HOW DO I KNOW IT IS OUR LORD SPEAKING TO ME AND NOT SATAN WHO WANTS TO LEAD ME INTO A SITUATION?
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Hoe kan ek weet dis ons Here wat met my praat en nie satan nie..”
Someone asked me:
How can I know it is our Lord speaking to me and not satan who want to lead me into a situation? ”
Over the centuries, many people have struggled with the same problem.
In the Bible there are also cases where people did not know that God was dealing with them and I mention two that come to my mind:
The first is Gideon. It took a lot of persuasion from our Lord to make him believe that he now hear the voice of the Lord. You can read it in Judges 6 from verse 11.
Another example is where our Lord spoke to Samuel. You can read it in 1 Samuel chapter 3.
However, the difference between Gideon, Samuel and other people of that time and us today is: They did not have the full Bible at their disposal to read and study like you and me.
In my opinion, most Christians are led astray by satan and some people because they do not regularly read the Word, study it, and pray for the right guidance on what they have read. That is why so many of His children end up in situations in which a child of God should not end up. Our Lord therefore say to us in His Word:
HOS 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
If I regularly read, study, believe and pray over the Word about what I have read – in other words, talk to our Lord about it, satan will not be able to trick me.
For I will use the example that Jesus give us how to deal with temptation and deceit and I will say: “It is written…”
MAT 4:2-4
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
4 But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
The part with which Jesus trumped satan is:
DEUT 8:3 . And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Therefore, read the Word and pray about what you have read.
In my opinion, there is no better way to listen to our Lord's voice in your heart. Because, remember:
2TIM 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2TIM 3:17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
To summarize:
Our Lord speak to us through, for example, dreams, visions, people and circumstances but mainly through His Word.
If we read His Word regularly, study it and talk to Him about it in prayer, satan will not be able to mislead us in using one of his false gimmicks in which he pretends that it came from our Lord.
For, praise the Name of our Lord!
Then we will know our Shepherd's voice.
JOHN 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
JOHN 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Greetings,
Sakkie