Many people let their inner voice guide them. Some may call it a feeling, or inspiration; men may name it a “gut feeling” or women may say it is “intuition.” But for those who recognize their spiritual need and seek God’s guidance in their lives, how do you know for sure if you are just listening to your own emotions or not? How do you know if you are hearing God or yourself? There are many ways to find out without a doubt who is doing the talking! Let’s look at some now.
Is it of Love or Fear? If you see the core of God as being unconditional Love, all answers and information from God will highlight that. There are only two choices in life – love or fear. Love moves us forward, fear stagnates and freezes us. So use this freely as a method to know if what has come to your mind is motivating and carrying you forward, or not. Often we are asked to go forward without knowing all the in’s and out’s of a matter – we may not have the answers for everything, but trusting to take that first step highlighted in front of us is a place that faith can, and does, bless. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1)
Is it Words of Man or of God? Each of us is bombarded with hundreds of outside influences every day. Whether it is a commercial telling you to buy a certain product, a magazine telling you to look and act a certain way, or a co-worker or friend suggesting you do this or that because it worked well for them. The list goes on and on. It is tempting to give your power away to everyone else, and do whatever anyone else says to – it is the easy way out and if something goes wrong, you can pass the blame onto someone else. But, you yourself will reap the consequences of your choices, and whether they be for good or bad, the ripple effect will always include you. God asks each one of us to be the mystic, to hear him for ourselves. So, while you may receive information from many different sources, your power lies in the ability of discernment; to lift all of what is gathered up to Love and see if it truly is right for you or not.
Is it in Accord with your Prayers? Prayer is a place of oneness of giving and receiving dialog, of hanging out and building a relationship with God as a trusted friend. We are asked to be specific in our prayers. This gives us greater ability to see The Big Guy’s hand in things when they appear. He takes every opportunity available to speak to our spirit, which is why we feel calmer and more at peace after we spend time with him. Prayer is like a high-speed internet download, by using our free will desire to connect with God, we receive information that we may not even be conscious of, to help us in matters at the time, and even in future times to come.
Is it an Internal Recording? All of us have a certain amount of history that influences how we make our present and our future. Some of these influences are from where we are born in the world, our culture and our traditions. Others have to do with our personal family dynamics. If you were raised in a home where a parent was difficult to please, or a school that rarely complemented personal effort, or you were segregated in one way or another because of your looks, income, race or religious beliefs, these negative memories may influence thoughts about yourself or abilities. Awareness of this is the key to letting it go, and looking at things from a fresh perspective outside of yourself, beyond imposed limitations.
Our best guidance comes from beyond the emotions we may feel at any given moment. By following the four simple rules above, we can know much better what has been divinely given us by Father, and what has not. True discernment comes from knowing that God will always expand us toward love in all things, and that fear has no place in that forward movement. Do not give all your power away to the influences around you, but use prayerful discernment to receive what is best for you. Be specific in your prayers so that you recognize them when they are answered, and let go of any internal recordings that may taint preconceptions about yourself. And have confidence, because now you know who is talking!
