5 Incredible, True Ways God Speaks to Us Today

1. God Speaks to Us through His Word

I would say the most consistent way God speaks is through his word. His word is there to teach us about who he is, how to live, and it also allows us to become familiar with his voice. The word is God’s voice concerning the issues of life. If you wonder what God thinks about a topic, all you need to do is turn to his word to find out. You don’t have to guess or try to figure it out on your own. Just read and see what he says.

Because his word is constant and does not change, his word is the most consistent way God speaks to us today. That’s why you cannot know God’s voice if you don’t spend time in his word.

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“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (Acts 13:2).

When you get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart. The Holy Spirit communicates with your spirit, instructing and leading you into what you must do. The key is understanding the way the Holy Spirit speaks and when he is speaking. This is critical because God does not just speak through his written word, but also by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit as well. Often when the Holy Spirit speaks, he is not forceful or aggressive. Usually, it is with gentle nudges you sense in your heart, moving you to do or say something.

When the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, he will not ask you or lead you to do something that does not align with the written word of God. That’s why knowing the word is important to hearing and knowing how God is speaking to you today.

From the early church in Acts, we see the leading and speaking of the Holy Spirit was a vital part of building that church. They moved as he moved them. The Holy Spirit still does that today. He may not speak in an audible voice, even though he can because he is God. He often speaks quietly and convincingly to your heart. The more you tune in, the more you will recognize his voice.  

Have you ever felt that nudge to stop what you are doing and pray? Perhaps you strongly felt in your heart to call someone immediately or to go in a different direction. Maybe you were about to make a decision, but you felt this warning in your heart to wait or to not do it at all. These are all ways God speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit. Consider this verse in John:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13).

This verse reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not only a leader and a guide, he is also a speaker. He speaks and we must learn how to listen. When trying to understand how God speaks to us today, you couple the speaking of God through his word, with the speaking of God by the Holy Spirit. It's not meant for one to cancel out the other; they are designed to work in concert.

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“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams”

(Acts 2:17).

While this might not be the method God uses most frequently to speak to us, God does speak to us today in dreams and visions. I must add a word of caution here against anyone who has dreams and visions all the time. If you listen to some people, they seem to have a new dream or vision every night. Personally, I am skeptical of that because that is not how it happened in the Bible. God was not giving someone a new dream or vision every day. Since God is consistent, I feel confident saying that is not how it will happen today, either.

God does speak in dreams and visions, but it is not the most common way he speaks. Dreams and visions are not always clear or easy to interpret, and that’s why God doesn’t use this method to speak to you consistently. He will more frequently speak through his word and the Holy Spirit. This does not discount dreams and visions because God does speak this way, it just doesn’t happen all the time.

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There can be moments in your life when God may speak to you through others. Many times, this is the most confirming way God speaks to us today. When God speaks through others, they are usually speaking into a particular situation you may be going through. Sometimes you may have shared it and other times you may not have said a word to anyone.

This can happen in a variety of ways. You may go to church and the pastor preaches a message that speaks to your exact situation. The message is so on point you may even wonder how they knew you were going through this issue. In some churches, they call this reading your mail. Remember, the pastor may not know your situation, but as he is preparing a message, the Holy Spirit knows. He is the one that directs the pastor on what to say because he already knows who will listen to the message and who will be in church that day.

This can also happen when people flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God can use a prophetic word or a word of knowledge to speak into your life. I know this because it has happened to me. However, I would caution you about a few things as well.

Most of the time, if you receive a prophetic word or word of knowledge, it is regarding a situation that God has already been dealing with you. These words confirm what God has already placed in your heart. That’s why when God speaks to us today in this fashion, it is often a confirming word and not a commanding word. Very rarely is God going to use another person to tell you to do something that is totally out of left field. It is also important to note that these words, like any other word spoken by the Holy Spirit, must also be in alignment with God’s written word.

One reason we must be careful with these types of words is sometimes people seek prophetic words over spending time in prayer and the Bible, waiting to hear how God will lead and speak. To shortcut the process, they run to the “prophet” to get a word. Because some of these “prophetic characters” know this, they can abuse this process and tell you what they want you to do, and not what God wants you to do. That’s why you should never immediately act on a prophetic word unless it is clearly confirming something God has already placed in your heart. If it is not, then before you do anything, go back to prayer and ask God what to do and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you are still unsure, then get some counsel so you can get help to discern what God is telling you to do. Don’t worry, you are not being disobedient, you are being careful because you only want to follow what God desires you to do.

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The last way I believe God speaks to us today is through circumstances. Sometimes God will manipulate the surrounding circumstances to get our attention. It could be because we are running from something we know he wants us to do (think of Jonah). Or it could be he is leading us to a place he wants us to go (think of Joseph and his brothers).

When God speaks through circumstances, sometimes we recognize it right away, but it's possible we don’t realize it until we look back on where we came from. Jonah knew right away when the storm hit that God was manipulating the circumstances because of his disobedience. Joseph, on the other hand did not realize God’s hand until he looked back years later. Regardless, God can and will use the circumstances of your life to speak to you.

I want you to walk away from this article hopeful and encouraged because God still speaks today. You can know his voice, but it requires you to tune in to hear what he is saying. This might mean you have to shut out the other voices around you, but I am confident when you do, then God’s voice will become louder and clearer because he is speaking. All you have to do is learn to listen.

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