How To Recognize God's Voice Series

Communicating With God:

How To Recognize God’s Voice

Today we are going to continue our series “Communicating With God.” Last week we are looked at “How To Listen To God’s Voice.” We learned that listening is vital if we are to be doers of the Word. We must be receptive to God’s Word. We must be like good soil if we are to be productive for God. This week we are going to look at “How to Recognize God’s Voice.” Please follow along with me in Job 33:14:

“For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.” Job 33:14 (NKJV)

The Bible says we have a problem when communicating with God. The problem is not that God is silent. God talks to us all the time. The problem is that we do not perceive God’s voice. In other words we do not recognize God’s voice when He speaks. The question is how do you recognize God’s voice among all the voices that are speaking? How can I be sure it is God’s voice I am listening to?

Job 33:14 tells us that God speaks in a variety of ways. He is not limited to one single way. God spoke through a burning bush. He spoke through a cloud. He often spoke through angels. He also spoke through prophets. He even spoke through a donkey. Today I want to look at three common ways that God speaks.

HOW DOES GOD SPEAK?

1. God speaks through THE BIBLE.

This is the number one way that God speaks.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

Circle the word “inspiration”. The word literally means, “God breathed.” The Bible is not just a collection of wonderful thoughts. It is the inspired Word of God. There is no other book in the world like this book.

As you read God’s Word, God will speak to you. He will give you comfort. He will correct you. He will guide you. He will help you but you must read His Word. That is why it is so important that you have a daily quiet time.

Your daily quite time may only be 5 or 10 minutes a day. But it is a time where you read God’s Word and pray to Him. Speak to God and listen to Him.

Someone says, “God never speaks to me.” Do you read a portion of the Bible every day? This is God’s love letter to you. If you’re not reading the Bible daily, how do you expect to hear God’s Word to you?

If you got a phone call from your doctor today and he said, "I need to see tomorrow at 8 a.m." Would you keep that appointment? You bet I would. Now he may tell me that I’m in the best shape that I have ever been, but I would want to know what he had to say. The doctor of our soul wants to speak to us every day. He wants to talk to you. And the most common way He speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible.

You know when I bought my truck some years ago I got an important item with it. It was found in the glove compartment. It was the owner’s manual. That is the designer’s instructions on how my truck is intended to be used and maintained. It is designed to teach me how to take care of my truck.

That is what the Bible does. It is your owner’s manual. It is designed to teach you how to take care of your life.

2. God speaks through FELLOW BELIEVERS.

God often speaks to us through fellow believers. In fact God has put special people in the church to instruct and teach us. Look at Ephesians 4 with me:

“He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV)

God speaks through teachers, preachers and pastors and it changes our lives if we listen to them. In fact the Bible says that we will become better equipped if we listen to them. The teachers, preachers and pastors job is to equip you for ministry. Did you know that every member is a minister? Every member has a ministry to perform. It is the pastor’s main job, according to this scripture, to prepare you for ministry. Circle these three words: “Equipping”, “For”, “Ministry”. Here is the pastor’s main job – “equipping you for ministry”.