Hearing God's Voice

I wrote this a few years ago, when a friend asked me what I thought about a certain situation going on in their life. I think they wanted a much different answer than I gave them, but I thought taking them to the word was the best thing a friend could do. Here it is.

There have been times in my life when I know I have heard God’s voice. Whether it be a specific event that He has spoken to me or a peaceful assurance. There have also been times when I was sure He was speaking to me and I have found out I was clearly wrong. A specific event that God spoke to me concerning was when I was 8 or 9 and God told me that He would heal me from a congenital kidney defect. Which He did in fact heal me of. The times of peaceful assurance were instances when I would pray about issues concerning me and afterward I could just feel Him telling me it would all work out. Specifically I can remember a couple times when my older sister lost her wallet, I prayed and then I just knew she’d find it and it would be alright. That is exactly what happened. But honestly how do we have any idea it’s really God we’re hearing and not our own desires, or fears for that matter.

First of all if it’s from the Lord it’s going to be 100% accurate and true. I know somewhere in the scriptures it tells us that a prophet was only from the Lord if his predictions always came to pass. We also know that God is incapable of lying:

Numbers 23:19

“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

Titus 1:2

“in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,”

Another thing we must consider is what kind of fruit does this knowledge bear. Is it something that is drawing you closer to God and farther away from yourself? Is it something that is making you stronger in your faith or is it causing your focus to slip away to something incidental? If it’s from God your focus will remain on “Christ and Him crucified.” If it’s from God it will always glorify God and strengthen your walk with Him:

James 3:16-17

“16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

My assumption from this verse is that if it’s something spoken from God it will not bring you fear, impure thoughts, or anger. If you feel God has spoken something to you and it’s causing you to feel any of these things it’s not from God.

God promises that He gives us wisdom liberally if we ask it of Him (James 1:5). And yet, Christ also said, “ be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt 10:16). So how do we figure it all out?…

Psalm 119:11

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

Hide His Word in your heart and remember God will NEVER tell you anything contradictory to His Word. If it’s from God it will be backed up in the Word.