Every person is different, and God speaks to each of us in a way that we will understand. There are many subtleties in the voice of God, that distinguish it from our own thoughts, or the enemy’s voice. Not all the characteristics of God’s voice are present every time he speaks. Here is a list of some of the characteristics of God’s voice:

- I have peace when He speaks.

- I can often feel His intense love when He speaks.

- My Spirit rejoices in the truth.

- He reaffirms what he says in the Bible.

- Godly men or women will reaffirm what God is showing me.

- While I wait or strive to do what God is prompting, He will begin to work out small details, to reaffirm that I’m on the right track.

- He is the author and perfecter of my faith. In other words, He will both initiate an idea and grow my faith in that idea.

- He will answer specific questions I ask, regarding what he told me.

- Lastly the enemy will often oppose what God is teaching me or prompting me to do.

The enemies voice is different, but often so similar, due to his cunning and whit, in imitating the Holy Spirit, that I often cry out to God for further clarification, discernment and understanding. Here is a list of characteristics of the enemy’s voice:

- Act quick or you’ll miss it.

- Fear of consequences, if I don’t act.

- Selfish motives disguised as pure. For example: God won’t bless me with a relationship, or he won’t take me out of a trial, until I do such and such.

- Greed. The enemy will try and stir up discontent, and trick us into thinking our greedy desires are actually a way God wants to bless us.

- Anger. There is also a righteous anger, but the enemy will often try to trick us into not being patient, and justifying our words or actions.

- The enemy almost always uses twisted scripture with me. For example, the enemy will put a thought in my mind like, God wants me to give up all my money. Then bible verses will come to my mind like, the widow who put in all she had. Or Jesus telling the rich young man, to sell all his possessions, and give the money to the poor. (The true interpretation is that, we must be willing to give up everything for Jesus.)

God gave me a gift of discerning spirits, but I still find myself in confusion. I asked God to increase my discernment, but he showed me that I still need him even with the gift of discernment. We can’t rely on our own intellect and knowledge to escape Satan’s schemes. We don’t even know how to pray as we ought.¹ Fortunately, we don’t have to outwhit the wolf; we just have to stay with the shepherd. God designed us to continually need his help and deliverance.² David said you made me to rely on you at my mother’s breast.³ God wanted us to be dependent on him, just like a mother likes caring for her child, or a husband likes his wife to need him. As long as our heart is submitted in obedience to God, he promised to take care of us.⁴

① Romans 8:26    ② Matthew 6:11-13    ③ Psalm 22:9    ④ Isaiah 26:3