WHEN you hear God!
Two questions I've been hearing a lot lately, posed in various ways but with the same meaning are: “How do I know God is speaking to me and not the enemy trying to deceive me? And how do I know that it is God and not just me?”
I think most of us can relate to one or both questions at one time or another in our lives. I know I can. In the early years of me learning to seek God with all my heart, He took me on a journey. My heart’s cry was to know His voice above all the other noise in this world and to learn to discern what was truly coming from Him and what was not.
Remember as a child of God, it is not “IF” you will hear from God…but “WHEN”!
John 10:2-5 -But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
My first lesson came when I was a bank manager and teaching my tellers how to spot a counterfeit bill. Some seemed overwhelmed at the thought of learning all the ways someone could try and copy currency to make it pass as the original. They were a little shocked when our primary focus was on the authentic attributes of U.S. currency. By the end of the training they were confident in spotting a fake.
The Lord showed me, it was the same with His voice, the One true authentic voice of our Shepherd. I learned to know His voice so intimately in the everyday. Through two-way prayer (talking and listening), after all, true intimacy comes with dialogue. Obedience in the things He would ask me to do, no matter how small I thought the directive was. I still remember when He would ask me to put the grocery cart back in the stall in the parking lot. Or pick up trash on the floor in a restaurant. Or buy someone coffee in the line after me, or send an encouragement to someone right at that moment. At the time, I did not think these were a big deal, but obedience in these everyday choices turned into being pivotal moments in my training to hear His voice. I began to see His Word differently, as a love letter, through the heart of a Father who can’t wait to spend time with me. And His gentle guidance through correction that would keep me safe and bring blessings in my life.
Knowing the authentic voice of my Father, my Shepherd, a stranger’s voice I will not follow. The counterfeiter's voice becomes evident as it does not line up fully with the Word of God, and His attributes:
~God’s voice is the gentle Shepherd and full of mercy, He does not condemn your personal worth, the counterfeiter brings condemnation and intimidation
~God’s voice is often quiet and deeply internal, the counterfeiter is intrusive and vulgar
~God’s voice is alive and brings a fresh “now” word that will bring transformation to you, the counterfeiter accuses and keeps you in the past
~God’s voice is rooted in hope, the counterfeiter brings despair and hopelessness
~God’s voice brings peace that is not based on circumstance, the counterfeiter’s voice brings fear and anxiety
And answering the question: “Is it God, or is it just me?”
The Bible tells us as a child of God, we have the mind of Christ. Just as a child knows and even imitates their parents by being close to them and knowing them, we too can imitate God as we know Him, His voice and His Word.
I Corinthians 2:16- For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?”
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
❤️ Be encouraged, you can know confidently that what you have heard is from God. Take the next steps in drawing near to Him, ask Him to train your ear and your heart to know Him, He is faithful to teach you in the way you should go. And don’t forget to dream again, the desires HE has given your heart He wants to see come to pass. He is limitless and all things are possible through Him!
