Through everyday experiences?
How should we react when we hear a prompting from God?
A “prompting”? What is that? Promptings or leadings are a common experience for the Christian believer: Simeon was “moved by The Spirit” to go into the temple where Joseph and Mary were dedicating Jesus to God (Luke 2:27). Jesus was “led by The Spirit” into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1). Many times the promptings of The Spirit come to us in ways we “think not of.” The Lord gives us promptings to help us and bless others. Any time a good thought or warm feeling enters our heart and mind, it may be from the Lord. Promptings come in harmony with gospel principles and common sense.
How does God speak to us?
Through the Bible?
Through everyday experiences?
How should we react when we hear a prompting from God?
Check out these…
Top 12 Bible Verses-Hearing God in Everyday Life …
Psalm 119:105
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through The Word of Christ.
John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Jeremiah 33:3
Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
John 8:47
Whoever is of God hears The Words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
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.
Luke 11:28
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear The Word of God and keep it!”
Hebrews 4:12
For The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the Man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
John 14:26
But The Helper – The Holy Spirit, Whom The Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.
Hebrews 1:1-5
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He appointed The heir of ALL things, through Whom also He Created the Universe. He is The RADIANCE of The glory of God and the exact imprint of God’s nature, and He upholds the universe by The Word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of The Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son ”?
- Paul was “compelled by The Spirit” to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22).
But, it is equally important to remember that there are other kinds of promptings that we can experience besides the leadings of The Holy Spirit. Some can be good promptings, while others can be bad:
- Your heart can “prompt” you to give (Exodus 25:3).
- But your sin can also “prompt” you to speak (Job 15:5).
- And your troubled thoughts can “prompt” you to answer (Job 20:2).
- The devil even “prompted” Judas to go out and betray Jesus (John 13:2).
Becoming a Christian does not ensure that all your promptings are now from God. As a matter of fact, the apostle John says:
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God… (1 John 4:1)
Looking back over the examples I gave of promptings from the Bible,
- Some were from the Spirit of God,
- Others came from ourselves (our hearts, our sin, or our troubled thoughts), and
- Some even came from the devil himself.
So, it’s important to distinguish which “promptings” are really from us (or from evil spirits), and which ones are truly from God.
When it comes to being prompted to pray something specific for another person, I would be very cautious about this, unless it agrees with Scripture.
This is really the test: Does it agree with Scripture? If the answer is yes, then it is from God. If not, then it could be either from you or an evil spirit.
Remember, Satan is a master at twisting the Scriptures to mean something God never intended… (see Luke 4).
It’s always better to look at the context of a passage and see what God intended, rather than praying a phrase from the Bible out of context. As you continue to grow in holiness, you will also find yourself growing in your ability to discern God’s will:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2