Saturday, February 16, 2013

Five Ways God Communicates to Us

1. God speaks to us through the Bible - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16

This is a pretty obvious one but it's good to understand the details of how God accomplishes this. First off if we just sit down and read the Bible God will direct us to passages that will help us learn. He's always working in the world through the holy spirit and angels. He'll guide our minds to the right passages and help our minds see them in the right light. It's only up to us to pick up the book and read! Many times I've picked up my Bible and flipped to a random page and found something interesting where I landed. I don't recommend Bible roulette for answers to questions though . For answers to questions, simply pray earnestly and God may choose to respond in a way you can understand. The Bible is the word of God. It is his perfect gift to us. There are other ways that God communicates the word of the Bible to us though, like through Bible studies and preachers. Listen for things that might relate to your current situation! I see this happen so incredibly frequently that people at support groups and Bible studies will be talking about something that is directly affecting someone else in the room. That is God at work. And it's incredibly wonderful and it makes me joyous to see just how much God is in the room at the time. The people are always surprised, but the breadth of what is happening never fully sinks in for them. For me, I see a small miracle.

2. God speaks to us through Dreams and Visions - "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17

And it's not only in the last days that people shall dream, vision and prophesy. Throughout the Bible there are examples of righteous dreams being delivered to prophets. Jacob as he slept saw a ladder to heaven, and angels coming up and going down on it. An angel appeared to Joseph and told him Mary was clean. Daniel received wisdom in his dreams (Daniel 1:17). The Bible is full of visions and dreams being sent by God. Does this still happen? Absolutely. Of course there are many false accounts, but this does indeed happen to people. How can we be sure if our dream was God given? Pray to God for guidance on the issue, he always reveals himself when asked earnestly. It's fairly simple overall, but God will work greatly in your life if you just show him love and attention!

3. God speaks to us through our Hearts and Minds
- "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" Hebrews 4:12

This passage tells us that God is active in the world today. He is speaking to his followers always through their minds and sp irits. This is done through the holy spirit which we receive through acceptance of Christ. Our conscience you could say is greatly related to the holy spirit. Through knowing God's word, we see it active in our hearts and souls. Listen for that inner voice, but don't give it too much power. It can run wild and never stop! But as you study and learn more, you'll see that voice becoming more accurate and supportive in your spiritual walk through life. As my faith continues to grow on my spiritual journey I continuously find that in ner voice speaking to me about what I ought to do in any particular situation. I try to check my conscience against s cripture and m y rational beliefs , but they are more and more working together. Having a good mindset is essential to working a positive Christian life.

4. God speaks to us through other
Christians - For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit ." 2 Peter 1:21

Yes that's right, God often speaks to us through the voices of other Christians. Even through the actions of other Christians. But beware, as God speaks through Christians, Satan speaks through non-believers. As I was saying earlier , we can often be talking with friends and hear something perfect. We hear something that we absolutely needed to hear . Have you ever met up with a friend or fam ily and they happened to bring up something you were preoccupied with all day? I tend to find myself smiling when I witness this happen. God is acting in the world! There he is! His presence is everywhere, within us and without us. So God speaks through us to o. Which is a wonderful thing, to be a carrier of the message. The holy spirit is a powerful thing, and it constantly speaks through Christians with kind and righteous hearts. What a God we have!

5. God speaks to us through Angels - "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." Luke 1:26-38

Some of my favorite passages in the Bible are about angels. Angels have always fascinated me. I have so many questions that I'm going to ask Jesus about them. These mysterious winged beings that live with God in heaven, they are truly stunning servants. Yet many of them turned away from God in the rebellion in heaven. The scripture says one third turned away from God! Many angels have been noted in the Bible, but very few by name. Do angels still work among us in the modern world? The answer is yes! As always there are many false accounts of angels, used to sell books and promote certain peoples agendas. But there are still angels working among us and some accounts of these are true. Which ones? Only God knows!