When I hear this phrase, I am immediately wary. I've seen Christian people use this expression way too often, and (not) surprisingly, God always tells them what they want to hear. On the other hand, I think God wants to communicate with us and that we should listen for his voice.
So how do we know if God is speaking to us?
1. Check your motives.
"God wants me to start a TV ministry, where I reach thousands for Him daily." or "God wants me to cook meals for the elderly man who lives next door."
Both of these could be good ministries, but too often our own selfish desires wrongly lead us to believe we have heard God's voice.
2. God's Voice will never contradict His Word.
"God told me that He knows I love Him, and He doesn't care if I go to church."
Hebrews 10:25 - Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
3. Look for confirmation.
A few months ago, my dad preached a sermon, an overview of 1 Timothy. Incidentally, I was teaching 1 Timothy in Sunday School at that time and had read several commentaries in preparation. Following is an excerpt from the sermon:
"In application, church families are intended to be a safe haven of support and comfort. Those of all ages are part of your extended family. They will weep with you when you weep and rejoice with you when you rejoice. I wonder about these new modern churches who are only trying to target 20-somethings and are creating a church made up only of friends. They will miss out on the influence of these other generations, and they will miss out interacting with those who are both older and younger than themselves. It seems like a short-sighted venture to me."
The same day, I was talking to a woman after church, and out of nowhere, she said, "I remember the day you started kindergarten." I didn't remember that day at all and it was a blessing to hear her memories of me.
I think God was impressing on me the importance of generations in the church.
Those "coincidences" stuck in my mind, I kept remembering them at strange times. In my opinion, this is an example of the way God speaks to us.
So how do we know if God is speaking to us?
1. Check your motives.
"God wants me to start a TV ministry, where I reach thousands for Him daily." or "God wants me to cook meals for the elderly man who lives next door."
Both of these could be good ministries, but too often our own selfish desires wrongly lead us to believe we have heard God's voice.
2. God's Voice will never contradict His Word.
"God told me that He knows I love Him, and He doesn't care if I go to church."
Hebrews 10:25 - Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
3. Look for confirmation.
A few months ago, my dad preached a sermon, an overview of 1 Timothy. Incidentally, I was teaching 1 Timothy in Sunday School at that time and had read several commentaries in preparation. Following is an excerpt from the sermon:
"In application, church families are intended to be a safe haven of support and comfort. Those of all ages are part of your extended family. They will weep with you when you weep and rejoice with you when you rejoice. I wonder about these new modern churches who are only trying to target 20-somethings and are creating a church made up only of friends. They will miss out on the influence of these other generations, and they will miss out interacting with those who are both older and younger than themselves. It seems like a short-sighted venture to me."
The same day, I was talking to a woman after church, and out of nowhere, she said, "I remember the day you started kindergarten." I didn't remember that day at all and it was a blessing to hear her memories of me.
I think God was impressing on me the importance of generations in the church.
Those "coincidences" stuck in my mind, I kept remembering them at strange times. In my opinion, this is an example of the way God speaks to us.
I too, am leery of those who claim to hear God speaking to them. Too often it only shows them to be arrogant or superficial. I would much rather have God 'speak' to me through His Word.
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