For the life of me, I cannot imagine a plausible scenario in which I found myself riding some form of public transportation out here, be it a city bus, or the subway and then out of nowhere, blurt out loud to everyone within earshot: “Hey...God talks to me!” How nutty would that be?

If I was sitting in on a college level class at some public university, maybe a philosophy class or even upper level science class, and the professor randomly asked the room full of 200+ students....”So, anyone here thinks God ‘talks’ to them?”, I might be reluctant to raise my hand, for several reasons.

And even when I am in the company of other likeminded ‘believers’, whether a church setting, a small group gathering, or even sharing with any of you who read here regularly, you would be hard pressed to find many instances where I am constantly stating: “Well God told me this and God told me that and then the other day God was talking to me and shared this with me...etc...etc.”

There is good reason for that, as well; it just flat out sounds... ‘nutty’, and in some cases, arrogant and even ‘boastful’. And when I hear people make such claims, I find something within me ‘cringing’, and on some occasions I sense a ‘red flag’ go up as well.

But friends....the truth of the matter is: God talks to me. I won’t deny it, nor apologize for it. In fact, I would go as far to say that if you claim to be a ‘believer’, and yet admit that God does not ‘talk’ to you...I feel sorry for you. And I don’t mean that in a condescending way, either.

Now the first question that a skeptic might ask, seeking clarification in such an admission might have to do with ‘is an audible voice involved’? And I would probably shrug, think for a second, and then respond with: “Can’t really say, but it sure seems like it at times.” And that is the truth. The reason I say that is...I know His voice; or maybe I should say...I have come to learn (and still learning) to recognize His voice. May I ask anyone who claims to be a student of scripture...why would this be surprising to you?

Isa. 30:30 – “The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard.”

John 10:27- “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” – Jesus

John 18:37 – “everyone who belongs to the truth knows My voice.” – Jesus

We also read where the writer of Hebrews mentions three times in a row: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...” (Heb. 3:7-8,15; & 4:7)

Now I’m sure some are thinking about now...”well yes, God ‘speaks’ to me through His word”, to which I would agree, wholeheartedly... with the same admission. Thank goodness for His word that He has made available to us. If you do believe that God ‘speaks’ to us through His word, may I ask: “How much time do you spend in it?” And if you sheepishly admit ‘very little’, then what kind of message are you conveying to God? Funny....how people will express a longing for God to ‘speak to them’ and ‘give direction’ for their lives...yet shun His word.

I shared in my message yesterday of a personal experience I had while at a basketball game, and how I heard God ‘speak’ to my heart/spirit in such a clear, concise manner; there was no mistaking Who...it was, or what He was saying. And I can assure you...I was not in some prayer mode at the time asking God to talk to me about anything particular. As I relayed in that story...I told a friend of an incident I had, and God’s response was immediate in ‘chastising’ me. Fortunately for me, I responded in an appropriate manner. But where we often fall short, is when God does speak, and you ‘know’ it...yet fail to follow through in ‘obedience’...it tends to reveal the real motives, intentions, and desires of your heart.

We can easily convey to God a flippant...’thanks, but no thanks, God; Not today!’ attitude. And God’s not going to ‘force’ the issue since He has given us ‘free will’. He ‘leads’ His sheep bidding us to follow, as opposed to driving us forward from behind. So when God points out areas in our life to ‘lay down’ or to ‘forsake’ (repent of), and we balk, what we are really saying to God is: “I love this particular ‘thing’ more than I love you, Lord”. And that is how ‘idolatry’ takes root in our hearts. Scripture is also clear on how ‘no idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ’ (Eph. 5:5; Rev. 22:14-15).

But here is the scary part, as we see spelled out back in Hebrews 3-4 that can happen to us when God speaks...If/when we hear His voice, and we dismiss it, ignore it, or simply outright refuse to heed it, it has a ‘hardening’ effect on our hearts. And it can be gradual, so the next time He speaks, it’s less audible. Are we not warned in scripture about our hearts ‘hardening’ due to repeated ‘sin’, in Matt. 24:12 & Heb. 3:12-13? Before you know it, you can end up living a ‘double-minded’ life, where you ‘say’ one thing to honor God, but your ‘heart’ is far from Him as evident by your ‘actions’ (Matt. 15:8-9; Titus 1:16).

Then, there is the incriminating ‘verdict’ passed down in John 3:19-21, where Jesus reveals that ‘light (truth) came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil...and would not come to the light. But those who do the truth...they come to the light...” Which puts the ball back in our court. How badly do you want ‘truth’, truth that also brings more freedom? (John 8:32-36).

Years ago, there was a well-known TV ad for a financial brokerage company known as E.F. Hutton. During the TV spot, you’d see two people talking in a crowded setting, a restaurant maybe, and the moment the one person said: “Well I meet with E. F. Hutton ...and E. F. Hutton says...” there was an immediate hush among the din and noise of that setting as everyone leans in to hear what E. F. Hutton has to say. I don’t believe that Hutton guy is around anymore, but God is...and He has not stopped talking. Are you ‘leaning in’?