Is What You’re Hearing Coming from God? Here’s Five Key Questions to Ask Yourself.

Posted on Feb 08, 2022 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Lysa TerKeurst

In this excerpt from Far from Ordinary, bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst shares five questions young women can ask themselves to help figure out if what their heart is telling them is truly for coming from God. Though Lysa's advice is aimed at teens and young adults, it's a helpful reminder for all of us on how to test whether or not God is speaking to us.

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Every day, God speaks to us. Sometimes He invites us to draw close and listen as He reveals Himself, His character, and His direction. Other times He calls to us to participate in His purposes. Still other times He simply whispers to remind us of His amazing love for us.

It is incredibly amazing to know God speaks to me! But I’ve found that many believers are missing this vital element in their relationship with Him. As I’ve talked with people about my own journey of yes, they are quick to ask how they might hear from God too. Maybe you have some of these same questions:

How do I know if God is speaking to me?

How do I discern whether it is His voice speaking or just my own idea?

What if I feel God is telling me to do something that doesn’t seem to make sense?

Though there is no magic formula for being able to discern God’s voice, we can learn to recognize it the way we recognize the voices of those close to us by knowing Him as we know our family members, our best friends, and others who become our trusted mentors. When we know Him in this way, we can tell if what we’re feeling led to do is from Him or not.

I’ll be honest. Though I hear from God all the time, I’ve never heard His voice audibly. When He speaks to me, it’s a certain impression on my heart I’ve come to recognize as Him. I’ve also learned to ask five key questions to help me determine if what I’m hearing is from God or not:

Does what I’m hearing line up with Scripture?
Is it consistent with God’s character?
Is it being confirmed through messages I’m hearing at church or studying in my quiet times?
Is it beyond me?
Would it please God?

Asking these questions helps me figure out the difference between my thoughts and God’s impressions. It’s as though we are given a special map to and through His plan for us. It’s exciting because we know we’re heading into the wonderful yes journey, but we need to be prepared for uncertain times, questions, and doubts. You and I will face twists, turns, and intersections, and we’ll need to know which way to go. But it’s comforting to know that God’s directions are never wrong.

These five questions are your starting place. The more you practice listening for God’s voice, the more it will become a natural part of your daily life. And here’s the best news of all: God wants you to hear Him. He wants your faith to grow. He’s told us so over and over in Scripture:

This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight (Philippians 1:9).
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples ( John 15:8).
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing (2 Thessalonians 1:3).
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge (2 Peter 1:5).
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more (1 Thessalonians 4:1).