Hearing God"s Voice

Hearing God’s Voice

DISCERNING GOD’S VOICE

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone into the world. 1 John 4:1

Believing that the Lord still speaks to His followers, we must learn how to hear His voice. We have to develop discernment—many voices claim to be His and yet have nothing whatsoever to do with the true God.

For example, just think of the many cults around today. No doubt, you’ve seen news reports or televised specials dissecting the odd-sounding belief systems of different faith-based groups. Many of them profess to be based on Scripture, yet they often have certain doctrines that are radically foreign to us; the God of the Bible is completely unrecognizable in their creeds. Obviously, this can pose a problem for those of us in the church who are eager to hear from our Father.

When confronted by different voices that claim to be “true” and clamor for our attention, we remember two absolute truths:

First, we know that the Lord will never say anything that contradicts Scripture. For example, suppose a religious group claimed that extra-marital affairs were somehow acceptable in the Lord’s sight. We would know immediately that this wasn’t from God, as it directly contradicts Exodus 20:14.

Second, we know that God won’t add to or take away from the Bible. It is His complete and reliable Word. Therefore, anyone claiming to have “more” scriptures or another Testament is a fraud.

Two of the Enemy’s best weapons are distraction and deception. Don’t fall for his lies. Test every voice against Scripture, and ask God for the wisdom to discern His voice among the impostors.

Prayer: Lord, open my ears to hear and follow Your voice.

Scriptural Reading: 1 John 4:1-6

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.

6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

NKJV

Hearing God"s Voice