Dear Dave,
When the Holy Spirit comforts you by bringing scripture to you that IS God communicating to you. That is His job, Jesus left and sent Him.
He directs us to the answer and i would say the majority of the time it is in the Bible but its not our brilliant minds knowing automatically. It His small, still voice.
If it was something specifically personal He will speak. Why would He stop communicating with beloved children?
I have been in meetings where people who attended a “school of the prophets” gave a “Word” and the Holy Spirit within me as well as my mind knew it was totally “flesh,” that is was designed to flatter the recipient and bolster the giver of the word’s image to the group. It wasn’t God at all but human ego talking.
And everyone thought they weren’t supposed to evaluate it because the speaker of the “word” claimed it was God. Those “schools” didn’t teach them that if you claim you got a word from God, the others are actually REQUIRED to judge it. If you give an opinion they are not. That’s how ignorant believers desiring to move in spiritual gifts are. They don’t seem to have any discernment as to what is God, what is the enemy and what is prideful self.
So I understand a reluctance to accept any of it. God does speak to me and often enough but I very rarely tell others unless it’s some insight that will benefit them and even then I don’t share my source unless asked. If it’s God it will have His obvious mark of insight so there’s no need to claim authority and I have to be on guard against the pride of my own heart constantly.
So I’ve seen modern abuses and know the real deal. If a person is filled with the Holy Spirit there will be the fruit of his working in their CHARACTER, brothers and sisters, not particularly what they claim is happening.