This lesson is dedicated to distinguishing the voice of God from other voices. The “How to Hear the Voice of God” school was held at Father’s Blessing Church. Taught by Dmitriy Leo.
Lesson 6. How to Distinguish the Voice of God from Other Voices
Many believers say that they hear God. But often they receive thoughts from God, perceiving them as the voice of God. In other words, people may either hear the voice of God within themselves or externally, or receive thoughts from Him. Most people receive thoughts. This is the way God speaks to us most often.
However, we need to be cautious with thoughts, because they can come from different sources. Our task is to determine where our thoughts come from.
Believe me, I have often heard people say, “God told me to do such and such.” People obediently do it and get into trouble. You have probably heard such stories too. The very wording of the statement is alarming, because when you hear someone say, “God told me this,” all you can answer is, “Well, if God told you, who am I to get in your way or give you advice?!”
On the other hand, you realize that it could also have come from the flesh. Perhaps a thought simply occurred to the person, and they decided it was from God. In that case, you are faced with a difficult choice: either leave the person with what “God told” them, or give them sound advice. Yet most often, such people are so convinced that it was God who spoke to them that they refuse to listen to anyone’s advice and do things their own way anyway, ultimately getting into trouble.
How can you determine where a thought came from? Ask yourself four questions and answer them honestly. This will help you filter out what you do not need.
1. Do I want this with all my heart?
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Prov. 19:21).
As you can see, we really can have many plans in our hearts. These are simply our thoughts. We cannot perceive all of them as the voice of God. That is why we should simply ask ourselves: “Do I want this with all my heart? Is this what I truly need right now? Is this what I am constantly thinking about?”
If a thought that comes to you has nothing to do with your current needs and desires, then it is worth paying attention to. But if you strongly wanted it and thought about it constantly, there is no guarantee that the answer came from God. Demons could also have planted some deception in your mind, and this “insight” may have simply been the fruit of your desires.
2. Does it correspond with the Bible?
This is a very simple question, isn’t it?! But believe me, if you cannot answer it firmly, you must not go any further. You must know for certain that the thought that came to you does not contradict the Bible or violate biblical principles.
I have kept my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word… (Ps. 118:101)
Consider the psalmist’s words carefully! He says, “I keep my feet from every unrighteous way solely so that I will not violate Your words.” (Not to mention his thoughts!) Do you understand? He will never do anything that could violate the Word of God!
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps. 118:105).
David is saying here that if the Word of God does not shine on his path, he will find himself in darkness and fall into a pit. Therefore, he chooses the Word of God as his lamp.
If you receive some ideas and, when checking them against the Bible, begin to have doubts, it is better to reject them! If you even slightly suspect that the thought that came to you violates Scripture, immediately discard it, because God will never contradict His Word!
For example, if you get the thought of deceiving someone, then whatever explanation or justification you find for it will be a lie! Reject this thought, because the Bible calls lying a sin.
For example, Ananias and Sapphira deceived the Church and deceived the apostle Peter. What was their sin? “Peter said, Ananias! Why have you allowed Satan to put it into your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” Clearly, if you get the thought of deceiving someone or telling a lie, do not say that this thought is from God!
Let us consider another case. If you get the thought of helping or supporting someone, does that contradict the Bible? No; on the contrary, the Bible calls us to do this! In other words, such a thought can certainly be accepted as advice from the Lord. But perhaps another question will arise: “Well, all right, this is not the desire of my heart and does not contradict the Bible, but I am still not sure whether I should do it. How else can I test whether it is from God or not?”
3. Do I have the testimony of the Holy Spirit?
The Bible contains instances when the Holy Spirit testified to people about something. He testified rather than spoke. In other words, it was an inner testimony of the Holy Spirit.
Personally, I use these methods to test everything I receive from God. I check whether it is my own thought (my own desire), whether it contradicts the Word of God, and whether I have the testimony of the Holy Spirit concerning the matter. The Holy Spirit tells me “yes” or “no.” He may say, “Submit and do it!” or “Don’t even think about it!”
