How God Speaks?
By Dr. John Williams

1.Introduction
God, who created heaven and earth, is the source of all Wisdom and Power. In Genesis Chapter-I some details of how God created the planet earth and every living creature on it, is clearly written. When it comes to living creatures he created them in a particular order (starting from the smallest and the simplest living creatures to most complicated and complex ones. Of course, ultimately on the sixth day, He created the first man, called Adam. It is very interesting to note that according to the Bible, God created man in His own image and after His likeness. Further, we should note that God spoke the world into existence. When He said, “let there be light“, there was light. The spoken word has a lot of Spiritual and Scientific significance. According to the scientists the sound waves that proceed from the mouth of a person cannot be destroyed. It will simply encircle the globe forever and ever, or it could be deposited or recorded in some way upon the rocks or some objects. Further, they say that it is possible to recapture or retrieve those sound waves using the right kind of technology. Some one stated that it is possible even to recapture the famous Gettysburg Address of President Abraham Lincoln and replay it, so that we may hear it now.

There is no question or doubt that God can and has spoken through out the ages in a variety of ways, according to the Bible. He also created this earth through spoken words. It is interesting to note that God visited the Garden of Eden almost every day, and had a time of fellowship with Adam and Eve, which further corroborates that there was communication between God and man constantly. It is evident from these facts that not only Adam and Eve had the capacity to speak since they were created in the image and the likeness of God, but God also could and did converse with Adam and Eve in an audible way. The communication between God and man continued through out the human history according to the Bible. There are literally thousands of illustrations in the Bible about God speaking or communicating to some one on earth including the following examples and incidents:

·        Numerous instances in which there was communication between God and Men

·        God’s interventions in the human history in supernatural ways

·        God’s voice being heard by men and women in an audible way

·        God literally visiting some men and talking to them

·        God sending angels to convey some messages to the people on earth

·        God’s hand literally writing on the wall

·        God handing over to Moses two tablets in which the 10 commandments were inscribed

·        God speaking to Moses from the burning bush

·        God speaking from heaven when Jesus Christ was at the top of the mountain with John, Peter and James (a voice came from heaven saying “this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him”)

·        A voice coming from heaven after Jesus was baptized in river Jordan by John the Baptist, saying “this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him”

The capacity and the capability of God who actually designed the brain, mouth with a tongue and the vocal chords, does and should have unquestionably the ability and the capacity to imagine, compose, phrase, articulate and vocalize words that convey meaning. It is interesting to note that the Bible says that some people say if God has ears to hear and hands to give, but He certainly has both, and further God speaks and gives. In a way man is a prototype or a miniature of God. Man has a tendency to measure and evaluate God using himself as a reference point, but logically because God has designed and created man and God existed even before man was created we should reverse our logic and try to evaluate and assess man, using God as a point of reference. As the Bible says God created man in his own image and after His likeness. God has endowed man with five senses such as the ability to hear, smell, see, touch and taste which implies that God has these attributes and he has given theses senses to man to use them to enjoy life on this earth.

2. The Purpose of Creation of Man

The Bible is very explicit in saying that God created man to love and to have fellowship with him. It is needless to say that it is impossible to have true and meaningful fellowship with anyone with out communicating with him or her in some way. When two people walk together they talk to each other. After God created a wide variety of living creatures, obviously, since he was not fully satisfied with what all he created, he created man as the highest form of the living creatures, and interestingly man was endowed with all the important attributes, qualities and characteristics of God. Several references are made in the Bible to the effect that God considers man as his son or a friend. What we are referring to in this article as speaking, communicating or fellowshipping is a vital means to reciprocate the love and feelings with each other, which incidentally is the greatest form of pleasure or experience that either man or God can have in heaven or in earth. What people are looking forward to eventually, is to have a close fellowship and communion with God in heaven forever and ever. Therefore, communication is something spiritual, heavenly, serene and ecstatic in one sense, and on the other hand, it is essential for survival and to have a meaningful life.

God has created every human being with a divine purpose or destiny. Of course, God has given man a free will or the ability to choose what he wants. Further, God has given to man a set of divine laws to follow, so that he will always be within the zone of safety, health and happiness, as long as he stays within the parameters of God’s laws which clearly tells him what to do and what not to do. In a way we can say with absolute certainty that man cannot blame any one or anything for any adverse situation that he gets into, except himself because God has created him as a free moral agent and has endowed him with the ability to make choices in life which could be in line with God’s laws or in violation of them. Putting it another way, God has endowed every human being with a moral conscience, which dictates to him as to what is right and what is wrong. What is even more interesting is that God has a beautiful plan for every human being, which will give him the greatest joy and fulfillment in his life, if he discovers and follows it. It should be noted at the same time, that God has given man unlimited freedom, discretion and ability to make his own choices in every area of life, according to his taste, will and pleasure. So far as God’s will or plan is concerned it can be sub-divided into three areas: freewill, general will and God’s will. We can say that what the Bible clearly states about what a man can or cannot do, can be termed as the General Will. Secondly, God has some specific assignments for man to do during his lifetime, and he will some how communicate this to him in a way that he can understand so that he will not have any excuse for not knowing or for not doing it. This may be called God’s Will. Thirdly, the rest of his life is within his own control and he can choose to do anything he wants to without violating God’s laws. This is the free will of man. In other words God has not created man as a robot or as a puppet. God does not press a button or pull a string to manipulate or control man’s life. If people understand the purpose of God’s creation of man; God’s laws, that he should follow; God’s will that he should discover and fulfill; and finally the freedom that he can enjoy in the context described here; they can literally enjoy life to the fullest extent according to their desires, plans, dreams and aspirations.

