I read a story about a man who brought his Native American friend to New York City to show him the lights, sounds, and allure of the Big Apple. As they walked towards Times Square in Manhattan the streets were filled with people, cars were honking, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, “I hear a cricket.” Listening carefully, he walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing and looked beneath the branches. Sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed. “You must have super-human ears! I would've never heard something so small in the midst of all this noise.” The Native American responded by saying, “My ears are no different than yours. It just depends on what really matters to you." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and dropped them on the sidewalk. With the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, every head within twenty feet turned and looked to see where the money had hit the pavement. “See? It's not about how well you can hear, it's about what you care enough about to listen for."

THE WORD

My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

John 10:27

God not only wants His people to know His word, He wants them to know His voice. I'm not one to say God only speaks through the Bible, however, I do believe the way in which we become familiar with the voice of God is by consistently reading and studying the written word of God.

When I get a text message from Jill with a bunch of emojis or jumbled up letters, my experience and history with her informs me that this message is not from her. However, my experience and history with my kids informs me that this message is from them. By staying in the word, we tune our ears to His voice so that when He wants to speak to us in our daily lives we are able to perceive what He is saying.

I believe it's important to know the many ways that God often speaks so that we can tune in and pay attention to these various streams. Think of how a radio works. There are sound waves all around us, constantly emanating throughout the atmosphere, sight-unseen and mostly sound-unheard. But when we tune into one of them using the proper technology and tune out all the others, we suddenly hear what's been present all along.

Here are several ways, according to scripture, that we KNOW God speaks to His people. This not to say that these are the ways that God ONLY speaks but rather the ways that God ALWAYS speaks.

10 WAYS GOD AWAYS SPEAKS

1. THE BIBLE - 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training." Don't ask to hear from the Lord with a closed Bible. Why would He speak to you any other way if you refuse to receive what He has already spoken? I just preached a four week series on this that can be found here.

2. DREAMS – One of the MOST common ways God spoke to people throughout the Bible was through dreams, starting with Abram in Genesis 17. In the books of Joel and Acts it says that in the last days "old men will dream dreams." God spoke through dreams in the beginning and He plans to speak through them until the end. Pay attention to what you dream. Not every dream is from God, but some of them likely are, especially if you desire to hear from Him. Get in the habit of writing them down in detail, and praying through them. I have a dream journal on my nightstand with dreams dating back years ago. Some, I have come to understand immediately, while others took days, months, or even years to make sense of. Many people chalk dreams up to brain function and stored memories, which is true, but don't forget who designed your brain to function the way it does.

3. VISIONS – The books of Joel and Acts also say that in the last days "your young men will see visions." Visions can be vivid and supernatural, but they can also be subtle, like a picture within your mind. I think people assume having a vision from God must be like an episode of "That’s So Raven" (excuse the niche millennial reference). We think that in order to have a vision from God everything has to stop and we begin to see into a different realm. The reality is, a vision can simply be a thought-picture that bears symbolic or spiritual meaning. Jesus often communicated the deepest truths of the kingdom through parables, so it shouldn't surprise us that Holy Spirit still does the same today through images. He wants us to go on an interpretive journey WITH Him to uncover the mysteries of the deep. Lean in to the subtle images that cross your mind as you intently focus on Him.

4. PEOPLE – The Bible also tells us that in the last days "sons and daughters shall prophesy." Paul told the Corinthians they should eagerly desire the prophetic in their lives, that is, the ability to hear what the Lord is speaking and sharing it with others. There have been times where I was in a very difficult place spiritually until someone had the Word of the Lord for me that brought complete freedom. In those moments, I have thought to myself, "What would I have done if I didn't have these people in my life?" I once heard Banning Leibscher say, "If God doesn't seem to be speaking to you, it may be because He's speaking through someone you're not currently connected to." In other words, connection to the body is VITAL to staying connected to the voice of God. God wants to speak to you THROUGH PEOPLE and He wants to speak to people THROUGH YOU! He has ALWAYS worked through humanity to reach humanity. You will not always be aware of when He is speaking through you but it will benefit you to know when He is speaking through others. If He can speak through a donkey, He can certainly speak through any person He desires!

