The number 1 question I receive is, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” What they’re saying to me is, how do I know God’s voice? How do I know if that thought, or that feeling, or that stirring within is from God or from the devil? Maybe you don’t trust yourself anymore. You’ve made so many wrong choices, acted on impulse chasing after the wrong things, that now you can’t trust yourself. That’s actually good. Coming to the place where you know that you alone can’t get this right is a great place to be. Knowing you’re not self-sufficient is a beautiful first step of a surrendered life. Knowing you can’t lead yourself is how you learn to follow Jesus. But there’s one way to learn to trust your inner voice – let that inner voice be filled with God’s words. If it’s God’s word, then it’s not wrong. However, on a very practical level, how do you get God’s words to become your inner voice? ONE WAY, my friends, ONE SIMPLE WAY. The only way God’s word gets in you is to put it there. Read it, listen to it, study it. The more you read God’s word, the more his word gets in you. The more his word is in you, the more you will hear his voice. Think about it like this – what is someone’s voice? It’s the words they speak, right. So if you want to hear God’s voice, you’re looking for his words. The Bible is filled with God’s words! This is how you get his voice. How do you know God’s will for your life? You read his word. How do you come to know the difference between a thought or a feeling that comes from God verses the ones that come from the devil or your own imagination? You read God’s word and learn what his voice says. That’s how you’ll recognize it. If you’ve been listening to me very long, you know my voice. You know the things I say. You know the words I use. So, if you were to read this devotional instead of listen to it, you would still know it was me. You would even read it in your head with my voice. You’ve heard me say, “Good morning, Beautiful” so many times that now when you see it on a coffee mug, you’re like, “Oh, that’s Pamela!” You recognize me now because you know my words. If you know God’s words you’ll recognize him. Plain and simple, there’s no other way to know God’s voice. When people talk about, “Well, the Lord told me this or that …” there’s a filter to put that through – Does that sound like God? If someone says, “Well, the Lord told me leave my husband and chase after yours”, I know that’s not from God because it doesn’t sound like God. How do I know what God sounds like? I READ HIS WORD! Even on days when I feel like the words I’m reading don’t make sense or don’t apply to my life right now, I’m learning God’s voice. Nothing is wasted when it comes from him. So, let’s be clear – if you’re questioning how to know God’s will for your life and how to hear from God, the answer is you get to know his voice. His voice is the words he speaks, and our Bibles are a written transcript of his words. And while you may not be able to open your Bible to the exact answer to your questions and see in black and white what your next step is, you’re learning to recognize his voice. And once you recognize his voice, then you start noticing those thoughts, those feelings and those little stirrings you sometimes feel are actually God speaking directly to you. You’ll miss them if you don’t know his voice. And you only know his voice by reading his word. Before you can hear it, sense it or decipher it, first you have to read it. Oh I know, you want to HEAR God speak to you, but you don’t want to READ it. Well, my sister, you’re not going to hear it until you read it. Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart.” The person who has hidden God’s word in their heart is the person who can then hear from God and know for sure it’s him. Of course the enemy of your soul would prefer you NEVER tap into knowing God’s voice. That’s why he fights so hard to keep you distracted and busy. That’s why you find it so hard to sit down and read your Bible. There are divine words in there for you, and those words are your weapon against the devil. Here’s the weapon most of us don’t realize we have – When we pray God’s words, we are affirming who God is and what God says as an offering of faith to God, as a reminder of truth to ourselves, and as a block to the enemy. Do you realize you have all the right words to pray IN YOUR BIBLE! You don’t have to conjure up words on your own – just repeat what your Father said. If you’re praying for someone who is sick, what does God’s word say about healing? If you’re praying for how to pay the bills, what does God’s word say about his provision? If you’re praying for your children who are struggling, what does God’s word say about his guidance and protection? PRAY THE WORDS OF GOD! Which words – what about the words of Paul? What about the words of Abraham? What about the words of David or the words of Moses? YES. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us “All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” How is that? We’re learning his voice! Pray the words in your Bible. You already have the words. Pray his words. In the book of Ezekiel is the coolest example of this. The Lord takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones. God asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones become living people again?” Ezekiel replies, “Lord, you alone know the answer to that.” Then, God said to Ezekiel, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, LISTEN TO THE WORD OF THE LORD! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ So, here’s what Ezekiel did – HE SPOKE GOD’S WORD to the valley of dry bones. Not his own words. God’s words. Suddenly as he spoke God’s words, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together. To the cancer, to the sickness, to the pain, to the illness, you speak God’s word. Isaiah 53:5, “By his wounds we are healed.” Jeremiah 30:17, “God will give you back your health and heal your wounds.” Psalm 103: 2-5, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.” To the depression and anxiety, you speak God’s word. Isiah 26:3, “God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Philippians 4: 6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” For protection, Psalm 91:11, “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” For your children, “Isaiah 44: 3-4, “I will pour out my spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on the river bank.” I’m currently making a written prayer journal with each individual name and prayer request on it’s own page. Then I will write GOD’S WORDS concerning that person and situation. Instead of only praying my own words, I will pray God’s words first. I will declare his promises and his truths. My friends, this is what we’re called to do. We’re called to stand in the gap. There’s a battle going on, and it’s a spiritual battle. We are called to be intercessors and pray in that gap. That’s what Abraham did. In our study of Genesis, we come to chapter 18 and see that an entire city had gone absolutely vile in corruption. The city is Sodom. The Lord heard the outcry about the wickedness there. So God declares he himself is going to do something about it. Abraham intercedes for his nephew Lot who is there in that city. And he says to God, “Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city – will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes. Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” Abraham is boldly reminding God of who he knows him to be. Abraham knows God does what is right. He is a just God. He cares about his people. And God agrees and says, “If I find 50 righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” Keep reading because Abraham keeps praying. It’s such an amazing story and example to see how we are to pray with bold belief in God’s word. Abraham’s prayers of intercession, saved the life of his nephew Lot. Effective prayer doesn’t just act as a passive spectator in what God does, but it participates WITH GOD. Stop just tossing wishes to Heaven. Be specific with God. Speak his promises and his truth. Stand in the gap with his word. This is intercession. How do you know God’s will – you read his word. How do you hear God’s voice – you read his word. How do you pray effective prayers – you pray his word. We don’t have to make up a single word on our own. It’s all here for us. It’s what Jesus did. Did you know when Jesus is hanging on the cross, he’s praying. And his prayers are actually scriptures from the Old Testament. He knew God’s word. He had read it, studied it, hid it away in his heart. And now, on the cross he’s praying it. What would Jesus do? He would be in God’s word! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com