There are many who claim that God no longer speaks in our day. They preach from a platform of spiritual emptiness, trying to explain faith at the meager levels of which they live in. Yet God has not lost His voice, and He never will. Our job as Christians is to learn how to discern His voice.
You can’t walk in your calling if you won’t listen to God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 NKJV).
There are many who claim that God has told them something, but they were the ones speaking the word. They grab a thought of their own and wrap it in the paper stamped divine. But the wrapping alone means nothing, and the words within remain powerless because they are only from them.
You won’t get a fresh word eating the canned goods of man. “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice…’” (Hebrews 3:7 NKJV).
If you want to discern the spoken voice of God, you must compare it to the written Word of God. To discover the counterfeit, you must compare it to the original. The more you know the Word of God, the better you can discern the voice of God.
If you’re not standing on the Word of God, then you’re sinking in the sands of your delusion. “Another reason we regularly thank God is that when you heard the Word of God from us, you received it not merely as a human word, but as it truly is, God’s Word, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 CJB).
There are three voices competing for your attention: The voice of God, the voice of Satan, and the voice of your own flesh. You are always listening, but the question is, are you always discerning? We mustn’t think we are ever beyond error as we are wrapped in error by the very flesh that surrounds us.
The bridge between good intentions and good outcomes is discernment. Some of the worst outcomes grow out of the best of intentions that have not been tested by godly discernment. “Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding… Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:3,5 NKJV).
The voice of the Devil will always question the truths of God. Satan works on our emotions and twists the truth into a lie. The Devil will lie to you so well you think it is the truth. But truth has no basis in the Devil, and we must only stand on the truth as told in the Word of God.
When you make room for the devil, be sure he is going to take it. “Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you” (Ephesians 4:27 ERV).
Your flesh has a voice that shouts loudly. The flesh takes natural urges and twists them into desiring evil. The flesh will use hunger and thirst in a thousand ways to destroy you. The flesh will always lead you to somewhere higher but then abandon you and let you fall.
Anybody can listen to their flesh, but it’s the blessed person who is led by the Spirit of God. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:13-14 ESV).
It is the most blessed child of God that can discern the voice of God. Where they don’t seek affirmation on their voice but only want to listen to His. They recognize Him because they are immersed in His Word and know the things He might tell them.
If you’re led by the Holy Spirit, then the path you’re on will show it. “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:21 NLT).
God will not always tell you what you want to hear. But if you would dare to listen, then He will surely say those things you need to hear. Always beware if the voice you hear is in agreement with the flesh which surrounds you.
If you want to hear from God, you need to spend time with Him. “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart]” (Psalm 5:3 AMP).
He may speak aloud or, more likely, deep into your heart. He may convey by a vision or a circumstance. He can speak through a person saved or unsaved. He can speak through a donkey. He even makes a statement by the very stars in the sky. Be sure of this, He is speaking to you every day.
It’s not how much you understand God that matters as much as how much you trust Him. “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius
Excellent word for all who would be true disciples. Thank you for posting this!
Thank you for your kind words!