Tuesday, June 4, 2019

29 Test and See


Test and See:  How To Know It Is God’s Voice


#29 in the Series:  Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father

We have been talking in all these articles about learning to hear God’s voice, sensing his heart, and having intimate conversations with the Creator of the universe.  But not everything we hear or sense may be from God.  It is important to test what you sense or think you are hearing to make sure it is God’s Spirit you are listening to.

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:19-22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:1-2, 4-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So here are some tests:
  1. Does it agree with scripture…and not just a single verse but the context it is taken from as well.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Does it honor Jesus
““When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Does it bring peace?
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Does it bring freedom? 
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“…Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
‭‭John‬ ‭8:22, 31-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬


  1. Does it bring conviction vs condemnation?  (Conviction—a sense that you have done wrong and must and can change because of God’s grace and mercy—comes from God.  Condemnation—a sense that you have done wrong and there is nothing that can be done to save you; worthlessness; hopelessness—comes from the evil one.)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Does it bring life?
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Does it sound like Jesus?
““The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—”
‭‭John‬ ‭10:3-5, 14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If what you hear or sense violates even one of these tests, it is suspect.  God wants to have a passionate, intimate, love relationship with you, but he will not lie or violate his character to do it.  Listen for his voice.  If you are his sheep, you can be assured that if what you hear passes these tests, you are hearing the voice of the shepherd who wants to free your mustang heart.


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Teri