Ask Marilyn – 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 a 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 (Psalms 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: What do people mean when they talk about revelation knowledge?
A: God is continually giving us deeper revelation knowledge (insight) into His Word. However, they 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).
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’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. 2 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). 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: 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 temptations and succumbed to sin, and so have I. Being in a leadership position often makes a person even more vulnerable because Satan has assigned demons 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 as impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). The word possible refers to “miracle-working power.” The miracle-working power of God’s grace can keep you in His righteousness.
