Why doesn't God speak to me directly ..like he does w/ some?

autumn oddity

autumn oddity

Like w/ me

I rarely hear Him.. but when He "speaks" to me...

*Sometimes its through dreams
*Sometimes others
*Miscellaneous (I'll explain this one)


Like the Sunday before last, I really needed to have a better relationship w/ God.. like.. I wasn't reading , praying or anything ( visited my cousin's church) the morning b4 church I prayed... what was on my heart

and the service pretty much addressed everything I prayed for... and I knew what I needed to do (I wish I took a notebook lol)

then (miscellaneous) a while back.. I remember praying in the bathroom.. (needing a better relationship w/ God) and when I came out..on the window sill... was a pamphlet titled "you can be close to God too"
I was amazed, I asked my dad was it his, he said ..I asked my brother who's almost always out he said no as well, my dad said he just found it... and placed it on the window sill ^^


Soooo... I know He is talking to me.. its just in unconventional ways... but Im sure its because.. my psyche is no Buena right now lol (I have anxiety, racing thought yadda...) so Im thinking maybe that's why...

But sometimes it worries me b/c it says His sheep hear his voice.. and I barely hear Him..
but He gets my attention..in numerous ways.
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but could there be a chance that he hasn't stopped talking to you but you don't always want to listen?

Or if it is strictly about hearing him in a more conventional way, why must they be on your terms? Why doesn't he appear marvelously and miraculously to evil skeptics all over the world?

Don't take what I said as any kind of jab, but I hope this is all food for thought.
 
I have never heard a voice 'out of the blue'.
I have never spoken in tongues.

For years after I accepted the Lord, I was worried that something was missing from my walk with Him. But I have always carried on a private unending dialog "in me head".
I call this a dialog and not a monolog because it is more than my thoughts. Many times, I am totally not in control of the path of those thoughts.

Looking back, I can understand that this is the medium He uses to talk to me. Now that I am looking, I can sometimes know that He is guiding my thoughts. I am sure that He is guiding me in more subtle ways.

It may be that you will see recognize His voice only when looking back.
 
To quote St. Padre Pio "To some, God shows Himself, to others He hides Himself, it is all a game of love."

For many, a direct experience of God would not be helpful, more terrifying or confusing than anything else.
Many need to spend time searching for Him, and cleaning themselves up in the process, before explicitly finding Him.
 
pancakes said:
Like w/ me

I rarely hear Him.. but when He "speaks" to me...

*Sometimes its through dreams
*Sometimes others
*Miscellaneous (I'll explain this one)


Like the Sunday before last, I really needed to have a better relationship w/ God.. like.. I wasn't reading , praying or anything ( visited my cousin's church) the morning b4 church I prayed... what was on my heart

and the service pretty much addressed everything I prayed for... and I knew what I needed to do (I wish I took a notebook lol)

then (miscellaneous) a while back.. I remember praying in the bathroom.. (needing a better relationship w/ God) and when I came out..on the window sill... was a pamphlet titled "you can be close to God too"
I was amazed, I asked my dad was it his, he said ..I asked my brother who's almost always out he said no as well, my dad said he just found it... and placed it on the window sill ^^


Soooo... I know He is talking to me.. its just in unconventional ways... but Im sure its because.. my psyche is no Buena right now lol (I have anxiety, racing thought yadda...) so Im thinking maybe that's why...

But sometimes it worries me b/c it says His sheep hear his voice.. and I barely hear Him..
but He gets my attention..in numerous ways.
Click to expand...

I struggle, many times desperate to know what God wants of me. Yet in reality I have lived my life over the last 50 years of constantly hearing God speak. Its just that he doesn't do it on my terms (as Lysander says above.) And I need a word right NOW!

Last November, my wife and I sold house, and moved over 300 miles because we heard God speak loud and clear. We are now in awkward temporary accommodation and desperate to find a house of our own, in an extremely limited market....... Silence.

"My sheep hear my voice".
Now here I do have valid experience!

Among other things, I kept sheep for a few years, and no matter how much I talked to them, they remained utterly deaf to my questions and instructions, quite oblivious to Jesus's teaching. The clear majority of the flock were obviously wise to me, knowing I fully intended to kill and eat them. They could read my mind and not surprisingly ran in the opposite direction from me!

