“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts,
especially the gift of Prophecy…everyone who prophesies speaks to men
for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:1, 3
God has given believers a great gift – discernment and prophecy. To listen to the Spirit within us, to trust our gut feeling (which is really discernment), and to speak God’s will into the life of another (which is prophecy) is to pay tribute to that gift.
What a disservice to God not to heed to the wisdom and leadings that He gives us. When we do listen, we learn that these leadings draw us into a richer relationship with Christ. Even more so, taking that information and doing what God leads you to do with it is just as important as receiving the information.
For those of us who were raised in less than ideal homes, we may have been taught that we can’t trust ourselves or the promptings that we feel; we were told we were always wrong, that we didn’t know what we were talking about, and when we were brave enough to speak out, our words were immediately shot down. As an adult, it’s led you to question every time you feel a prompting by the Spirit of God. You wonder if it’s real or not; if you can trust it; and you fear the outcome if you follow through and you’re wrong. You don’t have to worry any longer because there are ways you can know for sure if what you’re hearing is from God or not.
Discerning something for yourself or another or giving prophecy should always be governed by God and His Word. In other words, if it goes against God’s Word, it’s not from God. I was counseling a man once who told me God was telling him to divorce his wife and marry another woman (his lover). Obviously he was not hearing from the Lord because his self-prophesy for his life was in direct violation to God’s views and will towards marriage and adultery. Instead, he was hearing from his own will and likely being encouraged by the will of the enemy of his soul.
Below is a checklist of six biblical standards that discernment and prophecy for self and others should meet:
1) First and foremost, when you hear from the Spirit of God, the peace that surpasses all understanding is present (Philippians 4:7). That peace comes with a certainty and surety that you’ve heard from God;
2) The “word” that you receive about yourself or another should be governed by love, for if it’s not, it’s worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3);
3) It should be centered on Jesus and His good news (1 Corinthians 12:3);
4) It needs to always direct us to, and be in line with the Bible, not away from it (Isaiah 8:19, 20);
5) What you receive from God will build up the church and its members, giving it power, wisdom, character, boldness, and unity (Ephesians 4:11-12), and
6) It helps create in us a love of righteousness, a heightened sense of sin, and a turning away from known evil.
Yesterday I was befriended on Facebook by a woman I’d never met. She went to my website and read my testimony and made a positive comment about it. As I was getting ready to thank her for her encouragement, the Spirit of the Lord prompted me to ask her about a “weighty” situation she was carrying on her shoulders. Initially she wrote back and said all was fine. The Spirit told me she was a private person and that’s why she wasn’t telling the truth, so I said, “I know you are a private person, and I could have heard God wrong, but I just felt some “weight” on you.” Her next response was different than her first. She opened up about a couple of family members who were on the brink of death and the pain she was feeling as a result. From there, she opened up even more. As a result, I got to pray with her and encourage her in Christ. Had I not trusted what the Lord was saying, I would have missed that opportunity to be Jesus to her in the flesh. When she first wrote back that all was fine, I began praying, asking the Lord if I had heard Him right, and that if I did, to confirm it – and He did. If I had been wrong, I would have simply apologized and said that I am practicing the presence of Christ and obviously missed the boat.
A lot of believers live in the realm of confusion when it comes to hearing from God. The Bible tells us that Satan is the author of confusion, not God (1 Corinthians 14:33). Many people have told me they have never heard from God. The key to hearing Him is to listen; to take the time to sit before Him laying everything on your heart before Him, then being silent. From there you do what I call “practicing the presence of Christ”. That is, you make yourself available to God at any given moment to share and speak through you to others. For example, as I meet people (on-line, in person, etc.) I ask the Lord, “What is it you have for me to share with this person.” Sometimes He says nothing. Other times He gives me a verse or a word like I shared with you earlier. You must understand though, that it takes time and practice to learn to “practice the presence of Christ”. I’ve made my share of mistakes and so will you.
I teach a one-day prayer seminar on how to practice the presence of Christ. If you are interested in having me help you in discerning the voice of God, contact me through my Facebook page and I’ll do my best to do so through e-mails, private messages, or phone conversations. In the meantime, I’m praying for you as you walk in Christ!
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