Having a conversation with Jesus, it will usually seem like you are having an inward conversation with yourself. Don't expect it to be coming from "outside of you."
So talking with Jesus can sometimes seem like just talking with yourself, because Jesus lives inside you.
A thought from Jesus may also come through another person. Jesus lives in other believers, not just in you. Or it may have been recorded previously, either in written, spoken, or pictorial
form. It is not unusual for God to communicate with someone through another person God is able to use other people to speak into our lives and get his word to us.. God can communicate through a sermon, if he can speak through a burning bush a donkey he can get his word to you or I. Some thoughts are just your flesh trying to control you. Some thoughts are the ideas of other people you have picked up. So you have to learn to discern which thoughts are from God and which ones are not. There are two criteria by which we can determine whether a thought is from God. The first is a knowledge of the written Word of God, the Bible. God never changes. What He has said in the past is still what He would say today. Truth must be consistent. So when God communicates, those thoughts will line up with the written Word of God. They will never contradict the Bible. The more familiar we are with the Bible, not just the letter of it, but the spirit of it also, the easier it will be for us to
"know God's voice" and determine when a thought is from God.
Every verse of the Bible is inspired by God and can therefore be trusted. That does not mean it is a direct statement from God, but that even if it is telling history or a genealogy, God
meant for it to be recorded. Thus, in that way, every verse is a thought of God, and therefore carries a message. This does
not mean everything said in the Bible is the truth, for the Bible even records some lies of men. But everything in the Bible is truly recorded, and in that sense is the truth, and
therefore a message from God. The second criteria is the inner witness. We will say more about the inner witness on another day. Sometimes it is said that God communicates through nature. In the sense that God's creation gives the message of His great power, wisdom, and brilliance it is true. We can look at all God has created and know He is a genius.
However, God actually communicates directly with us through thoughts. Those thoughts can be about nature, but they are still thoughts. God desires for you to communicate with Him, also. You should
"talk" to Him about everything. Ask Him all the questions you want. (You won't always get an instant answer. But God doesn't mind you being curious. And when you are ready and capable of
understanding the answer, God will get it to you.) You can "talk" to God by actually talking out loud, or by an inward conversation, just in your thinking. God will hear you
either way. And He will respond. Again, it may not always be an instant response. There could be many reasons for this. But if you will stay alert, you will realize when God responds and you
will know He did. The more you cultivate a relationship with God, the more you will understand this and enjoy it. Remember that all relationships are nurtured and deepened by communication.
"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 CORINTHIANS 6:17).
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