In contrast, when Jesus spoke those words, "my sheep hear my voice" the shepherd actually lived amongst the sheep in the hills, and come rain or shine shared the predators and weather with them. They gathered around him because he was their protector and guide to fresh pastures. The sheep recognised his sound, smell, and looks.

Today we look after the sheep by driving them with dogs, or quad bikes, chasing them around the hills. Unlike the shepherds of Jesus's time, dogs and quadbikes are difficult for a sheep to form a trustworthy relationship with.

However amongst my own sheep, there was one little bunch who viewed things differently, that was my 5 orphan lambs. My wife and I bottle fed these little ones, and kept them in the back garden till they were ready to graze and rejoin the general flock. These lambs most certainly knew my voice. They gathered around our our feet whenever we entered the garden, and if the door was left open they fearlessly charged around the house.

Jesus said, "my sheep know my voice", but he didn't say that they would always understand the precise words! Both the shepherd's voice and his close presence gives peace. They know that if they stick close they will be safe.
That describes the starting point for all believers in their search for direction from God.
I have no idea of what God is doing in my situation right now although my wife and I are seeking him constantly. Despite that, we both walk in a state of amazing peace. We and I are in that state of peace because we constantly declare and believe that he reigns over us. As someone recently said on this forum, words have power!
If we proclaim that Jesus is reigning in our lives, then by spiritual law, he must be reigning. The only way he might not be on the throne is if like most christians we keep taking it back and trying to micro manage it our own way. Therefore if we have truly surrendered that throne to Him, we need to rest in peace and remain confident that he will direct and guide us.
My life long experience is that he always has directed us, even if not by my timing, or by my route! Sticking close to the shepherd, is truly worthwhile.
 
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Francis Drake, you have nailed it properly there.
Just to add, once you have reached that place of inner peace with whatever is going on around you, man, then you are living.
But when you fret about this and that, then live feels not worth living. Placing it in the hands of Father God is the best way to live.
 
Francis Drake said:
I struggle, many times desperate to know what God wants of me. Yet in reality I have lived my life over the last 50 years of constantly hearing God speak. Its just that he doesn't do it on my terms (as Lysander says above.) And I need a word right NOW!

Last November, my wife and I sold house, and moved over 300 miles because we heard God speak loud and clear. We are now in awkward temporary accommodation and desperate to find a house of our own, in an extremely limited market....... Silence.

"My sheep hear my voice".
Now here I do have valid experience!

Among other things, I kept sheep for a few years, and no matter how much I talked to them, they remained utterly deaf to my questions and instructions, quite oblivious to Jesus's teaching. The clear majority of the flock were obviously wise to me, knowing I fully intended to kill and eat them. They could read my mind and not surprisingly ran in the opposite direction from me!

In contrast, when Jesus spoke those words, "my sheep hear my voice" the shepherd actually lived amongst the sheep in the hills, and come rain or shine shared the predators and weather with them. They gathered around him because he was their protector and guide to fresh pastures. The sheep recognised his sound, smell, and looks.

Today we look after the sheep by driving them with dogs, or quad bikes, chasing them around the hills. Unlike the shepherds of Jesus's time, dogs and quadbikes are difficult for a sheep to form a trustworthy relationship with.

However amongst my own sheep, there was one little bunch who viewed things differently, that was my 5 orphan lambs. My wife and I bottle fed these little ones, and kept them in the back garden till they were ready to graze and rejoin the general flock. These lambs most certainly knew my voice. They gathered around our our feet whenever we entered the garden, and if the door was left open they fearlessly charged around the house.

Jesus said, "my sheep know my voice", but he didn't say that they would always understand the precise words! Both the shepherd's voice and his close presence gives peace. They know that if they stick close they will be safe.
That describes the starting point for all believers in their search for direction from God.
I have no idea of what God is doing in my situation right now although my wife and I are seeking him constantly. Despite that, we both walk in a state of amazing peace. We and I are in that state of peace because we constantly declare and believe that he reigns over us. As someone recently said on this forum, words have power!
If we proclaim that Jesus is reigning in our lives, then by spiritual law, he must be reigning. The only way he might not be on the throne is if like most christians we keep taking it back and trying to micro manage it our own way. Therefore if we have truly surrendered that throne to Him, we need to rest in peace and remain confident that he will direct and guide us.
My life long experience is that he always has directed us, even if not by my timing, or by my route! Sticking close to the shepherd, is truly worthwhile.
Click to expand...


