I'm a little fuzzy about this whole "metaphorical/literal" thing?

I get that some things in the Bible are one or the other, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of consensus about which is which and it often varies denomination to denomination (and sometimes even person to person)...does God talk to you and tell you which is which? If so, what about the people that disagree with your interpretation? Is God telling them something different, or is it a different God?