Hearing Voices: Are They of God?

There isn’t one Christian who doesn’t long to hear the voice of the Lord speak to them. It can be the most exciting moment when He whispers something profound to our spirit that changes us, and we will never forget it. But some voices only sound like God. Do you hear voices that sound like God? Are they really the Lord’s voice?

For people with mental illness, hearing voices is common.  It’s an everyday occurrence without medication. It’s also common to “hear” the voice of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. But those voices are not always the true voice of the Lord.

Evil spirits masquerade as the voice of God in order to deceive us and lead us astray. They may cause confusion that leads us away from God and subtly goads us toward sin or wrongful actions. They may fill our minds with twisted thoughts that don’t make any sense and are irrational and delusional. As you hear voices, their goal is to get you to trust their voice as the voice of God while leading you in the wrong direction. If you rent space in your mind to these “voices”, you will follow deceitful spirits thinking the Lord is leading you and never tune into the true voice of God.  

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

God Leaves No Doubt

When God speaks to us, there is a strong witness in our spirits that it is His true voice; the Holy Spirit confirms it. If there is any doubt, then dismiss the voice. God’s voice strengthens, encourages, rebukes, instructs, gives direction, or prophesies. Evil spirits’ voices love to harass and oppress our minds and cause breakdowns. They may leave us so puzzled that we can’t figure out what the voice means or wants. Or we might suddenly be “led” somewhere or to do something, but upon closer examination, those are misleading voices because they have no witness with the true Holy Spirit. You may hear voices which are negative and like to create false realities; as we believe them, we become delusional.

Counterfeit voices of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will talk frequently to get you so trusting that you never question them and make you think that God just loves to talk to you. They know that mentally ill people hear voices and are susceptible to being misled. They take advantage of our vulnerability. In reality, God does not speak that often, so if we hear him “all the time,” it is probably not the real Him.

Jeremiah 31:14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.

Evil Spirits Leave Much to be Desired

A counterfeit voice will leave you feeling unsatisfied, like your needs weren’t met. They might leave you feeling empty. Sometimes, when you hear voices claiming to be God, the Son, or the Spirit, you will get a strong witness from the Spirit of God warning you not to listen; it’s not Him, but you might be tempted to ignore that warning because you long to hear his voice. You’ll feel unsettled and may even, after practicing developing discernment, be able to tell that it’s a negative voice, especially if the voice says things that insult you, threaten you, or accuse you.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

A voice masquerading as God might also fill your mind up with his demands and his arguments that overburden you and stress out your psyche. Or the voice might give you many compliments or insist you are more favored and give you an ego trip. The Bible admonishes us to abstain from fleshly arguments and that God resists the proud.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Don’t Be Deceived

When you hear voices that are counterfeit, they also may promise special blessings like health, wealth, and prosperity, but never deliver. The Bible says such claims are not of God but mislead those who are allured by having “itching ears”. The Israelites turned a deaf ear to holy prophetic warnings of impending judgment and sought out false prophets who promised them everything they wanted to hear because it sounded good to them. They weren’t required to be accountable or to repent of their sins, so they were far from God.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Confusion is not of God. When God speaks, it agrees with His nature, which is holy, pure, just, and merciful. Despite what anyone may insist, God does not overlook sin. Nor does He just leave you to your own ways; He gently guides and corrects, shows you His desires, and waits patiently for you to yield. He is never abusive, but if a child of His ignores His direction, He will clearly show you His will again and again until you understand that cooperation will bring peace with God. Rebellion will cause tension between you and Him and may result in experiencing His discipline.

Ezekiel 13:22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

God Convicts You and Encourages Your Faith

If you hear voices that leave you confused or make you begin doubting or questioning your faith, look up and know that the true God’s voice affirms you and your faith. His voice may also lead you to humble yourself and agree with Him that sin is sin. He will never make you fearful and will always strengthen your trust in Him. The things He says often inspire us to see how great He is and how small we are! If He convicts or warns you, He will also give hope, so any feeling of doom or despair means it wasn’t Him.

 Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Any thoughts which bombard your mind and are continuous are not of Him. He may speak more than just a few words, but the things He says are profound and life-changing. You will ALWAYS feel His intense love for you when He speaks. Any other feeling you get that is negative is not coming from Him. You will feel accepted, not rejected or persecuted. You will feel that He has a purpose and a calling for you, not lost and aimless. He always makes you feel like He is personally involved in your life and future, not like He is distant and uncaring. You will feel His merciful grace and kindness toward you, not His anger and intolerance of your mistakes or sinfulness.

Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God Never Sounds Like a Human

God’s thoughts are so much higher than humans’. Much of the time His words lift us up from the doldrums to see things from a greater, higher perspective. They never make us feel bad, and they are not discouraging. He may say some startling things, but they are designed to help us see things from His perspective, not ours, because ours may be filtered through the flesh and skewed negative viewpoints. If He does get angry at our sin, remember He is slow to anger and waits patiently for our repentance while convicting us but not condemning us. If He warns us, the warning is designed to motivate a change in our behavior, not to make us feel hopeless or cause us to give up inside.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

An evil spirit’s aim is the opposite of God’s aim. It seeks to discourage, confuse, mislead, and implant subtle negative thinking. It may cause fearfulness or make you question if God is trustworthy. Test everything you hear with what you know God is really like. Dismiss whatever cannot be verified as the true voice of God, whether it be prophecies, instruction, direction, teaching, or anything else. They aim to destroy your confidence in God or inspire vain imaginations or use you to mislead others, or steer you away from the true will of God.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Learn to Discern Counterfeit Voices

Anyone who speaks to you claiming to have a word from God may also be hearing from a counterfeit voice; see if it witnesses with your spirit and the Holy Spirit. If it doesn’t agree with what the true voice of God has been saying to you, ignore it, put it from your mind, no matter how good it may sound.

It took me many years to sharpen my discernment, and during that time, I heard lots of counterfeit voices who claimed to be God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but now I know how to test the spirits. God’s voice is powerful; evil spirits’ voices are weak and disturb my being. You will never be free from these counterfeit attacks on your vulnerability, but you can learn to discern and get to know who the real God is. When He speaks, I savor His words, because they are manna from Heaven. When counterfeit voices speak, I become discouraged and confused. They do the opposite of strengthening my faith.

Above all, even if you think you have heard from the real God, pray about it and ask for discernment. This will ensure you avoid falling into those subtle traps laid by the enemy. Don’t feel bad if you were deceived; we all fall prey to it at some point. Don’t become discouraged if what you have mostly heard comes from the dark side; God will speak; be patient and trust Him. When He does speak, you will be overjoyed, for He thinks about you and wants the best for your life. What an awesome God we serve!