HEARING FROM GOD - Part 2. Lessons from 2011

How do I know I've heard from God? In my blogpost yesterday, I outlined practical steps to hearing from God and how to be sensitive to His guidance in our lives.

But how do I know that the direction I perceive to be God really is God and not just bad pizza?

Here are more practical steps to discerning the voice of God:

1. Tune Your Ear to His Voice. We must get used to listening to God. His voice isn't a thunder from heaven, and usually not audible (read of Elijah's experience in 1 Kings 19). God's voice is the unshakable mind-voice. His voice is clear, persistent, and always good. The more your listen, the more you will hear God speak.
2. Biblically-sound. God never contradicts His Word, so anytime you believe you've heard God speak, compare it with the full counsel of Scripture. Study to make sure that it is consistent with the Bible. If it matches the Bible, then it's probably God's leading in your life.
3. PEACE. For me, peace is the most powerful and obvious indicator of God's direction in my life. Like driving down a highway, we may not always see far or even around the bend, but we know when we're on the road or off. If you drive off, you feel the car shake and the rumble strips rattle your bones. Peace is the calm sense of God's presence with us in the midst of the journey of life. A lack of peace, like hitting the rumble strips, disrupts our status quo and gets our attention. A lack of peace usually feels unsettling, upsetting, and keeps you up at night worried or frustrated.
4. Counsel. When seeking God's direction, it's always wise to ask other God-fearers to confirm or encourage you. Be teachable and open to their leadership, however, also be careful who you seek after. Don't talk to dream-stealers or negative faith-robbers. Consult with people who are mature, faithful, and godly.
5. Prophesy. As I wrote yesterday, prophetic words are only conformational, never directional and MUST always be consistent with and line up with the Bible. These words don't have to be prefaced by "thus saith the Lord." In fact, often, God will speak through people with a hunch, or simply have a thought to share with you. They don't even know, at times, that their word is from God. Be sensitive to give ear to people who are sensitive to God. Conversely, be cautious of those who are claiming to hear from God all the time.
6. Circumstances. Probably, the hardest of this list to discern. At times, God leads and circumstances seem to contradict what God has spoken- in those moments, persist and press on. Other times, God will shut one door to open another. In those moments, we must be sensitive to God to understand that He is ordering our steps through our circumstances. The key to discerning our circumstances is constancy in prayer. If we are confident God is ordering our steps, then we take events as from the Lord, and we follow Him rather than being led by our circumstances. 

In what area of your life, do you need to say YES to God?

How can you adjust your schedule to listen to God?