Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Pray, especially when you're unsure of God's will for your life. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (Jam...
Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.
David Whitley
Supporter
Pray, study His word and follow His Will. We are sinful and prone to self deception. Knowing what God wants for you is found in His word. Christ calls you to Him. He never calls you to anyone or anything or any place else. Do not follow your gut, your feelings, your dreams, your visions, coincidences, or anything that is not readily apparent to others. God may work in mysterious ways (through the Holy spirit) but he is not mystical. He has given you the firmest support you could ever ask for -- His word. He is the God of revelation -- He is not hiding anything from you that you need to know or figure out apart alone from Him.
Jim Tumlinson
Supporter
If you feel God is telling you to do something you can check it with this Is it contrary to the Word? Does it violate covenant with God or others? Are you the only benefactor? God likes win win win You can run it by a close friend who is objective, I do so with my mentor. You need to walk it out and be cautious to hear God on the subject, if you don't get a red light then keep going. If you are married what is your spouse saying about it? If you can't agree then wait, God honors this and if it is from Him, He will help your spouse with it. Good luck (I know I can't say good luck on a christian thing like this, but I did <;)
James Kraft
Supporter
The company I use to work for offered me a much higher paying job than the one I was working in. At the outset it looked really good and I was almost ready to take it when I began to feel something not right. I prayed about it for a few days and the Lord really lead me to refuse the job. A few weeks later I was offered another job which was right down my expertise and I took it with joy. Many times the Lord will just make us uneasy about something we are about to do, and other times we will have peace about the thing we are going to do. I have learned when I do not know what to do in a given situation to just leave it in the Lords hands and wait upon Him. Patience is a virtue and many times we just have to wait. The one thing we can count on is that when He says to just trust Him that it puts our minds and hearts at ease even though we may be going through a trial that is difficult at best. He always has a purpose in it that will be for our best. There are those times when we are groping in the dark and have to live one day at a time. There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. That is when we learn to trust Him. Mountain top experiences are great, but we learn way more in the valley of trials and tribulation. Our faith becomes more real as we have to rely upon Him for everything and nothing as coming from our selves. Amazing grace is not without trials and tribulation. It is when our faith grows by leaps and bounds because without faith it is impossible to please Him. We realize that we are completely dependent on Him. We become weak in ourselves but strong in the Lord. It is a very humbling experience.
Helena Jones
Supporter
John 10:3-5, It is written: "The watchmen open the gates for him, and the sheep listens to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep will follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger." I also agree with the others when they write to always pray over a word that you have heard. Pray repeatedly. Little by little you will become more confident in whose voice you are hearing. If the word is inconsistent with God's word, and his word to you about your life purpose then it could be another's voice.
Amanda Figgins
Supporter
Sometimes God will show you simply. Its not really difficult to know its our loving Heavenly Father gently taking to us. Sometimes its his still small quiet voice and other times he shouts! You will know and tell the difference of the truth and let love and good thing to hear. His word. His guidance. Knowing what is good right and just, like the helmet of salvation. His promoting of the Holy Spirit. And asking him what to do! And know! Trust Him. One day at a time!
Robyn Keal
Supporter
I expect God grabs people's attention in different ways according to how tuned in they are to the Spirit. God can use many ways to speak to us. He uses people, vessels like you and me. He can use a person to relay a message, or you could be reading the word of God, and something you are reading will jump out at you, like off the page, almost. Another way is like nagging, not to be disrespectful to the Almighty, but if it's important and he really needs your attention, whatever is being said in your mind won't stop; it can go on for days and days until you do something about it. He repeats it over and over until you realise something is different here. Another way I know very well is promptings in the gut, that gut feeling, you know the saying, "Go with your gut." Well, this is completely different. It's like a tingling pressure, like fullness of urgency to listen. I know when the Spirit of God speaks to me via my gut feeling, as before I didn't know what was going on. Like the words going over and over in your mind until you take notice, the same with the gut prompting you. This gut prompting has never let me down, ever. The prompts warn me when I'm going to do the wrong thing or decision, and it encourages me to go the way my gut is telling me to. Sometimes when you have these gut prompts you don't know what God is trying to tell you, but you soon find out, he never fails. And there is prayer. Praying, seeking His face for direction, asking God to open or close a door to what you are seeking Him about. There is also a good feel about something or an off-putting one. If you feel at peace about your prayer request, all good. When in doubt, do nothing; otherwise, you could go off the track God wants you on, and you will miss out on his blessings for you. The Holy Spirit will help to determine when God is speaking to you or grabbing your attention, ask and it shall be given, but seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be open.
