How Do Christians Know When God Is Speaking to Them?

[Lek]

For me it's just having a sense of surety about it.  Sometimes he's leading me to do something that I really don't want to do and I follow God's leading.  Sometimes I really want to do something and I ask God to let me know if I should; then I pretend that God said it was OK.  Giving yourself over completely to God's will is what is needed and it's extremely difficult, but it's what we're called to do.  In case you're wondering, God has never appeared to me and spoken to me in English, or any other language, for that matter.  But he has sent people to me that have provided an answer to my prayers.

[robvalue]

Was he going to send those people anyway as part of his plan? Or did he alter his plan when you asked him to?

[Athene]

God told me that I may as well be an atheist, because He isn't real. 
He also told me that He wasn't the Devil pretending to be Him.

Then He said: Oh, yeah...Satan isn't real, either.

[robvalue]

If God is speaking to me, he chooses to use a form of communication he knows I won't recognise as such. That would be weird. So I guess he's not speaking to me.

[robvalue]

Some birds just flew past outside.

Was that a message? If I want it to be, it is, and the message is whatever I like.

Hey this is easier than I thought!

PS: Wait, if God is "sending" people to answer prayers, is he overriding their free will then?

[Lek]

Was he going to send those people anyway as part of his plan? Or did he alter his plan when you asked him to?

If we have free will, then our every action has not been predetermined. God knowing what we will do and God causing us to do it are two different things.

[robvalue]

If our actions are not pretermined then knowledge of them is impossible. Can't have it both ways. You're just avoiding having to think about the question.

You give God too many powers, he ties himself up in knots and ends up unable to do anything at all.

[Minimalist]

For me it's just having a sense of surety about it.  Sometimes he's leading me to do something that I really don't want to do and I follow God's leading.  Sometimes I really want to do something and I ask God to let me know if I should; then I pretend that God said it was OK.  Giving yourself over completely to God's will is what is needed and it's extremely difficult, but it's what we're called to do.  In case you're wondering, God has never appeared to me and spoken to me in English, or any other language, for that matter.  But he has sent people to me that have provided an answer to my prayers.

Ah!

[robvalue]

People really should consider whether they are just reading significance into events.

If you want to see patterns, you will see them. If you pray for enough stuff, and are willing to interpret things liberally, you'll see some results.

How would things be different if God was not involved? Bugger all, that's what. People are weaving their own narratives.

[Lek]

If our actions are not pretermined then knowledge of them is impossible. Can't have it both ways. You're just avoiding having to think about the question.

You give God too many powers, he ties himself up in knots and ends up unable to do anything at all.

God does many impossible things.