Lately I've been trying to figure out whether what I'm "hearing" and/or feeling is just my own personal internal voice or if it's the quiet voice of God. D had in her daily devotion something about listening for the voice of God, of setting aside time to hear Him speak to us, to our hearts. But I just don't know how to differentiate.
How do you tell the difference? I do pray regularly, but I don't know if that's quite what that means. Maybe I simply don't understand what discernment, in fact, is.
Any insight you have would be welcome. Thanks.
It's taken me some time to post in this thread because I wanted to get my thoughts together. It's a good question.
First and foremost, discerning God's will comes out of our relationship with Him. Just as we learn to "read" our best friend or our close relatives, we can learn to discern if the Holy Spirit is speaking to us or if it's our own inner voice.
Praying is a key component in that. As we establish a habit of seeking His voice (that is, spending some prayer time being silent before God and inviting Him to talk to us), we become familiar with His voice as He speaks or nudges us or directs our thoughts. For me, I "hear" God most definitely when I journal. It's like, as I write, my thoughts move to something I wouldn't have thought of myself -- a solution to a problem or a new perspective. Sometimes, I feel peace or hope when that happens.
Although some people have heard God speak clearly to them -- I'm reminded of a guy who said God told him to quit his job so that he could be available for missions -- more often discernment is a multi-faceted process.
There's a rule of thumb that God's will is revealed through circumstances, confirmation of the Holy Spirit, the counsel of fellow Christians and in conformity with the Word. The third element is particularly helpful -- sometimes if you ask some trusted Christian friends to pray about a particular decision that's facing you, one or more will respond with what the Lord has shown them as they've prayed for you. Or on a less "spiritual" level, sometimes Christian friends can reflect back to you what they see -- for example, whether your motives for choosing a particular decision appear well-grounded or not.
My most significant recent "discernment" experience happened in December, when I considered going on a mission trip. There was one complicating factor that I wasn't sure about, so I prayed and asked some trusted Christian sisters to pray as well. It took about four days of intensive prayer and journaling, but I finally got to the point where I knew God was telling me, "No." When that happened, I couldn't think of the mission trip without hearing and feeling a "No" in my spirit.
It was significant because from a "human" standpoint, I would have gone. I wanted to go, I had enough vacation time, enough funds, etc. But I didn't feel a peace in my spirit until I finally accepted the "no." At the same time, I feel God was really patient with me as I wrestled over it and even "tested" Him.
The bottom line for me was that I wasn't going to be happy unless I knew He was in my decision, and God knew that. I didn't want to "slip" something by Him. I think when we honor God in that way, He will guide our thoughts in ways that we can understand.
Sorry to go on so long about this. I could write more, like how sometimes we move forward in faith because God doesn't necessarily give a "yes" or a "no" to every situation, but I will spare you.