Danny Hickman
Supporter
"How can I know when God is telling me to do something?" There's a belief in Christendom that God speaks to us primarily through His Word, the Bible. I think telling people that can be very discouraging. Why? Because there are so many people who look at the Scriptures and think, 'This might as well be written in Swahili' (them who don't speak the language of the Bantu people, that is). Many, many people don't have the cognitive skills to get a word from the Lord in those writings. I come from a people who were conquered and stripped of their language and denied the privilege and right to learn to read a new language that was imposed upon them. They were still guided by the Spirit of God through prayer, not by a reading of the Word of God. There's no way a weekly Sunday sermon can keep anyone spiritually nourished. That's still true in 2026. I encourage people to read the Word, to listen to sermons, etc, but I don't think those practices are the BEST WAYS to stay connected to God, in and of themselves. There's an important, MAIN ingredient needed to shore up those practices. Prayer. Prayer is the "general admission" price of walking in the Spirit. It is without flaw or contradiction; no external skills or credentials are necessary for breakthrough success. It's the PRIMARY WAY God uses to communicate with us. It isn't to be treated as a special commodity. Prayer is to be the "GO TO" for following Jesus. Prayer isn't to be synonymous with "Mama's good chinaware," kept in a different cabinet and trotted out for special occasions. How do we determine when God is telling us to do something? Pray! Always! (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Then proceed by faith, not by sight (nor sound) 2 Corinthians 5:7. If you can't make it to Bible study, be sure you make it to your prayer closet! Then there's this: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him (make Him your top priority) and He will guide you the whole way (Proverbs 3:5,6). IOW, "Don't be wise in your own eyes." (vs 7) A man's heart plans His way, but the Lord directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9) That right there isn't easy; to make plans and not plan the whole thing. That ain't what's said! We should lay out a plan and have a back-up plan; a Plan B. But we should talk to God from the beginning of an idea, and don't stop talking to Him about the whole thing. Pray always! And keep God as the top priority above it all!
jackie pippin
Supporter
I have never said, "The Lord told me..." I do not believe this direct word from God is scriptural. The canon is closed. I do believe the Lord presses upon us to fulfill a need of someone else to give love, time, money, or possessions, things that are marked in the Bible. However, when I am struggling to do one thing or another, God does guide me to know which is the better choice by using my mind and His Spirit. A story told by Beth Moore was that she was waiting in an airport. In the same room was an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair with long scraggly hair. The Spirit kept leading her to brush his hair. It frightened her and embarrassed her to think of doing such a strange thing in a room full of people. She didn't want to do it and continued to fight against the heeding. But God did not turn her loose. Finally, with trepidation and embarrassment, she pulled her brush from her purse, walked over, and began to brush the elderly man's long, tangled hair. I can't recall the exact ending. But I do remember it being a very positive experience. The man wept as he told Beth his story. She and he were both blessed. I suppose most of us have had similar experiences with God. On the other end of the stick, twice I kept asking God whether I should do a particular thing, thinking it would benefit another person. I really wanted to do these things. After a couple of days or so with no certain response from the Lord except a small sense that maybe I wasn't headed in the right direction, I plowed on and spoke to these friends. Both times, they blew up in my face and caused a rift in our friendships. I am still praying for reconciliation. The evil one can guide us to do the wrong thing. The spirits must be discerned. Everything that comes into our minds is not from God. We must be so careful. We must pray about these impressions for more than a couple of days unless, like Beth, the urge is powerful, expeditious and does not violate Scripture.
Daniel Veler
Supporter
You asked How can I know when God is telling me to do something? To comprehend this question, it’s crucial to grasp Christ’s teachings on eternal life and the precise sequence of events that precede it. John 17:1: Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. What this tells us is that eternal life was going to bring us into the fellowship of the Father and the Son, where we would know them and they would know us. Then, in John chapter 14, the Apostles asked Jesus, "How can this be?" John 14:22: Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" Jesus answered and said unto him, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Now, you might wonder why the definition of eternal life was given in chapter 17, but the question concerning it was in chapter 14. The reason is that the writer of John was recalling the teachings of Christ and did not write them in chronological order. Many people overlook this. This is why it’s crucial to read everything and not selectively choose scripture. Your understanding of the true meaning of scripture given to you by the Lord will never be changed by someone else’s opinion. As to your question, ask someone who stands in church to preach if his calling came from the Lord and how he received it. Was it by the Lord or was it just a desire to do so? Those who have a desire, is it from the Lord? Most people have never known the Lord, for if they had, they would have understood the true meaning of eternal life and what it brings to us. In the comment section, I will tell you how the Lord has spoken to me. Sometimes through an inward voice, sometimes through scriptures.
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible