How do you know that God is speaking to you?

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A simple question really, considering that so many people seem to have this happen to them at least once. Studies and surveys from the past 15 years consistently suggest that, among Americans at least, somewhere between 52 and 67 percent of the adult population claims a personal relationship with God. Although most say that communication is generally through scripture or 'signs', almost one quarter claim to hear God speaking in an audible voice, or at least one they can hear in their head. These are amazing numbers, although I suppose if we take out the instances where God told Creflo Dollar to buy a new jet and George W. Bush to invade Iraq the percentages drop a shade. Complicating matters is the fact that hearing voices isn't unusual. In secular studies not limited to the U.S., around one in 10 of us reports hearing a disembodied voice at one time or another. Nor is the phenomenon limited to Christianity, or even the broader Abrahamic tradition. Direct communication to and from the gods is pretty commonplace across all times and cultures. Not that any of this has anything to do with the personal relationship you have with God, although I do have to wonder if the messages you are getting are anything like the ones being passed on to believers in those booming Christian regions of sub-Saharan Africa. From my extensive Googling on the subject, it does seem that communication with God can take many forms and that personal messages can range from mundane to revelatory. So what's it like for you? And if it ever happens to me, how will I know its not just a trick of the mind?