How do you know when God’s is trying to tell you something? Here are 7 ways that He might use to get your attention.
Your Friends Confront You
[1]“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private…”
Your real friends will tell you the truth, and it’s not always what you want to hear, but the proverbs teach, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Prov 27:6). When I’ve sinned and my friend confronts me with it, I know it is because he loves me, so God may sometimes send friends into your life who are trying to get your attention over something you’re doing. If a friend sees a friend living in sin and says nothing, then that person is not really their friend. Jesus’ counsel is, “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother” (Matt 18:15). If that doesn’t work, you may have to have the others, like the church, intervene (Matt 18:16-17).
The Word Convicts You
Students of the Bible know that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). In effect, the Word of God exposes me (and all of us) as guilty before God. Nothing is hidden from Him (Heb 4:13), so if you read some Bible verses that really convict you deeply, God may be trying to tell you something, and using His own written Word to do it. When the Spirit of God and the Word of God convicts you, you can be sure God is trying to tell you something. Whatever it was that convicted you may be what God’s trying to get your attention for.
Financial Storm
Everyone has times in their lives when they encounter storms. There are three people in the world; those coming out of a storm, those going into a storm, or those presently in a storm. And oftentimes we don’t even see it coming and we’re blindsided. At other times we do see it coming, with dread, but we’re still helpless to do anything about it. Is that you? Is God using a financial difficulty to get your attention? Have you not been giving to others, your church…or to anyone? Maybe it’s something else. Getting near the bottom dollar is scary. That will get your attention. Maybe it’s trust Him more by giving more, because He blesses the giver.
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A Lack of Peace
I heard one man who was thinking about going on a missionary trip to South America but something wasn’t quite right. He was prepared, well equipped, and had raised all the funds necessary (as missionaries sometimes do), but as he got closer to departure, he didn’t have peace about it. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew he wasn’t supposed to go on this trip. He ended up not going, and his about three days later, his wife becomes seriously ill. She would need care 24/7. If he had left, he would have left behind his spouse who was gravely ill and could have possibly died. When you don’t have peace about something, it may be God telling you, “No,” “Wait” or “I’ve got something better.”
A Damascus Road
Sometimes it takes a “Damascus Road” experience to knock us on the ground and put temporary limits on us, like it did with Saul. Saul was blinded for three days, so you know this must have gotten Saul’s attention. Saul was later renamed Paul, because Saul means “Asked For,” which he is now being asked by God to preach to the Gentiles. Paul means humble or little, so he had to humble himself before God before he could go on mission. And he was humbled by the blinding light of Jesus’ Shekinah glory which means he would have to depend on others for a time, being temporarily blind. God may not send a “Damascus Road” encounter, but that encounter can look like any number of different things (DUI, Jail, Prison, Cancer, etc.).
A Divine Appointment
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I remember a prisoner who our church ministers to and he was really down because he was sent from a county jail to a state prison and he couldn’t figure out why God was allowing this. It was only later when I came to visit him that we both saw why God did what He did. He had allowed this man to go to a state prison so that I could visit him and then later, the entire prison allowed us to minister to all who sought counsel or biblical guidance in this facility. The prison even allowed me to preach to the inmates, so when this man’s apparent evil sent him to a prison, and neither of us could understand it, it was only later that we saw God wanted us to go into this prison as we’re commanded to do anyway (Matt 25:36). God was trying to get the gospel into the prison by this man being placed there, so God had to use another means for us to enter this prison. What looked like a bad thing for this inmate brought much good to those who may have never heard the gospel preached (Gen 50:20).
Death
How can the death of a person be used by God to get someone’s attention? The fact is, when I presided over a funeral and told them that they would never see their loved ones again unless they repented and believed, a few came up to me after the service and ask me about why I said what I did. The person who was laid to rest had trusted in Christ and so I told them that Jesus said, even if a person dies, they will live again (John 11:25-26), so their only hope of seeing their loved one again was if they put their trust in Christ. Then, not even death can separate them from the love of God (Rom 8:37-39). For believers, the death of a family member or friend is not goodbye but “See you later.” At the same time, the person who rejects Christ in this lie, that will be the very last time they will ever see their loved one. Why? It is because they will be with the Lord and the lost person will forever be cut off from God and loved ones for all time (Rev 20:12-15).
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Summary
Hopefully God won’t have to take such drastic measures to get my attention but He may do it if I keep ignoring Him. Living in sin will bring God’s discipline, but it’s a discipline that is motivated out of love and not anger. Any parent who loves their child will prove their love by disciplining them, so when we see that God is trying to get our attention, we had better take notice, otherwise, God might shake up our life a little until we fall on our knees. If I keep praying and reading the Bible every day, it may help, but don’t forget about your friends who love you, and if in their love they seem concerned about something you’re doing, let them speak the truth to you. Friends are born for such adversity (Prov 17:17).
Conclusion
I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.
Here is some related reading for you: How Can I Hear From God? [5]
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.