God knows our futures, our pasts, our sins, our hopes and our fears. God knows everything about us because He made us. He also knows what choices are best for us and the right time to make those choices. Now the problem happens when we begin to hear other voices. There is astrology, fortune cookies, tarot cards, palm readers, “spiritual” friends, and spirituous people; these are all “voices” that claim communication with the mystical, or “the-other-side”, even God. So let us look at what the Bible has to say about this.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1John 4:1)

We have to be able to discern through all this. And God is telling us not to accept every message, even when the person says it is from God. We are commanded to test it and confirm it. Then God can lead us into an awesome life when we are in communication with Him.

That is why hearing God is so important. We have to know and understand the difference between His voice and others because counterfeit voices come to us in three ways. The first is…

·        A fallen world. 

The Bible says that we were created in His image. It also means that we were created to have a close, personal relationship with our Creator. However, because the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) broke that relationship with God, everyone born after that also has a broken relationship with God. Thus, the Bible reiterates that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23).

And we kind of sense this as we go through life. That’s why we try to reconnect with God. Still people won’t always do it God’s way. They instead come up with their own self-made religion or self-made spirituality. One of the tell-tale signs that this is true is when the basis of their message is: God wants us to be happy and successful at all costs. Another source of a counterfeit voice is…

·        Our ability to mis-hear or make-up God’s voice.

That’s right! We all have the potential to make-up or mis-hear God’s voice because all of us are imperfect. Sometimes we may want something so bad that we are consciously or unconsciously looking for “signs” to validate our point of view. On the same note, sometimes God may be speaking to us but because our desires are so intense, we actually misinterpret His instructions. The Bible reveals the folly of such “signs”: “…Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination:…’Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!’” (Ezekiel 13:2-3)

Finally, the third source is this…

·        A subtle and convincing enemy (or satan).

The Bible talks about false prophets who came into the first century churches preaching all kinds of counterfeit messages against other disciples or apostles. They were, many times, powerful and very convincing so it became a big problem for them. So Paul warns the people about such messengers: “…Even satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

They mixed just enough truth with lies so that they got away with what they were preaching. Now if satan could tempt Jesus while He was in the desert, then he certainly can speak into our lives as well. We have to remember that satan is called the “father of lies” and will do anything and everything to confuse or make us compromise the truth.

Q1. Discuss a situation where you or someone you know has experienced counterfeit voices (i.e. through other religions, tarot or palm readings, séances, etc.).

Thus, we’ve learned that the world can speak to us out of its fallen state. We also know that we ourselves can be misguided and impure. And finally, an enemy of our souls uses subtle tactics to feed us counterfeit voices. What can we do? Well, we need an accurate compass that will guide us to God’s true voice. And this is…

How we can be sure it’s God…

1.     I NEED TO SATURATE (MARINATE) MY HEART AND MIND WITH GOD’S WORD.

As Christians, we are always reminded to refer back to the Bible and the following scripture tells us why it is so important: “…no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

(2 Peter 1:20-21)

What does it mean? It means that the Bible did not originate in a fallen world and did not originate in the minds of fallen men. The Bible originated in the mind of God and using the Holy Spirit, God superintended it through a process by which it came to the pens of human authors. Of course people will argue that anytime men are involved things become corrupt. However, we can be sure that when God is involved, He can protect what He wants to do or say through any situation. What we then hold in our hands (the Bible) is an accurate compass of truth. We then know that knowing the truth is due in great part to meditating on the truths in the Bible.

I’ll give an illustration: when we cook, a dish may require that we marinate something overnight. Sometimes we forget and try to do a quick marinade. Nevertheless, no matter how strong the marinade is, because we didn’t follow the directions to marinate overnight, we will only get a tinge of the taste.

The same is true in our Christian walk, even when we do our journaling on a verse. Many times we might do just a quick fly-by so we can check off that box and finish. Yet like the quick marinade, we will only get a tinge of the voice of God in our lives. And we miss the full flavor that comes with marinating or meditating our whole heart and mind in the word of God all day. However, when we actually soak in His word, it is then that every emotion, every thought, and every desire in our hearts become fully flavored in the voice of God. A practical way we can do this is to write a verse on an index card and carry it around with you to memorize.

Q2. How much of the Bible have you read? How much of the Bible have you memorized? Of the Word that you do remember, how does it help in your everyday decision-making?

Memorizing His word can then become a part of us and how we think. Then week after week it something begins to take place within us:

·        It sets up guard posts to fence out lies!

When we are trying to decide on a course of action (even an answer to a question) we can start by setting up “guard posts”. Guard posts are things that we know for sure about God. For example, if you are asked to do something that is unethical at work, you ask God for guidance. You begin by dropping down your guard posts. The first “guard post” may be: the Bible is clear on its stance on being a person of integrity and to not be involved in anything that is deceptive. We may say we hate our boss for asking us to do such a thing. The next “guard post” is the Bible says we are to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us. We may ask for revenge, but the third “guard post” is says revenge is the Lord’s. And though we may not want to, the fourth and fifth “guard posts” say that we not only need to speak the truth in love, but to also not let the sun go down on our anger.

