HEARING FROM GOD
AND KNOWING HIS WILL
Q: I’m not sure if I’m hearing God’s voice or someone else’s. What does God’s voice sound like?
A: We all struggle with the question: “Is this the voice of God?” John 10 offers us a wonderful promise: The Lord’s sheep know His voice, and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. The voice of God can come to us in different ways. In the Old Testament the voice of God is described as still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12). Most often God’s voice sounds very much like our own thoughts. But these thoughts do not originate from the mind; they come from deep within our own spirit.
Believers have been promised that as we continue to walk with God, He will guide us with His eye upon us and lead us in the way that we should go (Psalm 32:8). And according to Galatians 5:16, we can know that we are being led by the Holy Spirit if we are walking in the Spirit; and walking in the Spirit means to act on God’s Word, no matter what “sense-knowledge” tells us. I believe that our flesh seeks after signs—something we can see or feel. Check out the leadings you have by asking yourself, “Is this my flesh wanting a sign, or is this God’s Word directing my spirit?” If you follow the Word, you will never be disappointed.
Q: Several people have told me that God has a special call on my life. Please help me find out what God’s will is for my life.
A: I want to share with you three steps that have helped me discern the will of God for my life: (1) the desire must line up with the Word; (2) you should have an inner witness of your leading—the Holy Spirit bears witness with God’s Word in your spirit which brings you peace; and (3) circumstances should like up accordingly. At times there may be a waiting period. The desire may be scriptural; you may have an inner witness; but circumstances may take some time before coming together. When this happens, it’s important to be patient. It is never wise to try to make things come together on your own. God will bring to completion what He’s begun (Proverbs 3:5-6).
You can trust God for your future. As you learn to rely more on Him and less on your own “feelings,” you will find a peace that truly passes all understanding. Be very careful about accepting any “Word from the Lord” from others. Remember, all “words” must line up with the Word, your own inner witness, and the circumstances. Anytime we depend on someone else’s understanding of God’s will for our lives, we are putting ourselves in a place of danger.
Q: What do people mean when they talk about revelation knowledge?
A: God is continually giving us deeper revelation knowledge (insight) into His Word. However, the key to revelation knowledge is that it must always line up with and be tested according to the known Word of God—the Bible. Revealed knowledge often opens up God’s Word to us in a fresh way—not adding to the Word nor taking away from it, but revealing it to us in a deeper way: “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10 NKJV).
Jesus very clearly indicated to us that the Holy Spirit would be our teacher and teach us things by revelation (see John 14). I believe the apostle Paul was referring to revelation knowledge when he wrote about the revelation of mystery (Romans 16:25) and when he instructed the Corinthians in the use of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:26). Paul also prayed that God would give the Church revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17).
Nevertheless, Paul also warned that if anyone, including an angel from heaven, came with a revelation other than the gospel which was brought to the world by Jesus, then we would know that revelation was not from God. So then any “revealed knowledge” beyond God’s Word as found in the Bible is not of God. Nearly every cult has an additional source of written authority besides the Bible. These extra-Biblical scriptures are not from God.
Q: I think that God has called me to full-time ministry. Do you have a witness of my call? Where should I begin ministering?
A: There is nothing that delights my heart more than to see a believer called into full-time ministry. If you are truly called, it will be the number-one, consuming desire of your life and God will begin to open the doors for you. I cannot tell another person whether or not they are called, because God wants you to be certain in your own heart. It never hurts to “knock on doors” in order to find opportunities to minister. Be wise and discreet as you watch God open doors for you.
Also, I believe Bible school is a wise step in preparing for ministry. Second Timothy 2:15 tells us to, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed…” I recommend my Bible college as a possibility for your training. We offer an Associate of
Arts degree in Christian Education, Counseling, Pastoral Ministry, Youth Ministry, Missions, and General Ministry. The General Ministry Program is available either on-campus or through independent study by correspondence.
Q: I am struggling trying to keep the vision of my ministry. Have you ever been discouraged about serving God?
A: My heart has been deeply touched as I’ve traveled around the country and have met many individuals in the five-fold ministry asking similar questions. I do know how it feels to be discouraged, and at times I wondered whether I was really in God’s will for my life and my ministry.
