YOU ALSO CAN HEAR FROM GOD
4 "AND WHEN HE BRINGS OUT HIS OWN SHEEP, HE GOES BEFORE THEM; AND THE SHEEP FOLLOW HIM, FOR THEY KNOW HIS VOICE.
5 “YET they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW THE VOICE OF STRANGERS.”
John 10:4,5 (NKJV)
God speaks in various ways.
He speaks through the General Ways and Spectacular Ways. Thus, those who are His should know and be conversant with His voice.
I. One of the General Ways through which God speaks is the Cry Out of Wisdom:
1 DOES NOT WISDOM CRY OUT, AND UNDERSTANDING LIFT UP HER VOICE? 2 SHE TAKES HER STAND ON THE TOP OF HIGH HILL BESIDE THE WAY, WHERE THE PATHS MEET. 3 SHE CRIES OUT BY THE GATES, AT THE ENTRY OF THE CITY, AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE DOORS" (Proverbs 8:1-3 NKJV).
Note:
• God may allow different people who come your way to talk about a particular issue which you are thinking on or bothering your mind. The people in question might not know what is going on in your mind.
• You should not be rigid, the cry out of wisdom may mean God speaking to you through what the people who come your way say—about the particular issue that is bothering your mind.
• The cry out of wisdom may also mean God speaking through every message, sermon, you heard or book you read. Even when the preachers or the authors of such do not know you, nor know what you are thinking in your mind.
• In such a situation, It would be wise, if you give what you heard or read a thought and pray; whenever you heard or read such messages. Also, you should endeavour to take a step on them (Acts 20:22, 23; 21:4,11,12).
• At times you may not clearly hear from God, He may expect you to discern what He is saying through the happenings around you—it is a way of wisdom crying out:
6 ALSO I GAVE YOU CLEANNESS OF TEETH [hunger] IN ALL YOUR CITIES, AND LACK OF BREAD IN ALL YOUR PLACES; YET YOU HAVE NOT RETURNED TO ME,” SAYS THE LORD. 7 I ALSO WITHHELD RAIN FROM YOU, WHEN THERE WERE STILL THREE MONTHS TO THE HARVEST. I MADE IT RAIN ON ONE CITY, I WITHHELD FROM ANOTHER CITY. ONE PART WAS RAINED UPON, AND WHERE IT DID NOT RAIN THE PART WITHERED” (Amos 4:6,7 NKJV).
READ: Romans 1:19, 20; Acts 14:16,17
II. Another way out of the General Ways through which God speaks is Inward Witness.
• Human is a spirit being, has a soul [mind], and dwells in a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
• When you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, your spirit man [the inward man] becomes a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your recreated spirit: “BUT YOU ARE NOT IN THE FLESH BUT IN THE SPIRIT, IF INDEED THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU. NOW IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, HE IS NOT HIS" (Romans 8:9 NKJV).
READ: John 3:5,6; 2 Cor 5:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20).
Your inward man, your recreated spirit, becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour (1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 2 Corinthians 4:16).
• The Holy Spirit will begin to communicate with your spirit, begin to direct you on what to do, and how to live in line with the Word of God (Romans 8:14).
• The Holy Spirit will not lead you contrary to or against the written Word, the Bible, because it was inspired by Him: “KNOWING THIS FIRST, THAT NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE IS OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION [origin], FOR PROPHECY NEVER CAME BY THE WILL OF MAN, BUT HOLY MEN OF GOD SPOKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT" (2 Peter 1:20,21 NKJV).
READ: John 16:13,14; 2 Timothy 3:16,17
Having said that, you have a responsibility to work on your flesh [body], and your mind [soul], because they are not regenerated at the new birth:
1 I BESEECH [urge] YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, THAT YOU PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE. 2 AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD" (Romans 12:1,2 NKJV).
• You renew your mind by studying the Word of God (Joshua 1:8; James 1:21). As you do that, your thinking; your perspectives or viewpoints about life will begin to change. You begin to see things in God’s point of view, you begin to reason like God (Mark 7:20-23).
• The transformation in your mind will affect your body, you will no longer yield your body to sin again (Ephesians 4:21-24).
Now that your mind is being renewed by the study of the Word; It will be more sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.
• When your spirit receives a message from the Holy Spirit on the inside of you, it passes it across to your mind. And your mind will easily receive the message, because it is now preoccupied with the Word of God.
When you pray, you listen to your recreated human spirit, he gives you thoughts and ideas.
• The thoughts that come to you after your prayers, when you go about your day-to-day activities, are the leadings of the Holy Spirit.
• Remember, any thoughts or ideas received after your prayers should be in line with the Bible; If such thoughts or ideas were contrary to the Bible, do not accept them.
• Know that the renewing of mind is a continual process, thus you should not stop studying the Word.
Therefore, God speaks through inward witnesses. In other words, He puts thoughts and paints the pictures of what He wanted you to do in your mind (Ephesians 4:23).
• The more consistently you renew your mind with the Word of God, the more sensitive it becomes; to receive whatever the Holy Spirit has to say through your spirit—inward man.
• Inward witness is the commonest way which God uses to speak to His children. So, you would have to develop your sensitivity, perceptiveness, through the study of God’s Word and consistent prayers in the language of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthisns 14:2; Jude 20).
• An Example:
Apostle Paul received a message through the inward witness:
9 NOW WHEN MUCH TIME HAD BEEN SPENT, AND SAILING WAS NOW DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE FAST [the day of atonement] WAS ALREADY OVER, PAUL ADVISED THEM, 10 SAYING, “MEN, I PERCEIVE [have a witness on the inside of me] THAT THIS VOYAGE WILL END WITH DISASTER AND MUCH LOSS, NOT ONLY OF CARGO AND SHIP, BUT ALSO OUR LIVES" (Acts 27:9,10 NKJV).
That being said; God also speaks through the Spectacular Ways: visions, trances, dreams, angelic visitations and audible voices—but not always.
• Visions – Acts 16:8-10
• Trances – Acts 10:9-16
• Dreams – Matthew 1:18-20; 2:12-14,19-22
• Angelic Visitations – Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:1-7; 12:5-11
• Audible Voices – Acts 22:9; 26:14
You may not need to pray that God should speak to you through any of the Spectacular Ways—let Him choose whichever way He wants: “YOUR EARS SHALL HEAR A WORD BEHIND YOU, SAYING, “THIS IS THE WAY, WALK IN IT,” WHENEVER YOU TURN TO THE RIGHT HAND OR WHENEVER YOU TURN TO THE LEFT" (Isaiah 30:21 NKJV).
Your hearing hears and your seeing eyes are declared opened in Jesus’ mighty name.
Peace.