answering some email pt. 1

A while ago a friend emailed and asked me a good question: People talk about being obedient to God and listening to him. I’m never quite sure what this means. How do I hear God speaking to me?

Have you ever wondered this? I know I have.

Here is my short answer response:
How do I know that God is speaking to me? There are many ways that this can occur, though none of them are necessarily easy to decipher. Hopefully I can help you out a little though.

1. One way God speak to people is through the Bible. The Bible claims that it is written by God through the minds and pens of humans. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is God-breathed – which literally means ‘from the mouth of God.’ What this means is that if the Bible tells us to do something (i.e. – not fornicate, take care of the poor, worship God alone, pray, speak kindly of others) we can assume that God would say they same thing audibly to us if he would choose to do so.

2. Another way God speaks is through his Holy Spirit. In John 16 Jesus tells us that God will send a counselor to be with us. Traditional Orthodox Christianity believes that the Spirit of God speaks into the hearts and minds of people who follow Jesus. Often times, those feelings of compassion or conviction or conscience, are actually the Spirit of God working and speaking inside you. The more you follow those leadings, the easier it becomes to ‘hear’ God. One note – the Holy Spirit will never lead you to do something that contradicts the words of God in the Bible. So, for example, if you feel like taking revenge on someone or gossiping, that is not God speaking to you.

3. A third way God speaks to people is through other people, often times other followers of Jesus. There have been many times when I have heard a sermon or sung a song and felt like God was speaking words right to me through the mouth of the pastor. Also, this is why it is so important for people to be in authentic relationships with Christ followers. God may choose to reveal some truth to another person, who then shares it with you. In my life I listen for God in the advice and counsel of others who are journeying through life with me.

Ok, so it wasn’t that short of a reply, but I hope that these three keys will help you out.