Does God Still Speak to Us?
Does God still speak to us? This was a question that I would wonder about and I still hear others pause or openly doubt that our heavenly Father is even there. I do not doubt that He is there and I know that He speaks, IF we take the time to listen for His voice.
For some it may be an inner feeling-a gut feeling. For others it may be a thought that pops into your head unexpectedly. It could be in the form of a dream, and it may also come to you through somebody else…a chance meeting that turns into a conversation. God’s voice has many forms.
Once we begin our walk with Him and spend time each day in earnest prayer, it becomes easier to distinguish God’s ways of communicating. I often get impressions that I should do this or that after I have prayed over a question about a direction that should be taken in my life. Sometimes there is no immediate answer because it is not the right time to do anything. So I simply wait until the answer becomes clear, and He always answers.
Is It God, my imagination or Satan
One thing to remember is Satan cannot read your mind the way God can. He can however put thoughts into your head and manipulate people into doing what he wants them to. This is one major difference between God and the adversary. God will never manipulate you into doing His will. It is only by asking for the Holy Spirit will God have permission to do His will in our lives, and I for one will be seeking His will over Satan’s. Would you rather be led by the Holy Spirit or one who is seeking to destroy you?
If you have ever felt shame over something that you did or guilt over something that you did not do; then chances are you have felt the Holy Spirits conviction work in your life. Some people call this your conscience, but I have begun to realize that the Holy Spirit is our conscience.
Grieving The Holy Spirit
No longer feel guilty over doing things that you know are wrong? Or feel nothing when you know you should? it is quite possible that the Holy Spirit has been grieved to the point where you are no longer hearing His convictions. This is dangerous because it could mean losing salvation. When the Holy Spirit is taken away there is little chance of redemption, but there is still hope.
There are people from the past who had lost their salvation and managed to reclaim it. One such person was Moses. We know that he was not allowed into the promised land because of his actions in the desert of Zin. If you read this story in Numbers 20 Moses’ actions went against God.
A Fitting Punishment?
The Lord instructed Moses to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water. Moses took his staff and struck the rock twice. The Lord wanted to show His power through Moses, but instead, it seemed as if Moses himself made the water flow by striking it with his staff.
God not only punished him but his people as well. They were compelled to wander in the desert for 40 years. Not one person that was brought out of Egypt was alive to go into the promised land. It was their descendants.
God allowed Moses to see the land but he died without crossing into it. God Himself buried Moses and it was not known where except in the valley of Moab. Will Moses be in the new kingdom? Yes, he will.
3 Ways to Hear God’s Voice
- Tune into God by spending some time each day in silence. Turn off the world in order to tune into God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you discernment. This is not meditation but listening with your heart.
- Seek the manner in which He is speaking to you. Be aware of the different ways that He can use in order to get your attention.
- Most people expect to hear an audible voice. He may use your own inner voice in the form of a thought. Learning to discern His voice from that of the enemy is crucial.
Have you ever had the feeling to take a different route for no reason, or not to trust a certain person you just met? These may be His way of leading you in a different direction, away from danger.
Do Dreams Come From God?
God may send us messages through dreams, but we must be careful to remember that the evil ones can also influence thoughts and dreams, so one rule to remember is The Lord will never send us a dream to lead us away from Him or to do something we know is wrong. He will never attempt to influence. We always have free will. I have had dreams that are convicting or revealing in nature and felt very certain that they did indeed come from a divine source. And yes, once I changed my course I felt much better about myself.
We Want Fast Food
Waiting for a prayer to be answered may seem like an eternity, but we must remember that We will always get what we need when He feels we are ready, not necessarily when we want it. And God will give us what we need. Always! If prayer isn’t answered it could be that what you want isn’t what you need or goes against His will. We must always pray for His will to be done in our lives because the Lord always knows what is best for us.
Sometimes we may receive more than what we ask for. God loves to bless His children and delights in answering prayers from the heart. I for one have been blessed beyond what I have prayed for and His answer came to me rather quickly when I was seeking a new job. The home care agency I had been with for the past 5 years offered me nothing in the form of Paid Time Off, insurance, or retirement benefits.
As a Sabbath-keeping Christian, working in home care was pretty much the only way I could avoid working on Saturdays. As I have stated before, I have not always been a Christian. I decided to seek work outside of healthcare completely when an interview I had a year earlier on zoom was a complete fail.
Scoffers and Mockers
During one interview I was asked about my preference for weekly hours and when I also pointed out my religious beliefs she snorted at me and said quite rudely “ALL of our employees work every other weekend.” I thanked her for her time and ended the interview.
I then heard of a florist who was seeking help and gave her a call. We hit it off in the interview and she had just one other applicant but seemed very interested in hiring me even when I stated my Sabbath belief. She contacted me the next day and asked if it was possible to get help on an occasional Friday night or Saturday if delivery was needed. I said I would get back to her.
I spoke to my Pastor who advised me to not compromise my beliefs. We prayed about it and I told the florist that I was unable to take the job. I kept working in home care and three months later I happened to check my Gmail account which was hardly used and saw an email from a local organization offering me a position.
An Answer And A Blessing
I decided to reply and stated that I would be interested in working for them if they made concessions for religious beliefs and stated that I was a Sabbath Keeping Christian who did not work from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. She replied back and stated that they could indeed accommodate me in this area. They were impressed with my qualifications and felt I would be a good fit.
We set up an interview and I was immediately hired. She let me choose which group home I would feel the most comfortable working in. I have never been happier, earning considerably more with PTO and a retirement plan. Yes, God does speak to us and He certainly answers prayers!
Watch: Hearing the voice of God
Heavenly Father, I pray your Holy Spirit will touch the one who has reached this site with your loving truth and guidance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read more testimony on how I stopped smoking through prayer.
