I cannot recognize the voice of God

[Gregory Thompson]

How about something vague, though, like "You should visit your friend today even though you weren't invited." I struggle to know if I should obey ideas like that in faith or is it's satan trying to cause a problem between me and someone I care about... I feel kind of guilty for not doing anything, yet I'm not totally confident if the idea came from God so I also wonder if I maybe made the right choice (in that case, staying home instead of showing up at my friend's door).

You hear of people giving someone money or food and saying "For some reason, I just felt like God wanted me to give this to you" and it was exactly what that person prayed for! That seems just as vague of a situation, so I wonder if I'm just being faithless?

Even with impression thoughts like that, there's usually an undercurrent of the thought and this can be discerned like with spirits

 

[Jude1:3Contendforthefaith]

OP doing The Life Confession before Holy Chrismation and Holy Baptism really helped me with similar thoughts :

Question about the "Life Confession" before Baptism and Chrismation


.

 

[Joined2krist]

My difficulty (and perhaps part of my OCD) is that I know Scripture very well indeed - perhaps better than most Christians. It's just that my brain often interprets Scripture in the most merciless light possible, in the most severest way that it could possibly be taken.

"But you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you by Christ and so all of you know the truth" 1 John 2:20

The Holy Spirit is who you need, He'll help you to interprete scriptures correctly. I'm praying for you. God bless

 

[Aussie Pete]

I've finally put a finger on one of my biggest obstacles as a Christian, which is that I cannot recognize the voice of the Shepherd. I have OCD, also some other issues, and sometimes the voice of God, Satan, or my own brain sound all very similar and believable.

I think thoughts like, "If I do not do this, then I will burn in Hell forever" (for instance, I feel like God is recently ordering me to confess a sin to some people, even though confessing to them would backfire and cause all kinds of problems, and is not advisable.) A voice like, "If you do not obey God on this issue, when you die, you're headed for Hell."

I also cannot sense much of a difference between conviction and condemnation. I simply am a sheep that does not know the voice of the Shepherd. Most spiritual thoughts that I ever think are about coercion - "Do this or that, or else God will impose harsh consequences on you for disobedience."

Hi, I don't mean to be critical, but Lord Jesus said that His sheep know His voice. Sometimes the problem is that external "noise" drowns out the still, small voice in our spirit man. Please note that God does not speak directly into our thoughts. You can dismiss any thought that contradicts God's word instantly. Many of us come from a background where we are led to believe that God is hard and harsh. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lord Jesus knows us inside out and loves us anyway. I had to ask the Lord to show me the truth of these issues. I did not have OCD, but a whole lot of other problems. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. God is He who justifies. Who is he that condemns? God's word is our defence. We need to take the attack to Satan by using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. It is possible that you are being assaulted by a demon of doubt and unbelief. Ask Lord Jesus to lead you and guide you. He will lead you to someone who can help you or show you what to do. One of the most important guides is inner peace. If you have that peace about a direction or a word you are hearing, that is an indication that it is from God. (Colossians 3:15). If you are restless, then I'd check it out. What you are experiencing is not unusual. Well done for sharing your problem. It's often the quickest way to get a resolution. Above all, do not give up. Keep close to Lord Jesus. He is the seeker of lost sheep!

 

[aiki]

I've finally put a finger on one of my biggest obstacles as a Christian, which is that I cannot recognize the voice of the Shepherd. I have OCD, also some other issues, and sometimes the voice of God, Satan, or my own brain sound all very similar and believable.

I think thoughts like, "If I do not do this, then I will burn in Hell forever" (for instance, I feel like God is recently ordering me to confess a sin to some people, even though confessing to them would backfire and cause all kinds of problems, and is not advisable.) A voice like, "If you do not obey God on this issue, when you die, you're headed for Hell."

I also cannot sense much of a difference between conviction and condemnation. I simply am a sheep that does not know the voice of the Shepherd. Most spiritual thoughts that I ever think are about coercion - "Do this or that, or else God will impose harsh consequences on you for disobedience."

