The following qualities will characterize God’s thoughts interjected into your heart:
1. They are like your own thoughts and musings except that you sense them as coming from the heart not the brain, in that they will be spontaneous, not cognitive or analytical.
2. They can easily come as God speaking in the first person.
3. They are often light and gentle, and easily cut off by any exertion of self (own thoughts, will, etc.).
4. They will have an unusual content to them, in that they will be wiser, more loving, and more motive-oriented than your thoughts.
5. They will cause a special reaction within your being (e.g., a sense of excitement, conviction, faith, life, awe, peace).
6. When embraced, they carry with them a fullness of strength to carry them out, as well as a joy in doing so.
7. Your spiritual senses are trained as time goes on, and you will more easily and frequently experience God speaking in this way.
8. Remember: God is speaking to you all the time, and you are receiving His injected thoughts. Until you begin distinguishing them from your own, you are simply grouping them all together and assuming they are yours. In learning to distinguish His voice, you are learning how to separate the spontaneous thoughts that are coming from Him from the analytical thoughts that are coming from your own mind.
There is a series by Mark Virkler, “How to Hear God’s Voice” that can help you learn more about distinguishing God’s voice from your own.
These are interesting. Is the author able to show Scripture references for each of these?
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. (Psalm 37:7)
Be still and Know I am God. (Psalms 46:10)
For God speaks in one way, and in two, though people do not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the nights, when deep sleep falls on mortals… (Job 33:15)
We Shall dream dreams and see visions. (Acts 2:17)
Mark Virkler has 4 keys to hear God’s Voice:
Habbakuk 2:1 & 2
Quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence.
I will keep watch and see what he will speak to me. Fix your eyes on Jesus – Look for his vision as you pray.
Ecclesiates 5:1 & 2
“What He will speak to me.” -Gods voice often come as a spontaneous thought.
The Lord said, “Record the vision…” Journaling to write out the flow of thoughts and visions within you.
John 7:37 – 39 “flow rivers of living water” – The Holy Spirit is living water.
Another question, how can we differentiate between when it’s God speaking vs the enemy or ourselves?
1 Kings 19:12, He speaks in “a still small voice”. So to hear Him, you have to tune in and listen carefully. Another way to describe the way we hear God’s voice is through an inward witness.
He communicates from His Spirit to your spirit, and then your spirit communicates what you hear to your mind. It is very similar to a thought or a prompting. It’s very subtle and requires a closeness with God and regular practice to hear it more quickly and clearly.
the more time you spend with the Lord and the more you practice tuning in to His voice, the more it will become a voice that “thunders in marvelous ways” (Job 37:5).
(1 Corinthians 6:17). United means “joined,” or “in union.” It doesn’t apply to someone who is not living for God. It applies to whomever seeks Him diligently, spend time in fellowship with Him through prayer, and obeys the commands in His Word.
God’s voice peaking to you WILL NEVER contradick with His Written Word!