Recognizing His Voice

Is the subject of Christians hearing the voice of God controversial?

Yes, definitely. A large percentage of Christians in America believe that an individual shouldn’t hear the voice of God. That is because everything God wants to say to us is in the Bible.

That doesn’t describe the experience of many powerful men and women of God that I know personally. God is the same God who spoke to Abraham and all of the patriarchs, and He hasn’t changed. He still speaks to His children. God desires intimacy with His kids and I believe that intimacy is at the heart of our relationship with God. Intimacy is what gives our walk with Him pizazz! Intimacy is what makes our relationship with our heavenly Daddy exciting and vibrant.

Just for starters, let me bring your attention to an awesome verse of scripture:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Romans 8:14 (KJV)

In other words, if you are a child of God, a son or daughter of God, this scripture says that you should be led by the Spirit of God. So what would be an example of that in the Bible? How about Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch? Let’s see what happened there?

The story is recorded in Acts 8:26-40. At the outset, the Angel of the Lord told Philip to go south along the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza. The Angel of the Lord in scripture, is always Jesus, Himself.  So it would be correct to say that the first voice that spoke to Philip was Jesus, and the second voice was the Holy Spirit.

On the road, Philip met the Eunuch who was from Ethiopia and had come to Jerusalem to worship. He was now on his way back home and this time the Spirit of the Lord said to Philip, “Go over and join yourself to this chariot.”

The Spirit of the Lord said…..

This was not an outrageous happening. The Spirit of the Lord said to Philip…just like he might say to you something he wants you to know or do. God does not want you to be robbed of this heavenly communication. He has never said anywhere in His Word, “I don’t do that anymore.”

Let’s look at a modern day example of God speaking to His servant. Robert Saddler was a slave who gained his freedom. He then became an evangelist. Friends of mine, Paul and Juanita, were growing up in North Dakota when Robert used to visit Juanita’s father, so they knew him personally. Paul relates this story:

On one occasion, Robert was traveling in Northern Minnesota when a snowstorm hit.

It began coming down so hard, Robert couldn’t see much of anything.

It was a whiteout. As he was slowly driving along, the Holy Spirit said, “Stop!”

Robert stopped just as a train passed right in front of him.

If he had not heard the voice of the Lord and obeyed, he would have died right there, because the train would have made him a hood ornament.

Well, is there a possibility of some other voice arising and claiming to be the voice of God, but isn’t? Yes, the scripture says that Satan is able to disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). That, honestly is a little scary. Some of the great cults that exist in the world today exist because that angel of light appeared to their founder and convinced him that he was an angel from God.

Here is the proof. Anything that the Spirit of God says to you will agree with the written Word of God. The Spirit and the Word agree. So how do you avoid being misled, or listening to the wrong voice?

The best analogy that I have heard has to do with how some bank tellers are trained. They handle money, real money, until the feel of it becomes second nature. Then, as soon as a counterfeit bill passes over their fingers, an alarm goes off in their head because, “It doesn’t feel right.”

The parallel example, is handling the Word of God. Reading the Word of God, saturating oneself with the Word of God, being entirely familiar with the Word of God should be our starting place, our foundation. The more familiar we are with the Word of God, the more the counterfeit will be entirely obvious when it comes along.

Jesus made this simple statement in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice.” If we are truly children of God, then we will know and recognize His voice. I believe that if God wants to tell you something, He is entirely capable of getting through to you. If you are questioning what you hear, ask the Lord to give you a conformation. He will give you as many conformations as you feel you need. Another safety net is consulting your pastor or spiritual friends that you respect and trust. In a multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14 (KJV)

Where no counsel is, the people fall:

but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Of course, on our part, it is a good thing to be in an attitude of listening, a place where we can hear the “still, small voice” of God when He speaks (when Elijah was in the cave, God spoke to him through a still, small voice). When I am in the car, I almost never have music on. Why? Because God might speak to me and I don’t want to miss what He might say. Hearing His voice is one of the most fulfilling things you can experience in your life and it will always give your life a sense of direction.

There is a lot more we might say on this subject of learning to hear the voice of God.

Watch for the next segment, to be posted right here.

Photo taken by Lorraine at the Fairview Cemetery in Kelliher, Minnesota