God speaks in many different ways.
God gives vision (Habakkuk 2:2), we make plans (Proverbs 19:21), and our plans succeed with a multitude of counsel (Proverbs 15:22).
God speaks to us in many different ways, including, but not limited to His Word, nature and His creation, our inner voice (The Holy Spirit within us as believers), experiences, other people, music, circumstances, prayer, and more.
Two Different Prophetic Words
But what if you are hearing too many voices? Last year, I received two encouraging prophetic words from people who I know hear from God. Yet, they gave two very different messages. I was perplexed and did not know which word to pursue. Later on, I got quiet in prayer and felt like I heard the Lord say, ?Remember what I told you. I lead you step by step.?
Good or God?
In another instance, several people offered good advice on my career direction. But how did I know which advice was God? I got quiet again and asked God for His vision for my life. He shared several words that I used to create a vision board that reflected His ideas for me. Some thoughts He gave were, ?Travel,? ?Love,? ?Servanthood,? and ?Business.? All these and more have and are coming to pass in my life.
Find Your Voice
In yet another example, I talked with my mentor friend Chris Putman in December 2016. I shared my experiences and the many good ideas I heard from others over the past several months. She said, ?Trecie, my prayer for you is that you find your voice.? Her words resonated deeply in my heart, so much so that my entire theme of 2017 was to find my voice. And I did just that with a servanthood training I helped to develop and teach in 2017.
Ways to Know God’s Voice
Hearing God’s voice is pivotal to us fulfilling His vision for our lives. When we hear many different voices and are trying to determine which voice is His, remember that His voice always lines up with His Word. He always seeks to draw us closer to Him. And while His words may convict us, they never condemn us. Instead, He always gives us grace to understand our mistake. Then He moves us to seek forgiveness and begin again.