S6 EP11 | How to Discern the Voice of God: 4 Things to Look For
In this episode Carla shares a story of something that happened recently - how she had to lean in and discern the voice of God before moving forward.
Based on her experience, she shares 4 things to look for when discerning the voice of God in your own life.
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God's Voice Aligns with His Word and Character
God never contradicts His Word or character.
Encourages regular relationship building with God through prayer and personal Bible study.
God Provides Clarity and Peace
Discern peace and clarity as signs of God's direction.
Differentiates between healthy discomfort and an unsettled spirit.
God's Voice Avoids Condemnation and Shame
God's correction doesn't bring shame; it leads to repentance.
Highlights the absence of condemnation for those in Christ.
God's Voice Is Quiet
God's voice is steady, not loud, and requires a calm heart and mind to discern.
Actively listen amidst life's chaos.
Affirming Truth - I will get to know the voice of my father and walk in confidence.
Key scriptures:
John 10:3-4: "To him, the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."
Isaiah 30:21: "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."
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TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Carla Arges: Hey friends, welcome to Affirming Truths. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode and it would mean the world to me if you would leave a review.
[00:00:30] Carla Arges: I am so glad you're here. Let's get started. Hello friends, welcome to this episode of Affirming Truth. I am your friend, your coach, your cheerleader, the girl that's got your back, Carla. And I'm so glad that you're here with me today. I want to tell you a little story that happened last week. Um, I had my book launch and it was [00:01:00]amazing.
[00:01:00] Carla Arges: We had an amazing Q& A at the end and really talked about faith and mental illness and what that looks like in the church and how the church community can lead in breaking free of stigmas and how the church community could Operate with more empathy and not add spiritual burden to someone who's struggling with mental illness.
[00:01:30] Carla Arges: And it was a great Q and a so many great questions and then coming out of that. On three separate occasions from three different people who don't talk with each other, it was suggested to me that I take something on. And when I first heard someone say, Oh, you should do this. I thought, Hmm, that's interesting.
[00:01:58] Carla Arges: I never considered [00:02:00] that. My ministry more is. Supporting women who are struggling in Valley season, struggling with their mental health. Um, I didn't see myself in the capacity that this person was suggesting I operate. So I just thought that was interesting. Took it kind of as a compliment that they could see me doing that.
[00:02:20] Carla Arges: And went about my day. Well then the next day, someone else mentions the exact same thing to me. And I was like, whoa, this is weird. Someone just said that to me yesterday. Is this a God thing? And while I questioned in myself, is this a God thing? I actually didn't take it to God yet. And then the third day...
[00:02:48] Carla Arges: I get a DM from someone with the exact same suggestion and wanting to come alongside me and [00:03:00] be partners in doing this thing. And my immediate reaction was like, this is three times in a row. This has got to be God. What are the coincidence of this happening? All right, I've got to do A, B, and C. I've got to get rolling on this.
[00:03:16] Carla Arges: And I went into immediate. Planning mode, like how to plan all these things, knowing that it was going to interrupt the plans I already have. Spoiler alert, I'm planning on bringing you guys an amazing, affordable course on how to study the Bible because you guys are asking for that. Anyways, it was going to interrupt my plans on getting this done and I thought, well, this just gotta be a God thing.
[00:03:47] Carla Arges: I guess I gotta put my plans on hold. And then I realized I hadn't actually asked God. I was looking at things as signs, but I hadn't actually asked God. [00:04:00] And so I took a step back and I said, Whoa, hold on, Carla, you're getting ahead of yourself. Just because something sounds good, and just because lots of people are speaking this into me, doesn't mean God is speaking this into me.
[00:04:16] Carla Arges: So let's take a step back. Let's seek God's will and God's desire. And when I did that, I plainly and clearly heard from God, No, this is not what I want you to pursue right now. It's not to say he will never call me to do that. But as of right now, he said no. And I felt such peace with that. I felt peace inside.