5. NATURE – Romans 1:20 tells us that since the creation of the earth, God’s invisible qualities have been clearly on display for all of humanity to see. Creation points to the Creator. When I taught high school it only took a few weeks or so before I began to recognize students' handwriting. Every person has a unique way of leaving their mark. So as the year progressed and students would occasionally forget to write their name on their work, many times I could identify the work by the subtle indicators I had come to notice in their writing. God's creation bears the marks of His character. Nature itself demonstrates the nature of God. Trees, plants, clouds, animals, molecules, all of it points to Him if we will look for Him in it.

6. CIRCUMSTANCES – Romans 8:28 promises that God works "all things for the good of those who love and trust Him and who are called according to His purpose." Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50, "What you meant for evil, God intended for good!" Pay attention to what’s happening around you. More than likely what you are enduring has a deeper meaning behind it. Whether it's in the belly of a whale or the belly of a furnace, God has a way of showing up in the midst of our situation and revealing His Word. He will do whatever it takes to get our attention.

7. AN INNER VOICE – 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that we have been given the "mind of Christ." God often speaks through WHISPERS and through passing thoughts that light up on our brains. You must mind your MIND! Not all of your thoughts are yours and while it's true some may come from the enemy or the flesh, it's just as true that the Lord wants to direct your thoughts to what He's saying. This is why we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Jesus Christ (2 Corinth. 2:5) because a mind that is OBEDIENT to Christ will be OCCUPIED by Christ! Being heavenly-minded is ultimately what will enable us to be the most earthly-good.

8. AUDIBLY – Psalm 29 says the voice of the Lord is POWERFUL and MAJESTIC, and that it splits the cedars. His literal voice is what created all things. Are you going to tell me He can’t still speak up when He wants to still to this day? His voice rang out from the Heavens as Jesus was baptized, when He brought His disciples up on the mountain, and when He gave up His spirit on the cross. Hebrews says His VERY BLOOD speaks a better word! God did not lose the ability to speak up when the Bible was completed. He can still very much speak audibly today.

9. ANGELS – Hebrews 1:14 says that angels are "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation." This is another one of the most common ways God spoke to people throughout the Bible. The word ANGEL literally means messenger, which is why it is tucked right in the center of the word evangelism. There is a spiritual realm; a supernatural dimension which has the ability to effect the natural. It amazes me how many people are quick to believe in demonic attack/influence but question angelic protection/intervention. If anything, angelic activity INCREASES into the new testament, it doesn't decrease. Now, I certainly believe people can go overboard in how fixated they become on angels and demons. John almost started to worship an angel in Revelation 22 until the angel rebuked him. I know of a few YouTube channels that would benefit from the same sort of rebuke from Heaven in order to take the focus off the spiritual realm and place it squarely on the spiritual Father. But just because there can be over-emphasis on this in some circles doesn't mean we can discount the fact that this is a way through which the Lord speaks.

10. CONVICTION – In John 16 Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit and when He comes He will "convict the world of sin." When we feel guilty of wrong-doing and when we feel compelled to act in a situation, the conviction of God IS His voice! In a courtroom, when someone is convicted, it means they have been found guilty. In other words, the Judge has rendered justice. Conviction is only a bad thing if we're not on the side of justice. In the heavenly courtroom God NEVER gets it wrong. When He convicts us of sin, He convinces us of what is better. As we grow in the Lord, we grow to love the discipline and justice of God because ultimately He knows what is best and wants what is good. God will not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to our sin. But the longer we refuse to repent the more blind and deaf we will become to His invitations of grace and mercy.

CONCLUSION

This is not an exhaustive list. God can speak in whatever ways He so chooses, but we do know from scripture and from history that these are certainly all ways that God speaks to His people. The last thing I'll say is that the voice of the Lord is a matter of stewardship. When we take seriously what He says to us; writing it down, praying through it, and most importantly acting on it, then He can entrust us with more.

In this hour it is pivotal that EVERY believer be in tune with the leading of the Holy Spirit and the way that He speaks. One of the simplest prayers that changed the trajectory of the nation of Israel was uttered by a 12 year old Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 when he said, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."

What would happen if the 2.6 billion people in the world who consider themselves Christ-followers woke up every morning and spoke those words with a great deal of reverence? I would dare say our world would be a vastly different place. Let us be the first to make it a daily habit.