How to discern God's voice indefinately?

[Is Antipas taken?97]

This may sound familiar, person x is told by God to do a thing, they are not sure. But Over time get dreams, and visions, and their conscience keeps being pricked at, then one day they meet someone who just so happens to have done that thing after being told to by God, and so they do the thing seeing this as confirmation.

Is this logical? As I remember a woman's testimony about getting confirmation that lead her into torah keeping, and I recently read another, even more strange command. How can we say for certain a command is from God? more so, if someone is convinced they have been called to a specific thing, how can they be convinced out of it in the event they are wrong?There are so many people dead sure they hear from God, fair enough, let each man walk fully convinced in their own mind, but for erudites like me this is very confusing, because it makes learning spiritual discernment harder. Who's to say some of those who've helped me on my walk have not been potentially misdirecting me? It be so much easier to just hear God and do accordingly, but when the devil is trying to make you doubt your hearing, how is it possible to listen to God? I've had moments of dead certainty, should I only ever be open to listening when I'm dead certain, and not even bother asking for confirmation? Or would that be spiritual suicide since I'd potentially ignore God. Like if God told a man to be born again, but he wasn't sure, till he died, the mistake will be his own fault, since he should've listened right? At the same time, using my reasoning skills is also flawed, since the intellect is very easy to manipulate, worse yet, its easy to convince yourself your more rational than you are. I am so confused.

 

[Derek Michael]

i had the same question quite recently. after an experience i had i felt compelled to share God’s Word with others. i wasn’t sure if this was God truely calling me and i wasn’t sure to what extent i was supposed to be sharing. but i did have dreams about going out and finding people who were lost like i had been in the past (i wont get into detail of the dreams but they felt like MUCH more than dreams. and seeing as how they were directly after a strong spiritual experience i know i am being called to do something). after talking with my preist about what God calling us to a vocation feels like i felt more clarity about what i am supposed to be doing. i have signed up for the Knights of Columbus (a group that does community service) and plan on starting the process of becoming a deacon (it takes a couple years so i have time to figure out if its truely what i am intended to do) my preist told me to follow the joy so thats what i am doing. it sounds like you have something in mind already that you think your being called to do. is there a way you can try it out and see if it feels right? no matter what you do just remember that God has a plan for all of us. sometimes God lets us go down the wrong path for a bit so we can end up on the right one later. He works in mysterious ways. hope this helps.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi @Is Antipas taken?97, knowing God's will for our lives happens principally in the growing relationship that we have with Him as we trust Him and prayerfully renew our minds daily in/by His word .. Romans 12:2. It's not found in focusing on/chasing after the things that we think we want or even need, but in our chasing after Him instead .. Psalm 37:4; Matthew 6:33.

Some of these verses may be helpful too: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

As for doing things like looking for signs to discover God's will, here's a short lecture from Dr. Sproul that should prove to be helpful. It's free.

Renewing Your Mind | God’s Will and the Bible | Jun 27, 2019
​

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - the other half of Dr. Sproul's lecture can be found here (concerning God's will and your vocation), but unlike the lecture at the link above, this one was not part of a recent broadcast, so it's also not free (it's $2): God's Will and Your Vocation by R.C. Sproul

 

[devin553344]

1 John 4:1-5 Gives a template for knowing if a spirit is from God. That said, I've found that Satan often plays god in communications so it can, as you said, get very confusing. I usually go with the Holy Spirit fruits: Galatians 5:22 Basically if you receive these feelings during the communication or associated with it, then it's probably from God.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

God speaks through Scripture. He doesn't speak outside of it. Scripture is the way He has communicated with mankind. We now have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, because He is God, He will not contradict anything that is already written in the Scriptures. After all it is the Holy Spirit who inspired them.

If a voice spoke to me giving me "guidance", I would say, "Show me where this in the Scriptures". If I can't be directed to the Scriptures for confirmation of what the voice is telling me, I reject the voice and treat it as a familiar spirit pretending to be the Holy Spirit.

 

[Is Antipas taken?97]

God speaks through Scripture. He doesn't speak outside of it. Scripture is the way He has communicated with mankind. We now have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, because He is God, He will not contradict anything that is already written in the Scriptures. After all it is the Holy Spirit who inspired them.

If a voice spoke to me giving me "guidance", I would say, "Show me where this in the Scriptures". If I can't be directed to the Scriptures for confirmation of what the voice is telling me, I reject the voice and treat it as a familiar spirit pretending to be the Holy Spirit.

Even if this was the case the problem remains. Many people read the bible and end up following wrong doctrines, like Jehovah's witnesses. I mentioned above also, that a woman became a torah keeper, she had plenty of biblical justification, the outside signs just confirmed what she had read in the bible, yet another person will say that God has clearly told him she is wrong. Even in the case you are born again and get discernment from God, the devil is also able to use scripture, so I don't feel this method is sufficient for discerning God speaking.

