Does God Speak to You?
Does God speak to you? Have you heard the still small voice that is unmistakable from God? Sure, many of us pray and talk to God, but do you hear the response?
How? When? I'm curious. There are rare times when something pops in my head that just stops me and I listen. At these times, I know it wasn't from my own conscious or the rambling thoughts of my own. April 17th, 2006 was the last time I hear Him.
We (myself included) are more than willing to describe what we think is wrong with someone else's faith, but can we describe some of the more personal parts of our own faith?
I hope this doesn't get as ugly or weird. I've been meaning to ask this question for a while. I'm curious if other's experiences are similar to mine or vastly different. Preachers don't preach about this, but if He is the Living God, which he is, shouldn't hear him occasionally on a personal level? I say yes.
The LORD Appears to Elijah
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
How? When? I'm curious. There are rare times when something pops in my head that just stops me and I listen. At these times, I know it wasn't from my own conscious or the rambling thoughts of my own. April 17th, 2006 was the last time I hear Him.
We (myself included) are more than willing to describe what we think is wrong with someone else's faith, but can we describe some of the more personal parts of our own faith?
I hope this doesn't get as ugly or weird. I've been meaning to ask this question for a while. I'm curious if other's experiences are similar to mine or vastly different. Preachers don't preach about this, but if He is the Living God, which he is, shouldn't hear him occasionally on a personal level? I say yes.
The LORD Appears to Elijah
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
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I believe I have heard Him speak a few times. 0 -
I'm not sure how to answer this. I believe God does speak to me, as He speaks to us all, but whether or not I'm conscious of it is another matter entirely. I like to think I follow His word, but as a mortal, to say I can fully comprehend His word would be like expecting an ant to comprehend quantum physics.
I do my best and hope and pray that it is enough. And regardless of how much I achieve or how far I fall short, I am sure God understands.[;)]0 -
I have heard the Lord speak to me twice.
Doug0 -
They are my sheep and they know my voice- would tend to indicate that He talks to us. 0 -
god speaks to you?? Your prayers get answered?? Whenever you next converse with god, ask him why he is answering your pathetic little requests and then letting millions of little children starve to death in other countries.
I am really interested in a god that will let people starve yet answer prayers to fix broken pipes or let people who have have already died to go to heaven.
The same god that gave you cancer is going to save you with a prayer?? Like why??
Get over it! There has never been a prayer answered and never will be. We are here, we will die without divine intervention., Your high priced preacher wants 10 percent. I will charge you nothing. Get off your knees, get on your feet, and you will get it done. Your god, nor any ones, is going to do it for you!!
I may be wrong but at least I haven't wasted half my life ranting that "god will save me". Save me from what?? The devil that he created himself? Prayer in school?? How about math in church. Why don't we get all upset that we don't teach algebra in Sunday school??0 -
When I have heard His voice, or felt His urging, it has never been in the context of, "I am going fix this problem for you." It has been more like, "Get off your butt and do this."
We are God's ministers. We are charged with carrying out His will in the world. We can't just sit on our butts and pray and expect God to fix everything. To blame Him for the ills of the world, or to claim we don't believe in Him because the world isn't perfect, is nothing but a cop-out.0 -
tccox,
I can't help but wonder why you think the worst of those with faith. I don't pray for God to fix a busted pipe nor do I pray for something abstract like world peace.
Are you saying you would believe if He granted you your every selfish desire? Would that be good enough for YOU?
Organized religion may not be the answer. I do not even attend church regularly, but truth be told, the fallacy of organized religion is just as bad as your abrasive, self-centered conceit.0 -
Ecclesiastes 7:13-20
13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy, but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise- why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool- why die before your time?
18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes . [a]
19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.
20 There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.0 -
confucious: man who farts in church, sits in his own pew. 0 -
EMM, Hey guy, you are gonna have to speak english for me to have a clue what you be talking about. I believe there is a god. I don't see how all this world came to be without it. Is there a hereafter, I don't really think so. If there is, so what.
EMM where did you get "my selfish desire" from?? I personally have NEVER asked any god to give me a darn thing. As I said, prayers have NEVER and will NEVER be anwered.
Gents, I am not argueing against nor for your faith. I believe there is a god but when you die, you die. All this mumbo jumbo about prayers is just like whistling in the wind, save your breath. Hey, if I cut off my finger will ALL your prayers bring it back?? But it MAY cure cancer or some other stuff that can't be proven. Preachers just love cured cancer believers. Just look at Bennie Hind(?) he cures more people in a day than Christ did in a lifetime. Tom0 -
tccox,
Then your definition of prayers must be different from mine because I have had them answered. They were nothing flashy or newsworthy, but they were important to me all the same.0 -
EMM, if you have had prayers answered, why not shoot to the big one and get the lottery numbers?? Tom
PS even better, WORLD PEACE T0 -
God has never spoken to me. 0 -
He has spoken to me. 0 -
Yes he has, more in a quiet voice than shouting as I would probably listen to sooner. You have to look at what would keep from hearing His voice, usually when I go through periods of "not hearing" is when I have not spent time with Him, either in prayer, or in His word, or have missed church. 0 -
God spoke to me. He said, "Andy, I have good news and I have bad news."
