Have you ever had a thought but it didn’t feel like your own thought but that God was speaking to your heart? Does God often speak in one’s thoughts?
Inner Voice
- Thread starter CherieR
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tstumf
Guest
I’m still working on this myself. But reflecting and meditating on these scriptures have seemed to help.
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
John 10:3-5
3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
1 Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand (A)on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord (B)passed by, and (C)a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that (D)he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. (E)Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
John 10:3-5
3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
1 Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand (A)on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord (B)passed by, and (C)a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that (D)he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. (E)Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Yes. A couple of weeks ago I was praying and I had thoughts about keeping God's commandments and I knew which book and chapter to turn to in the Bible.
First off, I am not even sure what's in the book of Deuteronomy, but that's where I was being lead to so I went to Deuteronomy 11.
To my surprise, I was confronted with the first and greatest commandment of all, to love God with all of our heart.
Deuteronomy 11:1
1Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
Actually, this is just one of many examples. Once you know how to listen to God then it gets easier with practice. I think this is one of the spiritual gifts that God wants all of His children to have and enjoy.
God absolutely does speak through thoughts, through the heart, and more.
God does not speak directly to your mind. Sometimes there is an unspoken urge to do something or to not do something. That is your intuition and conscience at work. They are part of your spirit person. God will speak words from time to time. It is always in your spirit and it always lines up with God's word, God's ways and God's righteousness.
It can be hard to tell the difference between flashing thoughts and God's voice in your spirit. Some ways to help discern include:
As I've said, does it fit what we know of God?
Is there a sense of being under compulsion? God will never force His will on us. We always get to choose
What is the tone like? Demanding? Aggressive? Harsh? That is not God.
Is the meaning clear? God is not the author of confusion
Do you have peace about a decision that you plan to go ahead with? Accepting God's will always brings peace, even if we don't like His will.
We can and should ask God to grant us discernment and to enable us to learn the difference between what is of Him and what is not. It can save us a world of hurt if we will go by God's voice.
We are able to know the voice of Lord Jesus/God in our hearts. It is OK to say, "I don't know" as well. If we will seek the Lord and ask Him, He will make it clear what to do.
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SophieT
Guest
it's not as complicated as some would like to make out
God can very specifically get through to us directly and with no interference
God can very specifically get through to us directly and with no interference
God is "A" Spirit, who speaks by revelation.
Christ, who is God, lives in the born again...... and He reveals spiritual revelation to your born again spirit.
The words in the bible are SPIRIT and TRUTH.....so, that is not the same as a dictionary or an encyclopedia.
A Christian is taught the word by the Spirit of God, who is Christ in you, revealing it by revelation.
There is this word......"intuition"........this is a knowing that is not mental comprehension.....its an inner leading, that can be thought of as a "small still voice".
God speaks to your Spirit, is how you are led.
See, your spirit and God's spirit are in UNION, as "ONE With GOD, in Christ", so, this is not your mind, will, or emotions, this is your Spirit and your conscience.
When making a big decision, and you can't figure it out............. and you have this inner lack of peace........ or you have a complete peace........this is the Spirit, that is intuition, in action.
Here is an example.
Have you ever left the food store, after paying with money, and you get in your car, and you realize that the cashier gave you too much change back...... In other words, you under paid, because they gave you the wrong amount back.
So, your first REACTION, is......>"im tired, its hot, and i dont feel like going back in there".
See that? that is your SOUL REALM. = MIND.
But then, you discern a small still voice, a understanding that is your intuition, that is God's Spirit speaking, and it says...>>"go in there, and do the right thing".
See that?
That's God.
I absolutely agree with your statement: "Is there a sense of being under compulsion? God will never force His will on us. We always get to choose." No argument whatsoever.
I will say that the one time in my life I believe God spoke to me directly it was overwhelming. Did I have a choice? Yes! But it was also so clear who was speaking and what I was asked to do that all doubt about the message was erased. I didn't want to, but not obeying was unthinkable. And yes, it fit with my knowledge of God, it was NOT demeaning or harsh, the message was crystal clear and even though I did not really was to, there was a tremendous sense of peace about the entire message. That peace is still mine 20 years later.
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tstumf
Guest
If you are looking for something more and deeper. I just Got done reading a book that I thought might help. It’s called (Walking with God) by John Eldridge. He has some advice and practices to help you with not only hearing God but to actually develop the ability to have conversation with God. I’m putting some of what he advised to practice little by little and having positive results from what I’ve observed. After you read it once. Take a couple weeks away from it. Then read it a second time. It’s amazing how much more information a person picks up on reading something twice.
Earlier this week I was praying about the Afghanistan situation, to get understanding. My prayer was interrupted by "none of which will matter after Friday".
I was like, "what!?" I don't put 100% stock in experiences like this, but... it makes me pause for a second. I still don't even know what it means... except... maybe it won't matter after today?
