Worship

How Do We Know It's God Talking?

Have you ever thought you were following God… and it didn’t turn out the way you expected?

📖 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

👉 Truth: We can hear God
👉 But… we are also learning to recognize His voice

But first, we need to understand that we can also hear another voice...

WHO IS THE SATAN?

  • Prince of the World (John 12:31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. )

  • The Devil (the slanderer, in Greek)

  • The Father of Lies (1 Cor 11:14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. he uses counterfeit light to mislead people)

  • The Accuser (Rev 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

    “Now have come the salvation and the power
        and the kingdom of our God,
        and the authority of his Messiah.
    For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
        who accuses them before our God day and night,
        has been hurled down.

    he points out the sins of believers to challenge their standing before God, like a prosecutor in a courtroom)

  • Lucifer (Lk 10:18)

  • The Serpent

  • The Murderer: John 8:44, John 10:10

  • The Tempter: Matt 4:3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”, 1 Thes 3:5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. he exploits human weaknesses & desires to incite rebllion against God's commands

  • Proud & Rebellious: Ezek 28:11-17 (above) Isaiah 12: 12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

    13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

    14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

    15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

  • Roaring Lion: Commentators emphasize that Satan is not a real lion, but only like one—an imposter or a "cheat" attempting to look more powerful than he is, as opposed to the true "Lion of Judah" (Jesus).

  • The Adversary

  • The Enemy

  • Beezlebub : In the New Testament, Beelzebub is called the "prince of demons" or "prince of devils," directly linked to the power of Satan. Name Meaning: The name derives from Hebrew Ba‘al Zəvûv, likely a pejorative corruption by Hebrew scribes of Baal-zəbûl ("Lord of the High Place" or "Lord Prince") to "Lord of the Flies," symbolizing decay. Role in Demonology: Often depicted as Lucifer’s top strategist, the "Lord High Chancellor of Hell," and a chief of staff under Satan. Characteristics: Often described as a massive, monstrous fly or a creature with large wings and a fiery appearance. Cultural Legacy: Famous in literature, including John Milton's Paradise Lost as a fallen angel and in the title of William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies.

SCRIPTURES EXPLAINING THE SATAN:

Rev 12:7-9 Then war broke out in heaven.

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon,

and the dragon and his angels fought back.

8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.

9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan,

who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,

but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of darkness[b] to be held for judgment;

Jude 6: And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority

but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness,

bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

Ezek 28:12-19

12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him:

‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘You were the seal of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
    the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
    carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
    topaz, onyx and jasper,
    lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.[a]
Your settings and mountings[b] were made of gold;
    on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
    for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
    you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
    from the day you were created
    till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
    you were filled with violence,
    and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
    and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
    from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
    on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
    because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
    I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
    you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
    and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
    in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
    are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
    and will be no more.’”

1 Peter 5:8

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls

around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Luke 10:18

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning (morning star) fall from heaven.

1 Chr 21:1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

Numbers 22:22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord

stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey,

and his two servants were with him.

Eph 6:12

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,

against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,

against spiritual wickedness in high places.

EXPERIENCING GOD

This is a great bible study I did about 25 years ago. Below are the 3 main things I learned on how to KNOW it is God talking to us. We can't just go with one sign. We must discern IN 3 WAYS that it is indeed God's voice since we learned about that the enemy, the "slanderer" (devil) can trick our minds.

  • We experience the true voice of God in SCRIPTURE/WORD OF GOD

    AND

  • We experience the true voice of God with the

    HOLY SPIRIT/REFLECTION/CIRCUMSTANCE

    AND

  • We experience the true voice of God with PRAYER TO GOD/ TALKING TO JESUS