Guest Post: "4 Ways to Test If You’ve Heard God" by Amy Boucher Pye

Amy Boucher Pye, author of the new book, 7 Ways to Pray: Time-Tested Practices for Encountering God, joins us on the blog today to talk about a topic I am so passionate about – walking by the Spirit and hearing from the Lord. I know you’ll walk away encouraged and equipped by Amy’s wise words!

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In my twenties, I put some plans into motion to move from one side of the country to the other because I believed God had told me to do so. I thought he was saying I should uproot my life to work with a Christian organization and—probably more significantly—to marry a certain man who conveniently lived in that city.

Those plans came to nothing. In the space of a weekend, the organization said they didn’t have a job for me and the man ended our fledgling relationship. I was devastated—but more so by not having heard God than not moving cities or marrying the guy.

Now, I heartily believe that our loving God does communicate with us. More than we probably realize. But in this case I wasn’t hearing him; rather, the desires of my heart to belong to a loving community and to be showered with love and affection by an adoring mate were crowding out God’s still, small voice. This major disappointment rocked my world, but through it I started to learn how to discern when I was hearing God, and when it was “just me.”

How can we know when we’re hearing God and when we aren’t? Here are four ways to test out whether what you’re sensing is from the God who loves to speak to us.

1. Syncs with God’s Word

Perhaps this first point is the most obvious, but it’s worth stating right away. God never
contradicts his Word. He’s always consistent and never changes, and thus when we sense his still, small voice, it will align with the words of Scripture that he revealed through his Spirit so many centuries ago.

We, of course, need to learn how to exercise wisdom and maturity as we read the Bible, asking God to enlighten us about his truth and to help us apply it to our lives. Discussing passages with other Christians can help us discern what God is saying to us.

2. Clarity

God may catch our attention with a clear message. Once, when I was on a retreat, I heard four simple words that stopped me in my tracks (as I share in the opening story to the chapter on hearing God in 7 Ways to Pray). I didn’t welcome those words—they were opposed to my plans—but I knew immediately that they were from God because of how clearly they came to me. They had landed in my mind and heart, and I simply couldn’t ignore them.

A clear message from God may be rare, but it will often appear unexpectedly and quickly. We might feel jolted and startled, but we sense that we’re standing on holy ground. As we obey God and his message, we’ll find peace and the assurance that we’ve heard him. And in looking back, we will see that the clarity by which the message came was a hallmark that it really was God we were hearing.

3. The Source

One of the big challenges in hearing God is discerning whether we really are hearing him, or whether our desires are driving our thoughts, or whether we’re being influenced by the evil one. Typically, we can easily discern between God and Satan because words from God leave us feeling peaceful and light, whereas the evil one makes us feel disturbed and restless. The content of the message usually helps us distinguish between God and his foe as well—God’s message will build us up, while the evil one will tear us and others down. But how can we test whether our desires are fueling what we think God is saying?
Here is where we need other mature Christians to help us test out what we’re sensing.

We can easily have blind spots when it comes to the deep desires of our hearts—such as I did with the job and the man. Had I heeded the warnings of an older mentor to cool my enthusiasm, I would have saved myself some disappointment and hurt.

4. The Effect

Words from God will make a difference in a person’s life—like those four words I heard on my retreat, which turned me from chasing a dream that wasn’t God’s intention for me or my family and resulted in me having greater peace and being able to serve others better. The effect may be more long-term, as with those words on the retreat, or it may be immediate, as when we feel drenched in a gift of peace and calm or the assurance of God’s love.

When God speaks to us and we obey Him, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit—we will be more loving, peaceful, joyful, patient, kind, self-controlled, and gentle. We’ll gain in humility and wisdom. We’ll become more like Christ.

Test It Out—and Have Fun

We might hesitate to hear God, not wanting to get things wrong. But in doing so, we miss out on the joys of journeying with the One who formed us and who wants to collaborate with us. As we grow in maturity, we’ll start to know more quickly when we are hearing God. There’s no surefire formula, but God promises to be with us and to guide us. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, some wise friends, and our own good common sense, we won’t go wrong.

Enjoy the journey!

About the Author:

Amy Boucher Pye is a writer, speaker, and spiritual director. She lives with her family in North London and enjoys leading retreats. This article is inspired by her new book, 7 Ways to Pray: Time-Tested Practices for Encountering God. Find out more here.