How Do We Know It Is God Speaking?

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

A question asked by many people over many years. Samuel heard the voice of God, but did not recognize it until he was told by Eli. As pointed out to us in tonight’s scripture reading. How does God communicate with us? How can we be certain that God is speaking? When will we hear God speaking to us? Tonight we look into scripture to get the answer to: “How do we know it is God speaking to us?”

God Communicating In The Old Testament:


Samuel heard an audible voice of God. The Holy Spirit was not dwelling on earth at that time and communication with God was rare. Samuel was an under study of Eli and was learning the Word of God. God was pretty quiet in those day’s, visions and communication was very rare. God called out to Samuel one night, because he did not know God he was confused. Samuel thought that Eli was calling for him. He was told by Eli to listen and answer God when He was called again. God delivered a message to Samuel that night that pronounced Eli and his family’s doom. Samuel was looked to as a profit from that time on.


Gideon had a physical revelation from God, he still doubted what he had heard, so he asked for a sign, not once, but three times:

Judges 6:17-22 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return." Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"

Judges 36-40 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised-- look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew--a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

How Can We Know That He Is The One Speaking?:

First, we have something that Gideon and Samuel did not, we have the complete Bible. With it we read, study, and meditate on it. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”


When we have a question about a certain topic or decision in our lives, we should see what the Bible has to say about it. God will never lead us or direct us contrary to what He has taught or promised in His Word: Titus 1:2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

Second, to hear God's voice we must recognize it. Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me”

Those who hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him. That means those who have been saved by His grace through faith in Him. These are the sheep who hear and recognize His voice because they know Him as their Shepherd they know His voice. If we are going to recognize God's voice, we must belong to Him.

Third, we hear His voice when we spend time in prayer, Bible study, and quiet contemplation of His Word. The more time we spend intimately with God and His Word, the easier it is to recognize His voice. Employees at a bank are trained to recognize counterfeits by studying real money so closely that it is easy to spot a fake. We should be so familiar with the Bible that when God speaks to us it is clear that it is God. God speaks to us so that we can understand truth.

God can speak audibly to people. He speaks primarily through His Word. Sometimes through the Holy Spirit to our consciences. Sometimes through circumstances. Sometimes through other people. By applying what we hear to the truth of Scripture, we can learn to recognize His voice.

We have the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have God’s written Word. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you will hear God’s voice. Read your Bible, develop a personal relationship with Him, pray, study, and spend time quietly waiting for an answer. Remember that God’s main way of communicating to us is through His written Word. You may not ever hear an audible voice but He is communicating with us. Through you conscience, circumstances, and through other people. One final note, be still, wait for His answer, do not get discouraged, He hears us. Our time is not God’s time, He will answer us when He decides to.