How Do I Know If It's God Speaking To Me?

Having spent some time focusing on what it might look like to live a life of integrity (living the life God has called you to, living out your values), we stumbled upon a really good question:

How do I know if it's God speaking to me?

This Youtube video of Pastor Rick Warren answers the question beautifully- but if you don't have an hour to sit and watch, here's what we covered in youth group:

We started with this provocative video by Bruxy Cavey- which right away gave us the question "So, if an angel/dream/prophetic voice doesn't tell you otherwise, you should just keep doing what you're doing?"

To answer that question, we read Romans 12:1-2

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

 Recognize that God made us into co-creators and decision makers as part of making us in His image. That allows us to make our own choices, which is part of God's plan to give us free choice. What He's most concerned with is the kind of person we are and who we are becoming- which plays a HUGE role in what kind of choices we make. Romans 12 reminds us to put everything, every part of our likes, our activities, our thoughts, before God- if we're searching after Him first, we won't have to worry about having an angel come down and give us guidance about what kind of movie we should watch. We will naturally seek out the things that are pleasing to God, because we're creating ourselves within his loving influence.

But what about the bigger questions? The ones where there are multiple good choices and we're not quite sure if God is calling us to one over the other? How do we know if God is truly calling us to become a missionary in South Sudan or if we're feeling pulled that way because it has a glamorous ring to it?

First, recognize that the more you seek out God's voice, the easier it is to recognize. Think about how your mom can pick out your voice in a crowd- she knows it immediately because she's spent a LOT of time listening for it. It's the same with you and God. But in the learning-His-tone stage (or in extra-specially-tough circumstances), there are 7 questions we can ask ourselves to determine if it's really God's voice we're hearing.

1. Does this agree with the bible/Is it specifically forbidden? God's word is true forever, and there are many things in there that you can very easily connect to your life today. But there are some things present today that aren't specifically mentioned in the bible (the internet, for example). So if you're really struggling to connect that "voice" with things mentioned in the bible, another good question to ask yourself is whether it's specifically forbidden. Online porn? Not specifically listed in the bible. Lusting after someone you're not married to? Definitely listed in the no-no category.

2. Does this make me more like Christ? Life is a good opportunity for us to practice who we’ll be in Heaven, and Christ is our number one role model for what that looks like. So how do we know if that voice is Christ-like?

• The answer is NO if: it’s motivated by bitterness or envy (trying to make others jealous or make you “above” others), it’s motivated by selfish ambition, it’s judgmental, accusatory, or harsh (it takes no intelligence to criticize, but it takes maturity and wisdom to see the beauty in other)

• The answer is YES if: it's pure, it's peace-loving (promotes harmony, reconciliation, smoothes conflict and division in families, small groups, and work/church), it's uplifting of others (not gossip or slander), it's considerate of others (asks "will it harm anyone else?"), it's submissive (humble, teachable, willing to have ideas checked by someone else), it's full of mercy (more forgiving of others, more gracious), and it's impartial and sincere (not used to manipulate others).

3. Does my church family confirm it? Ephesians 3:10 reminds us that we're not meant to live life alone. If you’re resistant to telling anyone else about the idea this "voice" is giving you, it’s not from God. And if mature believers whose faith you respect question it, you should, too. (Proverbs 11:9) But the key point to remember here is that you have to KNOW each other (have a relationship) in order for those believers to give you sound advice and in order for you to trust it (don't trust advice from people you don't feel are living a godly life!).

4. Is it consistent with how God has shaped me? Ephesians 2:10 tells us God created you to do good works, unique to you. God never gives you a talent He expects you to waste. Romans 12:6 tells us that we will have things we are good at AND things we aren't so good at. Just because we like to do it doesn't mean we're going to be good at it. God may be calling you to do something that you need to grow into, but you should have the basic abilities already in place. For example: You love to sing, but can't carry a tune. Go ahead and sing your heart out in the shower, barn, wherever. Make your joyful noise unto the Lord! But if you feel like God is calling you to become an award-winning singer, you're probably misreading that voice (or you're listening to the voice of your inner ego).

5. Does it concern my responsibility? Is that inner voice telling you to call someone out on something? Remember that everybody has direct access to God, if they want it. You don’t need to be the Holy Spirit for someone else. Focus on God’s directions to YOU, not to someone else. Remember Romans 14 (who are you to judge someone else’s servant?)- don’t try to assume God’s role in another’s life.

• That said, God CAN sometimes use individuals to speak to another person. How do you know if that's the case now?

1. Be patient and pray. Make sure you heard correctly, and give God the chance to speak to them first. Pray that they will be receptive, and you may not even need to say anything.
2. Realize that God usually uses people to confirm what he’s already said to someone: “You know, I’ve been feeling that lately."
3. Remember that God usually uses you without you being conscious of it. Tread VERY carefully when you're trying to be the voice of God. You're usually most effective when you're not trying.

6. Is it convicting, rather than condemning? Conviction is making you aware of things that should change in order to be better. Condemnation is “I’m a jerk, I’m worthless, etc.;” it's that vague cloud of guilt. Romans 8:1 tells us that God never attacks our value. He’ll point out your sin, but never devalue you; He let his Son die on a cross because he values you so much. If you're feeling guilty, if that voice in your head is telling you something is wrong, that feeling of guilt should only last until you repent of your wrongdoing. After that, the condemnation is not from God. (Revelations 3:19)

7.  Do I sense God’s peace about it? Overwhelmed, anxious, pressured, or confused- you’re caught up in yourself, not God. When God is calling you to something, He gives a sense of rightness to go along with it. You can be terrified of the decision you're making and still feel God's peace at the same time- it's hard to explain until you've felt it, but once you have, you know what I'm talking about. God's peace is when you're confident you're on the right path, even when you don't have it all figured out, and even when it isn't obviously in your "best interest." 

So those are the 7 questions. You don't need to go through them for every decision you make (Should I eat Mac N Cheese tonight? Better break out the questions!), but when you DO feel you need them, you need to ask all seven. You need a "yes" for all 7 of them to be sure that it's God's voice. If you can only cover 5 out of 7, you probably aren't hearing God. And finally, remember what we said at the start- God is concerned most with the kind of person you are. And He is continually working to draw you closer to Him, to make you into the kind of person who seeks Him out- no matter how many times you've ignored Him in the past, no matter how obstinately you've fought against Him. Whenever and wherever you are, as soon as you start trying to align your life with His will, He's right there. If you're truly interested in figuring out what He wants from you, ask Him.

 

5 Minutes of God Time Song: Touch the Sky by Hillsong