Seeking Clarity: Distinguishing Between God - Reddit Replies

Ever wonder if that nagging feeling or booming voice is God speaking, or just your own thoughts?

You're not alone! In this episode of Reddit Replies, Rico dives into deciphering the difference between divine messages and your inner monologue.

We explore a real Reddit post where someone struggles to tell if their anxieties are God's voice or their own. Rico shares his personal experiences, including a time he questioned a seemingly prophetic message, and how he uses scripture and prayer to navigate these situations.

Learn practical steps to discern God's voice:

• Scripture Check: Does the message align with the Bible?
• Seek Guidance: Talk to trusted mentors and leaders in your faith.
• Prayer and Reflection: Give yourself time to pray, fast, and truly listen.

This episode equips you to:

• Recognize God's unique ways of communicating.
• Avoid mistaking your own thoughts for divine messages.
• Gain confidence in discerning God's will for your life.

Don't miss out! Like, subscribe, and share this episode with anyone seeking clarity on hearing from God. For even more content, check out Reddit Replies on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms!

Rico Lane [00:00:00]:
Hey. How y'all doing? I'm Rico, and this is another episode of Reddit Replies. Have you ever heard somebody say that God told me this or God told me that? Or I was talking to God last night and he was like, and you could fill in the blank, right? Is this divine wisdom? Are they prophets? Or is it their inner voice? Or is it a just flat out lie, right? Well, that's what we're gonna be talking about on today's Reddit replies. We're gonna be cracking a code on how to hear God's voice. So let's go ahead and hop right into today's Reddit post, and we're gonna have a discussion about it.

Reddit User [00:00:35]:
I hear people say, God told me this time. God told me that. I know that we have a little voice inside our minds, but how do you know it is God's voice and not your own voice? I struggle a lot with anxiety. I've been praying for some clarity on a certain situation. How do I know that the voice I hear sometimes struggle

Rico Lane [00:00:56]:
with struggle with anxiety, right? We all have these things that we struggle with. And God tell us to be anxious about nothing, but for everything, come to him in prayer, which is what you're doing, right? And so once you pray, you obviously want to know God's answer. You obviously want to be able to hear back from God because prayer is a communication with Him, right? And I'll be honest, every time I hear somebody say, Well, God told me this, or I got a tip from God above, you know, my spidey senses get detangling a little bit, right? The hairs on the back of my neck raise up and I'm paying close attention to what they say. And I'm also, in my head, praying myself to God to help me have discernment to determine what's real and what's not so real because people say God told them stuff all the time. And we are warned in 1st John chapter 4 verse 1, it says, dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in this world. So there's many people who say they hear from God but they don't.

Rico Lane [00:02:13]:
And it says, test to see the spirit they have come from God. So that spirit could be coming from somewhere else. However, in first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 20, it says, do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good and see, because there's so many false prophets and because so many people say, I got this word from God and they promise you all these things that God says is going to happen and then when they don't happen, it gets us to a point where we start to not trust prophecies altogether, right? And the reality of it is, is that some prophecies do come from God and God do say hold on to what is good. So it's a tight rope that we walk between skepticism and faith, right? There's a balance that we got to play and we we can't just completely write somebody off when they say they heard from God because it's possible. And we can't completely write it off when we think we personally heard from God because it's possible. And we know that God has his own ways of communicating with us, right? But if we keep it 100, man, sometimes people take liberties with that concept, stretching that thing a little bit too far, really blaming God for stuff that God never said, and sometimes giving God a bad name or a false name. Right? And so you gotta really be concerned about it.

Rico Lane [00:03:31]:
You gotta pray about it and I'm gonna give some tips later, but I wanna first tell the story about me. When somebody came to me and said that God told them something about me. So I was living in LA, living my best life. Well, kinda, right? So LA, the weather was cool, the beaches was nice. I mean, you couldn't ask for better weather, but that traffic and that cost of living was on a whole another level. So anyhow, it was always me and my wife planning to retire in Texas, and I got orders to Texas. And I was coming up on 20 years of serving in the military, so the timing was perfect. Like, boom, I can get to Texas, I can ride out these 20, and I'm gonna retire.