[00:04:47] Carla Arges: And sort of, I've, I've shared this story with a few people and I've shared it on social media a bit. And the questions I've been getting are, how do you discern God's voice? How do you know [00:05:00] when God is speaking? I feel like I never know. I feel like God doesn't speak to me. And I've been getting these comments and questions.
[00:05:07] Carla Arges: So today we're going to talk a little about discerning God's voice. And here's the thing. Well, first let's read in John 10, three to four. It says to him, meaning the shepherd, to him the gatekeeper opens the sheep, hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leaves them out. When he has brought them out all his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow him where they know his.
[00:05:41] Carla Arges: Voice, right? We are the sheep. God is our good shepherd and we follow him and we're able to follow him when we know his voice. And so friend, I want you to know That God is always speaking to [00:06:00] his children. God is always speaking to his children. If you are having trouble discerning his voice, my question for you is, are you in real relationship with God regularly?
[00:06:19] Carla Arges: And when I say real relationship, I mean, are you doing life with God regularly? Are you talking to God? Are you getting into his word? Because that's where we get to know the voice of God is through our Bible reading and through Our prayer. And I say Bible reading, I don't just mean devotions. Someone else's interpretation of a scripture given.
[00:06:43] Carla Arges: Those are great. I use devotion sometimes myself, but I mean you getting into the word and allowing the Holy Spirit to give you insight and interpretation. That's how you get to hear God's voice. Now, I'm not going to talk too much about Bible study right now. I have a [00:07:00] whole episode from a few weeks ago about how to study the Bible.
[00:07:04] Carla Arges: It's there for you. You can listen. Um, it does not have to be an overwhelming, intimidating thing, but it's kind of like this. When you're at a crowded party and you kind of lose your husband and you call his name out and he answers over here, you know it's him answering because you know his voice. You know his voice because you are in relationship together and you talk often.
[00:07:28] Carla Arges: Same with your kid. If you miss your kid at a busy park and you call their name and they call it back, or you hear all of a sudden a kid crying, you recognize your kid's cry because you are in relationship. You can't pick out a stranger's voice and assign it to a person. Because you're not in relationship.
[00:07:49] Carla Arges: You don't know the voice. So you have to get into relationship. You have to get into the word. You have to get to know God's voice. [00:08:00] But in addition to that, I want to give you four They're not tips, they're four things that will help you in discerning God's voice. In addition to getting into the Word and praying with Him regularly, if you are hearing something or if you are feeling prompted by something, here are four ways to know if it's from God or not.
[00:08:22] Carla Arges: Are you ready? Do you have your pen and paper? The first is, God's voice will never contradict His Word or His character. Did you get that? God. will never contradict his word or his character. So if you are hearing something that goes against who you know God to be, that goes against what you know the scripture to be, That's not God.
[00:08:51] Carla Arges: That's not God. That could be your own fleshly desires. That can be the enemy. That can be voices that have been planted in [00:09:00] you by other people or the world. God does not contradict himself. Ever. Number two. God is clear and gives peace. If you have confusion, if you feel unsettled in your spirit, that is not from God.
[00:09:20] Carla Arges: And when I say unsettled, I don't mean being pushed out of your comfort zone, right? God absolutely, when he talks to us, will push us out of our comfort zone. Most places that he calls us requires us to get out of our comfort zone and take a step in faith. relying on Him to do the work in and through us as we move forward.
[00:09:45] Carla Arges: I'm not talking about that, Oh God, you're calling me out of your comfort zone. I'm talking about that unsettled feeling where you don't feel at peace, where you feel confused, where you feel like you're forcing it. [00:10:00] That is not of God. God is clear and gives peace. When God told me, no, this isn't for you right now.
[00:10:10] Carla Arges: I had peace and Listen before we get to the other two. Let's be clear on something just because something sounds good Doesn't mean of God what the people were suggesting I do is good things. It's needed things in the church but It was going to be a distraction of what God actually wants me to do right now, which is get this Bible study course for you guys.