"What's the good news, Oh, Lord?" I queried...
"That Jesus is coming July 17th at 4:37 PM."
"Oh, Lord, My God, that's wonderful news!" I cried. "But whatever could the bad news be?"
And the Lord sayeth unto me, "He wants everybody to meet in Salt Lake City."
(Now before our L.D.S. brethren get y'all's knickers in a wad, just examine the joke. It's not an attack. Just a joke.)0 -
Yes he has spoken to me, on the other hand the devil YELLS to me[}:)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by SLING BLADE
Yes he has spoken to me, on the other hand the devil YELLS to me[}:)]
Not me. I find the devil usually whispers seductively in my ear.
Baptist ministers yell at me. So does my wife.0 -
tccox - +1. You're spot on. And once you come to realize this, life suddenly becomes a little easier. 0 -
Interesting topic. I suppose that I have heard "God", but I don't know if it is God, coincidence, or what. I tend to be a big believer in Karma, and I think more oftehn than not, I have instant Karma.
My grandmother was very religous. My father is exactly the opposite. I'll say that they both don't believe that "God answers prayers" - It's more like God lets us make our own luck. Personally, for example, I think that God wants us to experiment on Stem Cells. It is noble to try to help people. I think God wants us to question where we came from. Why can't we believe in God and in THE FACT of Evolution?
I had something happen, for example, the other day. I was working on a Saturday, from 8:00 am til about 4:00 pm. I was pissed and aggrivated that I had been in the office all day. I went to a local gunshop, just to browse, and I saw a friend from law school, selling a rifle back to the store. He says to me "yea, I've got to pay the mortgage", and said it jokingly. The're always a grain of truth in every joke, and he was selling a rifle for $200.00. Right away, the message was "Count your blessings"....0 -
I'm curious, do you hear a voice? or is it a thought that pops into your head? 0 -
He has spoken to me with that still small voice and just a "knowledge" (or revelation) of something...and through His Word. There have been many times where I've picked up my Bible and opened it, to have a passage jump off the page at me that directly applied to a situation or circumstance I was facing. 0 -
Yes GOD surely speaks to me (us). And it is always amazing. Usually not what I expected to hear. I must be careful to examine my heart however. Just as I could hear what I want to hear when conversing with another person, it is also possible to hear what one wants to hear when talking with GOD. A pure heart and a submitted will is a must, from my experience. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by tccox
EMM, Hey guy, you are gonna have to speak english for me to have a clue what you be talking about. I believe there is a god. I don't see how all this world came to be without it. Is there a hereafter, I don't really think so. If there is, so what.
EMM where did you get "my selfish desire" from?? I personally have NEVER asked any god to give me a darn thing. As I said, prayers have NEVER and will NEVER be anwered.
Gents, I am not argueing against nor for your faith. I believe there is a god but when you die, you die. All this mumbo jumbo about prayers is just like whistling in the wind, save your breath. Hey, if I cut off my finger will ALL your prayers bring it back?? But it MAY cure cancer or some other stuff that can't be proven. Preachers just love cured cancer believers. Just look at Bennie Hind(?) he cures more people in a day than Christ did in a lifetime. Tom
I'm not a Binny Hin fan, but Jesus Christ said "Greater things than these, ye shall do..."...and He was referring to the things (miracles) He did here on earth.0 -
Sure, there are lots of thoughts constantly running through my head. My wants, desires, conscious, and my imagination (which is quiet large in it's own right), but there have been a couple of times where something pops in my head that is so far from my "normal" ramblings of the mind, a thought that makes me stop and listen. The best way I've seen it describe is that "still small voice" or "whisper in the wind". 0 -
I would be a little leery of people that say god speaks to them. Historically, numerous nutjobs have claimed devine advice to justify their actions. One exception that I remember was "Son of Sam". The neighbor's German Shepard was the voice that spoke to him.
Next time god speaks to you, get it on tape.[;)]0 -
I think he speak's to me in many different way's. Not necessarily just through a voice I can physically hear. 0 -
He doesn't speak to me in voice, but in example...
For instance...
I was walking over to a different building at work to get a sample from a product line, inside a tank. I was thinking "I've never dropped a sample bottle in a tank before." Stick my hand in and Boom. There she goes.
Or dumping chemical bags in a tank, I said "I've never dropped a bag in a tank." Boom, one came loose and I barely caught it.
Certain things like that, he reminds you that he is there and watching/listening to it all. I can't help but giggle to myself when something like that happens.0 -
Lately, I hear a lot of voices from authorities higher than me.[:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by tccox
EMM, if you have had prayers answered, why not shoot to the big one and get the lottery numbers?? Tom
PS even better, WORLD PEACE T
Because I do not need the to win the lottery and so see no need to pray for something as selfish as that.
And praying for world peace? Because war is a choice humans make out of spite and fear and human failings will persist no matter how much I pray.
You seem to operate under the notion that God should grant us everything we wish. And if you can only operate on such a self-centered level, then there's nothing I can say to you to make you think or believe otherwise.0
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