"Is That You God?"

Would you like to know a rule of thumb about how you can determine if what you are hearing is the voice of God or not? I’ll tell you, but first let me explain something about all the different ways we’ve been talking about in which you can “hear God speaking to you.”

Listening to preaching, reading the bible for yourself, studying the wonders of nature, and direct revelation all have to involve another factor before they can be of any help to us; they all have to include special guidance from the Holy Spirit. Before returning to heaven, Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and comfort us. And by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also accept this vital gift of the Holy Spirit. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord

that he may instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

A major part of giving your life to the Lord is also allowing Him to be the Lord of your mind. But being human, sometimes we are not all that “in tune” with the Holy Spirit and so His voice becomes somewhat muffled and our view of right and wrong becomes a little blurred. But there is a biblical formula that we can use to discern whether a voice that is speaking to us is from God or not; whether the suggestion or message that we are hearing is right or wrong. This formula takes the form of four simple questions that we need to ask ourselves based on three verses of 1 Corinthians

1Corinthians 6:12 “...everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial.” Question #1: Is it helpful physically, spiritually, and mentally?

Again 1 Corinthians 6:12; “everything is permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything.”

Question #2: Does it bring me under it’s power?

1Corinthians 8:13; “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall” Question #3. Does it hurt others?

1Corinthians 10:31; “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Question #4; Does it glorify God? If this “voice” that you hear is telling you to do something that holds up to these four questions, then chances are good that the God is behind it.