NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN: Romans 9-11
SCRIPTURE READING
1 John 4:1 (NIV); Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Hearing God is a wonderful gift that brings life. However, we’ve all heard stories, and have had
our own experiences that show it is possible for our ears to miss the message. Surely massacres
done “in the name of the Lord” and condemnation spoken over people in the church through the
ever-common phrase “the Lord told me to tell you…” were not done or said through the guidance
of the Holy Spirit.
We are human, and as such, we make mistakes. Even the words of the Spirit of God, spoken
deep into our hearts, pass through the “me-filter.” We all come with bents and biases that affect
our hearing. This is why it is so important to continually grow in the practice of hearing God’s
voice. His voice is often indistinct, and it requires a trained ear to hear Him accurately.
We must hold the things we receive in prayer loosely. Much damage has been done in branches
of the church where congregations were given free rein to speak out “in the name of the Lord.”
When we hear what we think is a directional word from the Lord, we need to test the spirit behind
what we are hearing and look for confirmation. Even those who are, or who consider themselves
gifted in the prophetic are responsible to this verse, and to the humility of holding their received
words loosely. We can all hear God and we all do make mistakes. These two truths are
humbling.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Do you just accept any and every word that passes through your heart and mind as a word
from the Lord? Take some time to review the things you’ve been hearing. Are there any blatant
red flags, such as contradictions to Scripture?
2. Are you guilty of speaking to someone “in the name of the Lord?” Ask God to show you how
and when you spoke on His behalf when you should have been silent. Have you confessed this?
3. Practice listening to God by asking Him to give you an encouraging word to share with
someone else today. This is a healthy way to practice hearing God.
