I am asked this question pretty frequently. And, in our Foundations groups it's a recurring topic of conversation. No matter what city you're in or what background you've come from, entrepreneurs are wrestling with this extremely important question: How do I hear God's voice and how do I know my next step? Is the answer yes, no, or something else entirely?
How do we know what God is saying?
Let me tell you a little about myself, because I think many of you may relate with this.
I have always been someone who wanted to do "the right thing." I want to do good and make everyone proud and honor God and make the best choice. I've gone through a massive season of growth over the last five years, and learned a lot about my total lack of grace for myself.
I'll extend grace to others, but my tolerance for failure on a personal level has been nonexistent.
And for many, many years of my entrepreneurial journey, when I have landed in a season of not knowing where to go, my #1 goal has always been to seek the voice of God.
That's a good thing.
But in seeking His direction, I would experience anxiety and frustration without lack of clarity. I would be utterly desperate not to misstep. My deep desire to stay aligned with God's will would keep me halted and frozen.
I was so obsessed with doing the right thing that I couldn't do anything.
But that is not the journey we walk with God. In learning to discern His voice, there are plenty of times that a Yes/No answer is not in the cards.
So, before we talk about discerning God's voice we have to reframe what we're trying to hear. If we only listen for a yes/no then we're missing a huge piece of our relationship with the Father.
Our relationship with God is collaborative.
He longs to create *with* us. The Bible is chock-full of examples of this. Let me name a few that show up in just the first two books...
-
Genesis 1 - God makes a beautiful garden and then puts man in it to cultivate the garden. He did not put man into a perfect, finished masterpiece to just hang around and exist. He gave man the raw, untamed, magnificent creation to tame and make more order after His own design.
-
Genesis 6 - God invites Noah to help him create a method of escape and salvation for his family from the coming flood.
-
Genesis 18 - Abraham changes God's mind on His way to destroy Sodom. Abraham convinces the Lord to save anyone He finds that is righteous within its walls.
-
Exodus 3 - Yahweh invites Moses to be an active participant in delivering the Israelites from Pharaoh and leading them to become a new nation.
-
Exodus 35 - Yahweh invites the Israelites to freely give up their precious metals and stones to provide supplies for the building of the tabernacle.
-
Exodus 35 - God fills Bezalel and Oholiab with His Holy Spirit so that they have divine inspiration to design and construct the tabernacle with skill and artistry.
This is the God we serve. Woven through the entire history of His people, God has been inviting us into a collaborative relationship that does not leave us as robotic doers of His every command. No. We are contributors to the work. Ideators, creators, initiators... reflecting back the characteristics of our Creator.
So, in this invitation, God's answers are not always about the right or wrong choice. They are about who we are becoming, not just what we're doing.
Our relationship with Him is a discipleship story, in which God is shaping who we are.
Like a wonderful father shaping His children, the paths we take in our life are a divine dance of obedience and risk. Our Father makes clear the path that leads to life and then calls us into a life that is slowly shaping us and forming us.
A great dad does not give their children orders all day every day until they die. An excellent parent is one who forms and shapes their children as they go. One that shares the hard lessons they've learned and delivers truth within relationship. And then, lets their child try risky things so that their character can be formed.
A great parent lays clear boundaries, as God has done for us. And sometimes, a request is met with a firm NO. NO, you are not ready for that. NO, that way leads only to death. NO, that choice is foolish and will break your heart. Or... YES, what an awesome idea. YES, that's exactly the right thing to do. YES, you will learn so much from that challenge.
And sometimes, a request is met with a shrug.
Sometimes, a child asks and a good parent says: "I don't know. Try it out. You never know what might happen."
And it's these answers we struggle so much to discern. When God seems silent, or when He gives us no clear answer... we have to lean on the wisdom of the Word of God. We have to lean on the lessons He's already taught us. And then... we just have to move forward the best way we know how.
We're busy trying to hear a "yes" or "no" and God is not giving either. He's doing something else entirely.
And that discernment dance describes so very much of entrepreneurship.
That is where I hear this question so often: "How do I know what God is trying to say?"
So, I want to offer some practical advice. Some things I've learned that aid in discernment and freedom as we walk this wild path.
>> Don't forget, we already have specific revelation.
Children *love* to ask questions they already know the answer to. Maybe you have a child, niece, or Sunday school kid like this? They know the boundary. They know darn well the limits because you've been extremely clear.
But here they are, asking any way.
We do this all the time. And yet we know what the Bible says about it (aka "specific revelation"). Maybe it's not always a direct answer. But we can apply Biblical wisdom and often get pretty close to an answer.
So the first step of any major question you're asking is to seek the revelation God has already given us. Love God. Love people. And according to Jesus... loving God is loving people. So that's a really great start.
>> We won't always admit it, but we'll have trouble hearing through noise and clutter.
Again... you know this. I know this. And yet, we're quick to claim that God is being silent when we have taken zero steps to remove the noise from our life.
Have you...
-
Sat in solitude?
-
Fasted from food or devices?
-
Stopped filling quiet moments with music or podcasts?
-
Placed a daily time on your calendar to listen to God's voice (not just talk at Him)?
-
Fasted from your phone?
-
Turned off your tv?
-
Kept your numbing-electronics away?
See what I did there?
I can't stress enough the importance of removing noise in a season of discernment.
>> If we've done all of these things, we have the option of consolation/desolation.
I first heard about this from John Eldredge (on a podcast... not a private conversation). I found it quite interesting, so I did some more digging.
This spiritual concept/practice comes from St. Ignatius and has been passed down through the Catholic Church. So, if you did not grow up that way you've likely never heard of it.
I warn you, the theological rabbit hole here isn't one I'd recommend. But, this understanding of how the Holy Spirit operates in our lives is not only foundational for discernment but articulated extremely well through St. Ignatius' teachings.
The overarching idea is this: if you are walking away from heavenly things you will experience desolation. You'll feel more attracted to fleshly things and more disconnected from Jesus. You'll experience negative things like depression, discontent, and an overall lack of fruit of the Spirit. If you are walking toward heavenly things and the person of Jesus, you'll experience consolation. A deeper sense of peace, connection to Jesus, clarity, joy... really any fruit of the Spirit.
And while this concept can be for the overall walk of a believer, it can also be extremely helpful in discerning the right or wrong path.
Often, if we make a decision we just lean in full-force. No turning back. This is IT. We decided. And if that decision was the right one, consolation will bring us peace and joy. We'll experience increased closeness to the Father and a path more clear and free of roadblocks. We'll have favor with those who can open doors and things will line up in a way that just feels divine.
But, on the other hand, desolation means that every step closer to that decision becoming a reality brings more discontent, more agitation, and more roadblocks. We'll feel more confused, less clear on why we're going that direction, and a disconnect from the peace and favor that comes with the Holy Spirit.
If you're paying attention, you can actually recognize a decision as being the right or wrong one as you move forward. But, if you're dead-set on your choice, you might ignore obvious signs of desolation followed by a season void of the clear presence of the Holy Spirit. You might have to lie in the bed you made.
The good news? Jesus will still shape and form us in those moments. He won't abandon us in our foolishness. He'll use the failure or brokenness for His good purpose.
But, as we gain maturity, we can actually lean on the Spirit in our discernment -- even after a decision is made -- to see that the path we're walking will lead to things God is doing. To His heavenly things. To His whole things. To His better or best things.