[00:10:40] Carla Arges: That's what God wants me to do. And so the enemy will use seemingly good things and half truths to get us off course, right? He comes dressed as an angel of light. If something is blatantly out in left [00:11:00]field, we know right away that's not from God. The tricky thing with the enemy is he doesn't come at us from all the way out of left field.
[00:11:10] Carla Arges: He comes maybe just an inch off course of what God is, of what truth is. And that is how he tricks us. That is how he gets to us. So know this, that just because something is good doesn't mean it's from God. That's why we need to discern his voice. And remember, number one, he never contradicts himself.
[00:11:35] Carla Arges: Number two, he is clear and gives peace. And then number three. God's voice does not produce condemnation or shame, even when God is voicing to us correction. Even when God is disciplining us, even when the Holy Spirit is doing the necessary work of conviction to bring repentance, [00:12:00] it does not come with condemnation or shame.
[00:12:02] Carla Arges: We know that there is therefore no condemnation. Right? To those who are in Christ, right? We are born again in Christ and there is no condemnation. Jesus atoned for our sins in full. In full. There's no shame. There's no condemnation. God will convict and discipline, but it always comes with peace and love, with a turning towards God in repentance.
[00:12:41] Carla Arges: You see, condemnation and shame want to isolate us from God. It has a sinking back rather than leaning into our father. So, God does not produce condemnation or shame. Number four, God's voice is [00:13:00] quiet. God's voice is quiet. It's not the loudest, but it is the steadiest. And this is important to note that you have to still your heart and mind to hear God's voice.
[00:13:16] Carla Arges: Because it's quiet. And that is something that we can do. Even in the midst of a chaotic situation, it's not that our external environment has to be without chaos, although sure, that's ideal, but even in the midst of a chaotic situation, we can calm our mind and heart and listen for that still silent voice of God.
[00:13:45] Carla Arges: He doesn't yell. He doesn't push his way in, but he is faithful to respond. We just need to be quiet and listen for his voice, right? So [00:14:00] four things to keep in mind when discerning God's voice in your life. It will never contradict his word or character. It is clear and gives you peace. It does not produce condemnation or shame.
[00:14:15] Carla Arges: And it's quiet. Guys, if you are having trouble discerning God's voice in your life, if you don't know why you're struggling in this area, I want to invite you to book a discovery call with me. This is one of the things that I help women walking in their purpose do. Is discern God's voice, not because there's a magic prayer or a special, you know, approach you have to take, but it does take leaning into God's word.
[00:14:49] Carla Arges: It does take knowing the scripture and I come alongside you and teach you how to do that to affirm truth in your life. If you [00:15:00] know who God is and you know who he's created you to be. Then discerning his voice can be simple. Now, sometimes God does call us to wait. That is not an absence of God speaking.
[00:15:17] Carla Arges: There is always purpose in our waiting that refines and transforms us so that we are better prepared for the message he has to say. But here's the great thing. The Holy Spirit helps you discern if God is putting you in a period of waiting. When God is putting you in a period of waiting, you know, you know, it doesn't feel like an abandonment from the Father.
[00:15:49] Carla Arges: If you know God's heart for you, if you know God's heart is only for good things for you, which it is, then you know the wait [00:16:00] and the absence of an immediate answer, which we want in our instant gratification world is actually a gift because God only gives good gifts. So I want to encourage you today with this affirming truth.
[00:16:14] Carla Arges: I will get to know the voice of my father and walk in confidence. We're going to Isaiah 30, 21, and your ears shall hear a word behind you saying this way, walk in it when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Yes, friend, hearing the voice of God. In every decision point you want to make, it can be as easy as hearing, this is the way, walk in it.
[00:16:46] Carla Arges: When we seek God's voice in our life, when we know how to discern God's voice, and when we know who He is. [00:17:00] Guys, I hope you'd be blessed and I hope that this resonated with you and has equipped you to better hear from God. I'll talk to you later.
[00:17:15] Carla Arges: Thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social media, but if we're not, come find me on Instagram at KarlaArges or at AffirmingTruths. Can't wait to see you back here next week. Bye friends.