Is That You, Lord?
How to Know If It's Really God.  Article Extras
 

 
by Marilyn Willett Heavilin  Issue #13 July/August 1999 

 

Photograph by Mel Curtis
My journey toward listening prayer began one morning in 1964 when my husband walked into our seven-week-old baby's bedroom and discovered he had died during the night. Although I had accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior at the age of five and had grown up in the church, I was completely unprepared for such a cruel tragedy. I believed that bad things didn't happen to good people. How could this happen to us? I dealt with my grief by reasoning that even good people have some trouble in their lives, and now I'd had my quota.

Eighteen months later, on Christmas morning of 1965, I gave birth to identical twin boys. Now, I thought, we're back on track. This is the way life is supposed to be. But even our minister ran out of explanations when 10 days later one of the twins died while still in the hospital. I was barely 28 and had lost two children.

Deeply confused and grieved over my losses, I became determined to learn who God is and how He relates to me. I committed myself to reading through Scripture every year, and I grew spiritually over the next 17 years. But I still was crushed by the awful blow that struck on February 19, 1983, when our remaining twin was killed by a drunk driver.

I had learned enough to know that God is in control and that He prepares only the best for His children. Nevertheless, my quiet times waned, and I felt distant from God. I kept reading through Scripture, but it was only a ritual. I was at a loss for how to really connect with God.

Finally, a friend suggested that I start a prayer journal in which I wrote a letter to Jesus every day. I took her suggestion and started my letter each day, "Dear Jesus . . ." But one day when I sat down, something made me write "Dear Marilyn . . ." In that first two-way conversation with God, I heard Him tell me that He was pleased with me. He said He enjoyed talking with me. He told me He loved me!

Now, I already knew that God loved me. But in that conversation, I realized that I had always believed in a collective kind of love, a "God so loved the world" kind of love. But a "Marilyn, I love you" kind of love? What an amazing thing! Once that truth settled in my mind and spirit, the barriers between God and me disappeared. The walls crumbled, and I found myself able to listen for His voice. I began to sign each of my prayer letters, "I love You, Jesus." Then I would sit quietly and listen for Him to whisper into my mind and soul, "I love you, too, Marilyn."

One day, as I was preparing to write my book I'm Listening, Lord, I wrote in my journal, "Dear Jesus, I think I have learned to recognize Your voice, but how do I teach others to hear You? When we try to hear You, we often hear lots of other voices. Show me how I can teach others to know for sure they are hearing You." I sat quietly, and the following checkpoints came tumbling into my mind. I wrote them down and checked Scripture to make sure they were in agreement with God's Word. Then I shared them with two of my godly counselors, who felt I was on the right track. I hope these checkpoints will help you discern if you are truly hearing from God or if Satan is doing a number on you.

Christ convicts; Satan condemns.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (Ro. 8:1�?).

Scripture teaches that condemnation does not come from God. God will convict us of our sin, but when He convicts, He also provides a plan. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9).

Christ's voice will expose our sin, urging us to rid ourselves of it and drawing us toward confession and cleansing. Satan's voice, however, will exploit sin. Satan is the "accuser of [the] brethren" (Rev. 12:10, KJV), and he will attack us by declaring us worthless, useless, or unfit.

When I hear the voice of condemnation, I try to remind myself that God loathes sin but loves me and would never declare me worthless. Then I give my favorite order to Satan: "Scram!" It works every time.

Christ clarifies; Satan confuses.

Satan will do everything in his power to confuse us through the logic of this world. We hear that logic so often that it begins to seem doctrinally sound! Satan can even deceive us with seemingly "good" things. But "such ‘wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil" (Jas. 3:15).

If we are not steeped in Scripture, Satan can confuse us into thinking we got such directions straight from God. We all listened in stunned disbelief, for instance, when Susan Smith claimed that God was helping her after she allowed her two little boys to drown in a car she had pushed into a lake.

Our protection against confusion is to seek God's face, study His Word, and seek godly counsel. He will always clarify our thinking through His Word. We won't have to twist verses or climb out on theological limbs.

In addition to studying God's Word and seeking godly counsel, I pray that He will give me a sound mind and protect me from confusion as I listen for His voice.

Christ confirms; Satan contradicts.

God will never contradict His Holy Word. Satan, however, will arrange circumstances to look like we are experiencing divine intervention in an attempt to blind us to contradictions to God's truth.

In 1 Samuel 24, Saul was pursuing David with the intention of killing him. While David was hiding in a cave, Saul came into the cave to relieve himself. Needless to say, David had Saul in a very defenseless position. David's advisors said, "This is your chance! Go, get him!" David couldn't make himself attack Saul, but he decided it would be OK to cut off a corner of Saul's robe so that he could lord it over Saul.

Later, however, David realized that God's Word taught not to touch God's anointed. He had to repent for what he had done. David's advisors were good men, perhaps even godly men. They had David's best interests at heart, but they were wrong. They had contradicted God's Word. David learned a lesson: Confirmation of people and circumstances is not enough. We need the confirmationof Scripture.

Christ chooses; Satan captures.

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight" (Eph. 1:4). God freely chose us to be His own. There are no strings attached. But Satan is an expert at capturing us, snarling us in the strings of controversy or success and sidelining us from growth and ministry.

Most of us have watched with deep embarrassment during the past decade as Christian leaders have fallen. How could this happen to people God had used so mightily? I believe these leaders were genuinely chosen and blessed by God in their ministries. But then they allowed themselves to be captured and led astray by their own success.

Beware of being captured by the fact that you have learned to hear God's voice. God does not have favorites. He speaks to all of His children. Be grateful for what you've learned, and don't take this privilege lightly. No matter how long you've had a relationship with God, check your thoughts and actions with Scripture. And as 2 Tim. 2:26 instructs, pray for yourself and others "that [you] will come to [your] senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken [you] captive to do his will."

Christ compels; Satan constricts.

"For Christ's love compels us" (2 Cor. 5:14). He opens us up and pushes us forward. He says to each one of us, "I love you, child. Study My Word, get to know Me, learn how much I love you, share Me with others, trust Me, and I will give you a relationship with Me that you can't even imagine."

At the same time, Satan is challenging, "Do you think that's what He really meant? How could He love you when He gives you so many rules? Why should you study Scripture? Nobody can understand all of it anyway. I can show you real freedom. Come on over to my side." Then, as we tentatively move toward that perceived "freedom," we hear the snap of the handcuffs. "Gotcha!" he says.

There is no freedom there. Always check what you hear against God's Word to keep yourself from being seduced by Satan's empty promises. They're traps that serve only to constrict us and bog us down.

Hear His voice.

Is it really possible for Christians to hear God's voice in prayer? Absolutely! Can we trust any voice we hear? Absolutely not! We might be hearing the call of the world, the flesh, or the devil.

God has clearly placed a longing in our souls for fellowship with Him. And He has told us, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (Jn. 10:27). Ah, dear reader, He knows you! And He longs to talk with you. Listen for His voice.

 

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About the author:
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Marilyn Willett Heavilin is a popular speaker and the author of five books, including I'm Listening, Lord, which expands upon the topic of this article. To order that book, send $10 to: Marilyn Heavilin, P.O. Box 1612, Redlands, CA 92373.