Pastor Claude Stauffer explains how God speaks to us.
How God Speaks to Us
by Claude Stauffer | Nov 19, 2024 | Bible, God still speaks |
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17
Have you ever been through a deep personal time of hardship or despair? “Despair” means the absence of hope and during such times we are moved beyond ourselves for help. I have experienced such times, most people have. In such a time I can remember calling out to God in prayer, believing there was a God, waiting, and . . . nothing. I have always believed there was a God. But I have not always been able to hear from Him. Does God answer our calls? Does God speak to us? How does God speak to us? Read on to find out.
There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Faith is birthed in us like when a farmer sows the seed of the word of God in our heart. This is how Jesus describes it in His Parable of the Sower (cf. Mark 4). Some people reject God’s word outright. Some people accept it but give it up at the first sign of trouble. Others accept it and are distracted away from it. But others receive God’s word down deep in their heart and it grows to produce spiritual fruit in their lives. That last way of receiving the word of God is what we should want to happen in us. Which heart soil are you?
God speaks to us through His word. Many people call out to God and feel rejected and ignored by God because they do not feel they get any response from Him. But the way God responds to us is through His word. In prayer we call out to God, in His word He responds to us. This is one of the most enlightening truths in the Christian faith.
I grew up in a very dysfunctional family setting. I always believed in God and in times of turmoil I would retreat to my bedroom and cry out to God. But I did not feel God heard or if He did, He did not answer me. This compounded my sense of despair. It confused me. “God I believe you exist, but why don’t you hear me? Or if you hear me, why don’t you answer me or respond in some way?” This went on for a long time until one day, after a series of God-orchestrated events in my life, I finally surrendered my life to Jesus and received Him as my Savior and Lord. For the first time in my life I went from the dead silence of religion to a spiritual life of hearing God loud and clear. How did that happen?
When I gave my life to Jesus the first person I called was my sister who had been instrumental in my salvation. In that initial conversation she said something that the Lord would use to establish my personal saving relationship with Jesus. She said, “Claudie, when you pray you talk with God. When you read the Bible, God talks to you.” That right there was a seed planted that has born much fruit in my life. Because of that profound truth, I have always, from my first breath and baby steps as a newborn Christian, had an insatiable appetite for God’s word. I want to hear from God as much as possible and it is in His word that that can happen.
What did I hear when I began to listen to God’s voice in His word? I will tell you in the rest of this study what you will hear when you begin to prayerfully read God’s word and listen to what He says there. But one thing is for sure, I heard Him say, “A bruised read He will not break, and a smoking flax He will not quench” (Isaiah 42:2). I heard Jesus say that too (Matthew 12:20). Then I learned, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). I heard that one of the reasons Jesus came was to do just that, “heal the brokenhearted” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). Indeed, I heard God say, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). I learned David said that when he was repenting for his great sin with Bathsheba. That would come in handy in life. But what else did I hear? Many things. Read on if you are interested.
From human opinion to God’s truth. Another truth about God’s word is that in it, God’s truth is established. In His High Priestly prayer Jesus prayed to His father on our behalf:
John 17:17 (NKJV) – Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
We may come to many conclusions about what we think is right, but people differ in their conclusions. Some people think there are many ways to heaven. Others say there is only one way to heaven. But here is the issue, what I say about something is my opinion, what God says in His word is TRUTH. We can argue in circles ad infinitum or forever, but when God says something in His word that settles it; or at least it shifts the argument to God. People can argue with me all they want, but God has not lost and argument yet. If you want to share the gospel effectively you need to rely on the word of God.
There is a lot of so-called “truth” in the world, but there is only one sure truth from God. According to Jesus, “Your word is truth.” God’s word is truth! As Christians we are to be sanctified, set apart for God’s use “by Your truth.” To be “sanctified” means to be set apart for Gods’ use in this world. We are extraordinary, uncommon, exceptional, and different based on God’s truth. As agents of God’s truth we present a contrast to the falsehoods and deceptions found in this world. We are ambassadors who plead with the lost to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20). Jesus came to bear witness to God’s truth (John 18:37). That truth says He died on the cross to pay our debt of death for sin and that when we accept that truth by faith in Jesus and His resurrection which confirms and exemplifies its truth, we will be saved from our sins (e.g., 2 Cor. 5:21; Romans 10). We as Christians are to be just like Jesus in that we are nurtured, live, proclaim, and share God’s truth. That is God’s predetermined plan for us (Romans 8:29). We are to follow in Jesus’ steps and walk as He walked in witnessing to the truth of God (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6).