What do you mean by "recognize the voice of the Shepherd"? Do you mean you can't read and understand the Bible? 'Cause it's in the Bible that the voice of the Shepherd is heard, not in your head. The Bible is called the word of God for a good reason. It is in Scripture, in the Bible, that God reveals Himself to us and speaks to us of His will, His truth, His wisdom, His commands and of our relationship to Him. So it is that the apostle Paul wrote,

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped unto all good works.

The Bible is entirely sufficient to instruct you in all God wants you to know about Him, about yourself, and about your relationship to Him. The Bible is God's "voice" to you; it is the "voice of the Shepherd." If you are God's child, you have no need of a divine voice in your head that can be so easily confused with your own thoughts, or the counterfeit thoughts of the devil. You have been "thoroughly equipped" with Scripture to instruct, inform, correct, illuminate and guide you. Listen to it. Obey it.

Please understand that in the Bible whenever God had something He wanted to communicate directly to someone, He never failed to communicate it. He sent His angels for a visit, or set a bush on fire without consuming it, or wrote with a giant hand upon a wall, or opened the earth to swallow the wicked, and so on. If God has something to say to you, you will know it. You won't have to practice "hearing God's voice"; there won't be some special skill you must develop before you can discern what God is saying to you. Thinking that God is a mysterious voice that is difficult to discern is entirely unbiblical and leads quickly to confusion and frustration, foolishness and sin. If you have to wonder if God has spoken to you, then you know that He hasn't.

God's voice is encountered in the Bible. Just remember: Not everything in the Bible is for you specifically. A promise to the Israelites is their promise, not yours; a command to God's Old Testament prophet is a command to the prophet, not to you; a warning of judgment upon a wicked nation is a warning to that nation, not to you. Be careful not to snatch a verse out of its context and claim it for yourself. Far too many Christians do that especially with OT promises God makes to His Chosen People.

Fear of the sort you're experiencing is, at bottom, just a manifestation of pathological self-centeredness. You want to protect yourself from threat, but you see God as a threat you can't avoid. And so you approach Him with the goal of self-preservation and act to appease the threat He appears to you to be, rather than enjoying Him as the loving, faithful, gracious, holy God that He is. But this is always the way of things ultimately with Self. The more you serve Self, the more tyrannical and selfish it becomes and the more unhappy and fearful you will be. There is no way, then, to enjoy God, to experience peaceful, contented fellowship with Him, when Self sits upon the throne of your heart. Self has to go if you really want to experience the abundant life God offers to you in Jesus Christ.

You have not understood that God loves you. Or, if you do understand that He does, you don't truly believe it. Comprehending God's love for you, however, understanding how deeply and incredibly He cares for you and believing it, is the remedy for your fear. "Perfect love casts out fear," the apostle John wrote, "he who fears has not been made perfect in love." When you have settled into the truth of God's awesome love for you, your fear will dissolve. And there is no greater proof of His love for you than in the giving of His Son for your sake. You can trust and love the One who has humbled Himself, suffered, and then died to save you from the deadly, eternal consequences of your sin.

Ephesians 3:17-19
17 ...that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

1 John 4:16-19
16 And we have known and believed the love God has for us. God is love; and he who dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in the world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

 

[devin553344]

I've finally put a finger on one of my biggest obstacles as a Christian, which is that I cannot recognize the voice of the Shepherd. I have OCD, also some other issues, and sometimes the voice of God, Satan, or my own brain sound all very similar and believable.

I think thoughts like, "If I do not do this, then I will burn in Hell forever" (for instance, I feel like God is recently ordering me to confess a sin to some people, even though confessing to them would backfire and cause all kinds of problems, and is not advisable.) A voice like, "If you do not obey God on this issue, when you die, you're headed for Hell."

