(Salvatore Vuono - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
(Again, please see Henry Blackaby's book Experiencing God for the original collection of the 4 ways God often communicates His will to us).
As we look at the many ways God can use to reveal His will to us, people must be added to that list. While God's Word is the most certain, people can also be directed by God (often unbeknown to them) to speak His truth and direction into our lives. This can be true of both Christian and non-Christians. Let's look at this a bit more.
As mentioned in an earlier post, there are no coincidences in life, and thus we must be aware of how God might be speaking to us through the people in our lives. An example of this comes from a friend of mine who was questioning his call to ministry. As he wrestled with his own frailties and apprehension about the things to which God might be calling him, God used a variety of people to speak into his life and encourage him to stay the course. First it was a pastor he knew, then a friend, and then a mentor - all in one day. All of them affirmed his gifts and the pastor told him that he believed there was a calling God had on his life. While these might just be passing comments, to have them come when they did amd from whom they came - it might just be a sign that our caring and personal God has communicated with us.
These kinds of situations don't just occur for those called into full-time vocational ministry - they can be the experience of anyone. Of course, we must listen to what people are saying to us and then process it through the grid of God's Word. No matter how many people might tell one to steal, God's Word is the ultimate trump card and thus, we must affirm that the words from people fall in line with God's Word.
Scripturally, there are many passages that speak to the way God uses His people (followers of Christ) to speak His word to others. When Jesus sends out His disciples (Luke 10), He is sending them to speak God's words, to be God's messengers for Him. Later on in the New Testament, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are sent "as God's ambassadors, as if God were making His appeal through us." And Peter tells us that when we speak, we should do so as if we were speaking the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11). Certainly, that doesn't mean that every word spoken from a Christian to a fellow Christian is God's will, but if we are interacting with people who love and are committed to Christ, we can be sure that God may just be using them to communicate His will to us.
When it comes to God speaking through someone who is not a follower of Christ, it can certainly also happen. In Romans 1 we read that God speaks through Creation, and if so, we can be sure that He can speak through someone who is not just His creation, but someone who is made in His image (Genesis 1:26). The key when listening for God's direction through others is to remember that all people are fallen and that we must always approach what is said to us by first considering it in light of God's Word and secondly, with a prayerful heart (the topic of tomorrow's post).
In summary, God can use other people in your life to speak His will to you. In concert with His Word and circumstances, we might begin to see a clearer picture of what it is God is sharing with us and where He is leading us.
-tC
As mentioned in an earlier post, there are no coincidences in life, and thus we must be aware of how God might be speaking to us through the people in our lives. An example of this comes from a friend of mine who was questioning his call to ministry. As he wrestled with his own frailties and apprehension about the things to which God might be calling him, God used a variety of people to speak into his life and encourage him to stay the course. First it was a pastor he knew, then a friend, and then a mentor - all in one day. All of them affirmed his gifts and the pastor told him that he believed there was a calling God had on his life. While these might just be passing comments, to have them come when they did amd from whom they came - it might just be a sign that our caring and personal God has communicated with us.
These kinds of situations don't just occur for those called into full-time vocational ministry - they can be the experience of anyone. Of course, we must listen to what people are saying to us and then process it through the grid of God's Word. No matter how many people might tell one to steal, God's Word is the ultimate trump card and thus, we must affirm that the words from people fall in line with God's Word.
Scripturally, there are many passages that speak to the way God uses His people (followers of Christ) to speak His word to others. When Jesus sends out His disciples (Luke 10), He is sending them to speak God's words, to be God's messengers for Him. Later on in the New Testament, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are sent "as God's ambassadors, as if God were making His appeal through us." And Peter tells us that when we speak, we should do so as if we were speaking the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11). Certainly, that doesn't mean that every word spoken from a Christian to a fellow Christian is God's will, but if we are interacting with people who love and are committed to Christ, we can be sure that God may just be using them to communicate His will to us.
When it comes to God speaking through someone who is not a follower of Christ, it can certainly also happen. In Romans 1 we read that God speaks through Creation, and if so, we can be sure that He can speak through someone who is not just His creation, but someone who is made in His image (Genesis 1:26). The key when listening for God's direction through others is to remember that all people are fallen and that we must always approach what is said to us by first considering it in light of God's Word and secondly, with a prayerful heart (the topic of tomorrow's post).
In summary, God can use other people in your life to speak His will to you. In concert with His Word and circumstances, we might begin to see a clearer picture of what it is God is sharing with us and where He is leading us.
-tC
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