There are times in our lives when we wonder if we’ve heard God’s voice. However, we need to be careful and discern things correctly. Sometimes what we believe is of the Lord can be our own inner voice, or even the enemy trying to influence us.

In 1 John 4:1, the Apostle John tells us we must test every spirit, as not every spirit will come in the name of Christ. If the enemy is “prowling around and seeking whom he can devour”, as the Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8, then we must be extremely careful and test everything against the Word of God, even if we believe the voice is from God.

Yet how can you know the voice of God?

The best way to know God’s voice is to know God’s Word. His voice will never contradict His Word or go beyond it. That is why we must be diligent to study and know the truth of God. Christ Himself asked the Father in John 17:17 to “Sanctify them by Your truth; Your Word is truth.” In order to know the truth of God’s voice, we must know the truth of what He has already told us in the Scriptures.

When something comes from God, you will feel peace in your inner spirit about it, but a word from the enemy brings agitation and fear. This is your spiritual discernment; learn to trust it. When doors open smoothly, when the path widens for you, when everything is lining up, then the word is from God. However, if nothing is going right, if it doesn’t feel good, then stop following that voice and pray for God to reveal these things to you.

It is important that we go to God with our concerns and not necessarily our spiritual family. While they can certainly give you guidance in these things, those who love us want us to have nothing but the best, with ease and comfort in our lives. But that is not always the path of God. Prayer and study of His Word allows us to know His will for us. Asking God to confirm something is also an excellent way to know what you’ve heard is from Him. God confirms Himself, and this is one of the clearest ways we can know God’s voice.

We must always be on the alert, as Satan can masquerade himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), which is why it is so important to test every spirit, to understand whether or not they are from Jesus. 

All in all, we can know God’s voice if it aligns with God’s Word, if we are at peace, if doors are opening smoothly, and He confirms it Himself. Ask God also for the discernment and the wisdom to know what is from Him and what is not, that you will live and walk in the power of His Holy Spirit.