"My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them,
and they follow me"
(John 10:27)
There are many thoughts in your mind. Where do they come from? Does God put ideas into your mind?
Scripture is clear on this. If you are a child of God, the answer is yes! Has our Lord not said "My sheep hear my voice"? Have you seen in Ephesians 6:19 that the apostle Paul asked God to put words into his mind so that he may speak the gospel with words specifically chosen by the Holy Spirit? Spiritual communication from God to His children is abundantly proved from many other scriptures in subchapter 4.2.
- "the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don't need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things..." (1 John 2: 27).
John is speaking to believers in this passage. The anointing is the indwelling Holy Spirit ("in you"). The Holy Spirit teaches the believer "concerning all things". That is a lot of information.
But, will God put ideas into the mind of the unbeliever? The answer is also yes! See verse 19 of Romans 1:16-20. God said "that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them". "That which is known of God" refers to the gospel (mentioned in verse 16). If you read Romans 1:16-31, you will see that this passage is directed to unbelievers, to those who have rejected God and oppose the gospel. Verse 18 indicates that this revelation is within those who "hold down the truth"... those who oppose the gospel.
Psalm 19:1-6 reveals that the stars, specifically the sun, communicate knowledge about God "through all the earth" (verse 4). This Psalm is quoted by Paul in Romans 10:13-18 where he says that the gospel (verse 15) is heard through the inaudible "sound" of the stars "in all the earth" (verse 18). Verse 8 in John 16:7-9 tells us that the "counselor" convicts the world of sin. John 14:26 tells us that the "counselor" is the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin.
So, scripture reveals that a great quantity of information from God is communicated directly into the minds of all of the people in all of the world, both believers and unbelievers. Click here to learn more about this!
So, we see that there are thoughts in our minds from God. But there are also thoughts in our minds that are our own. This raises a question:
How do we Christians know the difference between the voice of the Holy Spirit and our own thoughts?
I have asked our Lord to provide the answer to this question, from the scriptures. Please, prayerfully consider what God says.
Jesus said "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Yes, His sheep know His voice. This is very clear if you read the passage starting with verse one (read John 10:1-27). But, although His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, some sheep are better at following Him than others. Some are much better at walking by the Spirit than others (subchapter 4.7).
Scripture identifies many things which determine our ability to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. I will present what I have received in three categories.
- Knowledge of the Word of God
- Prayer with Faith, without doubt
- Endorsed Prayers
By knowing God's word as contained in scripture, we gain discernment to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. We also hear and recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit by praying the Endorsed Prayers. For example, through the Endorsed Prayer of Wisdom, we ask for and receive wisdom from God (micro-subchapter 4.2a). But, this prayer must be prayed with faith and without doubt.
Below, you will learn what scripture says about each of these three categories:
1) Knowledge of God's word
2) the prayer with faith and without doubt
3) the Endorsed Prayers
1) Knowledge of the Word of God
Knowing scripture can reveal that some thoughts are not from the Holy Spirit. For example, suppose that you think that you should marry a non-Christian. But, if you know that 2 Corinthians 10:14 prohibits marriage to unbelievers, you will know that the Holy Spirit is not the source of this thought. The prohibition of scripture... a rule... provides guidance. Now, there are many who know some rules of scripture but do not know how to walk by the Spirit. So we see that, even those who don't know how to walk by the Spirit, but is instead walk by rules of scripture have some guidance. So, even for those who don't walk by the Spirit, knowledge of scripture can provide some clear and objective, negative guidance. But, lets go a little deeper... for those who walk by the Spirit, or those who want to walk by the Spirit.
2) Prayer with Faith and without Doubt
According to scripture, those who ask God for wisdom by praying the Endorsed Prayer of Wisdom will receive wisdom... if and only if we pray with faith and without doubt. If we believe that God will give us wisdom through our prayer, He will. If we don't believe that He will grant wisdom through our prayer, He won't. Please prayerfully consider God's words:
- "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For that man shouldn't think that he will receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:5-7).
Yes, wisdom is granted by God to those who ask in faith, without doubt. If we believe that God will reveal wisdom through our prayer, He will. If we don't, He won't.
A student of the scriptures once told me that God does not put ideas into our minds. He was right regarding himself. He was a rule follower. He was not one who walked by the Spirit. Since that person does not believe, God will not reveal God's wisdom through that person's prayer. But, since I do believe, God will reveal His wisdom to me through my prayer.
That said, please understand this... God does much more than provide wisdom to those who pray with faith and without doubt.
