The Big Question: How Do You Know It’s God?

“If you feel guided in some direction, one way to know that it’s God is if you’re able to transcend your typical patterns, particularly unhealthy ones. For example, if you’d normally be fearful in a situation and you’re not, that could be a sign of God’s involvement.”—Heidi Hoover, rabbi

“We know it’s God because his guidance does not originate with our will or desire. God gives us other options that aren’t in our normal agenda. As we learn ourselves and who we are, we also learn who we’re not. So when God’s voice comes through our thoughts, we can recognize it.”—Shawn Bolz, minister and author of Translating God

“And if you would not God, be not therefore a solver of riddles. Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children. And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arm in the lightning and descending in rain. You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hand in trees.”—Kahlil Gibran, poet

“In the New Testament, whenever God speaks, he confirms it through other people. That’s how we too know we’ve heard him—when the Holy Spirit speaks to someone else at the same time. God’s way of confirming is through the safety of multiple witnesses in the community.”—Tania Harris, author of God Conversations

“For now, his voice reaches us through words spoken by good people, through listening to spirtual talks, and reading sacred literature. God calls to us in countless little ways all the time. Through illnesses and suffering and sorrow he calls to us. Through a truth glimpsed fleetingly in a state of prayer, he calls to us. No matter how halfhearted such insights may be, God rejoices whenver we learn what he is trying to teach us.”—St. Teresa of Avila, Carmelite nun

“The best way to confirm whether you’ve heard the voice of God is to compare it to the Word of God. If what you heard is echoed in the Bible, it’s likely the voice of God. If it’s not in his Word, it’s not his voice.”—David R. Smith, pastor and author of Christianity…It’s Like This

“It is normal and wise when contemplating if a dream you’ve had or an impression you’ve gotten in prayer is really from God or not. Merely ask yourself two questions: Question 1) Does what I heard in prayer or saw in my dream line up with God’s Word? If it doesn’t, the message is not from God because He will never contradict Himself…He won’t tell you to get even with your neighbor because in His word He says to ‘love thy neighbor’ (Mark 12:31) and Question 2) ‘What feeling does it leave me with?’ If it is fear, it is not from God, because His Word says, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). But rest assured, the fact that you are asking at all proves that you have a heart bent toward doing God’s will, which brings Him great joy and makes Him want to speak to you all the more.”—Laura Harris Smith, pastor and author of Seeing the Voice of God