Im sorry but i don't get any of this... so am I hearing His "voice" eve though its not really a voice...

im confused
 
Glomung said:
To quote St. Padre Pio "To some, God shows Himself, to others He hides Himself, it is all a game of love."

For many, a direct experience of God would not be helpful, more terrifying or confusing than anything else.
Many need to spend time searching for Him, and cleaning themselves up in the process, before explicitly finding Him.
Click to expand...


yes I agree, god couldn't be too direct w/ me... Id be in someone's ward lol

but I wonder why he hides himself.. esp if the said sheeep isn't too good at discerning and can be easily taken advantage of ?
 
@pancakes
Pan Cakes not to long ago you were all up in arms over God and love and wanted to do things your way and find you some one. Now you have decided you want to walk close to God and ask why you can not hear His voice.

It takes time to draw close to God and in some ways He is watching to see how serious you are about this. God is always talking BUT the problem is we are not always listening. We get to busy or want to do things our own way and so forth. One can not expect to out of the blue decide today I shall draw close to God and hear His voice and have it as they wish. Yes one can make that choice and should but, it takes discipline and determination and perseverance to get to the place you desire.

Many times we do hear God and push it way side or another words I do not want to hear this or deal with that and so forth. If you honestly seek God you will find Him and if you draw close to God He will draw close to you. Make sure you do the things that you know He has told you to do because sometimes not doing therm slows down or stops any further movement with God.

How much you hear God depends on how much you want to hear God and are willing to do.
His sheep do hear His voice, sometimes the sheep are to busy or have to much going on in them to actually pay attention and miss it. Don't give up but DON'T get huffy and upset with God over this. Your time will come and if you truly decide to get to know God, well as you do you will begin to hear Him clearer and clearer...

Blessings Sister
Jim
 
pancakes said:
Im sorry but i don't get any of this... so am I hearing His "voice" eve though its not really a voice...

im confused
Click to expand...
A new born child most certainly hears the voice of its mother and father, but hearing is not the same as understanding.
Understanding is something that comes with time and practice. That is what Jesus was saying with his sheep comment, (except that most sheep never learn any words!) Likewise we need to exercise our spirit in order to gain understanding.

All humans have both intellect and human spirit. Since birth our intellect has been force fed, whilst our human spirit has been ignored or crushed, just as if it doesn't even exist. Consequently, most people's spirits are atrophied and almost non functioning.

This comes straight from the Garden of Eden! Adam decided that his own Tree of Knowledge was of sufficient magnitude for him to take dominion over creation, completely independent of God. In doing so, Adam dumped his spiritual union with God.
Ever since that time, all humans consistently exalt their intellect above their spirit, the exact opposite of what God intended.
Is it any wonder that our spiritual ears and eyes are dulled?

Matt13v14"In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;15FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'16"But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.…

Jesus is not talking here about the need for glasses or hearing aids. These words are all about the eyes and ears of our spirit, not our natural senses!
Strangely, every single believer first came to the Lord because he was drawn by God working on his spirit, not his intellect.
Look at the reaction of the disheartened disbelieving disciples after Jesus had spoken to them on the road to Emmaus.-
Luke24v31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
All the disciples were still trying to work things out using their heads, making them blind to what Jesus had repeatedly told them over the last 3 years. As Jesus opened the scriptures, God's Spirit was working on their spirit/hearts. That is what they mean about their hearts burning within them.
No matter what we learn from the bible or an evangelist, it is the witness of our human spirit that dictates our reaction. Evangelists spend far too long trying to convince the mind of something that can only be understood in the spirit.
1Cor2v14But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
Scripture also makes it clear that the cross is foolishness to someone who has a dead spirit.

Sadly, most christian activity exercises the intellect rather than the spirit.
Church is invariably set up like a classroom, filling the heads full of christian facts.
The exercise of our spirit in listening to the voice of the spirit is very low on the agenda. Part of the reason for this is that much of the leadership is selected from those with high intellectual qualifications.

