God’s Voice or My Desires? How to Know the Difference

Here's a question I hear often: "How do I know if I'm hearing God's voice or just listening to my own desires?"

It's a legitimate question, and the fact that you're asking it shows you care about getting it right. Because there's a real difference between what God is calling you to do and what you want to do. And often, those two things are in direct conflict.

Let me be blunt: God's calling rarely feels comfortable.

We live in a culture that celebrates following your dreams and pursuing your passions. "Listen to your heart," they tell us. "Do what makes you happy." "Follow your bliss." And there's nothing wrong with joy or fulfillment. But here's what nobody tells you: God's calling on your life might ask you to do something that feels completely wrong by the world's standards. It might ask you to leave a lucrative career. It might ask you to forgive someone who hurt you deeply. It might ask you to serve in a way that makes you look foolish. It might ask you to surrender something you desperately want to keep.

Your desires will always tell you to take the path of least resistance. God's voice will often call you toward the harder road.

Think about Abraham. God called him to leave everything he knew and go to a place he'd never been. That wasn't what Abraham wanted. That terrified him. But God's voice was clear, and Abraham obeyed. Think about Jonah. God called him to preach repentance to his enemies, the Ninevites. That wasn't what Jonah wanted. He wanted them destroyed. So he ran in the opposite direction. It took a fish and a lot of suffering before Jonah finally aligned his will with God's.

People are wrestling with this right now. They're asking: How do I discern God's voice from my own desires? What does it mean to have a calling? How do I know if this is God's will or just what I want? And these are crucial questions because getting the answer wrong can send your entire life in the wrong direction.

• First, God's voice will always align with Scripture.

  This is foundational. If what you're sensing as "God's calling" contradicts what the Bible clearly teaches, it's not God. God doesn't contradict Himself. His voice in your life will never ask you to do something that violates His Word. That's your first filter.

• Second, God's voice will often require faith and obedience that feel unreasonable.

  Your desires make sense. They're logical. They're safe. They're what you'd choose if you were making the decision based on comfort and convenience. But God's calling often requires you to step out in faith without being able to see the full path ahead. Abraham didn't know where he was going. The disciples didn't understand why Jesus was asking them to leave their fishing boats. But they followed anyway, and they discovered that God's way, though harder, was infinitely better than their own way.

• Third, God's voice brings peace, even when it asks you to do hard things.

  This is crucial. There's a difference between the anxiety of your own desires pulling you in multiple directions and the peace of knowing you're aligned with God's will. When you're following your own desires, you're constantly second-guessing yourself, constantly wondering if there's something better, and constantly restless. But when you're following God's calling, even if it's difficult, there's a deep peace underneath it all. A knowing that you're exactly where you're supposed to be.  It’s possible to have the peace of God in your soul and still have butterflies in your stomach.

So how do you know what God’s will is for you right here and right now? Pray. Study Scripture. Seek wise counsel from mature believers. And then listen, not just with your ears, but with your spirit. God is speaking. The question is whether you're willing to hear Him, even if what He's saying isn't what you want to hear.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6