HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT IT IS THE VOICE OF GOD

I’ve been reading about the Father of Faith, Abraham, and how he was a flawed man but had mountains of faith. I find it interesting how the Lord picks and chooses people to do His work, and I don’t know of a single person that was chosen, other than Jesus, who was perfect. Everyone who is called by the Lord is flawed and a sinner, but they are still chosen.

There is the word that confuses me…CALLED. The Lord called Abraham in Genesis to leave – go – and Abraham went.

Genesis 12:1-3

12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: ² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The next verse tells us that Abraham went, and it also tells us that he was 75 years old. This verse is one that I could read over and over again because it reminds me of what faith looks like. The Lord told Abraham to leave everything that he was familiar with, his family and friends, and head out. But, the Lord doesn’t tell him where he is supposed to go or WHY. The Lord says that He will show Abraham later and then gives Abraham a glimpse of the blessing that he will receive once he obeys.

Could you do it, or WOULD you do it? Would you pull up stakes and head out, not knowing where you were going or why? In the days of Abraham, the Lord “spoke” to you. Some of the time, it was through a dream, a prophet, or an angel. And, some of the time, people actually got to hear the voice of God. I like to think that if I heard the voice of God speaking to me and not me thinking something in my mind, that I would obey.

I’ve heard some people say that the Lord told them to do this or that, and I wonder how the Lord spoke to them? Did they “hear” the Lord, did they “dream” that the Lord spoke to them, or was it some other way? How did they know that it was the Lord?

I’ve prayed for the Lord to lead me and guide me in the direction that He wants me to go. Am I not perceptive enough to know when I am being nudged to do something? I go and do, but I am not sure if it is because it is something that I want to do or something that the Lord has me doing, and I am not even aware of.

John 10:27-29

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Jesus tells us that if we are His sheep, we will hear His voice and follow Him. So, it is up to us to “hear” the voice of our Lord and Savior without it being verbalized. There might be a few lucky people who get to experience the spoken voice of God, but for most of us, it will come in other forms.

For me, I think the Lord speaks to me through the internet. I am on the computer for the greatest part of the day, and I think the Lord puts websites, quotes, messages, sermons, etc., in front of me to guide me in the direction that he wants me to go. Have you ever wondered about something and open your Bible, and it lands on a verse that gives you the answer? That is how I feel when I read a post that I feel the Lord has put before me. I know that some of you have even mentioned that my Sunday posts felt like they were meant just for you.

Do I have a good answer for you about how we know that it is the Lord speaking? Not really, but I do have a few tips that might help.

• Would the Lord say this?
• Will this bring me closer to the Lord?
• Have I consulted the written word?
• Will this hurt someone?
• Are you noticing a pattern?

The devil can also be talking to us, so it is important to discern the Lord’s voice. The Lord would never tell you to sin, but the devil would have you believe otherwise. So, it is important to ask yourself WWJD. I have also noticed that I will keep being prompted to go in a direction, and when I act, the directions disappear. One of those directions was to add daily Bible verses to my daily posts and end each post with, To God Goes The Glory. I thought about it for a while, and I kept feeling the nudge. Once I decided to make the additions, the nudging went away, and the confirmation comments from my readers tell me that it was what the Lord wanted. You can bet that the devil was the voice telling me not to post them daily.

So, at the beginning and the end of each day, ask the Lord to open your eyes, your ears, and your heart for His voice.

Please comment if you’ve heard from the Lord and how you knew it was the Lord. Don’t listen to the devil who might be telling you that we don’t want to hear from you; we do.

To God Goes The Glory!

Have A  Blessed Day!