Im a believer in god and i pray from time to time, im not what you call a born again or saved person, my question is this when you pray to God how do you know he is listening or that he is even interested,please don't miss understand me, im not mocking God or taking the mic, im just looking for answers to a personal enquiry, you see as i said i do believe in God.
2006-09-04 05:30:47 · 52 answers · asked by mick 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Children of God can expect to be led by the Spirit of God.
" The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. " -Proverbs 20:27
Another translation of Proverbs 20:27 reads " The spirit of man in the lamp of the Lord..." If this verse had been written today it might have read, " The spirit of man is the light bulb of the Lord." What it means is this; God will enlighten us - He will guide us - through our spirits. "
Many times, however, we seek guidance by means other than the way God said. Whe we do, we get into trouble. We sometimes judge how God is leading by what our physical senses tell us. But nowhere does God say that He will guide us through our physical senses. Too often we look at things from a mental standpoint and endeavor to reasons things out. There is nowhere in the Bible that says, God will guide us through our mentality. The Bible does not say that the body of a man is the " candle of the Lord ", nor does it say that the mind of the man is " the candle of the Lord ". It says that " the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord ".
God will guide us - He will enlighten us - through our spirits. In order to understand how God does lead us and guide us through our spirit, we have to understand the nature of man. We have to understand that man is a spirit, that he has a soul, and he lives in a body.
" And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;...So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him." -Genesis 1:26-27
Man is a spirit being. He is made in the likeness of God. Jesus said that God is a spirit ( John 4:24). So man must of necessity be a spirit.
Man is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a physical body ( 1 Thess. 5:23).
When the physical body of man is dead and in the grave, the spirit lives on. That part of man is eternal. Spirits can never die, and man is a spirit. Paul is speaking of physical death here: " For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Neverthless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you."
Paul is going to live. Whether in the body or out of his body, he is still going to live. If he " abides or lives " in the flesh, he can still teach God's word. For Paul, he would have preferred to " depart " and be with Christ. When Paul said, " I " am going to depart, he wasn't talking about his body. His body wasn't going to depart. Paul is talking about the " inward man ", the " spirit man ", who lives inside the body.
People often ask, " will we know one another in Heaven?" If we know one another down here, and if your the one going to be in Heaven, you will know one another there.
( 2 Corinthians 4:16) "...but though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day."
There is an " inward man ". And there is an " outward man ". The outward man is not the real you. The outward man is only the house in which you live. The inward man is the real you. The inward man never ages, he is renewed day by day. The inward man is the spirit man.
What is our spirit? ( Romans 8:14) says, "...as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.: Then verse 16 gives us a little insight into how the Spirit of God leads us: " The Spirit itself ( God) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." In other words, the Spirit of God bears witness with the spirit of man. ( Proverbs 20:27 says, " The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord...". According to these scriptures God will guide us through our spirits; therefore, we must find out what our spirit is.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "...Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God " ( John 3:3).
Nicodemus being natural, could only think naturally. So he said, ".. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his nother's womb, and be born? " (v.4).
Jesus was not talking about a physical birth, He said, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit " (V.6). He was talking about a " spiritual birth ".
The part of man that is born again is his spirit. Man's spirit receive eternal life - the life of God, and the nature of God. It is man's spirit that is made a new creature in Christ.
Paul calls man's spirit " the inward man. " Peter calls man's spirit " the hidden man of the heart ." ( 1 Peter 3:4) " But let it be hidden of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."
In many places when the Bible speaks of the heart, it is speaking of the spirit. This is the real man. It will help you in your believing and in your faith to think like so.
( 2 Corin. 5:17 " Therefore if any man be in christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." This scripture is talking about the inward man. It cannot be talking about the outward man. When you are born again and become a new creature, you do not get a new body. The outward man is just like it was before. God doesn't do anything with the outward man. You have to do something with the outward man yourself. You find out what God wants you to do with the outward man from the Bible - and then you do it. God works with the inward man by renewing him day by day.
"...I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless.." (-1 Thessalonians 5:23). In this scriptural passage, Paul begins with the inside, the innermost part of man, the heart of his being, which is his spirit, and comes to the outside.
Most people misquote this verse. They say body, soul, and spirit. People are more body-conscious than spirit-conscious. Natural things mean more to them than spiritual things. So they put physical things first. We are more mental-conscious because we live in a mental realm.
But man is a spirit being and we need to be more spirit-conscious. Spiritual things will become more real to us the more spirit-conscious we become and if we are going to be led by the Spirit of God, we must become more spirit-conscious or we will miss out on the whole thing. God's Spirit leads us through our spirits.
Put your spirit first, and become more spirit-conscious, more conscious of the inward man. Realize that you are a spirit being and that if you decide to accept Christ as your Savior, it will help you get in touch with God more readily if your spirit-conscious.
2006-09-04 07:11:23 · answer #1 · answered by trieghtonhere 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the Bible there are loads of times when God pulls a big stunt like setting a bush on fire, or talking to people in dreams. And some people say they actually hear God speak to the, literally. Although we don't here of that happening very often, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen (after all God can do anything!).
More often though, people find that when they pray, they get a sense of what God tells them. A friend of mine was telling me the other day that she was praying about a decision she had to make, and asked God to give her a good feeling if what she was doing was right. Ever since then, she has had a really bad gut feeling, and she believes this is God telling her it is a bad idea (although she is still going through with it, but that isn't the point!)
At other times people feel that the situation God has put them in is telling them what to do.
