"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God..."
1 John 4:1
Not everything that sounds spiritual is from God. In our eagerness to hear from heaven, we sometimes mistake other voices for God's. When I was young and impressionable, my acquaintance told me he saw a vision where I was in a lush field with a great harvest. That God had a great harvest for me. However, this vision was more of a pitch to be part of his multi-level marketing business. This is NOT a diss on multi-level marketing as I know of people of good repute who make a significant and clean living through this method. But, in this case, not all that glitters is the gospel or Godsent. But this is a prime example of testing the voice of God. Unfortunately, I was ill-equipped to do so.
Your mind is a crowded conversation space. Every day, multiple voices compete for your attention: your desires and fears, cultural messages, family expectations, and spiritual influences, both good and bad. The apostle John lived in a time of competing spiritual messages, too. False teachers claimed special revelations from God while teaching things that contradicted Jesus' message. That's why John didn't say, "Believe every spiritual prompting." He said, "Test the spirits." This instruction acknowledges the reality that not everything that feels divine is.
God's voice always harmonizes with Scripture. The most reliable test for any message claiming to be from God is whether it aligns with what He's already said in His Word. God won't contradict Himself. If you sense a prompting that goes against clear biblical teaching, you can be sure it's not from God—no matter how strong the feeling. This doesn't mean God only repeats Scripture verbatim, but His fresh words to your situation will always complement, not contradict biblical principles.
The message will align with Jesus' nature and character. John continues in verse 2: "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God." Any authentic message from God will honor Jesus and reflect His character. If what you hear promotes pride instead of humility, division instead of unity, or condemnation instead of redemption, it fails the Jesus test. In 1741, Jonathan Edwards witnessed the Great Awakening revival and developed tests to discern true from false spiritual experiences—the primary test being whether they exalted Christ or something else.
Counterfeit voices often mix truth with subtle deception. The most dangerous lies aren't entirely false but primarily true with a twist. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he quoted Scripture accurately but applied it deceptively. Similarly, many misleading voices in your life may sound partially correct—they may even use religious language and quote Bible verses—while leading you in the wrong direction. This is why discernment requires more than surface-level evaluation.
God's voice brings freedom, not bondage. Jesus said that knowing the truth would set us free (John 8:32). When God speaks, even correcting us, His voice ultimately liberates rather than oppresses us. If what you hear leaves you feeling permanently condemned, fearful, or trapped, it likely isn't God speaking. The Holy Spirit convicts us of specific sins to lead us to repentance and restoration—not to crush our spirit or drive us away from God.
Community can help confirm what you're hearing. While personal discernment is essential, God often validates His messages through the community of believers. When you think God is speaking to you about something significant, seek input from mature Christians who know you and Scripture well. Their perspective can help confirm, clarify, or occasionally correct what you believe you're hearing. In Acts 15, the early church leaders discerned God's will together rather than individually.
A.W. Tozer wisely said, "The counterfeit is almost indistinguishable from the genuine article because the counterfeit is deliberately designed to look like the genuine." This observation highlights a crucial challenge in spiritual discernment. Just as skilled counterfeiters meticulously craft fake currency to deceive even trained eyes, spiritual deception often comes wrapped in layers of truth, making it particularly challenging to detect. This reality underscores the vital importance of developing keen spiritual discernment, grounded in Scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit, to distinguish authentic divine communication from clever imitations.
The fruit test reveals the source. Jesus taught us to identify false prophets by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). Similarly, we can test the voices we hear by examining what kind of fruit they produce in our lives. God's voice makes the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If following a voice consistently leads to these qualities, it strengthens the case that God is its source.
Discernment grows through practice and patience. Like any skill, distinguishing God's voice from counterfeits improves with experience. Hebrews 5:14 says mature believers "have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Don't expect perfect discernment immediately. Be patient with yourself, learn from your mistakes, and keep practicing. The more you actively engage in testing the spirits, the more confident you'll become in recognizing God's authentic voice.
Godseekers, approach every message with both openness and wisdom. God wants to speak to you—but He also wants you to mature in discernment. Don't be afraid of testing what you hear. Genuine messages from God can withstand scrutiny. When you combine eager listening with careful testing, you create the perfect conditions for authentic divine communication. As you develop this balanced approach, you'll grow increasingly confident in recognizing when God is truly speaking to you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to us. Give us discerning hearts to recognize Your voice among the many that compete for our attention. Jesus, help us know Your character so well that we can quickly identify messages that don't align with who You are. Holy Spirit, grant us wisdom to test what we hear and courage to follow the truth. Protect us from deception and lead us into ever-growing confidence in recognizing Your authentic voice. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- When have you mistaken another voice for God's, and what did you learn from that experience?
- Which of the tests for discerning God's voice do you need to apply more consistently in your life?
Step of Faith
Today, I will write down a spiritual prompting I've recently received and carefully test it using the biblical criteria of Scripture alignment, character consistency, and the fruit it produces.
