How to Know When God Is Leading You: 4 Ways
Have you ever wondered how to know when God is leading you in a new direction? Discerning the difference between our desires and God’s voice can be challenging. Today, we’ll talk about finding direction from God and following his lead.
How to Know God is Leading You
“If God really speaks to us, then I’d sure like someone to explain the ways God speaks to us,” a younger friend declared as we walked beneath a canopy of blossoming apple trees.
There was a hint of frustration in her voice.
My friend had been pursuing God and sincerely believed she was following him into a new career endeavor. Her dream seemed to be coming to life.
When everything fell apart, she found herself flat on her face, wondering how she could have mistaken God’s voice.
My heart went out to her. I’d had the same experience several times, and these experiences can derail a believer’s faith.
“I suspect you did hear from God in the first place,” I gently responded. “The fact that this didn’t turn out the way you hoped it would doesn’t mean that he didn’t call you to step out in faith. And even if you ‘heard him wrong,’ don’t totally give up. God is fully able to correct any missteps we make.”
My friend looked at me with tears in her eyes, and we had a long talk about the ways God speaks to us. If you’d like to hear God’s voice today, too, these words are for you.
How to Know When God Is Leading You: 4 Keys
God is a good Father, and he wants to speak to his children. He speaks in many ways. Let’s look at four of the most common ways he speaks into our lives together today.
1. God speaks through his written Word.
Most reliably, God speaks through his written Word.
Has a Bible verse ever jumped off the page as if it were written just for you?
Have you ever felt like God was chasing you down with a certain passage of Scripture as it appeared in multiple places over a short time?
Maybe a Bible verse came to mind at just the right time and brought peace and refreshment.
God wants to speak to us through his written Word. The Bible is his love letter to us. Furthermore, it is living and active.
Our role in hearing from God through his Word is to spend time reading it consistently. Most of the time, we probably won’t have life-changing revelations during this time. It is more like a nourishing bowl of oatmeal than a fancy meal prepared by a famous chef.
However, over time, this Word changes us. It nourishes us. We hide it in our hearts, and God uses it to direct us, encourage us, and speak to us.
God is a good Father, and he wants to speak to his children. He speaks in many ways. Let's look at four of the most common ways he speaks into our lives together today. #GodsVoice #GodSpeaks Share on X.
2. God speaks through other people.
God also speaks through other people.
He uses others to encourage us, guide us in wisdom, and help us discern his direction in our lives.
For this reason, it’s important to have some older, wiser believers who can speak Truth into our lives.
When I receive a thought from God’s Spirit, I always test it by sharing it with another believer and making sure it aligns with the Word of God.
Meanwhile, God is not limited to speaking through Christians only. He has used people of different faiths to comfort me, encourage me, and even offer direction that aligned with his will. We should always be open to the wisdom God might want to impart through others.
3. God speaks through impressions from the Holy Spirit.
God can also speak through gentle impressions from his Holy Spirit. These impressions often come as gentle and life-giving thoughts. They are always full of peace, refreshment, and love.
We need to be careful to test these impressions and make sure they align with the written Word of God. It is also wise to test them with other believers. However, we don’t need to be afraid of “getting it wrong.”
While we should be cautious, we can trust that God does want to guide us through his Holy Spirit. When you need guidance from God, ask him directly. Then, pay attention to the thoughts you receive.
When these thoughts are life-giving, wise, and aligned with good counsel from others, they are often from God. I’ve learned that God often speaks through the voice of wisdom, a deep sense of knowing, and even common sense.
4. God speaks through circumstances.
God also speaks through circumstances. He opens and closes doors in our lives. He invites us into opportunities we could not create for ourselves.
Do you sense that God is calling you to step out in faith in some area of your life?
Test the doors of opportunity surrounding this step of faith. Are any doors opening? Are they remaining closed?
Ask God to open the right doors and close those not of him. He wants to guide you and direct you.
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As for my younger friend, she eventually stepped into the career of her dreams. She discovered that she had heard from God all along. Her dream simply didn’t work out the way she expected. It was far better.
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A One-of-a-Kind Mother-Daughter Devotional by Pre-teen Daughter & Mother Coauthors
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Sweet Bekah, the five-year-old I mentioned in this post, has grown into a beautiful young woman. She is now 12 years old, and we recently wrote a mother-daughter devotional book together. It is designed to help moms and daughters connect and grow in faith together. It’s called Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a journaling section. We had a blast writing it, and we are so excited to share it with you. Our vision is for girls ages 7-17 to enjoy it with their moms, grandmas, or older women they look up to.
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