Believers: Does Jesus Personally Talk to You?

by leavingwt 55 Replies latest jw friends

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  littlebird

  Hello leavingwt,

  I don't hear an audible voice, I don't hear things in my head, but I feel things in my heart. I feel moved to do one thing or another. I don't always listen to it, and wish I had. When I do listen, I've had some crazy prayers answered. For instance, and I know some will think I'm a nut, but my cat had been missing for 3 days, I love this cat. I prayed about her, acknowledging that I know God has more important things to do, but I really wanted my cat back. I was in bed, about 10 minutes later, I felt the urge to get up and open the door, guess what? There she was.

  The biggest difference from when I was a jw, was that as a witness, I felt paralized to make decisions. I couldn't do anything without getting out a bunch of bound volumes to see what they said before I could make a move. I had an over obsession with worry about how my decisions might stumble someone. Now I just make a decision, and know God will support me. If's something critical, I try to go where the heart leads me.

  Thanks for asking the question.
• 

  leavingwt

  littlebird -- Thank you.
• 

  Chalam

  The biggest difference from when I was a jw, was that as a witness, I felt paralized to make decisions. I couldn't do anything without getting out a bunch of bound volumes to see what they said before I could make a move.

  LB, the sad irony of that was not lost on me when talking to JWs. Before too long it I was always met with "I will have to do some research to answer that". I now know what that means, go home, put in my WT CD-ROM and see what the WT "answer" is. How did those first centuary Christians survive without the publications of the WT?!

  This says it all.

  Hebrews 8:8-11 (New International Version)

  8 But God found fault with the people and said:
  "The time is coming, declares the Lord,
  when I will make a new covenant
  with the house of Israel
  and with the house of Judah.
  9 It will not be like the covenant
  I made with their forefathers
  when I took them by the hand
  to lead them out of Egypt,
  because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
  and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
  10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
  after that time, declares the Lord.
  I will put my laws in their minds
  and write them on their hearts.
  I will be their God,
  and they will be my people.
  11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
  or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
  because they will all know me,
  from the least of them to the greatest.

  1 John 2:27 (New International Version)

  27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

  Blessings,

  Stephen
• 

  freydo

  If you talk to him - it's prayer. If he talks to you it's schizophrenia and/or the demons.
• 

  leavingwt

  bttt
• 

  Girlie

  I don't hear an audible voice from him, but I feel his presence when I pray and get those inner promptings from him when I am making a specific prayer over a matter.
• 

  XJW4EVR

  I've asked any skeptics to withold negative comments from this thread.

  And yet they have still posted smarmy and sniping comments.

  Has Jesus personally spoken to me? If be "spoken" you mean in a clearly audible voice, then the answer is, no. I do not hear voices of any kind.

  If by "spoken" you are referring to the infamous "still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12), then the answer is also, no. That experience seemed to be an experience for Elijah in a time of doubt.

  You did refer to what I call "felt led" theology. This is a very common thought in modern Evangelicalism. I have found that the use of "felt led" theology is a defense mechanism against those that might question the actions of the believer. Who would question something that God supposedly told them what to do? I do not find any scriptural basis for this view. If I am missing something reagarding this, then I will gladly look at scriptural evidence for this view.

  I do, however, believe that Jesus "speaks" to me. It is through the pages of the Gospels that He speaks to me directly. Much in the same way that noteable figures of the past speak to me.
• 

  The Finger

  Thanks
• 

  leavingwt

  XJW4EVER: Thank you. I learned some new things from your extended comments.
• 

  Ding

  You did refer to what I call "felt led" theology. This is a very common thought in modern Evangelicalism. I have found that the use of "felt led" theology is a defense mechanism against those that might question the actions of the believer. Who would question something that God supposedly told them what to do?

  My own experience is that it's more of a sense that I ought to do or not do some particular thing. It's not an audible voice, and I think any such promptings need to be tested by the scriptures. If someone uses this as way of claiming infallibility, they've gone too far. I can't prove to anyone that these promptings are from Jesus or the Holy Spirit, but I will say that often they help me discern what to say or not say to someone who is hurting. Many times, the prompting is to shut up when ordinarily I would try to give someone else my "solutions" to their problems. In other words, the promptings are often to vary from what my natural inclination would be.