Is it possible for believing Christians to have a dialogue with God? Many people who worship Jesus Christ on a daily basis still doubt that talking to God and getting an answer is meant for them. Others feel that they do converse with the deity in a give-and-take exchange of words. What is the truth of this age-old question?
Many theologians have given answers to this question, but Christians have a more reliable way to find truth. God's inspired word is the Bible, which is our way to know God, learn how He operated in the past, read His promises about the future, and see how we are to respond to Him. The teaching of men and women of God can help us understand the scriptures but should never replace them.
At the very beginning, when God made Adam and placed him in the garden, the Bible tells us that God told them (Adam and Eve) to be fruitful and fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over all the fish, birds, and animals. The Bible does not tell us Adam's answer to this command. God also told him to eat of every tree in the garden but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Again no reference is made to Adam's answer.
However, we do find a true conversation when Adam and Eve are hiding after their disobedience. When God called, 'Where are you?', the man answered. Later God talks to Cain about his rejected offering and again about his crime in killing his brother Abel. Cain also answers the Lord.
Enoch had a close relationship with his Lord as he walked with him for three hundred years. Enoch was the first man not to die; the Lord simply took him away. It seems safe to assume that conversations guided Noah to spend one hundred years making a boat and collecting animals, and Abram to leave his home for unknown regions. We do know that the Lord appeared to Abraham (his new name) in the form of an angel and they talked together.
The Bible has this to say about Moses: 'Since then (when Moses died), no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.' The Lord spoke to Joshua, the next leader of the Israelites, but apparently not in the way He did with Moses. God continued to instruct His people throughout history. He spoke to Solomon in a dream, offering to grant a wish, and Solomon answered, asking for wisdom.
There are other examples. Jesus speaks to Saul on the road to Damascus, although the future apostle does not believe in Him then. However, the man now named Paul spent three days blind and silent while Jesus revealed Himself to him. It seems reasonable to think they had a conversation, since Paul said he was an apostle just like the others who had known Jesus during His time on earth.
In the Bible, we are told that God does not change. It seems reasonable that He will speak to men and women today. Anyone who hears from the Almighty will 'know' His voice, and the scriptures are there to give us a way to evaluate any experience of this kind. God will never violate His Word, so a dialogue with God will align with that holy standard.
Many theologians have given answers to this question, but Christians have a more reliable way to find truth. God's inspired word is the Bible, which is our way to know God, learn how He operated in the past, read His promises about the future, and see how we are to respond to Him. The teaching of men and women of God can help us understand the scriptures but should never replace them.
At the very beginning, when God made Adam and placed him in the garden, the Bible tells us that God told them (Adam and Eve) to be fruitful and fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over all the fish, birds, and animals. The Bible does not tell us Adam's answer to this command. God also told him to eat of every tree in the garden but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Again no reference is made to Adam's answer.
However, we do find a true conversation when Adam and Eve are hiding after their disobedience. When God called, 'Where are you?', the man answered. Later God talks to Cain about his rejected offering and again about his crime in killing his brother Abel. Cain also answers the Lord.
Enoch had a close relationship with his Lord as he walked with him for three hundred years. Enoch was the first man not to die; the Lord simply took him away. It seems safe to assume that conversations guided Noah to spend one hundred years making a boat and collecting animals, and Abram to leave his home for unknown regions. We do know that the Lord appeared to Abraham (his new name) in the form of an angel and they talked together.
The Bible has this to say about Moses: 'Since then (when Moses died), no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.' The Lord spoke to Joshua, the next leader of the Israelites, but apparently not in the way He did with Moses. God continued to instruct His people throughout history. He spoke to Solomon in a dream, offering to grant a wish, and Solomon answered, asking for wisdom.
There are other examples. Jesus speaks to Saul on the road to Damascus, although the future apostle does not believe in Him then. However, the man now named Paul spent three days blind and silent while Jesus revealed Himself to him. It seems reasonable to think they had a conversation, since Paul said he was an apostle just like the others who had known Jesus during His time on earth.
In the Bible, we are told that God does not change. It seems reasonable that He will speak to men and women today. Anyone who hears from the Almighty will 'know' His voice, and the scriptures are there to give us a way to evaluate any experience of this kind. God will never violate His Word, so a dialogue with God will align with that holy standard.
About the Author:
Read the inspiring story of Jesus and how he had a a dialogue with God at www.lifeadvancenetwork.com. To review the published book, visit http://www.lifeadvancenetwork.com today!
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