Is It God?

How can we hear God, and how can we know that it's Him?  It's not wrong to ask God to confirm His will for you.  In fact, it's Biblical. 

Jesus confirmed God's word to His hearers with miracles.

Mark 16:20 (NKJV)

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Jesus taught an offense (or a crime) must be proven by two of three witnesses to confirm that the offense actually happened.

Matthew 18:16 New King James Version (NKJV)

16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

Paul taught the same thing as Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:1 New King James Version (NKJV)

13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

How do we ask God for His confirmation?

Judges 6:12,16-18 (NKJV)

12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

When the Old Testament refers to "the Angel of the Lord", many theologians believe that it is actually referring to Jesus.  

Notice that in verse 16 it actually refers to the the Angel of the Lord as the "Lord" speaking.  

16 And the Lord said to him (Gideon), “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 

18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.”

And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

God will wait for you with all of your questions for you to know His will for you.  Gideon had to kill and clean the offering, which took a lot of time. God was patient with us.   

Judges 6:19-22 (NKJV)

19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 

20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.

21 Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. 

And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”

Then Gideon asks for another sign, and it doesn't make God mad.  God doesn't get mad at you when you want to fully understand His will for you. 

Judges 6:36-38 (NKJV)

36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 

37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 

38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.

Then, Gideon asks for a third sign.

Judges 6:39-40 (NKJV)

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 

40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

(Judges 7)Gideon arranged for 32,000 men to fight the Midianites.  God said that it's too many because you'll take the glory for yourself.  

God said to Gideon to tell the people.  If anyone is afraid, you can go home.  22,000 went home.  There were 10,000 left.  Then, God said that it's still to many.  

God said to take the remaining 10,000 to the water, and pull out the ones who lap the water like a dog.  There were 300 of them.  God said to use the dog lappers to defeat the Midianities. 

Then, Gideon needed still another sign.  God said to sneak down into the Midian camp at night.  

There Gideon heard a solder telling a dream to a buddy that he saw a loaf of bread rolling down into the camp and knocking over all the tents.  

The buddy answered that's the sword of Gideon. It means that God's on Gideon's side.  God will confirm over and over and over again to you His word.  

Here are three different ways that God confirms His word to us.  Here are three different ways to explain the same thing.  

1. His word 2. His wisdom 3. His ways 

1. His principles 2. His people 3. His peace

1.His character 2. His counsel 3. His calm  

  

Here are the three confirmations which are in the form of questions.

1. Does it line up with the Bible?  

God's voice will never disagree with God's word. Below is a passage with Jesus using God's word to determine God's will. It's about divorce.  

God hates divorce, but He loves divorced people in the same way as we hate car wrecks because we love the people who are in them.

Matthew 19:4-5 (NKJV)

3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,

5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 

6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

People were using their first wives as sex slaves; therefore, God allowed divorce.  

8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

Never allow a passage to be taken out of context.  Check your understanding of the passage by supporting it with two or three other passages.

The Bible does not contradict itself;however, your understanding of the passage may contradict it.  

2. Does Godly counsel agree?  

Do the people that you are asking really know God, know His word, and know you.  

Proverbs 12:15 (NKJV)

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

But he who heeds counsel is wise.

Proverbs 19:20-1  (NKJV)

20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,

That you may be wise in your latter days.

There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

Proverbs 24:6 (NKJV)

6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

Ask is it stupid counsel from foolish people?  Rehoboam listened to stupid counsel, and lost most of his kingdom (1 Kings 12).   

Satan took a Scripture out of context to tempt Jesus (Matthew 4:6). Don't look for a Scripture out of context to confirm a sinful act. Don't get a Scripture from the devil.  

3. Do I have peace?  

God has created you with a peace gauge inside of you.  

Colossians 3:15 (NKJV)

15 And let the peace of God rule (umpire) in your hearts,

Peace tells you whether it's safe for you, or if you should get out of the situation.  God never leads us by fear but by faith. 

Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding (reasoning), will guard (garrison of solders) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

How many times have you laid awake at night because you are making decisions outside of God's peace?  That's God telling you to stop. I'm not doing anything without God's peace.  

1. God will give you a word.  2. It will line up with Godly counsel.  3. You'll have peace. Then, it's up to you to obey.  

I hope this is creating within you a hunger to hear God.  Not only will God speak, but He will confirm it to you.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you in these words?  Holy Spirit I pray that you'll draw anyone who is reading these words to yourself.

Notes taken from Robert Morris, Gateway Church.       

http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/life/events/frequency-2016/session/2016/05/21/call-for-confirmation