 

[Is Antipas taken?97]

Hi @Is Antipas taken?97, knowing God's will for our lives happens principally in the growing relationship that we have with Him as we trust Him and prayerfully renew our minds daily in/by His word .. Romans 12:2. It's not found in focusing on/chasing after the things that we think we want or even need, but in our chasing after Him instead .. Psalm 37:4; Matthew 6:33.

Some of these verses may be helpful too: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

As for doing things like looking for signs to discover God's will, here's a short lecture from Dr. Sproul that should prove to be helpful. It's free.

Renewing Your Mind | God’s Will and the Bible | Jun 27, 2019
​

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - the other half of Dr. Sproul's lecture can be found here (concerning God's will and your vocation), but unlike the lecture at the link above, this one was not part of a recent broadcast, so it's also not free (it's $2): God's Will and Your Vocation by R.C. Sproul

Thanks David, it was a good point of his to point out that God's will is ultimately for us to be Holy. I get the weariness around the kinds of folks who use God like a horoscope, but in cases such as for example, Ananias being sent to unblind Paul, there would be no debate God was speaking to him. And when Jesus was being tempted there is no doubt the devil was speaking to him. This is what confuses me, that its hard without wisdom to tell the difference. Jesus states my sheep hear my voice, so its understandable I don't want to mishear.

I was sure my mind was being renewed in the word every day, but now its like I'm just reading letters, and there's no real growth, I wonder if some point in time I disobeyed or went the wrong way, and now I'm shut away from hearing God the way I used to. I just want to be certain I am following God.

 

[Reborn1977]

God does speak to people within their spirits and not just through the Words of the Bible, but of course, He speaks continually through the Bible and never contrary to the Written Word.
When it comes to hearing from God and how you know....faith is the #1 factor....there are other tools that help you learn to discern what you are hearing.

I use to write a Q & A Column. This question I once received and the answers given speak to your situation directly. I hope it helps.


Discerning God’s Voice from Satan’s Voice

Thus being able to Discern God’s Will

Question Submitted:

When you want something or want to do something real bad, something that on the surface is not bad. Moreover, you have different emotions about it how do you discern between what Gods is telling you to do and the devil is trying to get you to do?


Answer:

Without a specific example of the “something” referred to in the question this can be a hard question to answer. Because we use so many factors to discern if the prompting and leading we are sensing is truly from God, Satan trying to trick us, or even just our own desire. There are some things to keep in mind however, when trying to discern which it might be.


ý God will NEVER under any circumstance contradict His written Word, the Bible. If whatever we are prompted to do does not line up with the truths found in God’s Word, it is not God prompting us.


ý God will not contradict a previous personal command He has given us. If God told us something or gave us an answer on something one week, next week He will not give us different answer. He will at times have us do something for a period of time then later have us stop, but He will not contradict Himself in what He guides us personally through Rhema Words from Him to do.

Numbers 23:19 NKJV

19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will He not do?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.



þ We will have peace about whatever it is that we feel lead to do. God will not lead us into something we do not have peace over. We may feel a bit scared, inadequate, or intimidated but we will not be at spiritual unrest over the matter. If we have spiritual unrest, we should question whether God is the source of the prompting.

John 14:27 NKJV

27“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (Jesus speaking)



ý If confusion is present that is a sign God is not influencing that part of the decision.


1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV

33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints



þ We need to make sure our hearts long for what God desire and that we seek Him in every decision. Scripture tells us He will guide us if we let Him.


Proverbs 3:5,6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Shall direct -

as found in the Hebrew language to mean the following -

3474. rv'y:

yaÆshar, yaw-shar’; a prim. root; to be straight or even; fig. to be (caus. to make) right, pleasant, prosperous:— direct, fit, seem good (meet), + please (will), be (esteem, go) right (on), bring (look, make, take the) straight (way), be upright (-ly)



þ God tells us exactly in His Word how to obtain that information we need to make wise godly decisions.


James 1:5,6 NKJV

5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.


From the Greek Language we can know -


wisdom, 4678

4678. sofiva soáphia, sof-ee´-ah; from 4680; wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual):— wisdom

o God provides the information we need both for the world and for the spiritual life. Any and all information needed for living and following should be found by seeking God for His godly wisdom. Making each of our decisions based on His wisdom will ensure our abundance in life.


liberally, 574

574. aJplw`" haploµs, hap-loce´; adv. from 573 (in the obj. sense of 572); bountifully:— liberally.

o There is no desire on God’s behalf to withhold information from us that we need. He will grant us any form of godly wisdom we need, if we will only ask. The problem comes in two areas. One, we do not ask. And secondly, we ask - then we doubt what we believe God to be telling us.




wavering. 1252

1252. diakrivnw diakrinoµ, dee-ak-ree´-no; from 1223 and 2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (lit. and refl.) to withdraw from, or (by impl.) oppose; fig. to discriminate (by impl. decide), or (refl.) hesitate:— contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.


