Dee: Have you ever heard God talk to you? Does God really communicate with people today? Is so, how?

We are all different and God approaches each of us in different ways. Circumstances may also influence His approach to us, but His promises through His word are for each and every one of us if we meet His conditions. For example, in Proverbs 3:6 we read "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Harv: What this verse says to me is that every aspect of my life should reflect God's will for me. If I live accordingly, He has promised to lead me.

Dee: It's great to have you with us today.

Carol: It's good to be here. You have written and spoken about specific times when God has spoken to you. One such time you were doing some remodeling. You thanked God for the remodeling and told Him that you would like to do some work for him. You shared this prayer with some of the family, including an idea that came to your mind of some temporary leadership that was needed in another church, not ours.

Dee: Yes, and I was tempted to offer my services to that church right then, but wanted to make sure that it was God's idea, so I kept it as a matter of prayer and asked for further leading from the Lord.

Carol: I think of how delighted and excited you were the day a person from that church contacted you asking for help for the very need you had envisioned.

Dee: I shared my excitement with the contact and how God had prepared my heart for this identical ministry. Wow, God is real and the work of His Holy Spirit is inspirational and powerful!

Harv: How well did you know this person?

Dee: Not well at all. I had only met him one time when I was ministering someplace. No conversation, just a handshake.

Carol: What can each of us do to facilitate hearing from God?

Harv: Jesus said,"he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, I will manifest myself to him."

Dee: That's right. Being obedient to God opens the door to communication between Him and ourselves.

Harv: The book of James says, "Draw nigh to God and He will draw night to you."

Carol: In what way does God speak to His people today?

Dee: The most usual way for God to speak to His people today is through the reading and studying of His word, even asking Him to guide our very thoughts as well as actions.

Carol: There are times God has spoken to me through the portion of scripture I was reading.

Harv: Yes, he's spoken to me through scripture also.

Dee: Another vital ingredient to hearing Him is prayer. Philippians 4 says to ask God for our needs and don;t forget to thank Him for answers. Hebrews 13:15 tells us to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.

Harv: The more totally we yield our lives to the will of God and the cause of Christ, the more we sense God speaking and leading.

Carol: When God speaks to people today other than through scriptures, do they literally hear?

Dee: Some people have said that they've heard with their ears, but most people who've experienced this phenomena say it was inaudible. One must be very careful about the inaudible impressions that they get, as the source is not always God. The source may even be oneself, or Satan.

Carol: How can we be sure of the source?

Harv: If it in any way contradicts the Bible, or if it in anyway could be harmful to us or the Kingdom of God, then we can be confident it wasn't from God.

Carol: A good scripture for that in 1 John 4:1: "Try the spirits, whether they are of God." Is there any guideline which would help us to avoid deceiving ourselves?

Dee: Yes, the devil uses the human trait of rationalization to deceive us. This happens when our human desires for a certain answer influences our understanding. When this could happen, some people use a fleece as Gideon did.

Carol: Oh, I remember that. It's in the 6th chapter of Judges. Gideon wanted to know for sure that it was God's will to save Israel through him. So he put a wool fleece on the ground and asked God to put dew on the earth but not on the fleece if it was God's will. And God did it. Gideon wanted to be absolutely sure, so he asked God to reverse the situation the next night and put the dew on the fleece, but not on the ground. God did that, too, so Gideon had the confidence because he was sure it was God's will.

Harv: What we receive by a sign is not by faith, and Jesus warned against being seekers of signs.

Dee: Yes. I would not put out a fleece unless there was a possibility my personal desires in the matter might mislead me.

Harv: Early Christians sometimes combined fastings and prayers for seeking the will of God. Fasting, as spoken of in the Bible, usually implies total abstinance from food but not water, and it is an expression of humbling oneself before the Lord.

Carol: Is there anything that can keep us from hearing God?

Dee: Our indifference to God and our own disobedience to God can hinder our hearing and recognizing God's voice. The Bible says, "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing to God in His sight.

Harv: Christ-like attitudes are vital in keeping a line of communication open between ourselves and our heavenly Father. For expediency, let's say I have a poor attitude in forgiving someone. Jesus said, "If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Carol: But what if I've been truly wronged in a terrible way and I feel it is not fair to have to forgive the offending party?

Dee: It may not seem fair, but it is right. Jesus was lied about, fought against, tortured, spit on, tried unjustly in court and nailed to the cross for something He didn't do. But He forgave His enemies. This same Jesus said, "If you do not forgive, neither will God forgive you."

Harv: Many examples of good attitudes are found in the fourth chapter of Philippians. Here are some...Pray for others.

Carl: Trust God.

Dee: Be filled with the fruits of righteousness.

Harv: Give praise to God.

Carol: Share Christ with boldness.

Dee: Keep conversation Christ-like. Let the salvation from God keep you from fear of the adversaries.

Carol: Rejoice in the Lord.

Dee: Don't worry, but bring everything to God in prayer.

Harv: Let the peace of God keep your mind and heart.

Carol: Think of good things.

Dee: Be content with whatever state you are in.