I think the best thing (and one of the most difficult things) for a Christian (or whoever) to do, is just to listen to God! When you pray, make sure you spend some time just listening. Try and empty your head and concentrate on God, this helps you build up a relationship with Him, and gives Him the opportunity to say something if He wants to.
God Bless, and I will pray that you find a way to talk to talk with God. Message me if you want to talk any more :-)
2006-09-04 06:10:45 · answer #2 · answered by guest 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Believing in God is a good start, but there are lots of 'Gods' out there. If you believe in the Christian God you need to first be born again, ,and put your trust in Jesus, it's clear from the Bible that there is no other way to reach God than through Jesus. If you call on His name, you will find your prayers being answered. God speaks to me through other people, who give me words and pictures for my life, but He does talk to some people directly if you have the Holy Spirit and can learn to hear His voice. I've been told it's your own voice but you know it's of Him. Also the Bible is God's way of speaking to us today, as it always has been. I often pray before I read it and it often turns out to be helpful in the situation I'm in.
2006-09-04 05:50:11 · answer #3 · answered by good tree 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God does answer your prayers. He hears ALL prayers, but he only listens to those that are of good meaning.
For example, praying for a new car wouldnt be the right way to pray. But praying for strength to overcome a weakness he DOES listen to.
He speaks to you through the holy spirit, the holy spirit is not a ghost or an angel like false religion teaches, it is his active force that makes things happen. For example if God said "in the future there will be famine and food shortages" then there will... and there is!! But that is because this world is ruled by Satan.......for now.
2006-09-04 09:44:45 · answer #4 · answered by Mark J 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you were born of the Holy Spirit (born again), you get so much more understanding. God can talk to you through the Holy Spirit or the Bible. You have so much understanding of God. He talks to us in many ways when you truely believe. There were times before I was "born again" where I knew God was telling me to do things. There were too many "coincedences" that it had to be God. I didn't know how to be born again, but I knew those people had something I didn't have. I knew I'd have it someday and I knew I couldn't/wouldn't fake it. Now, that I have "it", it's AWESOME!
2006-09-04 06:09:01 · answer #5 · answered by megmom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God does not talk to me often. That's because I had to listen to a demon for 14 years, and so I am very suspicious of thoughts that are not mine. God makes me aware of things. For instance, I might see a pattern in the things happening around me. Some event taking shape. If I submit to God in it, I take my place in the pattern and see something beautiful emerge, It may be I can bring a message of hope to someone, or encourage someone to go through a troubling situation. I have dealt with potentially violent situations just by letting God use me to bring words of peace.
Sometimes, when I am under an annointing and I feel the power of The Holy Spirit stirred up in me, then I may hear God, or He may use me to bring prophecy, word of knowledge, wisdom, or interpretation of another language.
The thing to remember is that God will talk to you the way you need him to. It may be directly, or in dreams, or in suddenly becoming aware of something as you read The Bible, or it may be through other people. Something inside just clicks and you know what God is saying. If you need it confirmed, then just ask and He will do it.
You can even just rest and trust your Christian instincts. Rest in God. We have The Holy Spirit in us. We are Children of God. Our instinct is to obey Him. It is when we over analyze that we trip ourselves up. Then God will let us know, we just pick ourselves up, sort out any mess we have made, and continue the journey.
2006-09-04 07:21:31 · answer #6 · answered by waycyber 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You learn to hear His voice inside you. When faces with choices, pray. Then follow the peace He gives you. Also ask others questions about where God is leading you or what He wants. Follow the peace inside. Keep praying!! Good luck! I'll pray for you.
2006-09-04 05:35:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
1. Through the Word of God. 2. By His Holy Spirit. 3. In life situations and such. 4. Through men and women of God. 5. Through prayer He actually does listen. 6. In silence He can make His presence known by the annointing power of the Holy Spirit. 7. cont from 6. you can actually feel the power of God in you. 8. You'll know you heard from God when the things you prayed for or asked for lined up with His will and plan for your life and they not only happend but above and beyond what you've asked. Exceedingly and abundanlty beyond our wildest dreams is and are the love and blessings of God for our lives. We only have to tap into that Power. We do it by first repenting and believing in Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, second reading and believing God's Word, 3rd praying and spending time each day with God and living for Him. 4th. walking in God's will and plan for our lives.
2006-09-04 05:44:31 · answer #8 · answered by dave_83501 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
People can hear God’s voice by recognizing and paying attention with obedience to what God has caused to be written in His Word. “Voice” used as applying to “every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matt. 4:4)
By means of his inspired word, The Bible:
(Rom. 15:4) “For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.”
(2 Tim. 3:16, 17) “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”
2006-09-04 05:46:02 · answer #9 · answered by jvitne 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to be jealous because so many other Christians said they heard God or God spoke to them. He never said anything to me. I realized that some people believe so deeply that they can hear the Lord. Others like myself can feel the power of the Spirit as it gives us a knowledge and understanding of the Lord. I actually bought a book to help me hear the Lord. I now follow my heart.
2006-09-04 05:35:31 · answer #10 · answered by TJMiler 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God can mean several diffirent things to every human being. I believe when we speak to god or as I like to call it our higher self, then the answers come from inside ourselves. I do not believe in God however i do believe that we all have the creator inside oursleves, we are all the creator. Praying is like affirmations we say things in our prayers and we get a result because we make the change and answer our own questions. its a fascinating subject. i hope this has been a kind of helpful answer
Best Wishes
2006-09-04 05:34:56 · answer #11 · answered by budhha 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