For example, the prayer with faith and without doubt is also necessary to receive:
- knowledge of God's will
- words for witnessing
- understanding of scripture
This is explained from the scriptures, in micro-subchapters 4.2a, 4.2b, 4.2c and 4.2d. You will find many details about what God may or may not communicate to you in those four micro-subchapters. Most of the Holy Spirit's communications in my life have to do with making disciples, loving others and trusting Him. The Holy Spirit may not communicate with us regarding every detail of our lives... for example, what shoes we wear, where we work or shop, etc. Micro-subchapter 4.2c explains this from the scriptures.
So, through a prayer with faith and without doubt, you will know the difference between the Holy Spirit's voice and your own desires.
Explanation:
If you ask for wisdom, with faith and without doubt, but are not granted the ability to discern between God's answer and your own thoughts, you would not have received wisdom from God in answer to your prayer. You would be confused and would not know His will. So, God's gift of wisdom must include the ability to discern between His voice and your thoughts.
If you have trouble discerning His voice, I suggest that you ask God to multiply your faith until His voice becomes clear (This is the Endorsed Prayer of Faith, micro-subchapter 4.3a.) This may take months or years. In my case, I experienced a radical change as I asked God to multiply my faith every day for three years. This was a life changing experience. God moved me from a life of fear to a life of faith... from a life of following rules to a life of following the Holy Spirit. If you have difficulty discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit, I prayerfully implore you to prayerfully read and re-read micro-subchapter 4.3a.
Do you know how to walk by the Spirit? Do you know when God is leading you and when you are leading your self. Do you watch in prayer? Do you know what that means? If the answer to any of those questions is no, I prayerfully admonish you to continue reading a little longer and then click on the appropriate links at the bottom of this page. You can know God's will... because our Almighty God will make you to know it.
3) The Endorsed Prayers
The Endorsed Prayers are prayers that Christ, the apostles and prophets prayed or instructed us to pray. Some examples of Endorsed Prayers are prayers for:
- Wisdom
- Faith
- Knowledge of God's Will
- Understanding of Scripture
- Making Disciples
When we understand what God wants us to pray, we understand what God wants for our lives. We will understand His will... His purpose. A problem arises if our purposes are not His purposes. It is futile to expect God to reveal paths to do things that He does not want us to do. To hear His guidance, our will must align with His will. The Endorsed Prayers are aligned with God's will. The suggestions below will lead you into the Endorsed Prayers and other important topics as well.
Here are my suggestions:
1) Prayerfully meditate on the scriptures in micro-subchapters 4.2a, 4.2b, 4.2c & 4.2d for several months. These are the Endorsed Prayers for Spiritual Communication. Click here to open that page.
2) Prayerfully meditate on the scriptures in subchapter 4.7 titled, "Walk by the Spirit'. Click here to open.
3) Ask God to multiply your faith each day. This is the all important Endorsed Prayer of Faith. Read about this Endorsed Prayer in micro-subchapter 4.3a by clicking here.
4) Prayerfully read subchapter 2.4 titled, "Watching in Prayer". Click here to discover this new and exciting life of fellowship with God.
5) Make all of the Endorsed Prayers from chapter 4 a part of your daily life. Click here to begin. Click here to see the basics of what the Holy Spirit does... how the Holy Spirit interacts with you according to scripture, in the invisible realm. Click here to enter chapter 4, to learn much more about the invisible spiritual realm. I have provided an acrostic for each day of the week to help you remember all of the Endorsed Prayers and the workings of the Holy Spirit. Click here to see the acrostics.
As you pray the Endorsed Prayers, with knowledge of the workings of the Holy Spirit, you will come to know the will of God. You will come to know His voice.
Be patient and persevere in prayer. Sometimes I have prayed for several weeks about a decision before I understood His will. In my experience, it has taken months and even years of meditation and prayer to experience radical change in my life. In my case, wonderful change has come about through suffering.
Very often I want guidance from God so that I may escape suffering. But, I may not receive the communication I desire because God does not intend to remove that suffering. Chapter 5 titled, Fellowship with God in Pain explains this from the scriptures.
My Prayer for you:
Lord of Heaven and earth, fill those who read here with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that they may walk worthily of the You, to please You in all respects... Amen.
That was the Endorsed Prayer for knowledge of God's will, straight from the prayer in Colossians 1:9-11. Yes, through that Endorsed Prayer of scripture you can please God "in all respects".
- "For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects" (Colossians 1:9-10).
God Bless!
Jim Phillips