have you ever wondered if the thoughts in your mind are truly from God have you ever sat in silence asking Lord is this you speaking to me or is this just my own mind it's one of the most important questions a Believer can ask because my friends if we do not know how to recognize the voice of God we may spend our entire lives following the wrong direction we may confuse our own desires for his will or Worse mistake The Whispers of the enemy for divine instruction many people today struggle with this very issue they
say Billy how do I know that God is speaking to me how can I tell the difference between his voice and my own thoughts and I tell them this God is speaking he has always been speaking but the question is are we listening are we tuned in to his voice or are we drowning in the noise of the world the Bible tells us in John 10: 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me that means if you are a child of God you can hear his voice it is not
a mystery it is not reserved for only a select few but just like a child learns to recognize the voice of their father we must learn to recognize the voice of our heavenly father and that takes time it takes a relationship it takes discernment there is a story story in the Bible about a young boy named Samuel Samuel had been dedicated to the Lord from birth he lived in the temple surrounded by the things of God and yet when God called his name Samuel did not recognize his voice the first time he thought it was
the priest Eli the second time he thought it was Eli again finally after the third time Eli realized that it was God speaking to Samuel and he told him when you hear the voice again say Speak Lord for your servant is listening and that is what Samuel did and from that moment forward he became a mighty prophet of God but listen my friends if Samuel who lived in the temple who was surrounded by the presence of God had difficulty recognizing his voice how much more do we need to train our ears to hear him today
you are going to learn how to do just that by the end of this message you will no longer doubt you will no longer wonder you will know without a shadow of a doubt how to recognize the voice of God in your life there is a battle happening right now not a battle fought with weapons but a battle of voices every single day you and I are faced with competing voices each pulling us in a different direction the one we choose to listen to determines the course of Our Lives firstly there is the voice of
God this is the voice that leads us to truth wisdom and peace it never contradicts his word and it always draws us closer to him when God speaks his voice brings Clarity not confusion it strengthens it guides it convicts but it never condemns Jesus said in John 14: 26 but the helper the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you the holy spirit is constantly reminding us of God's truth leading us into righteousness the voice of
God always aligns with scripture it does not change with tions or circumstances it remains steady reliable and filled with Divine wisdom secondly there is the voice of our own thoughts this is the voice that is influenced by our emotions experiences and personal desires many times people mistake their own voice for God's voice they believe God is leading them when in reality it is their own heart guiding them the Bible war warns us in Jeremiah 17:9 the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it that means our own thoughts can deceive
us one moment we feel strong in faith the next moment we are overwhelmed with doubt one day we are confident in God's plan the next day we are filled with fear if we rely solely on our thoughts and emotions we will be unstable the only way to distinguish our thoughts from God's voice is by measuring them against his word if a thought leads to peace righteousness and obedience it is from God but if it leads to confusion fear and self-centeredness it is not from him thirdly there is the voice of the enemy this is the
voice of deception doubt and distraction the devil speaks lies and his goal is to separate at us from God from the very beginning In the Garden of Eden Satan questioned God's words saying to Eve in Genesis 3:1 did God really say the enemy always tries to make us doubt what God has spoken he will tell you that you are not good enough he will whisper that God has abandoned you he will fill your mind with fear and discouragement but Jesus said in John 10:10 the thief come comes only to steal and kill and destroy I
have come that they may have life and have it to the full the voice of the enemy always seeks to steal your joy kill your faith and destroy your destiny that is why it is so important to recognize his lies and replace them with God's truth Jesus himself had to discern between these voices in Matthew 4: 1-1 after fasting for 40 days Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness the enemy came to him speaking deceptive words twisting scripture to try to manipulate Jesus but Jesus did not listen to the lies he responded with the
word of God saying it is written he did not allow the voice of the enemy to dictate his actions instead he relied on the truth of scripture to cite Ence the devil this is the key to overcoming deception in our own lives when thoughts of fear come we respond with 2 Timothy 1: 7 for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind when thoughts of Doubt come we respond with Proverbs Chapter 3: 5-6 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not
on on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight every day we are faced with these three voices the voice of God our own thoughts and the voice of the enemy the one we listen to will determine the direction of Our Lives if we listen to God's voice we will walk in peace wisdom and purpose if we rely only on our own thoughts we will be unstable swayed by emotions if we listen to the voice of the enemy we will be led into deception and destruction today
you must decide whose voice you will follow will you choose to listen to the voice of God the one that leads to life or will you be distracted by the noise of the world Jesus said in John 10: 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me if you belong to Christ you can hear his voice you do not have to be confused you do not have to be uncertain you can know with confidence that God is speaking to you and when you hear him follow him listen to his word
obey his commands and Trust in his guidance his voice will always lead you in the right direction uh number one God's voice aligns with scripture the first and most important way to recognize God's voice is to ask does it align with his word God will never speak something that contradicts scripture in Isaiah 55:1 he says so so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing where to I sent it that means
every word that comes from God is consistent with his truth if you hear a voice telling you something that goes against the Bible it is not from God God will never tell you to do something sinful he will never ask you to lie cheat steal or go against his Commandments many times people claim God told me to do this but when you examine what they are doing it is completely against the principles of scripture that is deception if you ever wonder whether something is from God compare it to the word of God if it does
not match then it is not his voice number two God's voice brings peace not confusion another characteristic of God's voice is that it brings peace not confusion in 1 Corinthians 14:33 the Bible says for God is not the author of confusion but of Peace as in all churches of the Saints whenever God speaks his voice brings a deep sense of Peace even if he is asking you to step out in faith it does not mean that the situation will always be easy but his presence will give you a certainty that you are walking in the
