Good morning my brothers and sisters, this is the day that the Lord has made, we will be glad and rejoice in it. I know it has been a while but I have been busy, however one thing remains the same is my Love and Fear for the Lord and my Love for You.
I am constantly in a battle with myself. Sometimes I know when the heavenly father is speaking to me through his Holy Spirit and then sometimes I am not sure. My husband always tells me “By now you should know when the Lord is speaking to you”.
The funny thing is when I am being admonished, I know. Yeah I am still a little disobedient to Heavenly Father but I am improving daily and by His grace, I will learn to submit fully under his mighty hands and allow the Potter to shape me into the vessel of honour he wants me to be.
Therefore, my problem is when God speaks to me in that still, quiet voice. I know its him sometimes, and then sometimes I wonder if it is just me speaking to myself. You know the Lord Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Therefore, this also tells me that I need to spend more personal time with Him to truly get to know his voice.
On the other hand you must also be able to distinguish when your thoughts are yours and when it is a result of demonic manipulation or influence. When a thought pops up in your mind and your first response is to shun it or it repulses you immediately, usually that is not your thought but your mind is being demonically influenced. So the next time this happens weigh it carefully. Do not leave room for the devil to manipulate, pull down that imagination in the name of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6
I am positive that many of you also wonder about when God is speaking to you and when it is yourself. Well below is an article from The Daily Encounter on the topic and I hope that it is a blessing to you as it has been for me. God Bless!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight [or direct your paths]."1
A Daily Encounter reader asks, "How can I know when God is speaking to me, or when it is just my own thoughts? I often joke that God needs to throw a brick and hit me upside the head with a note attached!" I can understand how this person feels and feel confident that many other readers struggle with the same question.
I once had a man tell me that God told him that he was to work for me. I did not buy his message. And I wasn't struck down by lightning when I wouldn't give him a job!
When I was a deacon in a former church, this same man and another deacon, when important matters were to be discussed, claimed that God had told them the way it was to be. This could have been the end of any further discussion, for who can argue against God? But my answer to these people where it affects me is that "God hasn't told me yet, so can we discuss the matter further?" These people didn't like me very much!God has never spoken to me in an audible voice but apparently he does to some people.
I believe at least on one occasion God has "spoken" to me in a vivid dream. What we need to be certain of is to test the message to see if it is from God or from myself or any other source. How do we do this?
First, God's message will always be in harmony with his Word, the Bible, and never in opposition to it. I recall hearing one speaker talking about a phenomenon happening in his church saying that it must be a new work of God because it isn't in the Bible! This can be a very misleading path to follow.
Second, when God is speaking to us or leading us, there is a quiet conviction and a sense of inner peace. As his Word says, "Let the peace of God rule in your heart" (Colossians 3:15). When I don't have this inner peace, I have learned the hard way not to act on what I think I should do. In younger days, if what I thought was God speaking to me, I would have been willing to stand on my head in public. But I learned that there is a vast difference between what God is saying (a conviction) and what is my own compulsion. With a conviction there is a sense of freedom and peace. But where the "little voice inside my head" keeps saying, "You have to do this! You have to do this! You have to do this!" and it is distressing me, I can be certain that it is a compulsion and not from God.
Third, God often "speaks to us" or leads us through our circumstances. Speaking personally, as I look back over the years, I can see how God has consistently led me through various and sundry circumstances and as the hymn–writer said, "Jesus led me all the way."
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that when I commit my way to you and trust you with all my heart, you always lead me in the way that I should go. Please help me to learn how to discern when the "voice" I hear is from you or from myself or another source. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
Credit: Daily Encounter
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