God’s Voice vs the Devil’s Voice

“My sheep recognize my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (MSG)

I think for many people it can sometimes be intimidating to try to discern God’s voice or determining if we are hearing from God or not. At times it can be frustrating to distinguish “Is that God talking to me, is that my own thoughts, or maybe that could even be the devil trying to confuse me or get me off course?” However, there are some ways that we can differentiate between God’s voice vs the devil’s voice.

The first thing to recognize is that we are NOT crazy because we will hear both voices. I say “hear”, but most often they present as thoughts in our heads. Therefore, since we will hear different, and often competing, voices it’s extremely important that we learn to recognize the difference between God’s voice and the devil’s.

I think there are three helpful ways we can easily do this:

1. Know the character of God and his ways
2. Know the character of Satan and his ways
3. Discern how it makes you feel in the moment

When you understand the character, ways, and nature of God and of Satan, then we more easily distinguish the ways and manner in which they will speak and the kinds of things they would and wouldn’t say. In turn, this can then help us to determine how to move forward with that particular “voice” that we are hearing.

Know the character of God and his ways

We can learn about the character of God just as we can learn about the character of anyone else we know…by spending time with him or by learning about his nature by the things he has done. We can do these things by reading the Bible and talking to others who have a close relationship with God. When we read the Bible, we can read through the lens of “what does this tell me about God?” in order to help us learn more about his character.

I’ve written previously about some of the character traits of God from A to Z. Once we’ve learned a lot of these characteristics, we can compare them to the voice that we hear and see if it aligns. God is peaceful…does this voice give me peace or lead me in peace? God is a comforter…does this comfort me? He is also merciful…does this voice offer mercy? God cannot lie…am I hearing any untruths or contradictions to scripture?

Once we learn and become familiar with God’s ways, we can start to say things like, “That sounds like God. This falls right in line with how he would work.” OR… “This doesn’t sound like something God would say” or “I don’t think God would talk to me in this way. This probably isn’t his voice.” When we learn more from scripture we can come to better conclusions.

Know the character of Satan and his ways

This is a little easier because as we learn more about God’s character, we can deduce that Satan’s nature will most often be the opposite. Essentially, if God is kind, Satan is not. If God is merciful, Satan is malevolent and condemning. If God gives clarity and direction, Satan will bring ambiguity and confusion. Get the idea?

If God’s character includes these things, we can conclude that Satan is the opposite. Therefore if the voice we hear is NOT these things or is the opposite of these things (or similar things) then we can reason that the voice we’re hearing is not of God but of the devil instead.

We can also learn about the nature of the devil by reading God’s word and studying his behavior. Scripture will also tell us about the devil’s character.

Discern how it makes you feel in the moment

This is a last source of discernment since feelings are not always good leaders, are not always accurate, can sometimes lie, and can sometimes change. However feelings CAN be an indicator of God’s voice vs the devil’s voice. The feelings evoked by the voice can occasionally indicate which direction it’s coming from.

For example:

Confused? God is not the author of confusion.

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…” 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV)

Afraid? God has not given me a spirit of fear.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Anxious? God doesn’t want me to be anxious about anything.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

Lacking peace? God is full of peace, and he wants that peace to rule in my heart.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

Feeling condemned? God will gently convict—He will NOT condemn.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17 (NIV)

It gets easier to discern God’s voice vs the devil’s voice

I’ve mentioned before that God’s voice becomes more familiar as we grow in relationship with Him. This is very similar to meeting a new friend.  At first, we probably don’t recognize their voice very well, and they have to introduce themselves when they call on the phone.  However, the longer we are friends and the more time we spend with them (and hear them talk), the easier it is to recognize their voice.  Eventually, they won’t even have to say who they are or introduce themselves. It’s the same with God. Before long we want have to put much thought or evaluation into whose voice we’re hearing.

I also previously told a story about how the Holy Spirit will practice with us to help us to learn to recognize and follow his voice. After learning about this, I started to pay more attention to thoughts and feelings and then check them out to see if they were accurate. Sometimes they were. Sometimes they weren’t. This “practice” helped me to discern what God’s voice actually sounded like. I started to recognize what types of feelings and thoughts to pay attention to and which ones to discard.

“Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (MSG)

At some point, God’s voice should be more familiar to you than the devil’s. God’s voice becomes more familiar as we grow in relationship with Him.

Take Some Practical Steps to Discern God’s Voice vs the Devil’s Voice:

• First, know that BOTH God and the devil will talk to you.

It is not unusual to hear both voices. If you are hearing from the devil, it is NOT an indicator that you are any less of a Christian. In fact, he probably sees you as a threat hence the attempts to try to trip you up or confuse you.

• Secondly, because you will hear both voices, it is imperative that you learn to discern the difference between God’s voice vs the devil’s voice.

Needless to say, if you listen to and follow the wrong voice, you will reap the negative consequences of that and potentially head down a wrong course.

• Next, to discern God’s voice vs the devil’s voice you need to know the character of both in order to help you distinguish between the two.

When you understand the nature of God and then the nature of Satan, then you will be able to know the ways they will speak and the kinds of things they would and wouldn’t say. To know the character of God, you merely need to spend time in his word (reading the Bible). Satan’s character will most usually be the opposite of God’s. However, to learn more about the devil’s character, revisit this post where I talked about how to learn the devil’s ways, tactics, and strategies.

• Then continue reading more about learning how to hear from God and recognize his voice. Here are some previous posts that will be helpful:

How to Recognize God’s Voice

What Does God’s Voice Sound Like?

Recognizing Prompts of the Holy Spirit

Stop and Take Time to Listen to God

God Talks Like Bumblebee the Transformer

• Finally, as you learn the difference between God’s voice vs the devil’s voice, follow and obey God’s voice and combat the devil’s voice with God’s truth.

If you ARE hearing the devil’s voice, combat the devil’s lies with God’s truths. Find a scripture that nullifies the lie you are hearing. Write it down. Say it. Repeat it.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” John 8:32 (NLT)

What helps you discern God’s voice vs the devil’s voice? Share with us by leaving a comment below.

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