How do you know if it is God speaking to you?
This question is very important to us. As long as we Christians depend on Jesus, we have nothing to fear about being misled by the evil one. After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the devil was defeated: “Gen 3:15 “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." NIV It was prophesied that the devil would be crushed by Jesus’ ministry. He sure was! Col 2:15-16 “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” NKJV
It is true that we are not struggling with human technicalities: Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” But as long as we depend on Jesus by following what the apostle Paul advises we are safe:
Eph 6:13-18 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 1and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” NKJV
As long as we depend on Jesus, we have the reassurance that all authority has been given to Jesus. Which means the devil has ZERO authority! Jesus reassured us of this! Matt 28:18: “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” NIV
This is why we can go in confidence, preaching the gospel message: Matt 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” NIV Why? Because Jesus gives us the assurance that He has all authority and that He will always be with us when we do His work: Matt 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV
What else could assure you that the voice you hear is from God?
Remember that the evil one has no authority and works only through deceptions and lies. John 8:44-45 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” NIV
If you receive a message that is contradictory to God’s Word, refuse to believe it! It’s from the devil, the liar. We have the assurance that God’s Word is true: 1 Peter 1:23-25 “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." NIV
The apostle John summarizes it quite well: 1 John 2:5-6 “But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
As long as you follow God’s Word, His Bible and as long as you check the messages you receive with His Word, you are safe. Follow Jesus and you will not be misled. In other words, God’s Word is God’s criteria for us to know for sure if we are led by the liar, the deceiver or by God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit leads us closer to God, the truth, while the evil one leads us away from God. John 16:13-14 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” NIV
Jesus and His Word are our guide! Truth only comes from God! Do you know God’s truth in your life my friend? Here is your opportunity to experience it in your life: accept Jesus in your life by answering the Altar’s call http://answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html and watch God’s truth unfold in your life. Will you accept Him now?
Rob Chaffart
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This is a wonderful
question, I would love to attempt to answer it. I don't
think that God will ever speak contrary to what the bible
teaches. We must read our bibles, in a prayerful atmosphere
to know if it's really God speaking to us or a liar whose
very adept at throwing his voice. If Adam and Eve had
trusted God rather than themselves, Jesus would never have
had to die. But they listened to another voice and
consequently, wages, the wages of sin, had to be paid in the
death of Jesus.
We know that God speaks through His Holy Word.
"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them." Isaiah 8:20
God makes it clear that He speaks through His law.
"And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of
the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his
sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all
his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee,
which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD
that healeth thee." Exodus 15:26
He also makes it clear that we are to believe the whole
bible, always in Malachi 3:6,
"For I am the LORD, I change not;..."
So in the end, and the beginning of the New Testament Jesus
says,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God." John 1:1
So if the voice sounds like the Word, we needn't fear.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my view point.
Teri Foster in CO
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I understand from this
question that someone is speaking but we don't know if it is
God or the devil. Many people hear voices in their heads and
assume it is God that is speaking. We hear of murders etc.
where the claim is made; "God told me to do it."
The first thing to understand is that God will never tell
you to do something that is contrary to any of His laws. Any
communication from a 'voice' inside your head that is about
something contrary to God's law, or the principles of love
contained in the bible, is not of God. It may be the devil
or it may be a result of mental illness. Of course, one has
to be familiar with the word of God in the bible.
Just as God does not accept prayer from people who are
living in disobedience or praying with a wrong attitude,
(See our earlier question on why prayer seems to be not
answered), so too does He not speak to them. One must have a
right relationship with God in order to hear Him.
Secondly, the bible is the word of God to us. Most of the
communication we receive from God comes from reading His
word to us. When we read the bible the Holy Spirit impresses
on our minds the things He would have us know and
understand. Even a person not living in obedience to God has
access to the bible. Reading the bible or listening to the
preaching of the Gospel, will open their minds to the voice
of the Holy Spirit whose job it is to convince them of their
need for salvation.
When a person has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, He
dwells inside them in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is
called being 'born again'. A new infant Holy nature is
created within the person which grows as it is fed. That
Holy nature has several properties. It warns us of evil;
should we contemplate doing something wrong, we will feel
badly about it. It provides that the Law of God is written
in our minds. We do not have to 'check up' on everything we
do, we will 'know' if it is wrong. The Holy nature protects
us from evil in that, whilst we may still be tempted, evil
spirits do not have the ability to indwell us. They can not
co-exist with the Holy Spirit. It is God's spiritual mark
upon us. Should we die for any reason after having received
the mark of God, we will go into eternity. As the Holy
nature (which cannot sin) grows in strength, it comes to
dominate the evil human nature which was ours at birth (it
will always sin). This is called the process of
sanctification. The longer we are a Christian the more
Christ like we will become.
[ For those who are concerned about the 'Mark of God' and
the 'Mark of the Beast'; understand that the mark of the
beast is NOT having the Holy Spirit. Whatever else is
involved, that is what it boils down to.]
1Jo 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but
as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is
truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye
shall abide in him.
