God communicates with us. But how do we recognize whether it is Him or not? Or if it is our own spirit or if Satan is pretending to be God to trip us up?
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
John 10:28
Sounds simple, right? We should just be able to hear and know His voice.
Sometimes we can miss it. That brings us back to His word, listening for His still small voice (1 Kings 19:11&12), the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
While it’s next to impossible to show someone how to hear from God as learning His voice is a process, there are a few things to consider.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Matthew 7:16
I did hear from the Lord about this years ago and He showed me that whenever He speaks to His children or reveals something to us, it is to build us up, draw us closer to Him. He will always be very specific if we are doing something wrong, and also show us the way out of the situation. It is not condemnation. Condemnation just makes us think we are a bad and horrible person and not worthy to receive Jesus’ forgiveness. That is one sure way to tell. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17 Remember, Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren (Revelation 12:10) Accusations are his style. What is the fruit? What is the end result? Is this information going to lead you closer to God?
While God has a way of communicating with us, we can get confused and sometimes not be sure we are hearing His voice. Continuing to read His word so that it becomes part of us will help us recognize the deceptions that may try to counterfeit His voice. This can be another person telling you what they think you should hear from God. Not sure you’ve had that happen, but that might not be God speaking to you through that person. Always bring it back to His word and the nature of Jesus. That is why it is so important to learn of Him, to know Him, to be focused on Him rather than the miracles, the gifts or even the words He may speak to you. Get close to Him.
It sounds so easy and is, but we can get in the way, expecting answers and not being patient. We certainly can’t force God to talk to us. It takes time to get to know Him and He is often quiet. All the answers we need are in the word of God. Just stay close to Him and look to Him and He will always provide what we need.