What happens when you speak to some one? if you dissect this step by step, First step “You speak the person only in a common language (English or Tamil or Hindi or any language that’s common to both) that the person can understand”, Second “The other person listens to what you speak, if he is not listening, you immediately stop speaking”, Third “The other person gives you a action to say what you spoke to him by some reciprocation by Action (nodding the head or speaking back etc..)”. This three-step loop continues if you want to speak to someone.
So how does God speak to you, and how you are speaking to God as well? This is important lesson we need to learn in spiritual maturity with Jesus.
We have the answer to this question in the Bible, where the disciples ask the same question
'The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” ' Matthew 13:10
What is a Parable / Why does Jesus use parable to talk to us?
Parable is basically an example or story—taken from every day, common life—that helps to explain a spiritual truth in an unforgettable way. If you read Matthew 13, there are 7 different parables Jesus used to teach the crowd and the disciples.
I am sure the disciples did not understand many of them that Jesus spoke and asked him a question “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”, it could be easy for Jesus to teach in plain way what people can understand but why did he teach them using parables? Answer to this is
'This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ' Matthew 13:13
God wants his followers only to understand what he speaks. Only when you have faith in Jesus and the Faith that he is your only saviour, you can understand what he speaks thru parables. Else it will be an example or Story for someone reading the Bible. Okay Jesus spoke to disciple’s and others in parables, now how does he speak to you and me ?
How does God Speak to you?
There are varying stages on how God Speaks to different kind of people, depending on your interest and eagerness to improve your spiritual maturity, his communication with you also varies. I have classified this as various stages of maturity
Stage 1 – Early Christian or new-born Christian or new to Christ faith
God Speaks to them first thru someone else, either thru a friend or preacher or someone who is already in Christ, they speak a word of God from Bible – The word may comfort them in the situation they are going thru. The word of God will be like a medicine to the wound they are in.
Faith in Jesus – Trusting that Jesus is God and saviour for you, he died for your sins and only thru him you have a salvation
Faith in the Bible - Once they believe the word – The word starts its action to have a change in their situation, it can be a miracle in a particular situation, or it can be a break thru in the current challenge
The relationship with God starts between the individual and Jesus here, the person (friend / Pastor or preacher etc..) who introduced will not be a mediator to Jesus as you start entering the relationship with God.
The blessing of Christ will make them long to know more about Christ, so they read the Bible and pray to God in the way they know
Stage 2 – Christian who follows and knows Christ
Now you have matured from New-born Christian to “Christian” so you read Bible / Pray regularly
Word of God - Christ speaks to this group only thru word of God – “Bible”, As you read the word of God, the word of God will do its action as Paul says - 'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ' Hebrews 4:12
Repentance in Christ
The word of God will convict and show the wrong sins of their life and bring repentance in Christ, which will give everlasting peace
'Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. '2 Corinthians 7:10
As you read the word daily, the work of the word will slowly transform the old person to a new person in Christ thru repentance, all of this will happen in a step by step process as you read and pray to God daily.
Grace / Mercy / Love
As you walk this journey you also get an assurance that you’re a Child of God
As you walk this Journey you will experience the Grace, mercy and Love of God 'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ' Romans 3:23-24
As you walk in Christ, the life will not be perfect, thru the grace and mercy of Jesus he will make you realize the in perfect things to make you repent and come close to him.
Stage 3 – Christian who follow Christ, with the Christ speaking thru Holy Spirit
Child of God Assurance
As you read the Bible and Pray and Obey to the Word of God, you get an assurance of Child of God
Spirit of God
As a Child of God, you are led by Holy Spirit its well explained by Paul and you will experience this
'But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “ Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ' Romans 8:10,14-16
The spirit of God will convict you of your misdeeds as you walk in Christ, make you repent to God crying to him “Abba, Father”, to forgive the Sins and make you purer every day, The spirit of God will guard you every day from the traps of Sins that come your way, Paul explains it well
'The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ' Romans 8:6-7
Challenges / Sufferings
As you walk with God, you will have challenges / Struggles “if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory “ and Spirit of God will give you the peace to teach Spiritual lessons from these challenges. Worldly view of trouble vs spiritual view of all these troubles will be different. Your of trouble are meant to make you stronger in Christ, get you to depend more on Jesus
'Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. ' Romans 8:17
Jesus never leaves his children in the times of challenges, its only meant to teach us a lesson. Think of how you make a kid learn a cycle, the father just lets his hand as the kid learns driving.
Praise / Thanksgiving to God
As you walk with God, you will experience a lot of joy of the Lord, it will manifest as Fruits of love / kindness, which we cannot have it with you, you will express and share to Others, It can be as simple as a Testimony of God’s miracles in your life or may be a volunteering work you do for God, giving someone who is in need etc..
'speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ' Ephesians 5:19-20
Surrender to the Will of God, Once you have the Spirit of God leading you, you will do everything in your life only accordingly to his will. You will start hearing the word of God, the parables and the word of God will speak to you directly to guide your life’s daily challenges. you will be blessed to see and hear the word as God desires you to have
' But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ' Matthew 13:12,16
Stage 4 – Holy Spirit and Manifestation of Holy Spirit
Actions of Holy Sprit
You walk with the Lord and the assurance that you are a Child of God.
You read the word of God and you feel the Holy Spirit guiding you every area of life, when you have a life challenge you depend on God to lead you. Say you want to get married; you surrender your marriage to Jesus, he will show you the life partner, say you want a Job, He will give you the right Job that makes you successful.
The relationship with God that’s built on Faith will make him like your father / friend, he longs and values that relationship
As God sees how you value the Holy Spirit, he will give you the wisdom to discern many things you see in the world and as you read the Bible, he will give you wisdom to understand better. Many times, you will understand a word of God better than what you may have read in past even better, new meanings / new dimensions of learning.
Fruits of Holy Spirit
God gives many Gifts accordingly to his pleasure to each of us
'There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. ' 1 Corinthians 12:4-5,8-11
The Gifts are given to use for God’s purpose only. To make his kingdom better, as you have the spirit of discernment you clearly can use that to teach God’s word to others, if you have spirit of healing you can convict a unbeliever to get to Stage 1 of Christian life, God uses / gives the fruits accordingly to his will, You have no right nor any choice to ask what you want on what God gives to you.
You may not understand some things which God Speaks to you that's ok ('For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it) but keep talking to God, he will make you understand at the right time / right place what it means , it may be thru parable or direct word of God
'For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Matthew 13:17
As you grow spiritually , there are many more stages God takes you thru. Be assured the Holy spirit will strive you to become holy and more righteous like Jesus till the day we meet Jesus. Paul says it well
'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ' 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Remember one thing, Satan doesn’t like us talking to God, he will deceive / bring life challenges to get away from him in every stage, does not matter which stage you live. He also speaks like God to you, he is a imitator of God. He knows Bible more than what you or I know.
Remember one thing Once you are God’s Children there is a Hedge that’s around you that guards from all Satan’s troubles and he will bless your hand’s work as you follow what his will is. You can understand on this with Job encounter with God and Satan’s explanation to God. This holds true for us as well.
'“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ' Job 1:9-10
I don’t know which stage you are in this, Examine yourself where you are, Jesus is waiting with open hands to take you back to the stage you left and continue. Speak to Jesus and he will speak to you and lead you.