How Do You Know That It Is God Speaking To You? | Hard Questions

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The central theme of this discussion revolves around how believers can discern when they are truly hearing God's voice versus their own thoughts or external distractions. The speakers emphasize that recognizing a divine message requires filtering all perceived communications through the lens of Scripture, ensuring that any feeling of guidance aligns with biblical truth. They reference passages such as 1 Kings and Isaiah to highlight the concept of a "still, small voice," suggesting that this inner prompting becomes clearer only after an individual has cultivated both a disciplined prayer life and a deep familiarity with God's Word. Without these foundational practices, it is difficult for anyone to distinguish between spiritual nudges and mere internal noise or carnality. A significant portion of the conversation addresses the practical necessity of silence and solitude in hearing God clearly. The speakers argue that many people fail to hear because they are overwhelmed by distractions like sleepiness or mental checklists during prayer times, which reflect a reliance on self rather than dependence on God. To overcome this, one must intentionally quiet their spirit and block out other voices until only the Holy Spirit remains present. This process is likened to the biblical account of Elijah, where dramatic events like earthquakes and winds were followed by silence before the voice was heard; similarly, believers are encouraged to practice being "still and small" so they can receive God's communication without interference from their own flesh or worldly concerns. The dialogue also tackles the distinction between special revelation given to specific figures in history and the everyday guidance Christians experience today. While acknowledging that God did speak audibly and directly to prophets like Moses, the speakers caution against expecting such extraordinary experiences for everyone, noting that most people do not receive direct verbal revelations but rather feel led by the Spirit through conviction regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment. They assert that if someone were truly hearing God's voice in a definitive way, they would never question its authenticity; instead, believers should look to whether their convictions align with known commandments and scriptural principles before acting on them. Ultimately, the conclusion reached is that knowing when God speaks involves a combination of spiritual discipline, biblical knowledge, and humility rather than seeking extraordinary signs or feelings alone. The speakers encourage listeners to read Scripture aloud as a way to hear God's word clearly while remaining grounded in the reality that daily guidance often comes through the Spirit prompting believers toward truth and duty. By learning to silence distractions and testing every impression against the Bible, individuals can grow in their ability to recognize God's leading without falling into confusion or pride. This balanced approach ensures that what is perceived as God speaking remains faithful to His revealed character rather than becoming a product of human imagination.

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My question is, how do you know when God is speaking to you? I have I'm I'm a believer, but I have trouble with with that. I don't know when he's talking to me or when he isn't, and I would like to know just how do you know when God is talking to you? >> An important question. Thank you for that question. Pastor Pete. Well, 1 Kings 19:11 it talks about a still, small voice. Isaiah chapter 30, verse 21 it says, again, you'll when when you walk along the way, you'll hear a still, small voice saying, this is the way walk ye in or in it. First of all, as you grow in the word, everything that you feel God is speaking to you must be filtered through the word. And I also believe, again, in that still, small voice, but again, your spirit is trained as you continue to have a prayer life, as you continue to have a word life. In in that combination, a prayer life, word life, you will come to know that still, small voice. I'm not trying to sound hocus pocus, and and in knowing that still, small voice, and again, what I would caution you, when you do feel God speaking to you, I really want to emphasize this, it has to be filtered through his word. His word the word will confirm what you believe he's speaking to you. >> That's really good. >> Yeah. >> You know, I agree with that. Let me piggyback off that. You know, I tell people all the time, if you're going to hear a still, small voice, you have to become still and small. You know, and I think a lot of times people don't know how to silence the other noise. I believe you learn how to hear God's voice by blocking out the other distractions. That's why most time when people Two things that happen to people when they go to pray. Number one, they either fall asleep or two, they get a to-do list. And because what it is is people don't understand that when you're going to pray you know >> prayer meetings, haven't you? You've been You've been in my prayer meetings. >> But everybody [laughter] has that because that is whe- whether we realize it or not, that is our carnality and our flesh saying, "God, I can do it without you." And we're entering into the pride of life. We're trying to say, "Yeah, I got this thing. You know, God, you you got so much you got to do. Or I can sleep and I don't need to seek God in during this time." And so, I think but learning how to hear the voice of God along with what Pete said is is very important that we are in the word, but you have to learn to practice the presence of God. You can't hear God on the run if you don't know how to And I tell people this all the time. You have to get alone until you're no longer alone. And if you've never done that, I I would submit to you that maybe you've never prayed. Because if you don't learn how to silence everything else and shut it out and get your spirit up cuz God is a spirit, you won't be able to hear him the right way. You'll be hearing all these other voices that are coming at you. And you've got to silence all those and say no to those and allow the Holy Spirit to come in and get you still and small and then you'll be able to receive that voice. Isn't it funny with that scripture, too? You What did he say? There was the earthquake, I believe it was the fire and then uh the the storm and then the still small voice. That's the process of prayer. >> Yeah, that's great. >> Great. >> I want to answer this question in two parts if I can. Um And it's the the how do I know God is speaking to me? And if I take that literally, okay? I mean, you guys know what I'm going to say. Well, when you're reading the scripture, then you're reading the word of God and he is speaking to you. And if you want to hear God speak, then you read it out loud. And you will hear the word of God. But that's really the only time that I'm hearing God speak. Um Now, at the same time, I want and and I want to preserve that. I want to preserve that because God really did speak to Moses. And he really did speak to Elijah. He really did speak to just a very few people in 6,000 years whom he gave special revelation to the vast majority of people did not hear God speak. And when they did, if if this is what you're wrestling with, if you're wrestling with is this God or not speaking to me, if God really spoke to me, you would never ever wrestle with that. When the people heard God speak on the mountain, they cried out to Moses, "Stop! Don't let him speak anymore. You go and speak. We don't want to hear God." No one would ever mistake the voice of God coming to them. There is no "Gee, was that God?" Oh my goodness. I mean, you would be floored. You would never forget it for the rest of your life. However, I want to say all that to say, you know, basically what my brothers are saying here I agree with. I just don't want to call it God speaking cuz I want to preserve that God really did speak to people and it was his word and it wasn't just their feelings that they wrote down. God convicts us by his spirit. He prompts us by his spirit. He leads us. He convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And as as you said, Pete, how do we know that? Well, if I feel convicted that I need to do something, number one, is it in line with scripture? >> Yes. >> Right? It does the scripture show this? You know, and so we live our lives by the spirit in us convicting, lead us leading us, guiding us, etc. We know the commandments. We're supposed to love. I know I'm supposed to do my duty. There's a lot of things I know just from the commandments. I don't need to Gee, should God Does God want me to tell the truth? Yes. You know, does God want me to go brick at work? No. You know, so so a lot of that stuff. But but I just want to say, you know, this this idea of, you know, God speaking, I just want to qualify that because I want to preserve the scripture. >> Yeah. All right. Great great exposition there and >> [music] >> important question. >> [music] >> Mhm.