How to Hear God's Voice: Page 4 of 5

John 10:27 - (Jesus said) “My sheep hear my voice."

Every good gift from God is misused by some people, including hearing His voice. There are Christians who routinely proclaim, "Thus sayeth the Lord," when He has said no such thing at all! These people have forgotten (or never understood) that misusing the Name of God is specifically forbidden by the 3rd Commandment. How would you feel if someone publicly claimed that you said something when you never said it at all? And how would you feel if what they said about you was a misrepresentation of your character? People who misrepresent God like this are either:

Confusing the voice of God with their own imagination (Jer 17:9)
Attempting to control or manipulate others (2 Cor 3:17)
Or worse yet, they are listening to deceiving spirits. (1 Tim 4:1)

Yes, God speaks to His children. But there are always other voices speaking in our heads: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Distinguishing between them is not always easy. Years ago someone gave me the following advice:

"If you are dealing with an ongoing issue, your first course of action should not be to bang on God's door for a personal rhema word. Instead, you should first read everything that God says about this issue in His Word. In particular, if He has already settled the matter in His Word, don't go looking for another word. For example, if the "Voice" tells you to walk out on your spouse at a time when you're not getting along, it's almost certainly not God!

"You can always find misguided "friends" or liberal-minded professionals (counselors, authors, pastors) who are willing to support your ungodly choices. Instead you should find out what other mature Christians think about what you claim to have heard from God. This means objective people who are not members of your own "fan club" and who have enough "steel" in their backbone to confront you if necessary."

Here are some indications that you are hearing from God and not from your own imagination or the "dark side."

Indications That You Are Hearing the Voice of God

It is consistent with the character of God and His written word.
It is free from shame, guilt, or condemnation. (Rom 8:1)
It is creative, something that you would never come with on your own, not in a million years!
He speaks your language! He rings your heart like a bell!
He cuts right to the heart of the matter with just a few perfectly chosen words or images!
Everything suddenly makes sense when He "connects the dots" for you!
It's not all "warm fuzzies." Occasionally He disciplines you.

In regard to the last item (#7), I once doubted a person who claimed to hear from God because they never received any "correction" or "discipline" from Him; it was only "warm fuzzies." That is contrary to Scripture (Heb 12:6-7, Rom 8:29). God "zaps" me regularly. After the initial "sting" subsides, I am always glad for it! Ten years later the person whom I had doubted got saved and baptized. I know for sure that their salvation was genuine because when they came up out of the baptismal water I asked the Lord, "Do I get my hopes up? Or did they just get wet?" He replied,

It's a beginning, not a transformation."

The first phrase ("It's a beginning") meant that they were indeed saved. Yay! But the second phrase ("not a transformation") meant that there would not be outward change any time soon. Based on 2 Cor 5:17 (the verse about becoming a "new creation"), many of us believe that genuine salvation is necessarily accompanied by prompt outward change. That was certainly the case for me and some of our children. But that is a naive interpretation of the verse. The "old creation" (before salvation) was a captive to sin. The "new creation" has the option and the power to overcome sin. But how and when you to excercise that power is a personal choice.