Hearing God’s Voice by Bryan Craig

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21

Have you ever heard someone say, “God told me this!” Or “The Holy Spirit is telling me this.”  And you wonder, “Are you sure?”  I remember one young man telling one of my co-workers years ago, “God told me you are supposed to give me $5.00.”  My co-worker shared this with me later, feeling guilty for not giving him $5.00.  I said, “Did God tell YOU to give him $5.00?”  He said, “No.”  I said, “Well then, that must not have been God.”  He felt relief.  This plays into a much greater discussion of discerning God’s Will for our lives.  As believers who are abiding with Jesus, more and more, we desire to please God and be in His Will. 

I remember a man I respected talking to me about this topic.  He asked me, “Are you a believer?”  I said, “Yes.”  He said, “Then, do you believe you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you?”  To which I replied, “Yes.”  He said, “Then, just live your life and go where you think you are supposed to go.  If you are going the wrong way, the Holy Spirit will re-direct you.”  I liked that thought because it seemed to take away some of my confusion, but I still doubted the simplicity of that approach.  Later, I read a verse that seemed to support this theory.  It is in Acts 16:6-10, where it says Paul and Silas and Timothy were sailing on their missionary journey and wanted to go to Bithynia, but “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”  This intrigued me, as I wondered how the Spirit stopped them.  It could have been a storm, or it could have been a feeling, but Luke writes that they were not allowed.  A few verses later, we read that a vision appeared to Paul of a man from Macedonia urging him to come help them.  And that’s what they did.  So, this helps us understand that the Spirit does intercede to guide us, and in this case, it was because God had plans for Paul to visit Macedonia.  This makes me also think of the idea we discuss in our leadership of Influencers about looking for Open and Closed doors, as we discern God’s will for our lives.

I remember when I first started reading God’s Word on my own and praying.  I had been a “believer” since I was 14, but at 30 years old, I started trying to actually live a Christian life.  I would read a chapter of Scripture, write down some thoughts and then I would pray.  I noticed that thoughts would pop into my head as I was praying.  I wondered, “Is this just me or is God speaking to me?”  After this happened many times, I began to deduct that if the thoughts were coming during prayer, perhaps it was God, not me.  I started following through on these prompts, almost always to do something nice for someone, check on someone, ask for forgiveness…you know, things that seemed like Jesus requests.  It was so interesting because I knew these were from God as people would say things like, “How did you know I needed some encouragement today?”  or “You made my day.” Or I would just feel His pleasure as I walked in obedience.

All of this is part of the adventure of faith called Abiding in Christ.  I do think it’s very important to consider, and I do think the more we know Christ, His Word and His Spirit, the more we get tuned into His voice and His will.  We must be cautious because 2 Corinthians 11:24 says that “Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”  Yes, Satan, the “Father of Lies”, the “Great Deceiver” tries to confuse us with lies and misdirection.

I was thinking about this topic and interestingly, there was a chapter in a pre-marital study book (Preparing for Marriage by David Boehi and others from Family Life Ministries) that I’m using with a young couple on this very subject.  It confirmed my decision to press on with this particular blog idea.  I want to share their Grid because I thought it was very helpful.

They have an illustration of a wheel, with Jesus Christ in the center, with spokes around that.

• It all starts with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Without this, you cannot expect to hear from God.
• One of the spokes is God’s Word. (Psalm 119:105) Most often, this is how we hear from God.  It is His Word, His Truth and it is a Living Word, fresh and new every day, guiding us through life.  If we think we are hearing from God and it does not line up with Scripture, it is not from God. 
• Another spoke on the wheel is Prayer. (James 1:5) As I experienced as a young disciple, the Holy Spirit directs us through Prayer.
• Another spoke is Godly Counselors. (Proverbs 19:20) We Christians all have the same Holy Spirit. So if we think we are hearing from the Holy Spirit, but we are unsure, sharing this with other believers allows them to confirm if your decision is resonating with them.  This is very important, but often neglected.
• Our Desires and Circumstances (Philippians 2:13) I really like this one. It says that God puts desires within us for our own good.  So, since we belong to Christ, He is guiding us more than we realize sometimes, because He loves us and wants good for us. 
• The Holy Spirit- the outer rim of the wheel diagram had “The Inner Leading of the Holy Spirit” (John 16:13, John 14:26) which shows that the Holy Spirit is working through all of these different avenues to help guide us. This reminds me of the man’s advice to trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding my life.

So, as you Abide in Christ and live as His disciple, listen for His Voice as you meditate and journal in His Word, as you Pray, as you discuss Him with others and as you search your heart.  God is not a God of confusion, though He is often mysterious.  He wants to speak to us and guide us if we would only truly listen.