I don't see how it wouldn't matter though. I mean, it will matter to somebody, right? It all seems like a big enough deal to at least think about. You know, you've got an Islamic army taking over this country. I guess it's an Islamic country anyway, though. But they're right there by Israel. But, if the Lord didn't want the Taliban to take over, then they wouldn't be able to. At the same time, I'm sure this will be all over the media with people reacting and being political. But that's really nothing new either is it? All that military equipment we left there, though... but at the same time 'a horse is a false hope for victory'. Still... it all doesn't seem very good the way all this happened.
Anyways, yeah sometimes I get thoughts that are definitely not mine. Sometimes using English words that I don't even know the meaning of. I wouldn't say it's "often" though. Definitely not daily, or some regular frequency, but it happens.
I was like, "what!?" I don't put 100% stock in experiences like this, but... it makes me pause for a second. I still don't even know what it means... except... maybe it won't matter after today?
I don't see how it wouldn't matter though. I mean, it will matter to somebody, right? It all seems like a big enough deal to at least think about. You know, you've got an Islamic army taking over this country. I guess it's an Islamic country anyway, though. But they're right there by Israel. But, if the Lord didn't want the Taliban to take over, then they wouldn't be able to. At the same time, I'm sure this will be all over the media with people reacting and being political. But that's really nothing new either is it? All that military equipment we left there, though... but at the same time 'a horse is a false hope for victory'. Still... it all doesn't seem very good the way all this happened.
Anyways, yeah sometimes I get thoughts that are definitely not mine. Sometimes using English words that I don't even know the meaning of. I wouldn't say it's "often" though. Definitely not daily, or some regular frequency, but it happens.
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SophieT
Guest
what is the point of 'messages' or 'words' you don't understand?
God does not play cloak and dagger, but someone else does
To me, that's an indicator that it wasn't my own imagination because there was the correct contextual usage of a word that I didn't know the definition. Do you find it suspicious or "cloak and dagger" when people talking to you use words outside your vocabulary?
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SophieT
Guest
you do know there are many spirits hard at work in this world saying God knows what and whispering in our ears?
Bible says to test the spirits and not just accept what comes out of the ether
THAT, is what I am saying. I just get antsy when people come along and think every disembodied thought or word comes from God
they don't. not going to debate you about it...think what you want...but people should not get the idea that is how God speaks to us
He speaks to us through His word first and foremost and that is the best guide, apart from experience and a spiritual gift, that we have to use discernment
Only you can answer that one for you. You hold onto your faith when tested. Or you fall from it. No life is the same, you make your own test through choices in life, your own stepping stones. Your test is most likely in a thing in your life that is troublesome, something you cannot resolve, and cannot let go off, what haunts you. That what haunts you, kind of is the devil, and your choice is the devil or God. Your ability to let go, is you passing the test or not. I cannot help you pass the test, but I hope you found your test in reading this. When you pass your test, you should feel bliss.
Every day, every thing I do. It just guides me to follow my heart, my gut, be right, have convictions and stand by them. Instead of being like I always was, weak and let people walk over me. So, speaks to me through giving me a strength I never knew I posessed. Be true to yourself, be truthful, and be kind to others, as long as it does not require you to lie to them, to give them a false comfort. My easy map to how to live. If it is hard, endure, and God will grant you the strength to live through it. Faith is a feeling, we should not intellectualize it too much. That pulls you away from faith. Just go with it. Let it be easy
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tstumf
Guest
I was taught to test the spirits by checking what they say against the Bible which you have to believe is Gods written word. If something is clearly against scripture than it isn’t from God. The next thing I do is ask What is the fruit of what the spirit has brought. If I can answer these and they agree it is indeed God speaking I will peruse with boldness and courage for God does not give us a spirit of timidness. We are to be bold as a lion in our faith.
I do struggle with this myself cause I know my fallen self is a spirit of cowardice and passivity to which God is presently bringing me out of.
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SophieT
Guest
I would say tstumf has the better reply. the other, is not good advice and won't help
have you ever heard how the best way to catch counterfeit money is by knowing how the real thing feels?
pretty much the same actually. since we are warned multiple times in scripture to be aware of deception, we should take that seriously.
1 Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, 3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus[b] does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. 4 You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. I John 4
obviously that applies to our experience in the world as well as dreams or thoughts or other 'sensations'. There are huge churches that have listened to demonic teaching spirits and they practice things that are not of God and believe things that are not in scripture and often enough, they will put the Bible in 2nd place to whatever it is they think they are receiving information or revelation from
people have a dream...they are a Christian...automatically they assume it must be from God. even if it is, you put dreams BEHIND scripture and not before scripture.
you test the spirits by putting on the belt of truth...part of the armor of Ephesians. (6:14) In other words, gird yourselves or keep yourself together, with what is true so as to identify the lie, a lie, false spirit and even a false human that is not led by the Spirit of God
I Corinthians 12:10 ... there is even a spiritual gift of discerning of spirits.
here's an easy to understand article about it (with scripture)
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