Thus, we find the answers we seek lie between these boundaries or “guard posts”. We then understand and know what to do when we are surrounded by God's truth. Another benefit we receive from marinating in the word of God is…

·        It helps me fine-tune my spiritual ears to my Father’s voice.

The apostle Paul tells us how we can be sure we are doing God’s will: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) When we saturate ourselves in God’s word, it begins to renew how we think and it fine-tunes our hearing so that we recognize God’s voice even when it’s soft and inaudible to those in the world.

Q3. We know that meditating on the word of God has the ability to renew our minds and give each part of life a full-flavor. How has the word of God helped in discerning what God is saying to you in a particular situation this week?

So we learn that we must marinate our hearts and minds on God’s word. By doing so, it helps us to set up guard posts or boundaries within which we find His truth. It will also help us to fine tune our spiritual ears to His voice. Another way to check if we are hearing from God is…

2.     I NEED TO CONFIRM GOD’S VOICE WITH OTHERS WHO LOVE GOD!

In the Bible, there’s a spiritual gift called prophecy that God gives to whoever He wills. It is miraculous and wonderful. God will spontaneously give someone (who has the gift of prophecy) a message meant for someone else in order that they be comforted, encouraged, and built up in the Lord. Yet we must be careful because even with that gift, the Bible puts up guardrails. “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.” (1Corinthians 14:29) Even when we think that God has given us a message, it has to be run by other people to confirm its truth or accuracy. Remember, because we are imperfect, we have the potential to mis-hear God. So confirming with others who love God helps us because…

·        It guards me from ME!

There was a time when I was considering getting a new car and I really wanted the Toyota Highlander because it was a smaller SUV to get around in. As I started researching them and reading up on the car, I suddenly started seeing them everywhere; I started to ask if it was a sign that God wanted me to get it, ha! We are so impressionable.

One of the biggest areas we may confuse God’s voice is in the area of love and relationship. We need to really be discerning in those situations. Another is when things get tough we tend to say: “I feel God calling me to something else”, even when we’re really the ones who created this counterfeit voice. God may actually be calling us to stick it out and grow in it while He provides the courage and resources to get through it.

When we are faced with a situation where we have to make some major decisions, it is a good idea to get a lot of counsel and prayer from those who love God, not just those who will tell you what you want to hear. 

Q4. It is important to have an outside perspective when we assessing a situation or trying to make the next move. In making important decisions, who would you ask for counsel? Have you cultivated relationships with God-fearing men and women who you trust in giving you accurate, Biblical counsel? Who are these people?

So one way we hear from God is by meditating on His word. Another is by checking out what we hear with those who love God to confirm we are discerning correctly. And finally the third way we can verify God’s voice is…

3.     I NEED TO BRING A STEER-ABLE HEART TO MY COMMUNICATION WITH GOD.

This final point has to do with the posture of your heart. On a personal level, I’ve been in the ministry for about thirty years and have seen many people hurt the kingdom of God and hurt others by saying that “God told me” this or that. A big indication of what was or was not from God came by discerning the amount of humility a person had in their heart; the character they possessed in their life when they made those statements.

Beware of people who hold their gifts and speak in arrogance. If they mix in any insecurity or bad motivation, you can’t trust it. If we are trying to discern the voice of God accurately, we need to bring a humble, steerable heart. God says: “…I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My word.” (Isaiah 66:2) God has a soft spot for those who are humble, deal with their sin in an authentic way, and are eager to obey. It doesn’t mean we will be perfect, it means we deal with a situation and God has a lot of grace. A couple of things are then true when we have this kind of humble heart:

·        I will obey even when I don’t want to: TRUST.

When we have this type of heart, even when God tells us something and we don’t want to do it, we do it anyway. We do it because we know He loves us and we know He knows better. We trust Him. Secondly…

·        I will obey when life is in a thick fog: FAITHFULNESS.

There are times when things become so confusing that we might not even know which way is up. Life may be in such chaos that following through with the things God tells us doesn’t make sense. However, when we have a humble and steer-able heart, we will be faithful to obey.

Q5. Hearing God is not the easiest thing for a Christian to accomplish. What is one thing you will do this week to allow yourself to determine God’s voice from a counterfeit one?

Key thought: God won’t steer the boat unless you row it. It is something to think about when we are unsure of the voice we may be hearing. Be willing to take action toward obedience with what you already know. That's why we need to be reminded of where counterfeit voices come from. It comes from... 

·        A fallen world.

·        Our own ability to mis-hear or make-up God’s voice.

·        A subtle and convincing enemy.

Then when we know and understand the difference, keep in mind these three things that will help us distinguish the difference between God's voice and others:

·        Marinate our hearts and minds in God’s word.

·        Confirm God’s voice with others who love God.

·        Bring a steer-able heart to our communication with God.

If we can do these things, when God asks us: “Can you hear me now?” We can answer with confidence: “Yes!”

Mahalo to volunteer writer, Liz Texeira, for this week’s summary -- a woman with a steer-able and humble heart! Well done good and faithful servant!