Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Devotion: This week, as we dive into the topic of hearing God’s voice, you might be wondering how you can discern the voice of God. When the world is loud, when your family members are somehow even louder, and when the voice inside your head is screaming at you, how do you determine what is the voice of God and what is not?
I remember a day that I was home with the kids by myself. My husband was at work, and he gave me a call when he was done working and ready to head home. It takes him about 17 minutes to get home (not that I am counting). At this point in the day, we were all ready and excited for him to be home. And for whatever reason, it was over a half an hour later when he finally made it home. My initial desire was to give him a hard time and ask him why it took him so long to get home. But, I felt the Spirit nudge me to give grace. To thank him that he works so hard to provide for our family. To just let it be. The reason that I could discern that this was the voice of God was because I had been in the Word. The fruit of the Spirit came to mind (Galatians 5:22-23), specifically those attributes of patience, gentleness, and peace. I asked myself what type of atmosphere I wanted to create for my husband when he got home, and I wanted it to be one of peace. The Holy Spirit prompted me to this response, but it was brought to me through being in the Word of God. There have been many times where I either haven’t heard the Spirit in this situation, or I choose to ignore Him completely. But as I continue to spend time with my Heavenly Father, I become more aware of when He is speaking. It is far from a perfect process, but as we grow closer in relationship to Him, we learn His voice and how it stands apart from others.
We cannot discern the voice of God if we are not in His Word. Often what God has to say about how we should live is very different from the world says. So, if we are not reading our Bible, we likely won’t be able to tell when He is calling us to something or guiding us. The words of the world will usually win out. But we know that all Scripture is God-breathed. It is all useful for guiding us as and teaching us. Choosing to be in it, even for just a few minutes a day, makes a world of difference when it comes to discerning God’s voice from the voices of this world. Thank the Lord we have the opportunity to better understand the heart of God and notice His voice through the gift of His Word.
Oh, and the day that my husband took an extra-long time to get home? He was getting my Mother’s Day gift. I was extra thankful that the Spirit nudged me that day.
Reflect:
- Do you find it difficult to discern the voice of God from the voices of the world?
- Pray that as you read, God would write Scripture on your heart that would help you to discern when He is speaking to you.