I want to encourage you not to give up hope. Please continue to press on to victory—it will come eventually as you trust in God’s ability to deliver you from your circumstances.
God’s Word promises that “…lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the ” (Matthew 28:20). Above all: “…do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:35 – 36 NAS)
Q: I’m resting now from near burnout from church duties, outside women’s organizations, my family responsibilities, etc. My quiet times during this time were not what they should be, but now I find myself having regular, quality quiet time but feeling a lack of fulfillment. I don’t seem to have any vision, and the Lord seems to be silent. Do you have any suggestions or scriptures?
A: The answer to your burnout problem and present lack of fulfillment is found in John 15:1-2: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
In every life there are seasons of bearing fruit, pruning, growing, and bearing more fruit. Certainly, in the times of “fruit bearing,” where there is evidence of what our life is producing, we have a sense of fulfillment because we can “see” what we have done.
However, there are necessary times when God puts us in a “dormant” state so that we can abide in Him and He in us: “…As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4 NKJV). I believe you may be experiencing an “abiding time” in your life. God is giving you a season of rest, consolidation, and a chance to re-energize. Enjoy it! Receive this time as God’s wisdom for this season in your life.
If the Lord is silent, then you can be certain that you are in His will! The Holy Spirit gets “noisy” within us when we begin to walk outside of God’s will.
Q: There is a man who loves to argue in the Sunday school class my husband and I teach. It doesn’t matter what the subject is or how we approach it; he is very vocal in his criticism of our understanding of the Bible and our presentation. No one else complains. The pastor has talked with him, but he continues to cause problems. What should we do?”
A: You and your husband are being harassed by the devil, and you are being much too nice to him! Satan knows your potential and your heart for God, and he is doing everything he can to stop you. Take your God-given authority and power over Satan in Jesus’ name, and command him to stop in his activity against you and your class.
After seeking God’s guidance and wisdom, you need to go to this man and confront him in love but in firmness. You also need to forgive him and put the matter under the blood of Jesus; BUT this kind of disturbance needs to be stopped. This man is in rebellion by not coming under the leader’s authority, whether it be you as a teacher, or the pastor. Satan will use him to bring dissension in the Body.
Brief comments and discussion that both build and enforce the teaching should always be welcome, IF time and circumstance permit; but negative and derogatory remarks are absolutely out of order: Follow the Biblical pattern in Matthew 18:15-20 in a spirit of meekness, and trust the Lord to resolve this problem.
You also have ministering spirits—angels—who are sent to perform the Word of God as you speak it from your lips. They will aid you in carrying out your authority based on God’s Word.
Q: I know that God has a calling on my life either to preach or to teach so I quit my job because I didn’t want anything to hold me back. Some doors have been opened, but I really need more financial support. Would it be all right for me to work part-time at a secular job?
A: Yes, you can be called to the ministry and still work at a secular job. There are many faithful men and women in the ministry today who are holding down full-or-part-time jobs in order to support themselves. And in the Bible we find that it was the apostle Paul’s custom to provide for his needs by working with his own hands (see 2 Thessalonians 3:8).
Q: Marilyn, I just don’t understand how someone can be truly close to God, like David in the Bible, and still sin so terribly.
A: Being close to God does not make one exempt from sin. Saul, David, and Solomon certainly had the hand of God upon them, but as humans they were still given to temptation and sin. Like each of us, these great men had a choice—each day brought new opportunities either to be defeated or to be victorious. These Old Testament men did not have the New Testament covenant rights that we now have, which include understanding our authority and power through God’s Word.
Because all humans have a sin nature, there is no person on earth who is exempt from temptation and sin. We have seen that in the Body of Christ when great men and women of God have been tempted and, in a time of weakness, have fallen. You have experienced this type of temptation and succumbed to sin, and so have I. Being in a leadership position often makes a person even more vulnerable because Satan has assigned demon spirits to tempt leaders and try to cause them to fall. That is why it is important for all of us to stay close to God through His Word, prayer, and fellowship with one another.
And always remember the good news that “…The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27 NKJV). The word possible refers to “miracle-working power.” The miracle-working power of God’s grace can keep you in His righteousness.