If we are not discerning, we can believe that we have heard from God, but we have not. Moreover, if we do not know how to judge what we believe God is saying to us, we can jeopardize our future. Definitely, bad decisions, which we think God is telling us to make, can negatively impact our lives and others. Therefore, when we are seeking to hear from God, we must make sure that it is His voice, we are hearing  rather than our own thoughts or someone else’s ideas.

Jonestown Massacre

Canadian Evangelist, Ursula Dabrowska was known for giving her testimony on how she escaped from the cult of Jim Jones. He was the founder and leader of The Peoples’ Temple religious group. Jones moved his followers from America to Guyana. In later years, more than 900 people, including 200 children, died of mass suicide in November 1978. Jones forced the people to take a cyanide-laced, grape-flavored drink that killed them.

Dabrowska said she saw people being healed in Jones’ ministry and thought what she was hearing and seeing was from God. Until one day while attending the opening of his new temple in San Francisco, she heard Jones say, “I am God, worship me.”

We must learn to judge what we believe God is saying to us

Just as it is important to have an ear to hear from God, it is equally important to be able to judge or discern what you hear (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22; 1 John 4:1). We have to learn how to discern what we hear, and we can do this with God’s help.

There are five questions we can ask ourselves to determine whether what we are hearing is from God:

Is it in the Bible?   

One sure way to judge what you believe God is saying to you is to line up what you hear against the Word of God. God’s leading will be consistent with His Word in the Bible. Moreover, He will never lead you to do anything that is contrary to His Word. For this reason, it is important to be so familiar with God’s Word that when someone speaks error to us, it is clear that it is not of God.

Does it glorify man or God?

Many counterfeit leadings are fairly easy to discern because they are self-promoting or self-serving. However, you can usually sense that a leading is from the Holy Spirit when it calls you to humble yourself, serve or encourage someone, or give something away.

Does it give me peace or am I disturbed?

If you are not sure it is God speaking, don’t step out. Equally important, if you don’t have God’s peace and your heart is filled with doubts and questions, do not proceed. These are usually indications that God is trying to tell you that this is not His will. God loves us enough to make His voice unmistakably plain.

What do other believers say about it?

Seek godly counsel. If you have some doubt in your mind as to what you do with what you have heard in your spirit, submit the matter to wise, mature believers who will hear your heart. Ask them to seek God and tell you what they hear. Proverbs 24: 6 says, “For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Should I do this now or wait?

If you believe you have heard from God or if you hear someone says, “God told me you should do this…” it is very important to wait for His timing. Even though we may use godly counsel to test what we have heard, sometimes that is not enough. We must also wait on God’s timing. Some people jump right in and immediately begin acting on the word they have received, but if there is any uncertainty always ask, “Lord, when do I do this?”

Do not be tossed to and fro

We not only need to know how to hear from God but how to judge what we believe God is saying to us. know how to discern what we hear to determine if it is really from Him. Without this ability, Christians are at risk of being like “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,” (Ephesians 4:14,TLB).

Evangelist Ursula Dabrowska is now deceased. To read her life story, click here.

READ MORE: Develop Your Ability to Hear God’s Voice

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