right direction many people struggle with anxiety and fear wondering is this from God if you feel confusion chaos or uncertainty step back and pray the devil thrives in conf confusion he wants you to doubt and second guess everything God has told you but when God speaks even in the middle of a storm there is an unshakable peace think about when Jesus was asleep in the boat while the storm raged around him the disciples were terrified but Jesus was at peace why because he knew he was in the father's will that is what happens when you
are truly following the voice of God your circumstances may be uncertain but your heart remains at peace number three God's voice leads to righteousness and obedience a third way to recognize God's voice is that it always leads to righteousness and obedience in Psalm 23:3 the Bible says he restoreth my soul he leadth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake God's voice will never lead you into sin if something is pulling you away from Holiness from obedience from Purity then it is not God his voice will convict you it will challenge you but
it will always direct you toward righteousness when God speaks he does not always tell us what we want to hear but he tells us what we need to hear sometimes his voice is a gentle correction sometimes it is an instruction to step out and Faith sometimes it's a call to repentance but whatever he says it always draws you closer to him not further away when we trust in God's voice and follow his leading we see his faithfulness in ways that defy human understanding one such example is the story of George Miller a man of great
faith who ran orphanages in the 1800s Miller never relied on asking people for donation instead he prayed and believed that God would provide one morning there was no food to feed the children the staff panicked but Miller remained calm he said God will provide he gathered the children and prayed thanking God for the meal that had yet to arrive moments later a baker knocked on the door with fresh bread saying he had felt led to bake extra that morning soon after a milk cart broke down right outside the orphanage and the driver unable to deliver
the milk before it spoiled offered it to the children Miller knew how to hear God's voice because he walked closely with him he did not allow fear doubt or circumstances to dictate his faith and because he trusted in God's guidance thousands of Orphans were fed and cared for his story reminds us that when God speaks he always provides now that we understand how to recognize God's voice we must also be aware of what can block us from hearing him clearly God is always speaking but sometimes we allow sin doubt fear and distractions to get in
the way if you've ever felt distant from God or struggled to hear him it's not because he isn't speaking it's because something may be blocking your connection the good news is that once you remove these barriers you will hear him more clearly than ever before one of the biggest obstacles to hearing God's voice is sin and Disobedience the Bible says in Isaiah 59:2 but your iniquities have separated you from your God your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear sin dulls our spiritual sensitivity when we choose Disobedience we build
a wall between us and God but when we repent and turn back to him that wall is broken and we can hear him clearly again another major barrier is doubt and fear James 1:6 tells us but let him ask in faith nothing wavering when we allow doubt to control us we become double-minded constantly second guessing whether we are hearing from God fear also blocks his voice keeping us stuck in hesitation rather than moving forward in faith busyness and distractions can also drown out God's voice in Luke 10: 41-42 Jesus told Martha you are worried and
troubled about many things but one thing is needful Martha was busy but Mary chose to sit at jesus' feet and listen many times we fill our lives with so much noise work social media daily responsibilities that we forget to be still before God if we do not create time to hear him we will miss his voice to truly recognize God's voice we must develop a deep relationship with him just as you recognize the voice of a close friend because you spend time with them the more time you spend with God the clearer his voice will
become the first step is spending time in his word the Bible is the foundation of his voice Psalm 119 ver 105 says Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path the more you know scripture the easier it is to discern whether something is truly from God the second step is developing a prayer life that includes listening many people pray but they do all the Talking God wants to speak but we must take time to be still and listen Jeremiah 33:3 says call unto me and I will answer thee and
show thee Great and Mighty things which thou knowest not if we never stop to listen we may miss the answers he is giving us the third step is surrounding yourself with Godly influences God often speaks through wise Believers Proverbs 11:14 says where no counsel is the people fall but in the multitude of counselors there is safety seeking guidance from spiritually mature individuals can help confirm what God is saying lastly create an atmosphere of worship worship invites God's presence and softens our hearts to hear him more clearly Psalm 22:3 says but Thou Art holy oh thou
that inhabit us the Praises of Israel when we worship we shift our Focus From the noise of the world to the presence of God and in that place his voice becomes unmistakable God is always speaking from the very beginning he has called out to his people leading them guiding them and revealing his truth the real question is are we listening today we've learned how to recognize God's voice voice how to remove the barriers that block us from hearing him and how to build a deeper relationship with him but knowledge alone is not enough we must
apply these truths when we align our hearts with his voice we will walk in wisdom peace and purpose God is Not distant he is near and he desires to lead you in every area of your life if you've been struggling to hear him don't be discouraged keep seeking him through his word through prayer and through worship the more time you spend in his presence the clearer his voice will become and when you hear him trust him obey him and follow where he leads let's pray together Heavenly Father we thank you for your word today thank
you for always speaking always guiding and always leading us into truth Lord we ask that you sharpen our spiritual ears that we may recognize your voice above all others remove every distraction every doubt and every fear that clouds our ability to hear you give us hearts that are sensitive to your spirit and the courage to follow where you lead let your word dwell richly in us and may your presence be our constant guide We Trust You Lord and we choose to walk in obedience to your voice in jesus' name amen if this message has blessed
you take a moment to reflect has God ever spoken to you in a way that changed your life share your experience in the comments below your testimony May encourage someone else and if you're still seeking to hear him more clearly commit today to spending time in his word praying with expectation and creating space to listen for more powerful teachings that will strengthen your faith and equip you to walk in God 's will be sure to subscribe to this channel stay connected stay in the word and keep listening for his voice God bless you
