How do you know when you've heard right?


August 18, 2006 - 5:55pm | email this page


I would say I generally know when I've heard God's voice. Well, at least I do when it's about something that doesn't have a direct effect on my emotions!  It's not even that I only hear Him on general stuff, like about our attitudes and behaviour, which can be confirmed in the Bible.  I've heard Him on some big stuff like jobs, career, uni, gap years etc.

And yet there are times where I just don't trust that I've heard right.

And that's where I am just now.  Circumstances just don't add up to what I think I believe God has said to me.

Is that because I'm just lacking in faith? Or am I sitting here holding out for this thing to happen because I believe I've heard God, when in fact I just heard wrong in the first place?

You could say, well don't worry, it will come about if it's from God.  And yes, that's true. Totally true. But this has been going on for some time.

So my problem is that I start to doubt I've heard right.  Circumstances still don't line up, so why should I still be believing these 'words' are true?

But if I do start doubting, then surely I have to start doubting everything else I believe I heard from God because it all sounded like the same voice to me.  So where does that leave me?!

I know it's all about trust, and maybe I should be trusting God more, because let's face it, if He needs me to hear something, He's certainly capable of making me hear it!  But it's pretty hard when the day to day reality seems so different.
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Faith
Submitted by The Prophet Margin on August 18, 2006 - 8:38pm.
That's the $64,000 question!!  Abraham and Sarah heard God correctly when he promised them Isaac, but it was a 13 year wait before the promise was fulfilled.  And after all that, Abraham was tested by God, when he asked him to sacrifice Isaac.

I pray, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me the things that are on God's heart, and then make a judgement call, asking God either to bless what I am doing, or drop bricks on my head if I am going the wrong way!  I haven't had a Monty Python 16 ton weight land on me.  Yet.........
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Submitted by stoney on August 18, 2006 - 11:10pm.
Hey Tee,

I've had this question a number of times.  I guess the way I've learnt to look at it for myself is to think back to the first time I thought I heard it.  And ask myself if I was sure I heard it then?  If you were sure you heard it, then either do whatever it was or wait for whatever it was in faith.

I'd also suggest chatting to Him about it.  "God, was that you?  What's with the confusion?  Well, I'm going to stick it out on faith, so if this isn't from you can you let me know?" and see what comes back.

Hope that helps :)
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Submitted by tuffers on August 21, 2006 - 11:54am.
as frustrating as it can seem and sometimes you just can't see how he's going to work out what he said,... there are countless examples of prophesies or whatever only being fulfilled many years later - another is Paul, who was told he'd have a ministry to Kings, but it was only 30 years or so later (if i remember correctly) that he met one, having been shipwrecked and otherwise got quite 'wrecked' for the Kingdom....
also, you must've been fairly convinced it was God to make the choices you did - so don't let the enemy now steal that confidence away from you - it's EXACTLY the sort of thing he'd try to do - the classic, 'did you really hear that? no way!? that's just not logical, God wouldn't say that, or leave you in the lurch would he? no no no, you must've been wrong - give up,...'

but we needn't be idle in trying to get confirmation either. do keep praying that God will make it clear and confirm for you, just because you haven't felt that yet, doesn't mean he won't in the future - he could just be trying to 'train' you into someone who continues to turn to him in prayer, again and always, even when we don't immediately hear his voice in return - must've been tough for Job....

and finally, just came to me, remember what Ken C said in the Students at Focus - see with the eyes of faith, the eyes of Caleb and say 'certainly it is possible for God' (maybe not the exact quote, but you remember what i mean?)
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