God created our emotions and can use them as a channel to communicate to us; however, there is also a potential for the enemy to deceive us through our emotions. Here are a few tips to grow in your discernment of God’s voice. - Vladimir Savchuk Ministries
1 - His voice aligns with Scripture;
Our emotions can contradict it.
The Holy Spirit always aligns with the entirety of Scripture, while our emotions might misinterpret or take Scriptures out of context. The Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God, whereas emotions can often lead us astray.
The Holy Spirit won’t just fix your eyes on one portion of Scripture while disregarding the entirety of the context. That is actually something that Satan did in the wilderness.
2 - His voice is divine;
Our emotions arise from biology and experiences.
The second way to identify when it’s God’s voice vs our thoughts is that the Holy Spirit’s guidance has a divine origin rooted in eternal truths and God’s will. In contrast, our emotions stem from biology, past experiences, and current circumstances. As a result, they can be influenced by various factors. The origin of God’s voice and guidance is not based on human circumstances. It has a divine origin. It’s based on eternal truths and God’s will.
3 - His voice is consistent;
Our emotions can fluctuate.
Our emotions are not consistent. Sometimes, we feel God, and other times, we sense that He’s far. Sometimes, we feel like praying, while on other days, we can’t. The difference is that the Holy Spirit is consistent.
The way you can know whether it is just your emotions is to test it. I like to write down the impression I feel is on my heart and pray about it, asking the Lord for confirmation. Sometimes, the next day, I wake up and realize that it was just me.
4 - His voice guides us do to God’s will;
Our emotions reflect our inner state.
God’s voice will always guide you into God’s perfect will. God’s voice isn’t necessarily interested in guiding you into a perfect life, but God’s perfect will. Our emotions, typically, tend to reflect our internal selfish state or desires–especially when they are not sanctified by God. There is nothing wrong with desiring things that benefit us, but it’s not the primary goal of the Christian life. His primary direction will be God’s will, not our interests.
Sometimes, God’s will takes us through the wilderness. Our emotions will always protect us from challenges, and they reflect our desire for safety and convenience.
5 - His voice is reliable;
Our emotions can deceive.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 that our heart is wicked and deceitful. Circumstances, the enemy, and our flesh trick our emotions easily; and the enemy will strategize to make us depend on our feelings.
He can completely rule your life if you live led by your emotions. This is especially true when you believe that God is guiding you solely based on how you feel, without considering the scriptures, the will of God, or the source of this emotion.
Some people feel God is telling them to leave their family and do ministry, but the Scripture contradicts that “feeling.”
You will find that the Holy Spirit is entirely reliable. He will never contradict God’s Word, and it is consistent. We can always trust in His guidance.
Final Thoughts
Here are a few things you can do to hear God more clearly in your life:
Immerse yourself in His Word
Lower life’s noise
Get near Him to hear Him
Pay attention to godly mentors and circumstances.
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