Rico Lane [00:04:10]:
And in fact, that's exactly what I did. However, before I left, I was doing this homeless ministry with the church I was at. And 1 of the guys that I was out serving with, he was like, hey, God told me to tell you that, he didn't even say God told me to tell you. He said, God showed me or God told me that you and your family are gonna be moving back to LA. And I'm like, bro, I promise you, if I move back to LA, it's definitely God because there's no way I'm choosing to come back to the land of sky high rent, man, unless it's part of God's bigger plan. So, of course, here I am, I'm wondering if he really got a message from God, right? Or was it just this guy just blowing smoke on me, right? And so, obviously, it's been about 2 years now since I retired. I haven't moved back yet, but we know God's timing is different. And I gotta keep an open heart about it because in reality, God could have told him that and because I don't want to move back, I may be blocking what God is trying to tell me, right? Or God could have told that he could be wrong.

Rico Lane [00:05:13]:
Maybe he got it wrong and here I am maybe making decisions that may inadvertently have me move back to LA. Either way, it can be, an option that could be in God's will. But here's the thing, if it is in God's will, it's gonna happen regardless of what I say and what I do. And if I purposely go against God's will, then there's going to be consequences as well. But I can't lie by the guy planting a seed in there, it always leaves me wondering if it's God or not. Right? And I believe that God speaks to us in unique ways, right? Because he knows each 1 of us differently. And so, he may hit you up in a way that's completely different than the way he hit me up, Right? And now for me, I don't think that God gives us answers or God tells us about every single decision. I personally believe that we have biblical wisdom, there's certain principles and things we're supposed to live by, and then God gives us the freedom to make choices in our life and if we make those choices and align with his will and align with his biblical principles, then for the most part, things will go well for us.

Rico Lane [00:06:30]:
But there's always trials, there's always tribulations, but for the most part, if you follow Proverbs and follow biblical wisdom, things will go well. And so, for example, if you're trying to figure out whether or not you should marry the person you're dating. Well, does this person have the qualities of a wife? Does this person love God? Will y'all be equally yoked? What are their views on children? What are their views on marriage? What are their views on God? And so, sometimes, just based off of how a person is and what they believe, may be your answer because God warns us not to be unequally yoked. So if you're going to be with somebody who's not a believer in God, that may be your answer, right? But in other times, it may not be as clear cut as that, right? What you're doing may actually be something that's positive or in God's will, but it may not even be in his timing. And so, that's where prayer and fasting and being in the word and understanding what God, God's character and nature is comes into play. Because at the end of the day, God is not going to have you do something that's outside of his nature, right? And what's sweet about God is that he don't have a issue with confirming when is his word. So check out, Gideon, right? And so his story is in Judges chapter 6, starting at verse 36. So, Gideon, guy in Israel, he's asking God, Hey, if you're really going to use me to save Israel, then show me a sign, right? And so he said, I'm a put this, wool fleece out and if it's soaked with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I'll know it's you.

Rico Lane [00:08:14]:
And guess what? The next morning, that's exactly what happened. Now watch how humans be, right, because this is exactly how I'll be. Even though God did that, even though he set those standards, he still wasn't sure. So he's like, look, let's flip the script. Let's say, okay, let the ground be wet and the fleece be dry. The next morning, same thing. So he knew it was God. And see, God could have just been like, no, just listen to me and trust me.

Rico Lane [00:08:39]:
But you may hear a voice. Sometimes Satan's voice sounds like God. You know, when satan come at you, it's not always clear cut and dry that it's satan, right? It may seem like something good, which actually is hiding the disaster that's to come, you know? And then you got your boy Thomas, right? Thomas is another example. So Thomas rode with Jesus. He's 1 of his disciples. Jesus was crucified. They went and hide and they thought they were duped, right? They thought that, hey, maybe he wasn't the Messiah, but then he resurrected and the other disciples saw it, but Thomas didn't. And Thomas was like, look, I got to see for myself in order for me to believe.

Rico Lane [00:09:17]:
And a week later, Jesus shows up and he shows Thomas for himself. And so I say all that to say that God knows how to reach us. God knows how to let us know that it's Him, especially if we're His because His sheep will know His voice, right? And so He know how to communicate with us. And a way that he may communicate with me may be slightly different than how he communicate with you. I want to share a couple of ways that I feel like God communicate with me. I feel like, first, it starts with maybe like a feeling deep down, a voice inside my head, something nudging me towards something or something nudging me not to do something, right? And then usually, if I think it's God, it's something that goes along with his will or at the very least it doesn't go against his will. And then, almost like clockwork, somebody else will mention that same thing or that similar thing or my pastor will be talking on that topic at church, for example, right? Or I may be scrolling through social media and that topic comes up in 1 of the sermons. And I get the algorithm and all that, but I don't really believe in coincidences either.