In the same way this Holy nature protects us from evil, by
helping us to instinctively 'know' that something is wrong;
so too does it recognize the voice of God. When we have the
Holy Spirit inside us, we instinctively 'know' when God is
speaking because of the spiritual response within us.
Prayer is, or should be, two way communication. When a
person is praying to God and listening at the same time,
often thoughts come into our minds from Him. We should
expect God to speak to us during prayer, when our minds are
tuned in to Him and the cares of the world are shut out for
a time. Many people go on 'fasts' to clear their minds of
all worldly distractions to better hear the voice of God to
them. A fast is more than going without food (for short
periods), or eating basic nutrition (like bread and water)
for longer periods; it is the taking of oneself away from
the normal distractions of life, the better to concentrate
on prayer. Biblical examples of fasts involved going into
the wilderness to be alone with God.
In summary then, if you are living in disobedience to God,
any voices you hear will not be the voice of God. If you are
living in obedience to God and seek His voice by reading and
meditating on His written word, and seeking Him in prayer,
you will 'know' the voice of God when He speaks.
The prophet Elijah heard the voice of God as a 'still small
voice', a whisper. He 'knew' when he heard it, despite being
shown dramatic things.
1 Ki 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree,
behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise
[and] eat.
1Ki 19:6 And he looked, and, behold, [there was] a cake
baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he
did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
1Ki 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second
time, and touched him, and said, Arise [and] eat; because
the journey [is] too great for thee.
1Ki 19:8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in
the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto
Horeb the mount of God.
1Ki 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there;
and, behold, the word of the LORD [came] to him, and he said
unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
1Ki 19:10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD
God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets
with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left; and they seek
my life, to take it away.
1Ki 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount
before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a
great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in
pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not
in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the
LORD [was] not in the earthquake:
1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD
[was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small
voice.
1Ki 19:13 And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it], that he
wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in
the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a
voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Dear reader, if you are not able to answer this question for
yourself, if you don't know when God is talking to you, or
if you don't know how to tell His voice from that of the
devil, please answer "The Savior's Call" in this newsletter.
Lance Wearmouth
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How do I know when God is talking to me? I just know. His
voice is always crystal clear to me, and it is not an
audible voice either. His words, when they come to me,bring
a very deep peace and contentment. Some of His beautiful
words have simply been, "I love you". Sometimes he gives me
word pictures. When my granddaughter was severely burned, I
had to sleep a night before we could go to the hospital.
Ofcourse, not much sleep would come and when I would awake
in a state of fright and fear, he gave me a picture of
angels circling around little Delaney's head as she lay in
the hospital. I can't tell you the comfort it gave me!
Karen Parrish
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If you believe God is talking to you but you are not 100%
sure, I recommend discernment of Spirits. Test the Spirit by
asking" Do you believe that Jesus lived in the flesh on
earth.
Dave
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God speaks to us by His
word according to the Bible. BUT, when we are looking for
His direction and answers, there is really only one word to
describe if the Lord is speaking to us. FAITH!.......Prayer
with faith is truly the only way to know if it is the Lord's
nudgings trying to direct our paths. MAY ALL BE
BLESSED!......(){:)
Love DeeDee
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God speaks to His
followers through The Holy Spirit. It's an inner voice that
tells you what one should do or what is happening. This is
only something that one can learn to obtain through prayer
and a close relationship with God.
Satan the mighty bad warrior sometime confused one as he
tries to speak through this inner voice so beware that it is
not him talking to you. If there is no evil intend or no one
would receive any harm from ones actions on their inner
voice, you can best be assured that the message is from God.
In His Love,
Barb1@Answers2Prayer.org
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Several years ago I was
receiving newspapers from Bayside, NY, where the Blessed
Mother was appearing. I read the newspapers inside out and
all of a sudden, stopped going to mass on Sundays, (which is
not like me at all, because I never missed mass). After the
third week of missing mass, my husband got quite alarmed and
mentioned it to me, and I really didn't know what to say
because I had no idea why I wasn't going to mass. I just
felt for some reason that it was futile. On the fourth week,
I decided that I'd go to mass, but went to confession first.
I confessed that I'd missed mass 3 weeks in a row, and also
mentioned that it was out of character for me to miss mass,
and that I had no idea why I didn't go. The priest asked
several questions about what I'd done differently which
might have led to my missing mass, and I remembered the
Bayside papers I'd read and told him. He said to me, "What
leads us to God, is of God; but what leads us away from God
is not of God."
I remembered this to be true in dealing with others with
similar problems. The priest also told me that this is the
way the Vatican decides if something is of God or not.
Hope this helps.
