How to Know if You Are Hearing From God

I’m really stepping outside my comfort zone here and writing about how to know if you are hearing from God. I want to preface this with the fact that I am not a pastor or formally educated in any way (laughs internally), but I did want to share because I feel like this is something I’ve struggled with so much over the last year, AND something I feel like I’ve become better at as of recently with intentional practice.

So if you’ve got something on your heart or mind and you are trying to decipher if it’s God speaking or your own thoughts, let’s dive into a few questions to help us decide. 

How to know if you are hearing from God

My summary in three points:

• Does it sound loud or like a whisper?
• Does it sound like something a loving God would say to you?
• Is it wrapped in love and brings Him glory?

What does God sound like when he’s speaking to you?

I’ve listened to many a sermon by some great pastors. I personally love to rotate between Craig Groeschel, Steven Furtick, and Michael Todd so go ahead and put those in your podcasts library for later. 

One thing I’ve heard Craig Groeschel say many times is that God does not shout at us, he whispers to us. We have to be close and at rest to hear him. As I look back on all the times I KNOW I heard from God- I was in a quiet setting. 

If you are having LOUD (and especially negative thoughts) you can know they are NOT from God. I know God is our heavenly father, but honestly, I like to think of him as a mother. Being a mother myself I know the love I have for my children and how there is nothing they can do to separate themselves from that love. God loves us like a mother loves a child…because we ARE his child. Would a loving mother or father shout mean hurtful things to you? No! So if you are having negative thoughts like “you aren’t good enough” or something similar, that’s not something God would say to you. 

So analyze the ideas and thoughts you have- do they feel loud and negative? Or soft and loving? Even when we are wrong, I’m still convinced that God will speak to us in a loving ( yet maybe firm) way. 

How does God speak directly to us?

Steven Furtick is another pastor whose sermons I really enjoy. It was actually his book Sun Stand Still that I felt that I heard specifically from God for the first time in my life. 

In his sermons and books, he jokes that if you are audibly hearing the voice of God that’s just odd because so often it’s more of just that soft gentle thought that pops in your head as we mentioned above. 

If you think about it, that’s even more direct than hearing it out loud- he’s placing it right in your mind and on your heart. I know that personally, I’ve known when it was God mostly because of the peace I felt in my heart. It’s almost as if my body was more relaxed and warm in those moments. 

God can also speak directly to us through the people around us. Maybe it’s friends at church or work. He puts certain people in our lives for different reasons and sometimes that reason is to deliver a message. 

I always say I hear from God in echos. Maybe I’ve had that soft whisper in my heart and I’m taking time to overanalyze it ( as I do most things). Then a friend or person comes along and uses almost verbatim the exact words to share with me a thought I was originally thinking. Simple example:

Me: ( thinking I should design a  pink and purple polka-dotted planner for my patients)

Close friend: “ This thought just came over me that you should design a planner for your patients! Maybe it could be pink and purple polka-dots.

(The planner part is actually based on a true story and the polka dots is just to drive a point home )

But you see how odd it would be for those words to come out of someone’s mouth SO specific to the thought I felt was placed in my heart. This is why I love the echo because sometimes it seems like God is just making it easy for me. 

Bonus tip on how to know if you are hearing from God: It is wrapped in love and brings Him glory

God is not going to tell you to leave your spouse and have an affair with Brad Pitt. 

God is not going to speak to you and tell you that maybe you should start selling drugs as a sweet side hustle. 

These are pretty silly and extravagant examples, but you see my point. That God will not lay anything on your heart that wouldn’t bring Him glory. 

That doesn’t mean that everything God tells you to do will be pretty and warm and fun- heck he might have you selling all your things and moving to a foreign country, BUT there will be a sense of peace and knowing that its all in the name of love and specifically God’s love. 

I sincerely hope these questions and points will help you navigate how to know if you are hearing from God. Another great tip is to seek wise counsel. The reason I have arrived at any of these thoughts is that I work with a very intelligent and faith-filled life coach who teaches me not only healthy mental exercises but how to lead a Godly life. If you need that professional and biblical counsel, I highly recommend you connect with Jennifer Modlin. 

She’s the best and you’ll be so thankful for investing in yourself and your spiritual walk. Tell her I said hello!