Rico Lane [00:10:29]:
Like, when there's a very specific thing that I'm thinking about and a topic that I'm dealing with and I may not have even searched for it. It's just that God has kind of put it on my heart, you know. And then a Bible story or a sermon comes up or a pastor teaches on it or somebody comes to speak to me about the same thing, then that's kind of how I know that this is something that God wants me to pay attention to. And then I'll pray on it, I'll study on it, I'll see what his word has to say, and I'll move from there, right? And God has his different ways of doing that. I mean, he used a talking donkey and he used writing on the wall and so he knows how to get through to us. And even if we miss the mark, let's say we ignore those nudges or we pray and God tells us something that we don't know. That's where his grace comes in. His grace is sufficient for us.

Rico Lane [00:11:21]:
Now, there are consequences to ignoring the Holy Spirit. There are consequences to not follow his commandments or whatever, but there's also grace and he catches us when we stumble, right? And so I want to leave you with some practical steps for when you're trying to figure out if God's talking to you or if it's just your inner voice. Right? Especially since we know that 1 of Satan's favorite ways to come at us is through our mind. So if you got a message or you're feeling something, the first thing you need to do is check it against scripture, right? God is not about to contradict his word. And a lot of times, people be like, Oh, well, you just worshiping the Bible and you found the Bible. Well, the Bible is what was left for us to understand and know God. And if we can't validate it or check it or reference it off of that, then what do we have? And at the end of the day, why would the Holy Spirit have you do something that is against His word? He won't, right? Also, you want to talk it out with somebody you trust, right? There's wisdom when it comes to counsel. Somebody who fears and loves God.

Rico Lane [00:12:23]:
Maybe a pastor, maybe a mentor, even somebody who got experience another in that area. Even if that person's not necessarily a Christian. I know for a while my uncle was a Muslim, but when it came to marriage and the way he loved his wife and the way he treated his wife, I value his opinion on how to treat your wife. Now, I wouldn't go to him for spiritual stuff, but I would go to him for something when it comes to marriage stuff because he treated his wife well, 1 of the very few people I knew that did that. And so, if God can use a donkey, he can even use a non believer. But that word that comes from that non believer still should line up with what scripture says. If it contradicts scripture like, hey, go dress your heart. Go after your heart.

Rico Lane [00:13:06]:
You deserve this. No. Our heart is wicked. Our heart that is exactly what when Satan tempts us. He tempts us with what's already in our heart, what we already desire, right? And so you got to be careful who you get that mentorship from but if it's somebody you trust, somebody you know got the best for you and you can bounce it off of scripture, I think you're on the right track. Then you want to pray on it and fast. Not every decision is an emergency. Not every decision needs to happen expeditiously, if you will, right? If you got the time, take the time to make the decision.

Rico Lane [00:13:41]:
Don't rush it. That was 1 of the things that I had to learn. I am very motivated and goal oriented and I make decisions real fast. Sometimes you can, that can cause mistakes. Right? And so if you got the time to get the guidance, to seek Castle, to, reach out to peers and mentors and your pastor, then do it. Right? Because God, he invented time. And so he's pretty good at answering you at the right time when you need it. It may not be at the time you want it, but it's definitely on his time plan.

Rico Lane [00:14:17]:
He's never late, right? So, I feel like if you take these steps, they're simple steps, but it's going to protect you when it comes to trying to decipher if it's you, if it's Satan, or is it God. And again, God give us grace. God give us the opportunity to choose. He gives us wisdom. So you want to get as much biblical wisdom in you and you want to pray and have that relationship with God so when it's time to make those decisions, you know that you're making it in line with him. 1 of the things that my buddy, Anthony, told me is that when he's trying to decide what to do and make a decision, he said, how would this advance God's kingdom? You see, we're all called to advance God's kingdom. We're all called to share the gospel. We're all called to go and make disciples.

Rico Lane [00:15:06]:
So how does this decision or this thing that you're trying to get an answer to, how would that help you with doing what God called you to do? Right? And so I feel like these are a couple few little tools that you can use to kind of help you see if you're God or not. I pray that this message hit home to you. I pray for those who are listening. And if you got tips, go ahead and share them. And if I earned it, do me a favor. Hit that like button, subscribe to the channel. And if you're listening on the podcast network, leave a review. And if you want to check out the video, you can watch this on YouTube.

Rico Lane [00:15:40]:
Right? But share your thoughts and, your ideas in the comment section. How do you know when this got? And have you actually heard the audible voice of God? If you have, we would love to hear your story. And with that, that's all I have. I pray that this was a blessing to you.