Recognizing God’s Voice
(1 John 4:1) Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...
(Proverbs 14:12 KJV) There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
1. Does it line up with the Bible?
(Matthew 19:3-6) Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
(Luke 21:33 KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
2. Will it make me more like Christ?
(Philippians 2:5 KJV) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
(2 Corinthians 10:5) We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
(James 3:17-18) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
3. Do I have peace?
(1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV) For God is not the author of confusion but of peace...
(Philippians 4:6-7) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Tune in to God every day.
(John 10:4 MSG) When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.
Tune out things that oppose God.
(John 10:5 MSG) They won’t follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."
Take steps toward what God has spoken.
(John 10:27) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
All scripture is NIV unless noted.