How do I know God is speaking to me?

Many of us are looking for a dramatic voice, a big enlightening moment, a clear audible voice, a vision, or an undeniable dream. But when you look throughout history, is that how we see God talking to us?

You may have heard before that God speaks to us most often through His “still, small inner voice.” You can find evidence of this if you read what the prophet Elijah went through before he could finally hear from God in 1 Kings 19.

God speaking often comes across as a quiet impression, a thought, or a sense of guidance. You can know it is God when the message matches the character of Jesus, when it lines up with Scripture, when it brings a feeling of peace (not pressure or fear), and when it’s usually confirmed over time through circumstances, wise counsel, or an inner conviction that grows rather than fading.

In my personal experience, you know when God is speaking to you as soon as it happens. God doesn’t leave you guessing. If you find yourself wondering if God has spoken to you, ask yourself: “What have I been praying for or requesting from God lately, and does this align perfectly with those prayers?” Does this new thought, sense of guidance, or impression line up with what Jesus would say? Does it match what I read in Scripture?

Not all thoughts or impressions come from God. Some come from us, and some can come from our enemy. If you ever get a thought or impression that stirs up negativity, indecision, doubt, or fear, it most certainly is not from God.

God the Father gives only good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). Nothing bad comes from the Lord.

If you have been praying for an answer, then this is what you wait patiently for. When we don’t hear from God, it is often because we are not yet quiet enough inside. Like I said before, we are often looking for some dramatic voice instead of His usual still, small inner impression.

God may also stay silent when He has already spoken clearly in Scripture or through previous guidance, and we simply need to obey what we already know. That’s sometimes not what we wanted to hear – especially if we know we are in sin and are trying to get God to be okay with it.

In times when we feel like God is silent, we just keep walking in what we do know. We stay close to Jesus and continue listening without stressing out.

A good way to get the answers we need is to turn to God’s Word, which is God’s voice here on earth. We can’t keep expecting divine intervention through direct speech from God if we refuse to give Him a voice. If you are struggling in any area of life and need answers, take a moment to open God’s Word – the Bible – and see what Scripture has to say about what you’re dealing with. When you read your Bible, you are effectively giving God a voice and a language to speak directly to you.

Very often, many of my questions have been answered in the past when God has reminded me of a Scripture I had read.

For example, as a younger man I enjoyed smoking cannabis. I had already met Jesus and was in the early stages of my faith. I had only just started looking at my Bible but hadn’t memorised any of it. One night I was debating with myself: because weed was a plant that God made, was it okay by Him if I kept smoking it and still stayed in God’s presence and will? As soon as I asked that question out loud to myself, part of a Bible Scripture popped into my head – one I couldn’t even remember reading. In fact, I had to go find it to be sure that’s where it came from. The words that came to me in that moment were “I am a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)

That was it – nothing more than that. I later found it was just part of a Scripture, not the whole thing, and when I read the whole verse it made sense. But what I loved about it most was that God – the Creator of the heavens and the earth – was saying to me that He wanted me all to Himself. He didn’t want to share me with drugs, alcohol, or anything else. That still warms my heart to this day. Those four words from God have gotten me through many times of self-hatred and withdrawal as I tried to quit those vices.

Since then I have had times like that, or times when I’ve gotten strong impressions or a sense of guidance. Life seems to change around me without me forcing it, as God lines things up and steers me in the direction I’ve asked Him to lead me.

But here’s the big one and the most important part: Whatever you want, no matter what it is, if it does not align with God’s will for your life, don’t expect an answer – or at least not the answer you want to hear. When you truly surrender to God, you ask for God’s will for your life, not your own. Any prayer that will lead you away from the Father will not get the attention you desire. You have free will and therefore the God-given right to do as you please, but God will not assist you in going against what He knows is not right for you. And this can be hard because it might involve a love interest, a hardened habitual addiction, a family member or friend who just doesn’t want to believe what you believe – the list in this world is endless.

When we pray in God’s will for our lives, He does not leave us without an answer.

Surrendering to God is a great way to become even closer to the Father and to live within His will.