“We’re not in the practice of hearing Him consistently for the little items, and that’s why it’s tough to hear Him for the big items.”

Many Christians struggle with what it means to hear God’s voice. Some have stepped out in faith, fully believing God was leading them, only to find that their sense was wrong. Pastor Robert Morris has had conversations with many believers about recognizing and acting on God’s voice. In his new book , he shares three keys to discerning our Father’s call.

1. Is it consistent with God’s teaching and character in the Bible?

“It must line up with God’s Word. It can never ever not line up with what we have toward the principles and God’s word.”

If you sense God calling you to be unfaithful to your wife, lie to your employer, or speak harshly to a friend, those are not God’s values.

2. Do the godly people in your life agree with what you sense?

Robert cautions us to discern between our flesh and our spirit.

“There’s a difference between godly counsel and goodly counsel. Sometimes we just go looking for someone who will agree with us and that’s not God; that’s just good for us.”

3. Do you have a peace about your decision?

“Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” Colossians 3:15

The word “rule” in the Greek is a sporting term; we would use the word “umpire.”

“Let God’s peace tell you ‘safe’ or ‘out’ for this. If you don’t have peace, back off.”

Does it line up with His Word, does godly counsel agree, and do we have peace?

If we dig in and wrestle with these things, we can come to a decision. The process Robert outlines has challenged many believers – it takes more than simply surfing the internet to hear God’s voice in your life. We need to train ourselves to spend time with God.

“The word of the Lord was rare in those days.” 1 Samuel 3:1

The word rare can mean limited, but it also can mean valuable. If we don’t see time with the Lord as valuable, we’ll quickly fill our time with movies, TV shows, hobbies, and other things that won’t help us grow spiritually. Robert challenges us to prioritize time with the Lord – we need to discern His voice in the small things, so we’re able to discern His voice in the big things.

“If we take three or four days a week and take twenty to thirty minutes and spend some time in the Lord’s presence like we outlined, I think people would see the value of hearing God’s voice on a regular and consistent basis.”

Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:10; John 10

Featured Songs: We Fall Down by Steven Curtis Chapman; Find Me at the Feet of Jesus by Christy Nockels; Thank you by Bethel Music; Whom Shall I Fear? by Chris Tomlin

Highlight : 3 steps to confirming God’s voice

Frequency