When you say that God gave you the answer, or God spoke to you, can you be more specific?

Question

Are you telling me that God actually communicated with words? I'm guessing not.. therefore, can you explain to me exactly what you mean when you say God spoke to you? Hearing people say things like this my whole life, but having never experienced it myself, is one of the things that confuses me so much about the religion. Thanks.

Answer 1

To pretend that God speaks to man "literally" is of course absurd.

These expressions have a deep "symbolic" or spiritual meaning which has been lost by the fact that they are repeated constantly without being understood.

The following analogy may helpful to understand them.
Let us compare the human being to a tree giving delicious fruits.
If the tree could talk it would readily recognize the timely pruning of it's branches by a skillful gardener, it's dependence on the mineral world from which it extracts it's livelihood for growth, it's admiration and love for the sun that sends energy to it's leaves so that it can extend it's branches to the sky and grow, etc....
So although it is the tree that produces those wonderful fruits, it is expressing at the same time that it's existence and the fact that it produces those wonderful fruits is dependent on other important and "invisible" factors also.
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Answer 2

God communicates the way the scriptures say. If I were lucky enough to be chosen to hear his audible words, then I would tell you. But since my experience hasn't been along those lines, I will have to refer to scripture to tell you what it says about this 'inaudible communication' that He uses:
Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

It's a spiritual thing that you will not understand, especially if you have no desire to believe the words.

Only those who want to come to God will have the possibility of understanding.

Answer 3

When you hear someone talk to you, your physical ear picks up sonic vibrations that your brain interprets as words and phrases. However, there is something in your soul that "hears" what is being said, and "understands" the meaning. Two people could say they love you., a stranger, or your spouse. Both speak the same words, but your soul will interpret them completely differently.

When God speaks, He bypasses the physical and goes straight for the heart. We hear Him plainly, just without the sonic vibrations on the ear drum.

So how can we be sure it is the Lord? Because it will be confirmed with His Word, the Bible. God will always confirm that the voice is His through His Word and other means such as opened or closed doors.

In Christianity, our relationship with God is a personal one, so it is very hard to describe. I tried to describe it here...
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/getting_past_the_guard.pdf

Answer 4

When I was younger, I had the same problem. But I just thought "Someday it will make sense" and it did. When I developed a personal relationship with God, I let Him have total control over my life, and things started to clear up for me. When I'm contemplating a decision and I take it to God, one will stand out and I just know it's the right one. It's like a gut feeling you know is from God. But that only happens when I'm walking with Him. When I'm absorbed in myself and try and sort out decisions, I'm confused and unsure of what God wants me to do.
Recently I realized God wants me to be a missionary. The thought just kept popping up in my head and I got that gut feeling about it. But I wasn't totally convinced that was what God wanted me to do until someone shared with me that becoming a missionary certainly was not a thought Satan would put in my head, and it's not something my earthly flesh would want because it's stepping out of my comfort zone, so it has to be from God, cuz He's the one benefiting from it! (Him and the people I talk to.) So I knew it was a God thing.
He doesn't always communicate with words (He will sometimes). For me, it's just a a definite gut feeling which is the Holy Spirit helping me along.

Answer 5

I'm a part time minister. When I develop a sermon, some material I've learned from studying the Bible and some from studying with other Christians. But sometimes a thought just comes to me...a thought that I know I'm not smart enought to come up with on my own. It's happened time and time again. Last time, I was in the pulpit in the middle of my sermon when something came to me that clarified my point better than what I had already prepared. I believe that's from God.

Answer 6

God speaks, through what we see around us and also by giving us pure inspiration. All too often though, many over look a gift of love: a message from our Creator because we are too caught up in our material world. God speaks in the Thunder of a Summer storm and in the sound of a gentle rain. God speaks in the colors of autumn trees ... God speaks to the Fur tree as it waits through the winter, for spring when the others awaken and sprout their leaves.

To see a deer, God reminds us to be gentle. To see a rabbit, God exclaims, "Thau shalt not fear." God speaks through the butterfly, showing us that life does change.

I doubt God tells a man to build another church because, The Kingdom of God is within us and all around us. No structure of wood and stone can contain this Kingdom ... for, split a piece of wood and you will find it. Pick up a stone and there it is!

Answer 7

I have heard God talk to me, Its like the 'good angel voice' of your conscious. I have also gotten answers from reading scripture. I have also gotten answers from others. One big coincidence? perhaps, but I know it's God. Its hard to believe in coincidence when things happen so frequently through out the day that suggests otherwise

Answer 8

God answers us not by talking to us literally. He uses other people or situations as an instrument to say his words to us. Like you've said that you've been hearing people say things like this, meaning he wants to implies that this will happen to you if you did like this.

are you having doubts with your beliefs?

Answer 9

God does speak to people today. First, God speaks to us through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Isaiah 55:11 tells us, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” The Bible records God’s words to us in everything we need to know in order to be saved and live the Christian life. 2 Peter 1:3-4 declares, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Secondly, God speaks through impressions, events, and thoughts. God helps us to discern right from wrong through our consciences (1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Peter 3:16). God is in the process of conforming our minds to think His thoughts (Romans 12:2). God allows events to occur in our lives to direct us, change us, and help us to grow spiritually (James 1:2-5; Hebrews 12:5-11). 1 Peter 1:6-7 reminds us, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Answer 10

ya, sometimes He actually tells you, you hear this voice. Or you will get this refference from the Bible in your head, then you look it up and you will read the answer. Or He will send someone in your path to tell you.