On her cell phone Virginia has different ringtones for each of her family members. My ringtone is a bark, Dorothy’s is a whistle, Louisa’s is a cricket, and Laura’s is a duck. I wonder if those sounds reflect what she thinks about our personalities. She says not, but I am rather suspicious. When her phone rings, she instantly knows who is calling. How do you know when it is the voice of God calling to you, speaking to you? How do you know it is not your own voice or the voice of your culture or the voice of your past? My test for recognizing the voice of God is if the voice I hear is telling me to do something Jesus wouldn’t do, it’s not God’s voice. If the voice I am hearing is telling me to do something or to make a decision that is opposite of the wisdom of God’s Word, then it is not God speaking. If you are having a hard time discerning God’s voice and calling for your life, test what you are hearing by God’s Word and get the wise counsel of godly friends. But the best way to discover and to know the voice of God is simply to spend time with God; have a daily quiet time, just you and God. Over time you will begin to recognize His voice. The Bible says the sheep know the shepherd’s voice because they are with the shepherd everyday.
– Dr. Tim Thompson