Hearing the voice of God is one of the most precious gifts we can receive as believers. But how do we know when the voice we hear in our mind and heart is truly from the Lord? This is a common question many Christians struggle with. I want us to discuss some biblical principles on discerning God’s voice and learn practical tips for recognizing the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
God still speaks today
A foundational truth is that the word of God affirms God still speaks to His people today, just as He did in biblical times. There are many examples in both the Old and New Testaments of the Lord communicating directly with His followers. From the burning bush encounter with Moses in Exodus 3 to God calling the child Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, all the way to Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would guide believers into all truth (John 16:13), we see a consistent pattern of God initiating personal interaction.
Though the methods He uses to speak may vary, Hebrews 13:8 declares that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. If He spoke then, surely He still speaks now! So we can have confidence that God has not stopped talking to His kids. The question is, how do we tune our spiritual ears to recognize His voice?
Get to know the Shepherd
Jesus used the metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep to describe the intimate relationship between Himself and those who follow Him (John 10). Just as a good shepherd leads his flock to food and shelter, protecting them from harm, so the Lord skillfully guides us if we attune ourselves to His voice.
The first step is developing familiarity with the One who is speaking. As we spend consistent time reading the word of God, praying, worshiping, and obeying what we already know He has said, we become increasingly familiar with God’s heart, character and priorities. Like any friendship, the more quality time we invest, the easier it becomes to perceive when He is communicating specifically to us.
Filter words through Scripture
One key principle for testing whether an inner prompting aligns with God’s voice is filtering the message through Scripture. The Holy Spirit will never contradict what He has already revealed in the Bible.
For example, if we sense God directing us to make a morally questionable choice, we can compare that inner voice to clear biblical commands. Since the Lord would never guide contrary to His holy standard, we can confidently conclude that prompting did not originate with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us to test all things and hold fast what is good. Filtering inner voices through the truth of Scripture helps us assess words we receive.
Consider the fruit
Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). Similarly, we can evaluate inner promptings by considering what fruit they produce in our lives. For instance, do these words align with the Holy Spirit’s work of producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and other godly traits (Galatians 5:22-23)?
Or do they result in thoughts and actions more consistent with the fleshly nature, like anger, jealousy, and strife (Galatians 5:19-21)? The fruit test helps reveal the actual source behind those inner voices.
Seek wise counsel
Proverbs 11:14 highlights the value of wise counsel, stating that victory comes through many advisers. Seeking input from godly, mature believers can bring clarity when trying to discern if a prompting aligns with God’s voice.
Especially for major life decisions, it is wise to prayerfully seek counsel from those who know us well before moving forward. Their objective feedback helps us perceive potential blind spots as we evaluate inner voices.
Submit to godly authority.
God has placed spiritual leaders in the body of Christ to lovingly guide His sheep. Hebrews 13:17 instructs believers to submit to those who watch over our souls, because they will give an account to God for how well they fulfilled this duty.
Seeking input from pastors, mentors and others who hold us accountable helps ensure we stay aligned with God’s best. Their spiritual maturity and life experience can bring helpful perspective regarding the source of various promptings.
Of course, godly leaders should always point us back to the authority of God’s word over human opinion. But humbly submitting to their guidance demonstrates a teachable, discerning spirit.
Listen for God’s voice
A final principle that applies to recognizing God’s voice concerns our listening posture before Him. Psalm 46:10 urges us to be still and know that He is God. Entering His presence calmly and attentively positions our spiritual ears to discern His voice most clearly.
Rather than constantly speaking to God, it is vital we also develop the habit of stopping to hear what He wants to say to us. Silencing our thoughts, emotions and outside distractions, even for short periods each day, can work wonders for perceiving the Holy Spirit’s subtle promptings.
As we grow in intimacy with God through consistently meeting with Him in His word and prayer, while applying these other biblical principles, we can have confidence that the voice of the Good Shepherd will become increasingly familiar. What an incredible privilege, to personally hear from the Lord of the universe!
So in summary, key tips for knowing God’s voice include:
- Spend consistent, quality time in Scripture and prayer
- Filter inner words through the truth of the Bible
- Consider whether fruit produced aligns with the Holy Spirit
- Seek wise, objective counsel from mature believers
- Submit to godly authority figures in the church
- Cultivate stillness and listening during devotional times
The more we walk with God and tune our spiritual ears to His voice, the more adept we become at recognizing words from our Good Shepherd. What a blessing to hear personally from the One who gave His all to save us!
If you found this post helpful, please share it with friends who may have similar questions about hearing God’s voice. And feel free to reach out with any other spiritual questions you have. We would love to provide biblical perspectives to equip you in your walk with Jesus Christ!
