How Do You Know When God Is Speaking?
Share
I want to begin with a question. Does God still speak? I believe the answer to this question is a resounding yes, even though there may be some who think otherwise. If God still speaks then it requires a follow up question – how does he do it? And more importantly, how do you know when God is speaking? If you will stay with me, I want to give you some guidelines you can use to know that God is speaking.
As we said before, God has declared in his word that he does not change. If he does not change then his words or what he is saying will not change as well. I don’t know if it’s possible to consistently discern that God is speaking if you are not familiar with the Word.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/splendens
2. God’s spoken word will always agree with his written word.
The Holy Spirit will never contradict what is written in the word. In fact, the Holy Spirit chooses to operate within the confines of the word of God. He acts and speaks in agreement with it. The reason he does this is because if he didn’t, how would we ever be able to test and know that it is the Holy Spirit speaking? There must be some kind of guideline or base point we can use. That basepoint is the Bible.
You can be certain that the Spirit of God and the Word of God will always agree. The Spirit of God will never ask you or lead you to do something that is contrary to the Word of God. This is one surefire way to eliminate the deceptive voices.
I heard a pastor say one time that God told him to divorce his wife and marry another woman. Since this is contradictory to what God says in his word, there is no way that could be the Holy Spirit. That’s why knowing what God has already said is so important.
3. God’s spoken word will always be in agreement with his character.
Knowing when God is speaking requires you to know and understand God’s character. How or where do you find this? You must look at the fruit. The character of a person is seen in their actions, but can also be heard in their voice. Notice what Galatians says about the fruit or character of the Spirit.
It is important to remember that God’s voice will not only agree with his word, it will also agree with his character. When you think God is speaking, ask yourself “does this seem to be in agreement with God’s character?” Can you sense the truth of Galatians, the fruit of the Spirit, coming through in what you are hearing? If not then it is probably not God speaking.
Learning how to know when God is speaking is something that develops over time. There will be times when you miss it. Don’t beat yourself up over it. I would recommend you do the things that make you more familiar with his voice. That means praying, worshipping, and spending time in the word. If you continue in these things, this will set the stage and help you to know when God is speaking.
More from this author
What Makes God's Grace So Amazing?
The 6 Incredible Contrasts of the Cross
4 Reasons the Resurrection Really Matters
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tatiana