Here is where the rubber meets the road. Once we have heard from God regarding His godly wisdom for us, we must not depart from the course He has set before us. However, for many we hear from God, then fear sets in and doubt takes over. We begin to tell ourselves things like, “What if that was not God I heard”, “What if I am wrong about what God said exactly or what I heard”, or “What if something or someone other than God was speaking to me.” Before you know it we are so confused and filled with so much doubt about what we should or should not do we become paralyzed with fear. That paralysis leads to lack of productiveness, and lack of action taken, which leads to lack of abundance, growth, and change in our lives. Once we have heard from God, what is His wisdom for us, along with the duration of time in which He is asking us to invest in the matter; we should move forward despite any second-guessing. Will we make mistakes, yes, but if our hearts are sincerely seeking to do God’s Will according to God’s Wisdom, God will take care of any mistakes we make. Ask Him what to do, and then do it despite the little voice of the Wicked One who wants to make you doubt.

Here are some great Scripture references, which can be studied on the matter of making decisions -

Decision—determination to follow a course of action

A. Sources of:

Loyalty Ruth 1:16

Prayer 1 Sam. 23:1–13

The Lord 1 Kin. 12:15

Satan 1 Chr. 21:1

The world Luke 14:16–24

Human need Acts 11:27–30

Disagreement Acts 15:36–41

Faith Heb. 11:24–28

B. Wrong, leading to:

Spiritual decline Gen. 13:7–11

Repentance Heb. 12:16, 17

Defeat Num. 14:40–45

Rejection 1 Sam. 15:6–26

Apostasy 1 Kin. 11:1–13

Division 1 Kin. 12:12–20

Death Acts 1:16–20

C. Good, manifested in:

Siding with the Lord Ex. 32:26

Following God Num. 14:24; Josh. 14:8

Loving God Deut. 6:5

Seeking God 2 Chr. 15:12

Obeying God Neh. 10:28–30


Discern God’s Will


Question Submitted:

How do you know what God wants you to do?


Answer:

This often only comes through trial and error.


1. Make sure your relationship with Jesus is real and you belong to Him. Ask Him, it is that simple.

2. Before seeking to hear God in prayer on a matter you have to first check your motives before you pray and make sure you are asking God for direction regarding what His Perfect Will is for you and not just what you want.

3. Listen to that still small voice inside which tells you what to do. Write down what it tells you. Writing the information down is vital since our minds have a way of altering things later on to suit our wishes, circumstances, and desires.

4. Measure what you have heard against God's written Word, the Bible. They will never contradict one another.

5. Ask God [at first] for confirming signs that you have heard Him correctly. Write down the sign once it comes.

6. Then in the end seek confirming counsel from another who is walking closely with God. [Will revisit this principle.]


These are the simple ways to work on hearing from God correctly. You will not always get it right but with practice you will get better.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Even if this was the case the problem remains. Many people read the bible and end up following wrong doctrines, like Jehovah's witnesses. I mentioned above also, that a woman became a torah keeper, she had plenty of biblical justification, the outside signs just confirmed what she had read in the bible, yet another person will say that God has clearly told him she is wrong. Even in the case you are born again and get discernment from God, the devil is also able to use scripture, so I don't feel this method is sufficient for discerning God speaking.

The difference is whether the person has true grace in his or her heart or not. And that is something only God really knows. A person can appear to do everything totally right and according to Scripture but his heart could be wrong. There was a king of Israel where it is said that he did what was right in the sight of God but not with a true heart; and King Asa whose heart was right with God all his days, even though the high places of idol worship were not taken down. This shows that a person can have a right heart with God and yet not be perfect.

Only God, through the Holy Spirit can make a person's heart right with Him. We can only know that our hearts are right when we are fully trusting in the promises of God in Christ. Mormons and JWs may be sincere people but if their religious practice is not based on the salvation promises in the Bible, they are sincerely wrong, because true grace can come only through the salvation promises in the Bible.

The Galatian believers were drawn away by the Judaizers to adopt Judaism as well as Christianity. Paul called those who were teaching this "false brethren", teaching "another gospel" which brings a curse. These "false brethren" and those who received their teaching may have been totally sincere, but wrong.

There are those whom we see are clearly identified as wrong through their doctrine and practice. We can try to persuade them to adopt "the better way" as Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos. But there are others who appear to be totally right, and we have to give them the benefit of the doubt, because we cannot see into their hearts. And there may still be others who appear to be quite imperfect, and yet we cannot judge them either because we don't know what their hearts are like. We could judge King Asa as not being right with God because he allowed the people to worship idols in the high places, but the Holy Spirit, through the inspiration of God's Word pronounced him have a true heart toward God all his life.

So the bottom line is: "The foundation stands sure; God knows who are really His."