When He Speaks // Recognizing God’s Voice Pacific Coast Church Pastors JF & Ashley Wilkerson
When He Speaks // Recognizing God’s Voice
John 10:3-5 NIV “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.”
1 John 4:1a NIV Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...
Proverbs 14:12 NIV There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
1. Does it line up with the Bible?
Matthew 19:3-6 NIV Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Luke 21:33 TLB And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet my words remain forever true.
Proverbs 28:1 NLT The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.
2. Will it make me more like Christ?
Philippians 2:5 NCV In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.
James 3:17-18 NIV But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
3. Does Godly counsel agree?
Proverbs 12:15 NIV The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
Proverbs 19:20-21 NIV Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 24:6 NIV Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.
4. Do I have peace?
1 Corinthians 14:33a NKJV For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Questions:
1) Have you ever experienced a time in your life where you thought God was speaking to you, but you weren’t sure? How did you navigate that experience?
2) It’s important to use filters to help determine whether or not God is saying something. What is your first reaction when you feel a nudge from God? What filters have you applied in the past to help you differentiate God's voice versus something else?
3) Have you ever walked through an open door you felt was from the Lord and experienced anxiety? How did you manage those emotions? What was the outcome of that experience?