How much do you obey His written Word and those in authority over you when they act according to His written Word? Disobedience to His Word hardens our hearts, making us less able to hear His voice and more prone to listen to something other than His voice. If we do not obey His written Word (whether we read it or hear it) we are less sensitive to the moving of the Spirit upon us. Heb. 3:14-19
How much have you tuned yourself? Condition your mind to think about God and the things of God. Have holy Christian music run through your mind. What artwork is around your house? Is it artwork that Jesus would have? Are you memorizing any Bible verses? Whatever you have and do, focus on the the goal found in Php. 4:8. Eliminate those things that don't meet that goal.
Condition your soul. Your flesh won't want this, but learn to like the things Christ would like. Isa. 55:1-3
Condition your body. Determine that your spirit, and not your body, will have priority. I once knew a man who would read the Holy Bible before he would eat his breakfast. Ps. 42:5
8.Condition your spirit by yielding to any urges you feel to worship, pray, reverence, read the Bible, speak about Jesus, and similar things. If you haven't had any of these urges, ask God to give you these urges (Ps. 27:8).
Ask God to increase your discernment (Col. 1:9).
If the above link does not work, open another browser window and enter into the address bar by copying and pasting . . .
http://www.sapphirestreams.com/life/HowKnowGodsVoice01WS.html#item2.
Testing a Voice
These tests are supreme and would be a good way to check any voice/urge, even for those with mental illness and other circumstances mentioned above.
How did you “hear” it? If you heard something audible, make sure it did not come from another human. For an example, see 1 Sam. 3:1-15 where little Samuel thought he was hearing from Eli. If it was an urge, did it come from your body, soul, or your spirit / conscience? Most times, but not all times, it should be coming from your spirit. Question urges you feel from your body or soul.
From what you read in the sections between the marks >> <<, if the urge or voice is similar to those points, most likely it is God speaking to you. If you are saved, you will instinctively know it is His voice (John 10:1-5).
If the above link does not work, open another browser window and enter into the address bar by copying and pasting . . .
http://www.sapphirestreams.com/life/HowKnowGodsVoice01WS.html#item3.
Use the Word of God. If the voice or urge you sense goes against the Word of God, do not follow it, because the Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God (Isa. 8:20).
If the above link does not work, open another browser window and enter into the address bar by copying and pasting . . .
http://www.sapphirestreams.com/life/HowKnowGodsVoice01WS.html#item4.
Whatever you sense or hear, would Christ consider it? If He would not entertain the thought, neither should you. Rom. 12:1-2
If you would follow through with what you hear or sense, is it something Christ would do? If not, don't even consider it. 1 Jo. 2:6
Think it out. If you follow through with an urge, would you feel “dirty?” If so, don't listen to it. 2 Cor. 7:1
Conversely, if the urge passes the other tests, if you begin to disobey, do you find the urge becoming stronger? Acts 9:10-15
If you still have doubts, privately ask God for a confirmation of what action you should take. This is not a sinful seeking of a sign as spoken of by Jesus, but something that God fearing people would do to make sure they were making correct choices. In Genesis 24:12-20, Abraham's servant asked God for confirmation in direction in regard to finding a wife for his son Isaac.
About Medication
The Word of God is not against the reasonable (in the eyes of God) use of material means to better our flesh (Isa. 38:21). However, God wants us to seek Him first (2Ch 16:12). If you must go to a doctor, try to find one that is truly a Christian (quite rare), or at least acknowledges God and believes that nothing is impossible with Him, or, in the very least, one who will not go against you placing your trust in God.
If the above link does not work, open another browser window and enter into the address bar by copying and pasting . . .
http://www.sapphirestreams.com/life/HowKnowGodsVoice01WS.html#item5.
Watch Your Pearls
Every Christian should actively sense directions from God. Our spiritual experiences should be like pearls to us and we must be careful as to whom we tell them. Tell only those who truly know Christ and are mature enough to realize the movings of God's Spirit (Mt. 7:6). If you tell, tell only for the proper motives, either to instruct or, perhaps, to double check your experiences with another true Christian.
I and others tell of our experiences to instruct those who are hopefully the disciples of Christ, and to whet their appetite for the moving of God in their life.