Our one saving factor is that God wants us to grow in the spirit and will always reach out to those willing to listen, despite what the church experience is like.
I am one of those. I have experienced far more of God outside the church than I ever did within it.
Be prepared to listen and learn. It will be the most thrilling experience you can ever have as God leads you through this life. You will learn to discern his voice, for the simple reason that he wants you to.
Heb5v13For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

What do they say, practice makes perfect!
 
pancakes said:
Im sorry but i don't get any of this... so am I hearing His "voice" eve though its not really a voice...

im confused
Click to expand...

Have you considered that when someone has told you that they HEARD God speak to them in an audible voice that they were NOT telling you the truth?

Some people "embellish" their comments so as to appear more spiritual an the rest of us. I already know some will disagree with that comment but it is never the less absolutely true.
 
Major said:
Have you considered that when someone has told you that they HEARD God speak to them in an audible voice that they were NOT telling you the truth?

Some people "embellish" their comments so as to appear more spiritual an the rest of us. I already know some will disagree with that comment but it is never the less absolutely true.
Click to expand...

God DOES speak audibly to some---for His purposes. Please don't try to impress upon one who is deeply questioning his/her faith that people lie when they open up to share about this very private, yet wonderful experience.
 
I agree. Recall what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus.
And what about that donkey, it spoke, yet everyone knows a donkey cannot speak.
But through His almighty power speaking is not limited to our human understanding. I also recall that the rocks will scream out.
That much is true. But He speaks to each individual in a way that that person needs it.
The first time God spoke to me in an audible manner I literally fell of my chair, got up, closed my bible and vacated my study.
Yes, you may laugh, in retrospect it is funny, but at the time for me it was a massively freighting experience.
Trust God and learn to give control of your entire person to Him, and enjoy what He has in store for you. Us control type persons struggle with that step.
 
pancakes said:
But sometimes it worries me b/c it says His sheep hear his voice.. and I barely hear Him... but He gets my attention..in numerous ways.
Click to expand...
Good on ya, Pancakes. You're learning.
Jesus is not necessarily talking about audible voices in the head... afterall Satan can do that as well.
No it is more along the lines of what you have described above; often what others call coincidences.
But, it is also you being able to read the signs or the replies. You need to have spiritual eyes and ears so that you can see
and hear what the Lord has to say to you... mostly through his Word, the scriptures.
Pretty well most answers to life's choices or difficulties can be found when reading your New testament and Psalms and Proverbs.
And it needs submission and being humble enough to follow directions, rather than arguing the point.
 
pancakes said:
but I wonder why he hides himself.. esp if the said sheeep isn't too good at discerning and can be easily taken advantage of ?
Click to expand...
In the Revival Fellowship we hear the direct voice of God - both the Father and of Jesus - at every Assembly
meeting that is conducted in full accordance with the scriptures - 1Corinthians 14 - where the saints operate
the voice gifts through the Holy Spirit exactly as you can read of for yourself.
First someone will speak in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, then this is followed by an interpretation
for our benefit. After this is done two or three times (maximum) decently and in order - then
there are up to three gifts of prophecy.
God speaking to the saints; speaking to his Church in full accordance with the New Testament.
What a blessing. Even today the gospel is the same as it was in the time of the Apostles.
 
pancakes said:
Like w/ me

I rarely hear Him.. but when He "speaks" to me...

*Sometimes its through dreams
*Sometimes others
*Miscellaneous (I'll explain this one)


Like the Sunday before last, I really needed to have a better relationship w/ God.. like.. I wasn't reading , praying or anything ( visited my cousin's church) the morning b4 church I prayed... what was on my heart

and the service pretty much addressed everything I prayed for... and I knew what I needed to do (I wish I took a notebook lol)

then (miscellaneous) a while back.. I remember praying in the bathroom.. (needing a better relationship w/ God) and when I came out..on the window sill... was a pamphlet titled "you can be close to God too"
I was amazed, I asked my dad was it his, he said ..I asked my brother who's almost always out he said no as well, my dad said he just found it... and placed it on the window sill ^^


Soooo... I know He is talking to me.. its just in unconventional ways... but Im sure its because.. my psyche is no Buena right now lol (I have anxiety, racing thought yadda...) so Im thinking maybe that's why...

But sometimes it worries me b/c it says His sheep hear his voice.. and I barely hear Him..
but He gets my attention..in numerous ways.
Click to expand...

