A friend of mine recently asked me this question:
“How do you know if you are hearing from God or whether something is just your own idea?”
Now, that’s a very big question. But I believe the answer is a simple one. Here’s my take on how to work out what idea is coming from the Divine and what is coming from your own mind.
You ‘just know’
An idea, or a prompt that comes from the Divine, isn’t something that comes from the mind. It’s something you can feel. It’s a gut instinct. A knowing. Not a head knowing. Just a deep, inner knowing.
It’s fleeting
A ‘God prompt’ usually appears long enough to be heard, and then passes. Sometimes it will appear a number of times, but if it is ignored or not acted upon, it will pass.
However, if some thought continues to churn around and around in your mind incessantly, well, then that is your mind.
It will happen with or without you
That still, small voice is always speaking to us. Always. We’ve just become experts at drowning it out by staying focused on other things, or, if we have noticed the prompt, we revert back to our minds and rationalise our way out of taking following through on that prompt.
When something needs to be done, God will prompt you. If you fail to act, that prompt will go to the next person, and the next and the next, until the person who is open to the message will act.
It does no harm
If it is from God, then it does no harm. No harm to you, nor to anyone else.
There is no vengeance, no greed, no nastiness, no ‘teaching someone a lesson’, and no big-noting oneself or self-promotion. If any of those motives appear, then that is not from God. That is your own mind and your own idea.
You are left with a sense of ease
If you receive one of these prompts and you want to be sure it is from the Devine and not from your own mind, then simply get quiet and assess how the idea makes you feel. Can you sit with it in ease, or does it cause you to feel uneasy? Does it leave your conscience clear?
Keep in mind that it may not always feel comfortable – there may be ideas that challenge you, but it will feel right.
Recognising that voice
Think of your dearest friend who calls you on the phone. They just need to say ‘Hello’ and you know immediately who they are. They don’t need to announce themselves because you have become attuned to their voice.
Our job is to become just as attuned to the voice of the Divine within us – that still, small voice – so that when it speaks, we listen, we recognise and we trust.
A simple way to get attuned to the voice of the Divine is to get quiet and pay attention to the ideas that are bubbling up. Do this regularly. Do the assessment – does the idea leave you with a sense of ease? Was it fleeting thought, or have you been churning it over in your mind for hours or days? Are there any hidden motives? Does it leave you with a clear conscience?
Consistent practice in getting quiet, meditation or simply getting out into nature will help you tap into the voice of the Divine. Do it regularly, and over time, that voice will become so familiar to you that you will instantly recognise it when heard.
