By Bonnie Roof
God wants to fellowship and communicate with us, however, it must be a 2-way communication: He talks, we listen - we talk, He listens. How do we get to know a person?? By communicating with them, talking and listening: John 10:27. God sent Jesus to take our place and die for us- because He loves us that much and wanted us to have fellowship with Him again.
There are other voices whispering in our ears as well - the voice of satan, and the voice of our own fleshly desires. However, in John 10:4b, 5, we are told: "and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice. They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call", (Amplified).It takes time to learn to discern God's voice, it also takes a humble heart: Jeremiah 29:12-13. Hebrews 5:14 tells us we can train our ear, by practicing, to recognize the voice of God above the other voices. We can have confidence that we will hear His voice through His Spirit: Romans 8:14, and we can hear His voice, but we must be careful - especially when a young Christian - that we confirm we're following the Holy Spirit, and not another voice. Satan is the great deceiver, and our own flesh can mislead (especially when we are under pressure or want something badly).
Life is full of choices, how do we know we are making the right decisions?? Proverbs 16:3 describes the way our intentions and thoughts lineup with God's will when we submit ourselves fully to the Lord. How can we know whether we're hearing the voice of God?? As we humbly seek Him, He leads us: Proverbs 3:5-6. The Bible gives 7 points on which each possible leading should be based - we are to examine the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, and the words of godly people who influence us by their words and actions; through the use of these 7 points:
(1) The Holy Spirit speaking to our heart: Hebrews 8:10-11
(2) Godly counsel: Proverbs 11:14
(3) Circumstances/Timing: Acts 18:1-3
(4) Confirmation: Matthew 18:16
(5) Scripture: 11 Timothy 3:16-17
(6) The Peace of God: Colossians 3:15
(7) The Prophetic (word of knowledge, word of wisdom, personal prophecy): 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
Many times, the Lord will confirm His direction to us through more than one of these points, especially when we are in the process of making important, life-changing decisions. As we humble ourselves before God, seek His guidance, He will be faithful to lead us, "in paths of righteousness for His name's sake", Psalm 23:3.
Please share your testimony of how you have grown to know the voice of God, or leave another comment - for your opportunity to win this week's giveaway!!
