Something keeps telling me it isn't right for me, yet I find a pull towards Christ and joy thinking my sins will be forgiven.
That's a nice thought. There is definitely more freedom to move forward once we let go of what regret was behind us. And this internal guidance He offers has immeasurable value -- I would be lost without His regular input.
when someone says "God made me do it" in regards to various acts, I think it would be more appropriate to say "I believed this was the will of God, so I did it". Where does the line blur? Who knows.
This is a continual dilemma, but gets better as we learn to recognize it.
I find that when there is a cyclical fear-laden thought, that is more likely my own brain saying "I tried that already and it did/didn't work."
If there is an accusatory thought, that is more likely harassment from the enemy (a subject you might not be comfortable with, I don't know). Or personal fears and blame.
There are a few "go to Timbuktu" thoughts that pop in, and I roll my eyes... but if the word "Morocco" floats through, I might look up news, check job listings, and explore what that might have meant.
More often than not, what I hear leads me toward meaningful circumstances. Like in the parable of the talents, the more I follow the little leads He entrusts me with, the easier it is for me to work with the larger leads.
I know people who get direction from dreams, and sometimes in that mode it is a cleaner message -- no daily clutter surrounding it, less brain reaction that cancels out what it heard.
We argue with God about what makes sense, even after years of recognizing His voice. I have found a general timing of how long I can argue before I need to agree, lol.
An example: I'm working on the computer and I hear "get up and check your phone messages." My mind says I'll get it later, I need to finish looking up where the meeting is. I hear it again, and say
yeah yeah I will.
At that point I know I will lose time and ground if I don't follow through. So I check my phone messages, and find out the meeting was canceled.
Those are the most common sorts of ways I hear from God -- lower consequence, about daily motions. Very conversational.
I have had several alerts to changes at work, given through dreams. I would see a scenario that I wouldn't dream up myself, and have a feeling it related to a venture... write it down and contemplate, sort through symbols and remark aha!
This is like that situation, this person is like someone I know. And within a day, find a drastic change announced that filled in the blanks.
I was also given dreams that showed motives - through symbolism - of people I would need to deal with. Those were very helpful in not being overly accommodating, or trusting someone more than I should have.
God leads and directs in very personal, specific ways, if we listen and reflect, and follow through with exploring the lead.
would you say it is a good influence over a potentially negative or sinful influence which distinguishes God's will against one's own?
Not necessarily, but that could be true in the beginning. If you live your life in devotion to God for a while, there are fewer temptations to sin, IMO (the sin is more pride and negligence).. so fewer inner voices demanding perks.
But remember, this life is very short
So true.