How to Recognize God’s Voice: 3 Biblical Ways to Know It’s Really Him
How Do I Know It’s Really God?
How can you recognize God’s voice and know when He is really speaking to you? This is one of the most important questions we can ask as we grow in our relationship with Him.
Have you ever felt like God was trying to speak to you, but you just weren’t sure if it was Him or not?
Certainly, when we are seeking God for direction in our lives, the clearer His response, the easier it is for us to obey and take action.
Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
When we know that God has spoken to us, faith arises in our hearts. And that faith helps us respond to Him in obedience.
But how do we know that it is really God speaking to us?
Let me give you three thoughts to consider.
1. Recognizing God’s Voice Is Learned Through Relationship
Hearing God is not a science. It is an art that is learned through relationship with Him. We grow in our ability to hear and discern His voice over time and through experience.
Jesus said in John 10:3–5:
“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
I have referred to this passage before, but let me expand on it a bit more here.
I currently live on a sheep farm, and I am continually learning more about the biblical lessons we can learn from sheep.
I am not the shepherd. My brother-in-law is.
I have watched him go out into the pasture and call the sheep. As he does, they come running to him. They know his voice, and they follow him. He can lead them from one pasture to another simply by going before them and calling them.
One day, I decided to put John 10 to the test.
I walked out into the pasture and called to the sheep, using the same words that my brother-in-law uses.
They did not even acknowledge me!
They did not recognize my voice.
But recently, over the past three weeks, my brother-in-law has been ill. So I have been helping him out by feeding the sheep for him.
Each time I feed them, I talk to them and call them in the same way I have watched him do many times.
And now, they come when I call them!
Over time, I have become a voice they know and are familiar with. They have learned to recognize my voice, and they trust me. Now they will follow me.
There is a powerful spiritual lesson here.
The sheep did not learn to recognize my voice in a single encounter. They learned it through repeated encounters and growing familiarity.
And so it is with us in our relationship with Jesus.
The more time we spend with Him, the more familiar we become with His voice.
2. Spend Time with Jesus and Learn to Test What You Hear
We need to spend time with Jesus.
Reading His Word. Praying. Listening for Him.
As we believe we hear Him speak, we need to learn to test what we are hearing. Over time, we grow in our ability to recognize His voice and follow Him.
A big part of this process is learning to test what we hear and growing in spiritual discernment.
Both 1 John 4:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 admonish us to put things to the test.
God’s communication with us will pass the test of authenticity.
As we learn to test what we believe we are hearing, over and over again, we grow in our confidence and our ability to recognize when it is truly God who is speaking.
We do not have to accept every thought, impression, dream, or circumstance as a word from God.
We can examine it. We can pray about it. We can compare it with Scripture. And we can ask God for wisdom and confirmation.
The goal is not simply to hear something. The goal is to recognize His voice and respond to Him in obedience.
3. Examine What You Hear in Light of God’s Wisdom and His Word
James 3:17 says:
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
This verse gives us some important test questions to ask as we evaluate what we believe God is saying to us.
Is this word pure?
Does it line up with the overall teaching of Scripture? God will not contradict His written Word.
Does this word produce peace?
Does it bring the peace of God’s wisdom into my life, or is it unnecessarily raising my anxiety level? We should remember that God’s direction may sometimes challenge us or take us outside our comfort zone. Peace does not always mean the absence of difficult circumstances.
Will this word produce good fruit in my life?
Will following this direction help me become more like Jesus? Will it produce the kind of fruit that honors Him?
God is all about us bearing good fruit. Jesus makes this clear in John 15:1–8.
And His authentic Word will certainly help us do that.
These are important questions to ask as we learn to recognize and discern His voice.
One Final Thought: Don’t Take Faith Out of the Equation
I want to strongly encourage you to build the kind of relationship with God that is alive, current, and active each and every day.
Scripture says that we walk by faith and not by sight. (See 2 Corinthians 5:7.)
There are times when we simply need to step out in faith.
We can test the word. We can ask for confirmation. We can seek godly counsel.
But never take faith out of the equation.
Even if we step out and fail because we thought God had spoken to us—trust me, I have—God is big enough and gracious enough to help us get up and get back on track.
It is like a parent teaching a young toddler to walk.
There may be times when that child falls, but we help them back up and encourage them to try again.
This is how we learn.
This is how we build a relationship of trust.
This is how we grow in learning to recognize the voice of God in our lives.
And as we grow in that relationship, we become more confident in recognizing His voice and following His leading.
Hearing God: A Look Back at Our Journey
Over the past eight weeks, we have been exploring how God speaks to His people and how we can learn to recognize His voice.
Here is what we have discovered together:
- Part 1: God is still speaking today.
- Part 2: God speaks in a variety of ways.
- Part 3: God speaks through His Word, the Bible.
- Part 4: God speaks through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
- Part 5: God speaks through other people around us.
- Part 6: God speaks through circumstances.
- Part 7: God speaks through dreams, visions, and angels.
- Part 8: We can learn to recognize and discern His voice through an ongoing relationship with Him.
My prayer is that this series has encouraged you to pursue a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus.
He is not merely someone we read about in the Bible. He is our living Shepherd, who knows us by name and invites us to follow Him.
God is still speaking.
The question is: ARE WE LISTENING?
Personal Application: Questions for Reflection
Take a few moments to prayerfully consider these questions.
- How familiar am I with the voice of my Shepherd? Am I spending enough time with Jesus through His Word, prayer, and listening to recognize His voice?
- When I believe God is speaking to me, how do I test what I am hearing? Do I compare it with Scripture, seek wisdom, and allow time for confirmation?
- What kind of fruit is being produced in my life? Are the things I believe God is directing me to do producing greater love, peace, obedience, and Christlike character?
- Have I allowed fear of making a mistake to keep me from stepping out in faith? Is there something I believe God has been prompting me to do that I need to prayerfully act upon?
- What practical change can I make this week to become more familiar with God’s voice? How can I make my relationship with Him more alive, current, and active?
When Prayer Feels Stale
Are you longing for a deeper, more meaningful prayer life?
Learning to recognize God’s voice begins with cultivating an ongoing relationship with Him. And prayer is an essential part of that relationship.
I’m also preparing a special resource from Pen and Sword Ministry entitled When Prayer Feels Stale: A 6-Day Prayer Renewal Journey.
This practical devotional guide is designed to help you rekindle your desire for prayer, rediscover intimacy with God, and develop a fresh, vibrant conversation with Him.
Watch for more information about this upcoming resource.
Because prayer was never meant to be merely a religious routine. It is an invitation to fellowship with the living God.
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