How do you know if “a Word from God” is really from God? (1of2)

A Word from God Often Comes to Us at the Exact Right Moment and Relates to a Very Specific Issue We Are Having. What do I mean by this by this phrase “a word from God”? I’m not be confused with “The Word of God.”

So any form of communication with God that occurs outside of the Scriptures must be used wisely and tested through a biblical lens. So by this phrase “a word from God,” I’m talking about God communicating with you in a personal way, usually through a short statement. Perhaps you have been asking God if you should switch jobs and in prayer you feel like is saying, “Stay.” Or maybe you are praying for a loved one’s health and you read a passage in Scripture about healing and you feel a peace sweep over you. Are these kinds of experiences “A word from God”? They might be or maybe Not. One way you can tell is if the timing matches up with your need and the wisdom offered in that word relates specifically to the issue you are currently dealing with.

Psalm 34:4 (NKJV)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

God’s deliverance matched the timing of the need for deliverance and the request for deliverance. When the timing is perfect and the word is relevant, this is a good sign it’s actually a word from God to you. A Word from God Will Sometimes Be What You Want to Hear and It Will Sometimes Be What You Don’t Want to Hear. A lot of Christians fall into one of two areas when it comes to hearing from God. Some Christians tend to believe every word that matches what they want to hear is always God. These Christians are often falling into the trap.

2 Timothy 4:3 (NKJV)

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

On the other hand, other Christians tend to believe if a word does match what they want to hear this must not be God. Some people feel like God will never give them what they want because God will always be calling us to make a sacrifice. While God will call us to sacrifice some desires, we also need to remember that if a desire is biblical that desire is from God and thus God wants us to pursue that desire because He gave it to us.

One common example of this occurs when it comes to marriage. Some singles really want to be married but they feel like God is telling them to sacrifice this desire and pursue singleness. God is the one who gives this desire for marriage and if you are called to singleness you will be happy to be single like Paul was.

1 Corinthians 7:7 (NKJV)

I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

Notice Paul was called to singleness and he was happy about it. When he said “I wish that all were as I myself am,” he was saying he was happy to be single and thus he wants everyone to experience this happiness. But notice that he recognized that not all have the same desires as him and thus he knew not all would be happy to be single, which is why he then says, “But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

If you are someone who always hears God tell you exactly what you always want to hear, you are probably not hearing God correctly. Likewise, if you never hear God tell you what you want to hear, you too are not hearing God correctly. Sometimes a word from God will be what we want to hear and sometimes it won’t be.

God Bless, Israel