HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE GOD’S VOICE

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4.

Have you ever felt God speaks more clearly to others than to you? Discerning God’s voice from all the other voices can be challenging in the noise of life. The good news is we can get better at recognizing God’s voice. One way to get better at understanding and recognizing God’s voice starts with understanding the role of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God on earth. He is the very presence of God within us, the One through whom God communicates His will, guidance, and love.

Have you ever been in a dark room and able only to make out vague shapes and outlines. It doesn’t look like much until the lights come on and then you see a room of beautiful furniture, impeccably decorated walls, and priceless artwork. Without the lights you cannot truly enjoy or appreciate the beauty without light to illuminate it for you. God’s truth is like that room.  We know it is there, but understanding and applying it require the light to be turned on.

1 Corinthians 2:10-13 tells us, “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.”

In other words, man cannot fully understand God’s truth without the Holy Spirit.  We don’t have to be intimated by scripture because the Holy Spirit guides us through it and makes it clear to us.  We all want tidy, black-and-white answers and step-by-step guidelines to differentiate God’s voice. But there is no rulebook for recognizing the voice of God, is there?

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26). God can speak through other believers, His creation and His Word, and as our faith grows, He wants each of us to recognize the voice of His Spirit. God will show up in various ways to confirm that He is speaking to you.

God knows there will be times when we question His voice. The good news is that He keeps speaking in our uncertainty. Let’s take some time to get still and listen today. The more we do, the more we’ll recognize Him when He speaks.

Discussion Questions

1. What assurance do you have from God’s Word that God intends us to hear His voice in very personal ways?
2. What dangers might exist in seeking to hear God’s voice as described, and what safeguards are given so we won’t misread the voice of the Lord?