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 Saviour’s Call 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