Once a person has heard the word with their heart and received Jesus as their Savior, God continues to use His word to build that faith up on a firm foundation. Truly God’s sovereign plan involves the Spirit of God building up the people of God by the word of God.
It is better to be Biblically correct than politically correct. If the early Christians were more concerned about being politically correct than Biblically correct, the Church would have died before ethe end of the first century. But when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and empowered to witness, they were unstoppable in sharing the truth of God’s word (Acts 1-2 and throughout Acts). Acts is our model for the church. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to proclaim God’s word.
Dealing with doubts – Remember, it is an open book exam. How do I deal with doubts or with questions I do not immediately have the answer to? The test of sharing your faith is an open book exam. You might not have all the answers memorized, but if you become familiar with your Bible you will have a ready resource to refer to when questions arise for which you do not have an immediate answer.
The blood-stained book. We need to appreciate God’s word. Charles Haddon Spurgeon and well known preacher once said:
The blood of martyrs is on the Bible, the blood of translators and confessors. The doctrines which we preach to you are doctrines that have been baptized in blood.
Christians have given their lives to see that the truth of scripture is passed down from generation to generation. They felt so strongly that the Bible was God’s word of truth that they were compelled to share it, even if it cost them their lives. If they felt that way and sacrificed so much, we should honor their efforts by revering and sharing God’s word too.
God’s word cleanses us from sin. When we read and study and live in God’s word, it cleans us from our sins. When Paul speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives He exhorts husbands to love their wives like Jesus loves the Church and gave Himself for her. Then Paul goes on to say that Jesus gave Himself for the Church:
Ephesians 5:26 (NKJV) – 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Husbands, the best thing you can do for you bride is to help her be cleansed by the word of God. Now that begins with us. The passage begins by calling husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Jesus gave Himself for us His bride. Therefore as husbands, we ought to give ourselves for our brides. That means we sacrifice for her. We sacrifice like Jesus so she has the time to get into the word of God and let it get into her. We husbands often harp on the directive of wives to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:24). But did you know we too are called to submit? We are called to submit to “one another” (Ephesians 5:21). We are to love our wives as Christ loved the church, and they are to submit and reverence their husbands. Husbands, you are going to get one without the other. Learn how to love your wives by serving her and sacrificially loving her. That’s the only way to attain peace and harmony, bliss and contentment in marriage. We need to learn this and have alternative prideful attitudes and views cleansed from us. And our wives will benefit from adopting their role as depicted in the truth of God’s word. This is God’s truth and plan for marriage.
The Apostle Peter also speaks of the cleansing nature of God’s word saying:
1 Peter 1:22–23 (NKJV) – 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
A wise old saint once said, “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book. The choice is up to us. The more we take in God’s word, the cleaner we will be from the filth of this world.
The Bible has the answers and solutions a sinful world needs. Martin Lloyd Jones once said:
There can be no doubt whatsoever that all the troubles in the Church today, and most of the troubles in the world, are due to a departure from the authority of the Bible.
Wherever a person departs from the truth of scripture, trouble ensues. We reap either righteousness or destruction based on our response to God’s word (Galatians 6:7-9). The world without God’s word is out of alignment. They need the word of God to get them aligned and back on track.
The Bible is God’s Indispensable Instrument for Every Good Work. God’s word is indispensable for every facet of who we are as Christians. We are saved through God’s word. We are sanctified by God’s word. We grow in our faith by way of God’s word. We serve God fruitfully and effectively only by God’s word.
Paul noted the importance of God’s word in the faith building process or edification when he was inspired to write:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
You cannot grow as a Christian or be “thoroughly equipped for every good work,” without a steady diet of God’s word. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 when He was being tempted by Satan and said:
Matthew 4:4 – “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
We live by the word of God.
