What does God have to say to us?

God rarely says more than a little to most people, but He produces love, joy, peace, humility and purity of soul. Fr. Dubay, in his book Authenticity, gives us 9 clues to know when God is speaking to us. Here is what to look for:
1. God-Directedness – If we are immersed in God, then all that we do and consider will be done, so that we better relate to God. The saints are the most real people, since they have no deceptions and their real concern is their relationship with God. Psalm 25 reminds us to keep our eye on God. While Psalm 119 reminds us to seek Him with all our hearts. We need to constantly ask, “To what extent can I say that do all for the glory of God?”
2. New Love – We have agape love, which is being concerned for another for their sake. God produces a love that is no longer selfish, but is selfless. We see love that builds up others.
3. Cross-Asceticism – This is the supreme paradox of the Cross; it is seen as foolish by people but it contains the Wisdom of God. We are saved by means of the Cross, so those that suffer with Christ have a greater knowledge of Him. We will want to share not only in the joys, but in the suffering.
4. Frugality – We will find ourselves not accumulating more than what we actually need. We will not feel the need to fill our lives with things; it does not mean that we will not need material things, but the drive for them will not be present.
5. Uncluttered Freedom – We will be so concerned about God and following God that we will no longer be choked by the concerns of this world. Jesus speaks about this in the Gospel of Luke (8:14), “they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life.” The person who is hearing God experiences life, but is not overly anxious about it.
6. Sound Doctrine – God is consistent in His message, so when God speaks to us the message should be match with scripture and tradition. Jesus informed this to us in John’s Gospel (14:26), “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in My name--He will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.”
7. At Odds with the Prevailing Spirit of the World – God has never been popular. We hear in the Prologue of John’s Gospel that the Word was not accepted by His own. If we are inspired by God we will be finding ourselves clashing with culture around us.
8. Unity – When we hear God we will want to be part of the community. While we will not be lost in this, for we will retain our self, but we will be a community, “of believers was of one heart and mind” as stated in Acts 4:32.
9. Obedience Freely Given – We want to be people who are obedient to God and those in authority. We will want this, so that we will not be led astray by our own thoughts and to safeguard the message of God.

While this might seem a long and involved list, if we are truly listening to God each of these points will be manifest in our life. This is possible not because of our virtue but by God’s grace motivating our whole person. If we can see these points in our life, then we should be secure in the fact that we are hearing God. If we are lacking in some of these, then we should work harder at repenting of sin and living in humility.