I am your sister in Christ's love Gloria Perri
Gloria1147@aol.com
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This is a very important
question we need to ask ourselves before accepting any
revelation or doctrine. St. John the Apostle lived during a
time when the early Christian community was facing a lot of
hardship, and, to make matters worse, many false teachers
were teaching doctrines that contradicted what had been
revealed by Jesus Christ. These was, understandingly, very
upsetting to new Christians. St. John addressed the
Christian community with these words:
1 John 4 1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets
are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard
that it should come; and even now already is it in the
world. (King James Version) This passage is very relevant in
our day, as well. If you wonder if it is God speaking to
you, test the spirits. Ask yourself: Is it Scripturally
sound? Does it glorify God? Would it bring people closer to
Jesus, or further way from Him? Remember, anything we
receive should be examined by its fruits. Even Satan
masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14, New
American Bible), which is why revelations and doctrines must
be tested in the light of Scripture. So, these are the ways
I think one can tell if God's speaking to them. I hope this
helps the person who originally asked. Your sister in
Christ,
AJ Demers
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I used to wonder about this question myself. For someone to
know that it is really God speaking to them, they first need
to have a personal relationship with God. Now that I have a
personal relationship with God, I know when he is speaking
to me because his voice comes through loud and clear. I seek
his wisdom in everything I do and he answers me each time
even though sometimes I might not like his response. I trust
that he knows best and it feels good to know that he will
take care of us no matter the trials and tribulations we go
through. Having faith and trusting in God is the best think
that a chreitain can do to maintain that personal
relationship with God.
Theresa
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God seldom "shouts"...usually, it is a still, small
voice....one where you say, "Is that you, God?"...(although
He has shouted on me on a couple of occasions, with an
audible voice)....most times, God speaks through His
word...I will be wondering about something, and in my bible
study, will come across passages which address the issue.
Also, sometimes I will get confirmation of this from
devotionals, friends, sermons I listen to, etc. Sometimes I
have had the same scripture/teaching given to me up to 8
times in a single day from widely divergent sources! Also,
God NEVER tells us anything contrary to His word. And, in my
own case, God sends me a "sign" (I know, many of you might
scoff at this one...but it is true, nonetheless)...my
"signs" are snickerdoodle cookies....in some form or
fashion. I have one friend who sees hawks...another who
finds blue feathers, another who sees butterflies...But all
of these only confirmations of what direction to take on a
specific issue...and seldom occur as isolated incidents.
Also, God talks to us all the time, but we have to be still
enough to LISTEN! We have to spend time with Him in His
Word, and in prayer....true prayer is a two-way
communication...it is not a laundry list of things we bring
before the Lord, asking Him to do! Sometimes God will speak
a word through another, but generally, from my own
experience and from listening to others, such a word from
God is usually one of encouragement/exhortation.....BEWARE
anytime ANYONE says, "The Lord told me you should do (this
or that)!" Thank you very much, but I'll wait for the Lord
to tell ME! I am very leery of ANYONE who purports to hear
from the Lord on my behalf! I do, however, listen to those
who encourage me with scripture, and prayer! I will also
listen to those who speak from their own personal experience
about the lessons they've learned. While none of us walks
identical paths, many times the paths are similar, and if I
can learn from another believer, I will do so...but ONLY
after taking what they've said and comparing it with the
plumb line of the Bible. Sometimes, a person will come to me
with a word, without having ANY KNOWLEDGE of what I've been
praying about...but God will have given them a
word...usually it sounds something like, "I was praying
today, and God put you on my mind, and gave me this
scripture for you!"...and usually that person will have NO
IDEA the significance of what they are telling me. I tend to
place more stock in what they might say that someone who is
cognizant of my circumstances and tries to tell me what the
Lord has shown them concerning me!....
Too many times, people want to "tickle our ears" and/or have
their own agenda when it comes to what they think we should
be doing in a certain area.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, bottom line, God speaks
most often through HIS WORD! If you think it is God speaking
through you, He will confirm it in His word!
Gracie
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He uses big brothers like
Rob and Mike, Lance, Duane and sisters like Penny and Lyn
and Wynona and others. Sometimes it is that inner nudging
that we get that we just have to make sure lines up with the
word of God to test it to see if it is God. Read the written
WORD that is truly God talking. The Holy Spirit will guide.
I am speaking from experience. I sometimes need the brothers
and sisters to actually speak God's word in my life because
God's word is quicker and more powerful than any two edged
sword and it is ALIVE...That is how for me.
In His Love Melanie
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I. Does it line up with
the Bible. God, for instance, would never lead a person to
commit sin.
II. Are you right with God as much as you know in your heart
of hearts. Unconfessed sin causes static in our spiritual
hearing apparatus. Sin must be confessed, forsaken and
obedience must to take place.
III. Are you living a life in the Bible, in prayer, and
walking by faith?
IV. If the above is lined up, do what you want as God opens
up doors, lays things on your heart, and gives you peace and
joy that only the Holy Spirit produces.
Larry DeGarmo
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Sometimes He whispers to
me inside where only I can hear Him. Sometimes it's through
the scriptures. And sometimes, it is a "gut" feeling.
EDDJAR@aol.com
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I usually know through
His Word ... and through that still small voice ... I had
only in one instance heard God speak loudly to me ... it was
when it was time for me to share Jesus with my best friend
... the timing was perfect and she accepted the Lord, then
her children, grandchildren ... I am glad I listened and He
really needed to get my attention ... this was so important.
Any other time it has been just a whisper ... and usually it
is scriptural.
Bonnlq120@aol.com
