hearing the audible voice of God in our hearts, but it is compressed into an instant of time.
It is like a moment when God’s thoughts, God’s emotions, or God’s attitude becomes our own. It’s almost like an instantaneous download of information from one computer to another.
3. An Unfolding, Extended Revelation Over Time.
Sometimes God’s voice may come to us the same way as mentioned above but much more slowly. It can come as an unfolding revelation over a period of time, long or short, and will usually be mixed with our own thought process. It will usually involve learning and behaviour. It may also involve other people who are being used by God to speak into our lives.
4. Impressions.
Impressions from the Holy Spirit may come simply as “a feeling.” They are not audible. They aren’t dramatic in their nature. They happen only in the silence of our own hearts, and their meaning is to be discerned. When God speaks in this manner, these impressions do not seem to go away. They come, they stay, and they get stronger with the passing of time.
5. Conscience and Conviction.
As we draw closer and closer to the Lord, our conscience will become increasingly tender toward God, and He will often use it to lead us and direct us. When this happens, you will find that these convictions are usually of a highly personal nature.
If you silence that voice and violate your conscience, it is a sin before God. The more sensitivity you develop to the voice of conscience, the more you will discover that God is speaking to you everyday . . . much more than you may realize.
6. Dreams and Visions.
Throughout the ages God has used dreams and visions to speak to His people. Major portions of the Scripture come from dreams and visions, and there are hundreds of references to these experiences in the Bible.
And it’s for CERTAIN that He is still speaking through dreams and visions today: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28 KJV)
7. Prophetic Words.
God uses prophets and prophetic anointing operating in believers to speak and bring revelation to His people. Great care needs to be taken at this point to ensure that we remain scripturally balanced. A
person should never seek guidance through a prophet without corresponding agreement in their own spirit that has come through prayer and time in the written Word of God.
8. Opportunity.
Sometimes God will reveal His will by presenting us with an opportunity that we did not plan or orchestrate on our own. We may never have even thought of doing a particular thing, and suddenly the way seems to open up before our eyes.
(Special thanks to the insights of Evangelist Daniel Kolenda for this post. God bless!)
