I got a very interesting comment on the last post, which I would like to reply to here as another post. This one is a bit on the long side… so let’s see where this rabbit hole leads us.
Hello Believerwith1question,
Thank you so much for posting a comment on my little ol’ blog, and thank for bringing up all of these interesting questions. I’m happy you did. I'm sorry it took me a bit to get back to you on this, but I've been crazy busy lately. We have been working with a new electric guitar player and I have been out of town on business…I also had to put some time and thought into this before posting back to you.
I’m not a theologian or pastor, but I love to wrestle with these kinds of questions. Some have simple answers, some have complicated answers, and others have no clear answers. I’ll try my best to cover everything you mentioned.
“When you do get your answer will God actually speak to you? Will you hear His voice?” Maybe, it is possible. Some modern Christians have heard an audible voice from God, but I have not experienced this before.
Deuteronomy 5:24: 'And you said, "The LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.’
So, we can see that God has and does speak to his people audibly. However, If you take the whole bible and look at it from 10,000 feet, you’ll notice that God didn’t really audibly communicate with mankind all that much. A lot more was communicated through prophets, and the Holy Spirit inside of his people. That being said, I’m not specifically expecting for him speak to me audibly, nor do I really need him to. Most importantly I’m not limiting my expectation of his response to my prayers; He is a very creative individual. If He wants to speak to me audibly, that would be cool. If He wants to use circumstance, other people, The Holy Bible, or His Holy Spirit inside me, that’s awesome too. For me, waiting on God’s answer also means keeping a very watchful eye on the particular way He will answer. I find that God doesn't always answer in ways that we expect.
"Or will it be more like your conscience leading you towards a certain path? And if it is more like your conscience, then how do you know it is God and not just your conscience?" I’ll assume you are using the moral and logical definition of the term “conscience”. If so, conscience and being led by God can be different things sometimes. I don't think they are separate, but one does cover ground the other doesn't. Conscience usually pertains to things that are right and wrong. The Word of God and our consciences pretty much keep us in line day to day, in making correct moral decisions that glorify God and ultimately benefit our fellow man. But what about choices between right and right? Choices between Job A and equally as good and moral Job B? This is when being led by God comes in and conscience is no longer that helpful. As far as how to know when God is speaking to you, God has made many examples in the Bible of how and when he does it. Even so, different people might have different experiences with it. I can only give you my point of view and opinion: When expecting to be led by God by his spirit inside of us, I have found it to be a peaceful, internal confidence, a “knowing” or a “faith” that is combined with a no-compromise/no-doubt mentality that this is God's will for some particular situation. This faith is provided by God and fueled by his word, and this is a practical example of when to live out by faith. This is a very complex subject that I am barely skimming over, and I’m sure dozens of books have been written about this subject alone.
2 Corinthians 5:7: ‘We live by faith, not by sight.’
In my experience, the typical problem is usually not me understanding or hearing God, most of the time the problem me simply obeying. As you all know first hand, by nature we are quite disobedient to authority. Something else that needs to be mentioned here, although a well-known thought, is that sin separates us from God. However we forget sometimes the implication of this fact in our communication with God. The greater our rebellion towards God, the harder it is to hear his voice and be led by him. This has to do with the rebellious nature of our sin and the consequent state of our heart towards God. Please note that this is not talking about separation from God in regards to one’s salvation.
Psalm 66:18:"If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear"
Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear".
“How do I know when I'm hearing God's voice?” I've asked myself that many times in the past. Unfortunately, there is no clear-one line answer for this. However, there are some clues to this found in His word that can lead you in the right path. There are many ways to know if indeed it was God's voice. First and foremost it will never conflict with the Word for God in any way. Generally the more you hear from and confirm that is was really God communicating with you, the easier it is to hear him the next time. That’s easily said having known God for a long time, but for someone starting out in their relationship with God, this can be a very difficult thing to grasp at first. It’s like learning how to snowboard, you’ll end up on your face most of the first couple of days. After a while, it’s nothing but smooth boarding. We get more familiar with his voice as time goes on.
John 10:24-27: ‘The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ,[c] tell us plainly."25Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’
Here is a New Testament example of believers being led by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:1-4 : 1’In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.’
God can confirm his voice through circumstances and situations, by making certain things happen at certain times. God can confirm his message by the Holy Spirit inside of us, and leading us with his peace that is beyond what we can understand through our conscience or human logic. God leads through peace, not confusion.
Philippians 4:7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God can confirm his leading with faith inside of us. God also can confirm his leading with the wisdom from many fellow believers.
Proverbs 24:6 ’For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counselors there is safety.’
As a side note here, the Word of God shows us that while listening for God's voice, we must be in a humble state before God.
2 Chronicles 7:14: 'and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’
That is why fasting is mentioned in the Bible in connection with prayer.
Esther 4:16:"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
On the flip side of the coin, fasting can be done for the wrong reasons as well.
Luke 18:9-13: ‘To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
Fasting is a multi faceted practice, but one of those facets is the humbling of the believer before God Almighty.
So it turns out this rabbit hole has a lot of places to explore. I know these aren’t complete “oh, well, that fully answers my question” type answers, but they are a window into what the Bible has to say about these things. Hopefully this reaffirmed and encouraged you in where you are in your walk with God, and that the truth in the Word of God found a place in your heart to give you peace. Please let me know your thoughts and I’d love to keep this dialog going with you and anyone who wants to join in the discussion. May God’s peace and spirit lead you as you seek His face.
In Christ’s Love,
David