But we do not worship the Bible. We revere and appreciate and live by the word of God, but we do not worship the Bible. A.W. Tozer, in his great book The Pursuit of God, wrote:
The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.
We do not worship the Bible. We thank God for His revelatory word by which He makes Himself known, but we do not worship the word. To worship the Bible would be like worshipping and loving a love letter instead of the one who wrote it.
Lastly, love people enough to share God’s word with them. To withhold God’s word from people is to remove the light in a dark place God has provided so they might find Him. To withhold God’s word from people is to intercept God’s love letter to them and rely on a cheap substitute of some kind. The greatest commandment is to love God supremely. The second greatest commandment is to love others sacrificially (Matthew 22:37-40). The greatest act of love we can do for our neighbor is to share Jesus with them, and that cannot truly be done separate from God’s word. Therefore, if we are to love in the Spirit, we need to love people enough to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ God has revealed in His word (Romans 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Six Blessed Benefits of Taking In God’s Word
What benefits do we glean from God’s word? The following are some practical pointers about God’s word and how it is used by God to build us up.
First, God’s word will raise up Jesus in our heart. Peter was inspired to write:
2 Peter 1:16-21 – “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
What did Peter mean when he referred to, “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”? The context of these verse is Peter speaking about the “power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 16). And this is what Peter refers to when he speaks of the “morning star.” The Old Testament refers to Messiah with this imagery and Jesus Himself refers to Himself in this way, as a bringer of light. Read the scriptures which bear witness to this:
Malachi 4:2 – “But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; And you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.”
Luke 1:76-79 – “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Revelation 22:16 – “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
When the Spirit of God applies the word of God to your heart, He will raise up Jesus in you.
Second, God’s word helps us to steer clear of sin. The psalmist wrote:
Psalm 119:11 – “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”
We know what sin is by the word of God and we overcome sin in our lives by relying on the Spirit applying God’s word to our lives.
Third, God’s word brings His joy to our hearts. Joy is that settled feeling of satisfaction and rightness that comes from knowing you are in the will of God. All hell could be breaking loose around you and the world falling apart about you, but with God’s word assuring you that you are going in the right direction, you will get through. God’s word implanted in our heart makes us ready and unashamed in all situations. God’s word brings such joy to our heart. Read of what the Bible says about the link between God’s word and our heart joy:
Psalm 19:8 – “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;”
Jeremiah 15:16 – “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”
Fourth, God’s word brings His song of grace to our heart. The Spirit brings a right attitude and general sense of well-being to the believer by applying God’s word to the heart. We need to let God’s word dwell in us richly. When God’s word dwells richly in our heart, we experience the fullness of God’s grace and that is enough to make anyone in any situation sing. Paul wrote about this saying:
Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Fifth, alternatives to God’s word cheat you of God’s best; we need to be built up and edified by God’s word. There is so much spiritual benefit received from God’s word. It is a shame that certain parts of the “church” have supplanted human tradition and worldly philosophy for God’s word. In such cases we settle for far less than God’s best and indeed God’s word warns us not to let ourselves be cheated by trying to feed on anything less than God’s word. Paul points this out when he is inspired to write to the Colossians with the following words:
Colossians 2:6-10 – “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
God uses His word to build up our faith. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to build up the people of God. That is how God works in us.
Sixth, therefore, we need to hold on to God’s word and live it by faith in the power of the Spirit. God’s word and the Spirit’s application of it to our lives is God’s means to build up our faith. This is a foundational principle of God’s truth and word. We see this truth in the following verses:
1 Thessalonians 5:21 – “Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
1 Timothy 6:3-5 – “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
2 Timothy 1:13-14 – “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.14 That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”
Titus 1:9 – “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”
Does God speak to us? Yes He does. He speaks to us through His word. And His word is what we as Christians should live by. You cannot know God apart from the truth of His word. And the best way to share Him and the way to know Him with others is through sharing His word. His word is truth and belongs in every conversation we have in life. So I encourage you to hear what Jesus said that we do not live by mere morsels of earthly food, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. May we all know God better through the taking in of His word. Let’s counter the famine of the word in the world today (Amos 8:11). Let us feast in the word of God. May there be a revival of God’s word in us, the church, and this world. In Jesus name. Amen!