I apply the same process to people's words. Let all these questions (principles) be like sieves through which you sift everything people tell you.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this… (Heb. 10:15)
If you have the testimony of the Spirit, you are a happy person! The author of Hebrews says that we can have the testimony of the Holy Spirit not only through the Bible, but also through the Spirit dwelling in us. He testifies to the truth within us. Sometimes a person seems to be saying everything correctly, and it does not contradict the Bible, yet a feeling (the testimony of the Spirit) arises within you that it is not God's plan. That is why it is so important to have the testimony of the Spirit concerning every thought that needs to be tested to determine whether it is from God.
The Spirit is certainly not obligated to give you a testimony about every thought. But believe me, when it concerns a serious idea, you cannot do without the testimony of the Holy Spirit. For example, if you need to change your place of residence or church, leave or begin a ministry, sell property, give money to someone, buy or sell a house, get married or not—these are serious matters! Your desire alone is not enough: “I really want to have this house! Lord, should I buy it or not?” Then thoughts come: “Buy it! Buy it!” And you decide: “Definitely, this is God! I’m buying it!” No, no, no! This is when you need the testimony of the Holy Spirit more than ever, when your heart, your whole inner being, says, “Do it! Everything will be fine; calm down!” Or, on the contrary: “Don’t rush, don’t get involved! Ask someone for advice.” — “I don’t want to ask for advice!” — “Ask your pastor for advice.” — “I don’t want to! He will definitely say it isn’t from God.”
If this decision is from God, you have nothing to fear! You should not be afraid to ask for advice, because if the idea is right, then—don’t worry!—God will give your mentor the testimony as well. When I want to make an important decision, I turn to my leaders. “You know, it seems to me that at this time it would be better for our church to buy an office rather than a building. What do you feel? What do you think?” I asked John Arnott and Dan Slade this question at the time. Together they replied, “This is the right decision for you now. We bless you; move in this direction.”
Even though I often receive answers directly from God, I consult with others. Saying that you received a word directly from God and therefore need no one is wrong! It is best if the testimony of the Holy Spirit is present both in you and in your leaders. Trust your mentors: we are the Body of Christ!
But suppose you have checked that the idea does not contradict the Bible and that it is not your own desire. Yet the Holy Spirit tells you nothing; He is simply silent. How else can you test whether the word is from God?
4. Am I familiar with these tones of voice?
Would you agree that every person speaks with their own intonations and manner, expresses themselves in their own way, has their own tone of voice, and addresses other people in their own way? Some say “brothers and sisters,” while others say “beloved.” Thus, you can recognize a person even by the intonation of their voice. Does this apply to God as well?
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27).
Every shepherd has his own vocal intonations, and believe me, God does too. He has His own ways of communicating with each person. Most often, He speaks to people through the Holy Spirit. If you regularly communicate with the Holy Spirit, then when a thought comes to you, you will easily recognize whether the Holy Spirit is speaking to you or whether a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” has come.
In the book “Good Morning, Holy Spirit,” the author describes how the Holy Spirit addressed him by the name his mother called him in childhood. The same thing happens to me: the Holy Spirit addresses me with certain words. And He will speak to you in language that is familiar and close to you. This will help you recognize where a particular thought comes from.
Imagine children playing in a sandbox. A window opens, and a voice is heard: “Son, come home!” All the children continue playing peacefully, and only one child looks up and replies, “Coming, Mom!” Although every mother says almost the same thing to her child, the children know their mother’s intonation.
In the same way, every sheep knows its shepherd’s voice. You have probably seen in movies how flocks of sheep gather at a watering place. All the animals mingle together, but as soon as the shepherd’s voice is heard, his sheep gather together and follow their shepherd.
One video captured believers trying to perform this trick. The shepherd told them the words he used to call the sheep. The people called and called, but not a single sheep even lifted its head. But as soon as the shepherd spoke those words with his own vocal intonation, they all immediately came running.
I want to urge you to pray about this regularly, because if you learn to recognize the Lord’s intonations, no false spirit will truly lead you away from Him. This sensitivity is acquired gradually—through practice. You need to communicate with God—and the more, the better!
So, the four questions considered above will help you learn to recognize where a particular thought came from. This is certainly not a complete list of requirements for thoughts, but it will help you screen out anything suspicious. You may not have to go all the way to the end; after the first question, you may already reject what has come into your mind. But if you subject every serious thought to this kind of examination, I am sure you will make fewer mistakes and hit the mark more often.