3. How God Speaks?

We can know God’s will and plans through his words, which are both written in the Bible, which is the word of God and also through the ways in which God communicates to man in special ways and for special reasons; which will be discussed in the remainder of this article. To make it easy for a common man to understand how God communicates, a variety of illustrations are given below which will make us more aware and sensitive to voice of God. God speaks in the following ways:

·        God speaks through the Word of God (The Bible)

·        God speaks through His servants

·        God speaks in an audible voice

·        God speaks through angels

·        God speaks through dreams and visions

·        God speaks by giving a thought or an idea in our mind

·        God speaks by putting a desire in our heart

·        God speaks by bearing witness in our spirit

·        God speaks through a prophecy given by a Man of God

If we are sensitive to the voice of God and the move of the Holy Spirit, we can discern God’s voice in a variety of ways as mentioned above. The important thing to know is that God who created us with a purpose; who loves us so dearly; and who craves for our fellowship and love, is more interested in our well being than we are concerned or interested in knowing Him or His ways.

·        God speaks through the Word of God (The Bible)

The written word in the Bible is called Logos. As the communication experts say no word has any meaning except what we give. In other words man has a tendency to give his own interpretation for what is written in the Bible “Logos”. If he would be sensitive to the voice of God when he hears or reads the Bible and depends on the Holy Spirit to give the revelation of the meaning for the word “Logos”, as the Bible says, it is the Anointing (The Holy Spirit) that teaches us all things. In a way all the truths or secrets are hidden. One has to really seek to find the truths. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the true revelation or meaning of the written Word of God when we have our spiritual ears tuned to his voice or unction. It is thrilling and exciting every time we get a divine revelation from the word of God, which is the truth that is hidden in the pages of the Bible, and which is the answer or the solution for our need or a problem. As John 8:32 says “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”.

·        God speaks through His Servants

It is interesting to note that although God is the author of every book of the Bible in a true sense, God has used human instrumentalities to literally write each book under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. During the Old Testament times, even though God literally intervened many times in supernatural ways and communicated to people in a variety of ways, the general pattern that he used to communicate to the masses of people was to speak through some chosen Men of God such as Prophets, Judges and Kings. It was typical in those days for the prophets of God to make a statement and say “Thus saith the Lord”. In the Old Testament, innumerable kings that were literally appointed by God to rule over his people were given the divine responsibility of ruling his people according to the dictates of God and to be in tune with God. Whenever the kings violated God’s laws and committed a sin or did injustice to the people, they were severely punished by God. Secondly, God used judges who literally executed judgment over the people that were accused of committing sins in violation of God’s word. Thirdly, and perhaps more frequently and directly God spoke to the people in general and also spoke to some specific individuals through the prophets. In those days they were greatly feared, and their prophecies, admonitions and exhortations were taken very seriously by the people, as a word coming directly from God.

·        God speaks in an Audible Voice

As mentioned in the earlier passages several people that lived both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament days, have literally heard God speak in an audible voice. Just to cite some examples a few names may be mentioned here such as Moses, Samuel, Paul etc. A few instances may also be mentioned here such as the baptism of Jesus Christ in river Jordan, transfiguration of Jesus Christ at the top of a mountain when John, Peter and James were present, the voice that Moses heard at the top of a mountain from the bush that was burning etc. Probably there is no need to elaborate much about this particular manner in which God not only has the capability to speak, but also has used this method on certain occasions for reasons we cannot explain.

·        God speaks through Angels

Generally, Angels are called the messengers of God. In the Bible numerous instances are cited in which specific angels whose names are mentioned in the Bible, carried special messages from heaven to some specific individuals. Even though we cannot explain adequately how the communication systems works between heaven and earth, and the exact role played by the angels in this process, there are innumerable examples in the Bible about angels making special announcements and bringing specific messages to individuals on special occasions. It is a known fact that angels announced to Joseph, Mary and the shepherds about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Also we note in the Bible that on several occasions angels were sent on special assignments to certain individuals to carry out orders, issued from the throne room of heaven. On such occasions, obviously they had to converse with some men on earth. Further elaboration of this method of communication of God is not necessary to convince anyone of this fact.