I also cannot sense much of a difference between conviction and condemnation. I simply am a sheep that does not know the voice of the Shepherd. Most spiritual thoughts that I ever think are about coercion - "Do this or that, or else God will impose harsh consequences on you for disobedience."

I have schizophrenia and I have had communication with God on 4 occasions in ~50 years of life. When God communicates with me my schizophrenia disappears for a short time. Also I'm filled with Love, Peace, Joy for hours after the communication. You will know if God talks to you because of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit Galatians 5:22-23:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

[A. Sinner]

If it feels like OCD, it’s OCD. Ignore it.

 

[Anthony2019]

For me, the voice of God is the "still small voice of calm" the hymnist wrote about.
It is the soothing voice that has cheered and lifted our spirits when we have felt low or depressed.
It is the reassurance of His love when we feel we have done nothing to earn that love.
It is the kindly rebuke, when we have done something wrong and encourages us to put things right.
It is the voice of reassurance not to be afraid, when we are feeling apprehensive or uncertain about our circumstances.
It is the sense of God weeping with us when we are hurt and rejoicing with us in our time of joy.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I've finally put a finger on one of my biggest obstacles as a Christian, which is that I cannot recognize the voice of the Shepherd. I have OCD, also some other issues, and sometimes the voice of God, Satan, or my own brain sound all very similar and believable.

I think thoughts like, "If I do not do this, then I will burn in Hell forever" (for instance, I feel like God is recently ordering me to confess a sin to some people, even though confessing to them would backfire and cause all kinds of problems, and is not advisable.) A voice like, "If you do not obey God on this issue, when you die, you're headed for Hell."

I also cannot sense much of a difference between conviction and condemnation. I simply am a sheep that does not know the voice of the Shepherd. Most spiritual thoughts that I ever think are about coercion - "Do this or that, or else God will impose harsh consequences on you for disobedience."

The harsh voices you are hearing are not God. Jesus said "learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls". When God asks us to do something (for Him) there is not the threat of hell fire. We are saved by grace, the cross that Jesus bore for us, saves us from sin, and gives us freedom.

As an example, today I am sure God has asked me to do at least 5 things for Him, because my courage is low, I have not acted on them. God will not judge me for it however, he knows we have weakness. But this does not stop him from putting before us challenges.

However I really feel that the challenges that are being put in your pathway are not God, but the devil trying to put a heavy load on you. As the bible says, in Jesus we will find rest find our souls.

 

[MercyandFaith]

What do you mean by "recognize the voice of the Shepherd"? Do you mean you can't read and understand the Bible? 'Cause it's in the Bible that the voice of the Shepherd is heard, not in your head.

Well, my OCD (or some other quirk of my brain) reads Scripture but in a very harsh light. For instance, like mentioned above, the verse about "only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of God" - my brain then interprets it as, if I don't do everything I sense that God wants me to do, then I am in trouble.

 

[anna ~ grace]

I've finally put a finger on one of my biggest obstacles as a Christian, which is that I cannot recognize the voice of the Shepherd. I have OCD, also some other issues, and sometimes the voice of God, Satan, or my own brain sound all very similar and believable.

I think thoughts like, "If I do not do this, then I will burn in Hell forever" (for instance, I feel like God is recently ordering me to confess a sin to some people, even though confessing to them would backfire and cause all kinds of problems, and is not advisable.) A voice like, "If you do not obey God on this issue, when you die, you're headed for Hell."

I also cannot sense much of a difference between conviction and condemnation. I simply am a sheep that does not know the voice of the Shepherd. Most spiritual thoughts that I ever think are about coercion - "Do this or that, or else God will impose harsh consequences on you for disobedience."

So, we should obey and follow Christ out of love, not fear.

I struggle with scruples and nagging doubt, too.

Here's what I do. Just follow Christ, pray, and ask Him to help me to avoid sin, and love others. That's about it. Keep it simple, and trust God. Sometimes that's hard. But letting go is better than struggling too much.

 

[Aussie Pete]

What do you mean by "recognize the voice of the Shepherd"? Do you mean you can't read and understand the Bible? 'Cause it's in the Bible that the voice of the Shepherd is heard, not in your head. The Bible is called the word of God for a good reason. It is in Scripture, in the Bible, that God reveals Himself to us and speaks to us of His will, His truth, His wisdom, His commands and of our relationship to Him. So it is that the apostle Paul wrote,

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped unto all good works.

The Bible is entirely sufficient to instruct you in all God wants you to know about Him, about yourself, and about your relationship to Him. The Bible is God's "voice" to you; it is the "voice of the Shepherd." If you are God's child, you have no need of a divine voice in your head that can be so easily confused with your own thoughts, or the counterfeit thoughts of the devil. You have been "thoroughly equipped" with Scripture to instruct, inform, correct, illuminate and guide you. Listen to it. Obey it.

Please understand that in the Bible whenever God had something He wanted to communicate directly to someone, He never failed to communicate it. He sent His angels for a visit, or set a bush on fire without consuming it, or wrote with a giant hand upon a wall, or opened the earth to swallow the wicked, and so on. If God has something to say to you, you will know it. You won't have to practice "hearing God's voice"; there won't be some special skill you must develop before you can discern what God is saying to you. Thinking that God is a mysterious voice that is difficult to discern is entirely unbiblical and leads quickly to confusion and frustration, foolishness and sin. If you have to wonder if God has spoken to you, then you know that He hasn't.

God's voice is encountered in the Bible. Just remember: Not everything in the Bible is for you specifically. A promise to the Israelites is their promise, not yours; a command to God's Old Testament prophet is a command to the prophet, not to you; a warning of judgment upon a wicked nation is a warning to that nation, not to you. Be careful not to snatch a verse out of its context and claim it for yourself. Far too many Christians do that especially with OT promises God makes to His Chosen People.

Fear of the sort you're experiencing is, at bottom, just a manifestation of pathological self-centeredness. You want to protect yourself from threat, but you see God as a threat you can't avoid. And so you approach Him with the goal of self-preservation and act to appease the threat He appears to you to be, rather than enjoying Him as the loving, faithful, gracious, holy God that He is. But this is always the way of things ultimately with Self. The more you serve Self, the more tyrannical and selfish it becomes and the more unhappy and fearful you will be. There is no way, then, to enjoy God, to experience peaceful, contented fellowship with Him, when Self sits upon the throne of your heart. Self has to go if you really want to experience the abundant life God offers to you in Jesus Christ.

You have not understood that God loves you. Or, if you do understand that He does, you don't truly believe it. Comprehending God's love for you, however, understanding how deeply and incredibly He cares for you and believing it, is the remedy for your fear. "Perfect love casts out fear," the apostle John wrote, "he who fears has not been made perfect in love." When you have settled into the truth of God's awesome love for you, your fear will dissolve. And there is no greater proof of His love for you than in the giving of His Son for your sake. You can trust and love the One who has humbled Himself, suffered, and then died to save you from the deadly, eternal consequences of your sin.

Ephesians 3:17-19
17 ...that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

1 John 4:16-19
16 And we have known and believed the love God has for us. God is love; and he who dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in the world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Everything you say is well and good. The problem I find, along with many other people, is that we need answers that are not in the Bible. E.G. is this job the right one? What about the house I want to buy? The Lord told me that I needed to quit playing a certain sport. I could not find a Bible verse to tell me that. We need the written word, of course (I teach it) but we need a living, active and personal relationship with God through Christ also.

 

[aiki]

Well, my OCD (or some other quirk of my brain) reads Scripture but in a very harsh light.

There is this odd trend in the mental health field to disassociate the individual from their thoughts and behaviours as though something else is ordering and driving these things. But your thoughts are YOUR thoughts. Obsessive, or fearful, or compulsive - you are the one who thinks in these ways. If you won't take responsibility for your thought life, you have no chance at all of ever seeing it change.

It isn't some "odd quirk of your brain" that causes you to read Scripture in the harsh light that you do. I used to be powerfully OCD and anxious. I was insomniac and suffering from cluster panic attacks and breathing issues related to stress. I had also grown suicidal. As God took me into my tangled, fearful thought life and showed me where I had gone wrong, one of the things that stood out to me most clearly was how my fear, my OCD and anxiety, were manifestations of the twisted view of God I had taken on. God was dangerous; He would give with one hand and take with the other; God would let me have it if I stepped wrong. I couldn't trust a God like this and I certainly couldn't love Him. But loving God was not my prime concern back then. Protecting myself, serving myself was my main interest. So long as I was this way, however, I had little attention to give to God - only what was necessary to avoid His wrath.

My love for myself badly clouded my view of God. I could not see that He loved me. I could only see the threat He represented to my self interest. I could not recognize that where God pressed me to change, where His way impinged on my way, that I was a recipient of His love. He was the "Good Dentist" who would not simply alleviate my pain but resolve the source of it - even if it meant more pain in the short term. But as I came to see the love of God more clearly, as I settled fully into His grace and mercy, I came to trust Him such that the putting to death of Self that is necessary to walking with Him was quite all right with me.

For instance, like mentioned above, the verse about "only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of God" - my brain then interprets it as, if I don't do everything I sense that God wants me to do, then I am in trouble.

And what about all the other verses that speak to you of God's love, mercy, grace, patience and faithfulness? What about the cross? What does it tell you about God's commitment to loving you? Why don't these verses about God's immense love for you have traction in your thinking? Could it be a matter of what you're choosing to emphasize in your mind? Could you be suffering under the warping influence of Self as I was? I think so.

 

[aiki]

Everything you say is well and good. The problem I find, along with many other people, is that we need answers that are not in the Bible. E.G. is this job the right one? What about the house I want to buy? The Lord told me that I needed to quit playing a certain sport. I could not find a Bible verse to tell me that. We need the written word, of course (I teach it) but we need a living, active and personal relationship with God through Christ also.

If there is not some specific instance in Scripture from which I might draw guidance, there is wisdom, and spiritual principles, and various commands that do apply. God expects me to take all of the excellent things He has given to me in His word about how to live and use them to decide which house to buy, or which career to embark upon, or which person to marry. If God has more to say to me than is contained in His word, then He will communicate to me His will in the same unmistakable fashion that He communicated His will to those in Scripture. I see no where in Scripture, however, where God communicated His will via an inner voice, nor teaching in Scripture that urges us to expect that He will lead us this way. Instead, God used burning bushes, a giant hand writing on a wall, visiting angels, prophets, various signs and wonders, etc. to communicate His will to people. Why, then, are modern believers so keen to make the discernment of the will of God such a subjective and easily corrupted business? We have the divinely-revealed will and wisdom of God in Scripture and it is entirely sufficient to lead us in living godly in Christ Jesus.

 

[Tolworth John]

I've finally put a finger on one of my biggest obstacles as a Christian, which is that I cannot recognize the voice of the Shepherd. I have OCD, also some other issues, and sometimes the voice of God, Satan, or my own brain sound all very similar and believable.

Basically, God does not demand that you do something or one will be punished.

Any voice telling you or making such a demand is Not from God.
Your problem is to cope with your OCD s reaction to requirements to do something.

Remember we don't earn or deserve our salvation, it is all by God 's grace we are saved.
May I suggest that you seek help from your doctor about the voices.
I think thoughts like, "If I do not do this, then I will burn in Hell forever" (for instance, I feel like God is recently ordering me to confess a sin to some people, even though confessing to them would backfire and cause all kinds of problems, and is not advisable.) A voice like, "If you do not obey God on this issue, when you die, you're headed for Hell."

I also cannot sense much of a difference between conviction and condemnation. I simply am a sheep that does not know the voice of the Shepherd. Most spiritual thoughts that I ever think are about coercion - "Do this or that, or else God will impose harsh consequences on you for disobedience."

 

[Saint JOHN]

1st you MUST have the Holy Spirit..!! so as to get the correct understanding of THE WORD OF GOD..
That is his voice written for ALL who will listen..

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

not fully able without the Spirit !!

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Ro 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.


Joh 4:24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

The whole focus is to ONE get the Spirit ( acts 2v4..acts 2v38...etc)
eg..Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

1Co 14:14 For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

etc..
Mark16v17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

this is what Jesus said..do it !!..they follow true believers not those who dont or worship there own fables !!
many think give your heart..kidneys ? etc to the Lord..where is that scripture ??
or by grace or faith or confess with the mouth (= say the same as !!! they dont !!) its ALL , package deal !
many think to believe is to acknowledge God is or Jesus Christ is etc well i believe or acknowledge there is a president in the United States !? does that make me an automatic U.S. citizen !?? why use such lame logic for ETERNAL LIFE !!??

At the marriage at Cana Mary gave some great advice... Whatsoever he saith unto you, do [it].

 

[ByTheSpirit]

There are certain benchmarks you can use to help guage if you are hearing God's voice or not.

For instance, God's voice will never contradict scriptures. Why would God tell you in writing to do one thing, then tell you "audibly" to do another?

God's voice will never contradict his nature. Why would God, who is love, justice, mercy, etc, tell you to act unloving, unjustly, etc with a neighbor?

So you need to know the scriptures so you can learn of God's nature and specific things written down to use as measuring sticks of God's voice. Then over time, His voice will be known naturally.

Think of an infant. An infant doesn't discern voices right away, but over time will know it's mother from father, sister, from brother, etc because its used to hearing.

It just takes time, discipline, and patienceNow in other things it can be much more difficult. Asking God for a job, asking God for guidance in buying a house, car, etc. Those situations where God's written word does specifically state "Thou shalt buy the house on Sicamor Street" can be tricky, you just have to ask and then have some faith that he will guide your decision.

 

[aiki]

This is a re-post of a part of my earlier post to the OP. It seems necessary to repeat it:

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped unto all good works.

The Bible is entirely sufficient to instruct you in all God wants you to know about Him, about yourself, and about your relationship to Him. The Bible is God's "voice" to you; it is the "voice of the Shepherd." If you are God's child, you have no need of a divine voice in your head that can be so easily confused with your own thoughts, or the counterfeit thoughts of the devil. You have been "thoroughly equipped" with Scripture to instruct, inform, correct, illuminate and guide you. Listen to it. Obey it.

Please understand that in the Bible whenever God had something He wanted to communicate directly to someone, He never failed to communicate it. He sent His angels for a visit, or set a bush on fire without consuming it, or wrote with a giant hand upon a wall, or opened the earth to swallow the wicked, and so on. If God has something to say to you, you will know it. You won't have to practice "hearing God's voice"; there won't be some special skill you must develop before you can discern what God is saying to you. Thinking that God is a mysterious voice that is difficult to discern is entirely unbiblical and leads quickly to confusion and frustration, foolishness and sin. If you have to wonder if God has spoken to you, then you know that He hasn't.

 

[Aussie Pete]

If there is not some specific instance in Scripture from which I might draw guidance, there is wisdom, and spiritual principles, and various commands that do apply. God expects me to take all of the excellent things He has given to me in His word about how to live and use them to decide which house to buy, or which career to embark upon, or which person to marry. If God has more to say to me than is contained in His word, then He will communicate to me His will in the same unmistakable fashion that He communicated His will to those in Scripture. I see no where in Scripture, however, where God communicated His will via an inner voice, nor teaching in Scripture that urges us to expect that He will lead us this way. Instead, God used burning bushes, a giant hand writing on a wall, visiting angels, prophets, various signs and wonders, etc. to communicate His will to people. Why, then, are modern believers so keen to make the discernment of the will of God such a subjective and easily corrupted business? We have the divinely-revealed will and wisdom of God in Scripture and it is entirely sufficient to lead us in living godly in Christ Jesus.

It's not subjective. I've had many instances of God speaking to me in words, through the Bible and just by an impression in my spirit, which is what I mean by the still, small voice. Sometimes is is actual words. Example. I did not see my children for 15 years, not by choice. The impression in my spirit led me to where I met up with them. It was not words. I was able to cope with a chronic ailment that I thought would ruin my life. First up, the Lord said to me, "Go see the doctor". I was on the verge of kidney failure and I had no idea. I received two words from the Bible that kept me going. Eventually I was healed, but not before I learned a wonderful lesson on God's power to sustain me in spite of circumstances. God has spoken to me through the brethren also. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God". Yes, there is a danger of misunderstanding and making mistakes. I've made plenty of those also. It is always a result of some lack in myself. Presumption is not faith, for example.

 

[aiki]

It's not subjective. I've had many instances of God speaking to me in words, through the Bible and just by an impression in my spirit, which is what I mean by the still, small voice.

And how do you know this, exactly? Excepting the Bible through which God is always speaking, do you have some objective way of discerning when it is, in fact, God speaking to you? Or do you "just know" (which would be entirely subjective)?

Example. I did not see my children for 15 years, not by choice. The impression in my spirit led me to where I met up with them. It was not words.

Okay. But how do you know it was God giving you this impression? Why could it not have been a demonic counterfeit? Or some sort of sixth sense? If you'd had this strong impression exactly as you had it and nothing happened, would it still have been from God? Or do you judge the origin of your impression on whether or not your impression leads to the outcome you expect - in which case, "hearing" God is entirely circumstantial (and subjective) in character rather than spiritual?

First up, the Lord said to me, "Go see the doctor".

Surely, you didn't need God to say such an obvious thing to you when you were feeling ill.

I was on the verge of kidney failure and I had no idea.

You cannot truly be on the verge of renal failure and have no physical indication whatsoever that you are. Such a serious condition at such a stage is marked by swelling of the lower legs, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea and other symptoms besides.

"As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God".

This is speaking of the condition of a genuine believer which is characterized by being under the control of the Spirit and being, therefore, spiritually-minded rather than carnally-minded (see the verses immediately before the one from Romans 8 that you quoted). It is not talking about how God communicates to His children but about what marks the truly born-again person.

Yes, there is a danger of misunderstanding and making mistakes. I've made plenty of those also. It is always a result of some lack in myself. Presumption is not faith, for example.

No one to whom God wanted to speak in Scripture failed to hear Him. No one. Now, some did not want to hear Him and resisted His words to them, but they DID hear, nonetheless. God used burning bushes, visits from His angels, a talking donkey, a giant hand writing on a wall, the ground opening up and swallowing the wicked, and so on in His efforts to communicate Himself to people. Those today, then, who say that God is speaking, but so subtly and mysteriously that His communication can be misunderstood or missed entirely, are not in accord with the record of Scripture. From Abraham, to Moses, to Balaam, to Saul and David, to Elijah, and Paul, and a great host of others, none mistook God speaking to them or could avoid it.

So, what's wrong with Christians today who, like you, often get completely wrong what God is saying to them? Why was God able to communicate so clearly and powerfully in the past but not now? Why are those in whom the Spirit dwells constantly so easily mistaking God's voice? My belief is that they aren't really hearing from Him at all, but are so desperate to interact with Him as with another human that they will manufacture His "voice" in order to do so. I think, too, the devil manipulates this desire to humanize God to his own ends, grooming believers to think God is speaking when, in fact, he is.

All of this can be avoided, however, simply by knowing and applying God's word - Scripture - to one's living.

2 Timothy 3:16-17.