As Christians we often use phrases like, “The Lord told me” or “God spoke to me.” So how can we know if we, as born-again followers of Jesus with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us, are hearing from God? The most certain way we know we are hearing the unmistakable voice of God is by reading the Bible. I mean, what a gift that God would give us His inerrant, infallible written Word and that’s exactly what the Bible is! So, the Bible becomes our measuring stick and litmus test for anything that the Holy Spirit may lay on our hearts or bring to our minds.
When the Spirit gives us a prompting, impression or leading we can be certain that it will always be in complete harmony and unity with the truth of Scripture since the Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible (2 Peter 1:21). When the Holy Spirit gives us a “word of knowledge, word of wisdom or word of prophecy” to edify, exhort or comfort fellow believers, it will always be in unity and harmony with the Bible if it is indeed from the Holy Spirit himself (1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 14:3).
So, by renewing our minds daily and meditating on the truths of Scripture, we become more and more accurate in discerning the promptings, leadings and gifts of the Spirit. Spending meaningful, consistent time in prayer and in the Word helps us keep our spiritual radar active and accurate to receive from the Holy Spirit!