·        God speaks through Dreams and Visions

Perhaps for the people living in our age, these two methods have more significance than the methods God had used in the Old Testament times. Of course, even during those times people had dreams and visions. It is interesting to note that in Joel 2:28 it is written that “Young men shall dream dreams and old men shall see visions”. Of course in the Old Testament we read that Joseph, Jacob, King Solomon and many others had dreams and visions.

I believe that it is important to communicate to our generation, the significance of dreams and visions that God gives us today and that it should not be taken lightly. As we can easily imagine, this could be a very effective and powerful way for God to communicate to the people today. To what extent God would use this method today, will depend on the intimacy and close relationship that people have with God as well as the excitement, anticipation and expectation of the people of God to hear from God about God’s plans and His will for their lives, and the extent to which they are anxious to carry them out to please him. In Habakkuk 2:2-3 it is written:

(2) “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it”

(3) “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it: because it will surely come, it will not tarry”

Further it is mentioned that when God gives us visions we can and should boldly proclaim them because even if there is some delay, it will definitely come to pass. Similarly it is a wonderful thing to have heavenly dreams and visions particularly when God gives those dreams for some specific reasons. When it comes to visions and dreams the sense of expectancy and anticipation to see them being fulfilled and the excitement and the thrill that one will have to prepare themselves for it, will certainly be a very pleasant experience. The closer a person walks with God during every day the more will be the dreams and visions that he will get from God.

·        God speaks by giving as a Thought or an Idea in our mind
In the modern day in which we are living, we know as to what extent people use the God-given dream or creativity and produce incredible things. In I Corinthians 2:16 it is said that we have the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5 says, “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus“. God, who has not only created us in his own image and after his likeness, has also given us the ability to grow in God’s Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding and Creativity.  God, who is the mastermind, has given us the mind in which we have the capability to have ideas, thoughts and imaginations. We can therefore say that God communicates with us through this process also. However, you have to check it out and make sure that the imaginations, thoughts and ideas that arise or proceed from our minds have come directly from God. If our mind is in tune with the mind of Christ, because of the knowledge that we have of the Word of God, then the thoughts, ideas and imaginations that arise from our mind will be exactly consistent with God’s imaginations, thoughts and ideas. We can also check it out by applying these tests, which are given at the end of this Article.

·        God speaks by putting a desire in our heart

Proverbs 10:24 says, “The desire of the righteous shall be granted”. Further, Proverb 11:23 says that “the desire of the righteous is only good”. As we have pointed out already, God communicates with men in a variety of ways, and in a sense in a very simple and natural way. God who created within us a heart and dwells in it, without any doubt or question, has the ability to put desires in our heart. Psalm 37:4 says “delight thyself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart”. God will not put a good desire in your heart and disappoint you by not granting or fulfilling it. However, as mentioned already there are ways to check out whether God’s communication to us through desires that is born in our hearts are from God or just our own sinful desires, fancy ideas, wishful thinking or a foolish thoughts.

·        God speaks by bearing witness in our Spirit

The Bible says that God bears a witness in our Spirit. God is a Spirit and we are also Spiritual beings, endowed with a physical body and a soul, which consists of a mind, emotion and will. It is hard to explain the process through which God bears witness to our spirit but we can certainly discern it in some, even though we cannot explain it in a way that others can understand. However, what God communicates to us by bearing witness in our spirit can be put to the same test that we have referred to already, and is going to be fully explained towards the end of this Article.

·        God speaks through a prophecy given by a Man of God
God has been raising and using prophets through out the human history to bring a word of exhortation, comfort or edification, to specific individuals in a specific time. Generally, the prophets who were named in the Bible that lived in a particular time, were recognized as “prophets”, by the general public, and the people feared and respected them. These prophets also prophesied with boldness, no matter how harsh, severe and frightening those messages were. The Bible also has confirmed that the prophecies uttered by the prophets were fulfilled literally. It is not always necessary for every message that comes from God has to come through the mouth of a prophet even though this is one of the ways in which God speaks, but many times God uses prophets to confirm a message which is already communicated to the concerned person in one of the ways which have been described already.

Conclusion:
Whether the message that a person gets from God in any of the above ways is directly from God or not, can be checked out easily by applying the following tests:

·        Whether it is consistent with the Word of God.

·        Whether the person who gets the message has absolute peace in his heart.

·        Whether the person who receives the message believes that it is from God.

·        Whether he has a sense of anticipation and expectancy that the Word of God is going to be fulfilled in his life.

·        Whether it is going to be blessing to some one, if the Word of God is fulfilled.

·        Whether the fulfillment of the Word of God will help extend the Kingdom of God and will bring glory to God.

·        Whether it is some thing good no matter what it is in absolute terms.

It is the prayer and belief of the writer of this Article that the readers of this Article will become more sensitive to the voice of God no matter how God speaks or communicates to them; put them through the tests listed above; pursue what they need to do with faith and joy; wait for the fulfillment of God’s word and the blessings that will follow!

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