Discerning God's Voice
Ever have those moments where you’re facing a decision and really need to hear what God has to say about it? Sometimes you hear nothing, other times you hear too much. Our own thoughts can play major havoc on our decision making at the best of times.
I know people have come out of the woodworks the past few years saying to trust your own instincts and emotions, but the truth is… we simply cannot. There have been so many times in my life where I have followed my own heart, and ultimately failed. There have been countless situations where I have been so sure that the decision I was about to make was from God, and so I’ve set off and once again crashed, failed or completely gone off course. I’m not going to say I have regrets, because those times were major lessons for me in discernment and seeking God’s direction for every aspect of my life. Sometimes our heart & desires can get mixed up. Our heart should belong to God, and when it does His very goodness will flow from it. We need to continuously fill our hearts with God’s truth or it can be led astray, as our own wants take precedence.
And let me tell you, I wish that our Heavenly Father would give us a map, or download supernatural instructions to us at all times, so we didn’t have to try so hard. But like I said, there’s a lesson in everything. It grows us, trains us and ultimately draws us closer to the One who loves us most. There have also been more times than I care to recall where I have put off making decisions in fear that I may get it wrong, that I might once again head down the wrong path and away from what God needs me to do. But fear should not hold any of us, and hearing from God isn’t as hard as you might think, when you know what to look for.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5
So, how do we begin to discern God’s voice from our own thoughts and input? This was something I truly struggled with in the beginning, so I’m going to try my best to separate the many voices we contend with daily.
God’s voice is always calming, loving, peaceful and at times convicting. His voice will always align with scripture. His voice will never fight to be heard above the chaos and noise of busyness, it will always remind us to slow down, be still and allow Him to download His will into our hearts and mind.
The enemies voice will always cause us confusion, negative thoughts and ideas, it will fill our minds with shame and usually tries to talk us out of pressing forward or changing anything. The enemy does not want us gaining any ground, so we might hear something like. “I can’t do this. Someone else would be better suited. What if I fail?”
Our own voice will usually be about ‘I and me.” Oh, this is going to totally offend many of the me-ology believers these days. Whether we want to acknowledge this or not, a lot of what we do, what we pray and what we ask for is about self. When I begin to hear the, “I really feel. This is what I need, or Is this right for me?” then I’m pretty sure it’s my voice I’m hearing.
Now that you have a good idea on discerning the different voices, let’s get down to the way God speaks to us in different ways.
The Pressing- Have you ever had a constant thought? One that presses on you over and over? I also like to think of it as a pull or tug from the spirit. For example you keep thinking about a specific person. You promise you are going to check in on them and give them a call. Days go by and still this same person comes to mind. The Holy Spirit loves to press thoughts into our mind when He is wanting us to act.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14
Confirmation- When I am longing for God to speak to me on a particular subject or problem I am having when making a decision, one thing I do not hastily do is make a decision without confirmation. One way He answers is to send people in my direction. He also knows that I’m stubborn and need more than one confirmation but three! And He always provides that. Our Father will answer you if you ask for the confirmation. This is not to test Him in anyway, but to make sure I haven’t acted irrationally.
Scripture- The word is truth, and God will speak to you through it. Sometimes it could be what you are reading that will give you the answer, other times depending on what your circumstance is you can look up scriptures that relate to it. It could be about forgiveness, love, marriage, children, courage, rest. Everything you need is right there in the pages of the living word. There are times we may not want to see it, but still…it’s right there for you to find.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
Dreams- One of the greatest ways to reach us is through our dreams when our minds are resting, and the outside noise and busyness of our daily lives are temporarily out of the way. Sometimes the dreams play out like a crystal clear movie, no interpretation needed. Other times it needs to be deciphered as often times God uses common themes to speak. eg, having a baby, snakes, locked doors, fast cars, a box or trying to run and yet getting nowhere. Next to my bed I always have a dream journal in my cupboard, and when one stands out and presses into my spirit I know I need to write down as much as I can remember. I meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to decipher it for me.
In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17
For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds. Job 33:14-15
I know there are many other ways that God can speak. He can send Angels, give encounters, speak through a song, visions and call to you in prayer. What I’m trying to show you is that God is never silent, even when we feel He is. Our Father always has a way of communicating with us, we just need to open our eyes to the things around us, learn to drown out the other voices that try to overpower His one of patience and tenderness.
I pray this post blessed you today, and that you begin to seek the Lord's voice. I would love you to share this post in help me spread the message of God's love around the world!
Don't forget to sign up to my newsletter at the bottom and download your free scripture cards. And receive updates on blog posts, giveaways, devotionals and more... Let's journey together!
#voiceofgod #faithblogger #christianwomen #womensministry #littlesparrowloved