Does God Still Speak?

Ashley Watts

It’s a good question, remember we are leading this year with curiosity. This picture above is taken in Almagor, Israel, which is in the region of Galilee, where Jesus spent a lot of time with his disciples. 

We sat on top of this hillside and read “The Beatitudes” in Matthew 5. Sitting on top of the mountainside, looking down at the Sea of Galilee, it was surreal- the fresh air, the feel of the rocks beneath my feet, and the sound of birds chirping, I couldn’t help but picture what it would have been like to sit there and learn from Jesus.  

As I closed my eyes, I could picture him talking, using the landscape to explain the Kingdom of God, and teaching the disciples what it looked like to love people like He did. I could feel the breeze bring a rest to the moment, and a space to hear from God myself. 

What did he say? Well, this moment, he whispered, “I am with you”. I sat and reflected over the past 5 years- the ups, the downs, and the in-between places I’d been, and He showed me he was there…and that I was loved and blessed. Yep…even through the trials and pain, I was fully loved, fully cared for, and blessed with his presence. In the hard moments, it didn’t always feel that way, but it was the truth. 

Yes, God still speaks. 

I’ve never heard the audible voice of God, but God can be found in the quiet stillness of His presence. He can whisper to your heart, give you “gut” instincts”, bring pictures or visions to your mind, or even use other avenues like people, text (the Bible), movies, music, etc. I am finding that God is always speaking, and He isn’t limited to one way, place, or time. 

How does God speak to you? I’d bet if you pause and reflect you could pinpoint ways in which you have heard from God. If you aren’t quite sure, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where he has spoken or how he has spoken to you. Trust me, God is speaking…you might just name it something else (intuition, your conscious, or coincidence).

God wants to speak to you, more than you want to hear him. Yep, it’s true. God still speaks…take some time to sit and listen. See what you hear.

How does God speak?

The question is, does God still speak and if He does speak…can I hear him? To put it quite simply…yes, and yes. 

Where do you hear from God? Or how do you hear from God?  Begin pondering this as we continue.

I firmly believe that God is communicating all the time. He wants to be known. He wants to be heard. He wants to be in a relationship with us. God’s been speaking to me my whole life, although many times I didn’t hear it, see it, or name it as Him. I bet he’s been speaking to you, too. 

Many times, in life, I’ve had “gut” instincts, I’ve had a feeling or a knowing about a certain situation…that’s God. We call it intuition, our conscience, or “gut”, but that’s the Holy Spirit. Other times I’ve had brilliant ideas pop into my head or answers to problems just come to me; that’s not my own brilliance, that’s the revelation from God. Have you ever felt that? Have you known something, or had an instinct about a situation? That’s probably God. Like I said, God is speaking, he is revealing himself and WANTS us to hear him and seek him. 

I’ve had many times in my life that I’ve felt like a situation was “off”, it seemed right, looked right, but internally I “knew” something was wrong. I’ve had other times when life looks broken and hard, but internally God has brought peace and joy. The Holy Spirit in me often reveals to me things I can’t necessarily see. 

Another example of how God has spoken to me is through movies and novels. God has shown me love, kindness, and healthy relationships through book characters and actors. Yes, these are scripts written by people, but God can be seen even in entertainment. Have you ever read a book and felt like, “I was supposed to read this” that it gave you an understanding of a situation you were in, or maybe shifted your perspective to one you hadn’t considered? These are just small examples, but often that’s where I see God…in the details. God cares about the details of your life. 

How Do I know if it’s God?

 So, the next question you might be thinking is…How do I know it’s God? How do I know it’s not me or the devil? My answer to those questions is three-fold.

• Does it line up with the character of God?
• Is it truth? (Does it match the Bible)
• Is it full of life… or judgment and condemnation?

An easy check right away is to check if the thought is full of life and truth, or judgment and condemnation. God doesn’t judge or condemn us.

Romans 8:1-2

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

God whispers truth, the devil shouts condemnation and lies. God speaks lovingly, the devil hurls insults. God’s truth can be full of correction and teaching, but it is sandwiched in love and kindness. The devil names you and calls you by your faults and failures, his voice is intimidating and limiting. God calls you by HIS name. He calls you who He created you to be, not by your shortfalls. God’s voice is simple- the devil’s voice is confusion. 

Another way to check to see if it’s God, yourself, or the devil is to match it up to scripture and the character of God. Check out the two verses below that capture the essence of truth. Is it love? Peace? Joy? Fruitfulness? Full of grace? Then it’s of God. If it’s confusion, chaos, discord, hate- that is not God. Galatians 5:22-23 and Philippians 4:8 shows us what the Spirit of God is and how He operates. 

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things, there is no law.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His faithfulness and character are consistent throughout the ages. He can be trusted. while visiting Israel, this truth was deeply seeded in my heart. As we toured the country and learned about the language, land, and literature, one thing stood out above the rest…

God does nothing by chance. 

While in Bethlehem, our tour guide shared with us many details about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus. He gave details as to who they were, why they were chosen, and why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. No detail was spared in choosing the path in which Jesus entered as a baby. One detail, that seemed small to me at first, is that upon Jesus’ birth, the angels appeared to the shepherds. Why the shepherds? 

Well, one reason is that the shepherds of Bethlehem (specifically) raised the lambs for Passover each year that would be sacrificed one per family. So, Jesus being born in Bethlehem, being announced to these shepherds, symbolizes that he is the lamb that will be sacrificed once and for all. This is just one small detail upon layers and layers of details that show God does nothing by chance. 

Why do I share this? To tell you, you can trust God, and you can trust His Voice. God has a plan for his people, we see that in the Bible, and I experienced it in detail as I visited Israel. He has a plan for you, too. The first part of that plan is developing a relationship with each one of us… and one way that’s developed is by praying and hearing the voice of God. 

As you walk with God his voice will become more clear. I questioned the voice of God as I was learning to hear from him. I would second guess what I felt led to do and second guess if that was actually God speaking to me. It’s good to test your thoughts against the three criteria we discussed last week (Bible/Character of God/Is it life?) and have wise counsel with other Christians. We don’t want to just follow every whim, but rest assured, you can hear from God, too. 

Just like a relationship with a best friend, over time you begin to recognize their voice. Even in a crowd, you can hear the voice of the ones you know and love.

John 10:27-28

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, 

and no one will snatch them out of my hand.