There are, it may be, so MANY KINDS OF VOICES in the world, and none of them is without signification.
1 Corinthians 14:10 [KJV]
One of the greatest desires of all serious Christians is to know the will of God. With a little experience in life, anyone can tell that there are many different ways your life can go. We often come to the crossroads and ask, “Which way is best?” If you take the wrong road, the implications may be devastating. If you take the wrong road, the implications may be devastating. If you marry the wrong person, the consequences may be terrible. If you join the wrong church, the consequences may be eternal.
Many times when we take decisions, we are unable to retrace our steps. In other words, many decisions are irreversible. Because of this, we need to know the will of God so that we can be guided along every step of the way.
Unbelievers have ways of getting to know what is best for them. Many of them consult soothsayers, astrologers and fortune tellers. They put their trust in false prophets and occult power. They also see the need to know what to do next. African politicians are often said to consult these powers on a regular basis. They often ask for direction and protection from them. African soccer teams consult these mediums as well. You will notice, however, that none of these things have taken them very far.
As a Christian, we do not need to consult satanic powers to know the future. God has graciously given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Being led by the Spirit of God is a sign that you are a true Christian. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.—Romans 8:14.
In the Old Testament, only the prophet seemed to know the will of God. You see, the Holy Spirit was not given to everyone at that time. We are living in a blessed dispensation. We all have the Holy Spirit in us and can be led by the Spirit of God. It is possible for us to know the will of God. That is what this book is all about: “How to know the will of God” and “How to be led by the Spirit of God.”
To know the will of God, you must first recognize that there are many types of voices in this world, all of which are trying to influence you. The art of selecting the right voice and listening to that voice is the art of being led by the Spirit of God.
God wants to deliver you from evil and He has sent His Spirit to lead you through this life so that you will not make tragic mistakes. What are the voices that are trying to influence you? There are several possibilities that you must be aware of:
1. The voice of God
Is the spirit of God, in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is the most important voice you need to hear because it speaks the mind of God. Howbeit when he the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.--John 16:13
2. The voice of the flesh
Is the expression of your desires and feelings. The voice of the flesh says, “Do what feels nice and easy.” You must not obey the voice of the flesh if you want to be blessed. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.--Romans 8:6. You can silence the voice of the flesh by doing what is hard and difficult.
3. The voice of the mind
Your thought processes and your reasoning are the voice of your mind. The mind is one of the most wonderful gifts that God has given to every man. You must not send your mind on vacation because you have become a spiritual person. Too much reasoning can turn you into a fool, but a combination of the Spirit (of God), and the voice of the mind will lead to your promotion in life and ministry.
4. The voice of the devil
Is the voice of Satan, trying to lead you in the wrong way, or at least, to confuse you.
Other voices are:
5. The voice of a prophet
6. The voice of your pastor
7. The voice of your friends
8. The voice of your parents
9. The voice of your spirit
10. The voice of your spouse
11. The voice of your circumstances
12. The voice of your own will
All these voices, as well as some others, are probably in operation in your life. Depending on who you are, you may be influenced more or less by these voices.
A young man may claim that the voice of God spoke to him, directing him to marry a beautiful young lady in the church. He may approach the young woman and tell her, “God spoke to me last night.” Is this young man telling the truth? Did he really hear the voice of God?
Let me make an important point here. There are at least twelve different voices that this young man could have heard. He could have heard the voice of circumstances leading him to marry this young lady or he could have heard the voice of his flesh, desirous of the opposite sex. He could also have genuinely heard the voice of God. None of these voices is without significance. What is important is to know which voice is leading you.
I always remember the story of a thirsty donkey that went on a long journey through the desert. At the end of his tedious journey, the donkey was tired, hungry and thirsty. As it trudged along, it notices two stacks of hay at different ends of the field. The donkey thought to himself, “There is food for me!” Then he realized that the two different haystacks were at opposite ends of an extremely large field.
The donkey, being a “Christian”, decided to seek the will of God concerning which of the haystacks he should approach. The donkey decided to pray. As the donkey was bowing his head to pray, he noticed a bucket of water positioned by the haystack on the right. The donkey then prayed a simple but powerful prayer and said, “O God, I want to know your will concerning which direction to go. Should I go to the haystack on the right or to the one on the left?”
After praying, the donkey gathered himself together and began to walk towards one of the haystacks. Which of the stacks of hay do you think the donkey went to? The stack on the right or that on the left? Well, when the donkey was asked he said, “God has directed me to the one on the right.”
Everyone can predict that the donkey would say that God had directed him to the haystack on the right. However, you and I both know that it was probably the bucket of water that attracted the donkey to the haystack on the right. It is time to be honest! It is time to tell the truth! Is it really the Spirit of God who is leading s or is it the voice of our flesh and or circumstances?
Anytime someone claims to have been directed by the “Spirit of God”, you should remember that there are over twelve different possibilities that exist. The voice he claims to be hearing is one of out of twelve or more different voices. Is it the voice of his friends? Is it the voice of his wife? Is it the voice of circumstances? What is actually leading this person?
I learnt of a man who became close to three Christian sisters at the same time. This man happened to be in Bible school at the same time with these three ladies who were his age. They attended classes together, they prayed together and they even went to church together. As time passed, they became a very closely knit family. There was a real flow of Christian love and friendship among them. This Christian brother was a very caring young man. He was also handsome and was obviously a promising minister. He was good at the ministry of counseling and seemed to be a patient listener to people’s problems.
At the end of the course, something interesting happened! It was graduation time and each of the three Christian sisters approached this compassionate brother with a “message” from the Lord. Each one of them said (unknown to the others), “God has spoken to me about you that we should spend the rest of our lives and ministries together.” In other words, God has supposedly spoken to each of these women to marry the brother. The brother was so surprised. He told them, “I appreciate your sharing this with me, but God hasn’t spoken to me about this.” He did not marry any of these three girls. He ended up marrying somebody else.
I find this true story very interesting. It illustrates the point I am trying to make. Each of these three ladies claimed to have heard the voice of God. But as I said, there are several possibilities to each claim. How could God tell three different people, at the same time, to marry one man? Does His Word not tell us that God wants one man to marry only one woman?
They were obviously hearing the voice of their own flesh. It could be the voice of their minds. They claimed that the voice of their flesh was the voice of God. These three ladies embarrassed themselves. You can save yourself from embarrassment when you learn to distinguish between the voice of the Spirit and other voices. That is what this book is all about –
