NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN: 1 Corinthians 5-7
SCRIPTURE READING
Judges 6:17 (NIV); If now I have found favour in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really
you talking to me.
These are the words of Gideon. God was giving Him a hefty task to save Israel from Midian.
He didn’t want to blindly accept what he sensed was a word from the Lord, so he tested the
spirit behind the word.
When seeking God’s direction in our lives, it is important to look for points of confirmation.
To blindly accept one word received in listening prayer can be very foolish. Of course the
obvious test is: “does this contradict scripture?” and if it does, we throw it out immediately.
However there are times when we thought we heard God so clearly only to find that things
didn’t turn out. That’s ok! We are always learning. But there are some points of confirmation
that it is good to look out for when discerning what you are hearing: 1) Words, thoughts and
pictures that get repeated. In listening to God, you have certain things that continue to come
up over and over. 2) Circumstances come together with what you think God is telling you. For
instance, you’ve been sensing that God is telling you to take your house off the market, and
though you’ve had tons of showings, there are no offers coming in. This seems to confirm
what you sensed God saying. 3) God’s blessing follows your obedience. Good fruit comes
out of our obedience. 4) You receive scripture that supports what you’ve been sensing. And,
5) there is agreement and affirmation from godly, trusted people in your life. Looking for at
least some of these things will help us to wisely determine God’s will for our lives.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. When have you been so certain that you heard God telling you to do something, only to
find that you had heard wrong? Was there something you should have done differently?
2. Look over these points of confirmation. When has God used some, or all of these in the
past to make His direction clear to you?
3. What is an area/situation where you really want to know God’s direction or purpose for
you? Have you found confirmation in any of these five ways? Commit to spending regular
time in prayer, pursuing
