Six Handles to Help Us Distinguish God's Voice - Guest Post by Gary Knighton

Here are some practical handles that I think can help you distinguish the voice of God apart from the voice of self, society, the enemy, and false prophets. This can serve as a frontline checklist to help you recognize the voice of God.

1. The Scriptures  - The voice of God will never contradict what God has already spoken through scripture.

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -  

 2 Timothy 3:16

2. God’s Peace – When being led by the Spirit of God we receive God’s peace in our decision making.

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:5-6

3. Will Jesus be glorified? – When the voice of God is leading you the directives He gives you will glorify and exalt Jesus.

⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

John 16: 14

4. Will others believers be edified – The voice of God will not only give you directions that will edify you but the instructions He gives will lead to the mutual edification of the saints.

⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Romans 14:19

5. Seek wise and spirit filled counsel – It always important to talk over what you believe or think the Spirit may be saying to you with people more seasoned in the faith.

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14 ESV

6. Instinctual by way of a continued relationship – The voice of God will become more familiar as your relationship with Jesus grows closer and closer.

 ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

John 10: 5

Helpful Prayer: Each morning pray and ask God to fill you with today’s oil and ask God to quiet and still the voice of enemy, the voice of self, the voice of society and the voice of false prophets around you. Finally, ask God to amplify His voice above the cares of this life and noise of this world.

*(Reading and studying the Bible, praying, journaling and other spiritual disciplines are also vital to strengthening your relationship with God.)

This post was originally posted at Penned Faith and can be found at:
http://garyknighton.blogspot.com/2014/12/six-handles-to-help-you-distinguish.html

It was reposted with the permission of the author.