To me it sounds like you have the how down, just need to be patiently listening to what. As you allow God to get your attention, the more you hear, and listen, the more He speaks to you. It is always in ways that we understand. God desires to have a relationship with us, and He knows how to get our attention, and how is the best way to speak to us so that we will know it's Him.

Maybe you can get a notebook and write down all the times when He speaks, so that when things "seem" to be quiet, you can look at it and remind yourself that He does speak, and that He loves you.

Something else to think about...find the last time He spoke to you. Did He ask you to do something, and you forgot, or just didn't do it. Those kinds of things can block Him from speaking to us as well.

And out loud at least once a day tell yourself that you are His sheep and you know His voice, it will take time and practice to learn His promptings (all of them) but as you learn, the more you can hear Him.

Blessings of peace and joy be yours in abundance!
 
Now here's an interesting thing that I see and hear in churches everywhere, sadly with great regularity.

People have more faith for Satan speaking, than they have for God speaking.

I have yet to hear anyone claim that Satan or demons no longer speak to people!

That's because there are enough warnings in scripture, and personal experiences, forcing people to be aware of that fact.
So how do demons speak to us?
I imagine that most people accept agree that temptation from the enemy comes in the area of our thoughts.
How?
By subtle and quiet whispers! Drawing our eyes away towards various evils, winding us up to get angry with our brothers and sisters. All of which occurs in the mind, messing with our own thoughts.

Astonishingly, we then have this ludicrous debate about whether God speaks to his children today, with a huge line up of christians claiming that God no longer speaks to us ever since the bible was completed!
Thus, Satan can address the children of Almighty God, which he does with great regularity, but God himself has been excluded from the discussion. Its amazing what the unbelief of God's own children can achieve on behalf of Satan! LOL.

We are warned about doctrines of demons in scripture. If there are doctrines of demons, it surely indicates that demons speak to people. Should we allow God the same privilege maybe?

Those of us with regenerated spirits, believers, urgently need to cultivate the ear of the spirit.
 
Cturtle said:
To me it sounds like you have the how down, just need to be patiently listening to what. As you allow God to get your attention, the more you hear, and listen, the more He speaks to you. It is always in ways that we understand. God desires to have a relationship with us, and He knows how to get our attention, and how is the best way to speak to us so that we will know it's Him.

Maybe you can get a notebook and write down all the times when He speaks, so that when things "seem" to be quiet, you can look at it and remind yourself that He does speak, and that He loves you.

Something else to think about...find the last time He spoke to you. Did He ask you to do something, and you forgot, or just didn't do it. Those kinds of things can block Him from speaking to us as well.

And out loud at least once a day tell yourself that you are His sheep and you know His voice, it will take time and practice to learn His promptings (all of them) but as you learn, the more you can hear Him.

Blessings of peace and joy be yours in abundance!
Click to expand...


I agree w/ you.. God talks to all of us in different ways.... and outside forces (other people.. dreams ect) work for me

and the other one, do mean to me personally or through others? but again I agree with you.. if He tells you to do something...and you don't then whats the point....Ive done that

and I have to learn alll His promptings... like you said..I know the how.......
but when it comes to Him talking to me personally... Im confused.. not sure whether its Him or me...

Like for instance, maybe 3 nights ago..... I was about to pray... and I heard "pray for ____" but I was already thinking about him(said friend)

sooooo....

I mean it woulda been different if He told me exactly what to pray for ..for said friend...

you know what I mean...

its stuff like that..

I hope Im making sense XD
 
I have learned that in a case like yours cos I had similar experience it is his still small voice within me. You know how the holy spirit dwells in you, when you abide in Jesus? Well he is very close and inside you so knows you, even before you do something. That is Gods voice. Also, he will always prompt you to do godly, holy things, and if you are confused and need to check, look it up in the Bible.

In OT times it was always outside. Cos before Jesus God didnt really have a way of pouring out his spirit on everyone, so..he selected a few people, his prophets. Sometimes he actually spoke through them. sometimes people literally heard from God audibly.

I have one experience where I heard from God audibly. He does not normally do this, but this was before I was born again and in a kind of mess. he cared enough to tell me something personal when was struggling. Nobody else heard though, cos I was in the bathtub. Lol.
 
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