Does God Speak To Kids Pt. 1

Before we can teach children how to hear the voice of God, we need to teach on the three-fold nature of man. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, we see the three parts of man: spirit, soul, and body. I like to put it this way: I am a spirit; I have a soul; I live in a body.

It's important for kids to know that God speaks to us through our spirit. If I told a group of children, "God spoke to me," they would think I heard an audible voice. (Sometimes God does speak in an audible voice, but most of the time He talks to your spirit with a still small voice.) 

There are four ways that God speaks to us through our spirit.

Number One: The Inward Witness 
The most frequent way that God leads all of His children is when the Holy Spirit "bears witness" with our spirit (Rom. 8:16).

With the inward witness, you don't hear anything. It is a "spiritual feeling" that you have in your gut. It's a red light or green light. You may be watching a TV show and you get a yucky feeling on the inside. That's the red light, the inward witness, telling you to turn it off.

Sometimes you'll hear people say, "I've got peace about that." What they are saying is, "I have a green light; the inward witness is telling me to go for it." 



Spiritual Exercise 
Here is a tangible way to communicate what the inward witness is to your kids. Lead them in a worship song, then have them worship in tongues for a few minutes. Next ask the kids to bow their heads, close their eyes, and just be still and listen. Then make positive statements that agree with God's Word like, "Jesus is your healer." Also say things that disagree with God's Word like, "God put this terrible sickness on you to teach you a lesson."

Then ask the children, "What did it feel like inside when I said, "Jesus is your healer?"

"A good feeling," they will say.

Then ask, "What kind of a feeling did you get when I said, 'God put this sickness on you to teach you a lesson.'" 

They will say, "A bad feeling" or "A yucky feeling."

Tell them that's the inward witness. It's the same inward witness that will help you decide who to be friends with, who to marry, and what you're going to do when you grow up. The inward witness is not as spectacular as a dream or a vision, but it is supernatural.