Knowing God’s Voice

Jesus tells a parable about a pasture land that is given to the sheep that follow Him (John 10:1-18). This peaceful pasture land is given through the gift of eternal life. The sheep represent those the Lord has called by name, loved, and cared for. Jesus said that the sheep know His voice and follow Him (into eternal life) – a stranger they will not follow (John 10:3-5).

Many people want to know how to hear God’s voice. However, the BIGGER desire (or question) must be to KNOW His voice. God speaks to us all (even before believing in Jesus)…and so does the devil (and our own lust). The issue is to recognize God’s voice above all others, so that when He speaks, you know it is the Lord.

When God speaks to us, He speaks through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit will only speak what He receives from the Father, nothing more, nothing less. The voice we hear could be considered a voice without sound or one that speaks from within (i.e. still small voice).

To recognize His voice, you must be attuned to Him. Just as a new puppy to a home learns to respond to their owner’s voice, we do the same with the Lord. Our recognition comes through spending time with Him and understanding His character and Word. The Lord will speak in a manner that is different from the devil or the flesh (lust).

Three Things to Know about God’s Direction:

1. God will not contradict (or go against) His Word. Period.

2. God will not go against His character. God is love (1 John 4:6-10). The Scriptures also reveal what love is (1 Corinthians 13:1-8) and some of the Lord’s character traits. He will not go against His character in telling you to do something.

3. God’s direction will always lead you closer to Him (righteousness, integrity, holiness), not further away.

The Direction of the Devil and the Flesh (Lust)

The devil and the flesh are in opposition to God. They are founded on principles of disobedience to God and self-desires and ambition. They will seek to have you contradict God’s Word, go against His character (and will), and will lead you further from Him. Their direction is filled with receiving pleasure now without any thought of the consequences.

To illustrate this, let’s review Matthew 4:1-11 when Jesus was tempted by the devil:

Matthew 4:1-11 – Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

1. The devil will use physical needs to tempt you. After fasting forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry. The devil comes to Him and says if He’s hungry, then He should command these stones to be made into bread. The devil is addressing a physical need (hunger), yet Jesus says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).

2. The devil will also use God’s Word against you. If you do not understand God’s Word, he will twist it to suit His purposes. In tempting Jesus, the devil takes Him upon a pinnacle of a temple and says, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone (Matthew 4:6).

The scripture the devil is referring to is found in Psalm 91:11-12, For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus responds saying that it is also written that we are not to tempt the Lord thy God (Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7). The Lord will give His angels charge over us, but we are not to test Him by jumping off a building to prove it.

It is important to understand God’s word in its PROPER context!

3. The devil and the flesh (lust) will use emotions to steer (or control) your decisions, such as anger, jealousy, pride, desire for money or status, etc. Lastly, the devil offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them…if He would fall down and worship him (Matthew 4:8-9).

Far too many times people are led into sin and follow the devil (and the world) by giving into the glory and pride of life, positions, and possessions (1 John 2:15-17). We are continually bombarded with thoughts of having more, getting rich, and living the American dream. However, a person cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). This is why Jesus responds saying (as it is written), you shall worship the Lord only serve Him (Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10).

Desires and emotions can be very strong and consuming. Without a clear thought or understanding of God’s Word and will, they can lead you toward all manner of evil – BECAUSE THEY EXIST WITHOUT CONTROL. This is what the devil and the flesh wants of you: to live without restraint (James 1:13-15; 1 Peter 1:13-15).

Where We Go From Here

1. Recognize who is speaking. Now that we understand some basics concerning how the Lord, the devil, and flesh desire to speak to us, it becomes important to recognize when God speaks. A stranger, as Jesus points out in John 10, is someone that the sheep does not recognize. For you, this may be the devil, the flesh (lust), and even false teachers and prophets. They are strangers because they seek to lead you away from God and toward fleshly or selfish behaviors.

When the devil, the flesh, and false teachers and prophets speak, they are often accompanied by emotional ‘pushes’ to lead you in a specific direction. (Remember what was written above.) Additionally, their ‘voices’ (devil and flesh) often sound different from the Lord’s. They are often louder (in pushing you) to make a quick decision. They are strangers to your life in God. So you must let the peace of God rule in your heart (Colossians 3:15).

2. Pause when you’re unsure. If there comes a time when you are confused about what to do (or if you hear something you are unsure about), take a moment to pause. If you become overly anxious, worried, upset…you can be tempted to make a bad decision that makes your situation worse.

If you are unsure of the Lord’s direction or if He said it, ask Him to confirm His message to you (and pause). It’s alright to ask the Lord to confirm His message to you if you become confused (Judges 6:11-40). The Lord will often use visions, dreams, other people, or even situations to confirm what He spoke (and if He spoke it).

The Lord may not answer you immediately, but sometimes He does. You have to remain sensitive and open to the Spirit’s leading. The Spirit will not move according to your master design for your life (or your timing). As a child of God, you must live according to the Lord’s desires…so that when He speaks, you will recognize His voice and take heed to what you hear.

3. Be very cautious if you’re dependent on other people to speak God’s Word to you. Some people find it easier to just trust what someone else says God wants them to do (i.e. pastor, ministers, etc.), rather than hearing from God themselves. Sure, there are righteous men and women seek to do God’s will, but there are many, many people in the church that will take advantage of you (2 Timothy 3:1-8; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). As Jesus spoke of hirelings in John 10:12-13 that do not care for the sheep, sadly, many of these people surround you today. A person’s position does not guarantee they live under God’s authority. Check the fruit of these individuals – what they do and say (Matthew 7:15-20; Acts 17:1-13). You must learn to recognize God’s Word and will for yourself so you will not become a victim to abuse within the church or within your personal life.

^{Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/rustysheriff. Image covered under Creative Commons License.}