God's Communication Methods
Dreams, Visions, Trances, Open heaven and more
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We often speak of prayer as the way we talk to God. But how does God speak to us? Through the Bible? Yes! Through a preacher? Yes! There is more.
The Bible reveals that divine communication is not limited to words written on a page or spoken from a pulpit. God, who is Spirit, often reaches us through ways that transcends the natural.
Here are eight supernatural ways God communicates, supported by scripture.
Visions
A vision is a vivid spiritual revelation one receives through sight as an image or as a scene while awake or in a semi-conscious state. Sometimes visions can happen within a dream.
Acts 9:12 NKJV
[12]And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
Dreams
Dreams from God are divine messages delivered to us during sleep. The conduit by which God gives dream is through the mind. Throughout scripture, God uses dreams to warn, direct, or reveal hidden truths.
Matthew 2:13 NKJV
[13] Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
Audible Message
Audible messages involve hearing sounds or voices from the spiritual realm.
Acts 9:3-4 NKJV
[3] As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. [4] Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Appearance
An appearance involves a spiritual being such as an angel, Jesus, or even a demonic entity manifesting visibly in the material world. This can happen in waking life or in dreams.
Luke 1:28 NKJV
[28] And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Divine Sight
A divine sight is a disclosing of a supernatural scene in our material world. It is different from an appearance in that it involves an activity/event.
Exodus 19:18 NKJV
[18] Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
Open Heaven
An open heaven is when the barrier of the physical sky opens to reveal the heavenly realm.
Acts 7:55-56 NKJV
[55] But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, [56] and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Trance
This is a Holy Spirit-induced state where the mind and body are arrested for God to give divine revelation. It’s not the same as a meditative trance from new age practices. In biblical trances, the person doesn’t initiate thr trance but God Himself does. The New Testament Greek word for trance is ekstasis, from which our English word ecstasy is derived.
Acts 10:10-11 NKJV
[10] Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance [11] and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
Caught in the Spirit
At times, a person’s spirit is lifted by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual realm to witness heavenly things. These moments are often described as out-of-body experiences—but not of human initiation.
II Corinthians 12:2 NKJV
[2] I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.
God is not silent!
He speaks in words, images, impressions. While some may chase after these experiences, the mature believer seeks the One behind the communication. We must remember: the supernatural is not the goal. God is.