How Do You Know It's God?

I'm going to jump right into my post without any cute tie-ins this time because my heart is full. So, I'm going to pour it out. The question that is coming upon me with the intensity of a high speed train is this: "How do you know it's God?"

Father is calling our family to do something new and exciting. It will most certainly stretch us and cause us to grow. To be frank, we have already shared with a few (very few) close friends and family what God's next step is for us. There are several people that I want to talk to in person, so I won't spill the beans just yet. However, we have received a bevy of mixed reactions thus far.

I did not expect fanfare or full support for this decision. I knew that from the outside looking in it would appear foolish to some. We have had some friends that have been fully supportive, and those are the reactions that help me make it through the other, less-enthusiastic responses. I have heard rumblings, whispers even of the age-old question. None have voiced it per se, but it has been hinted at, nevertheless. How do we know when God is speaking?

My husband came to me to discuss what he believes is Papa's next adventure for us. I proceeded to explode all over him. God told me all of this before my husband talked to me. I knew weeks beforehand. But, I had sort of pushed these thoughts away as I would shoo an annoying fly. When Dan came to me with this, I let loose all of the pent-up feelings that I had been shoving beneath the surface for so many days.

I think my wonderful, patient husband half expected this reaction, but I did not. It took me a few hours of coming to grips with what I already knew and a heart-to-heart with Papa. His words to me were these: "You can either exist discontentedly in your comfortable life, or you can follow me and discover a new life living in my power and freedom." Now, all of that may seem random and somewhat vague, but it spoke to me exactly where I was living.

So, how do we know that this is God's plan? Well, that is hard to explain, which is why I find myself scrambling to find words to describe the assurance I have. I've always described it as the "you know that you know" phenomena. There is just this deep-down, 100% proof positive, know-it-in-your-knower feeling that is only there when Papa is involved. It think it goes back to the scripture in John 10:3-5. Let's pick up midway through verse 3 where it says:

³The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

It takes practice and listening. There have been times when I have foolishly followed my own desires claiming them as Father's. But there is a sureness and a certainty that only comes with His voice. There is a peace that only encompasses me when I know I am in the center of His perfect will. Today as I type this, I have that certainty and that overwhelming peace.

That, my friends, is how you know it's God. You just know it in your knower. If you are His child, you will learn to recognize the voice of your Father. There aren't any fancy tricks - no lightning bolts or booming voices from heaven (at least not in my experience). Often, what He has asked you to do may not seem as attractive as your plans for yourself. Then again, my parents always told me that veggies were good for me, but when I was 5, I thought M & M's and twinkies would make a fantastic dinner.

If we act only based on our view of circumstances, we are destined to falter frequently in this journey with God never truly walking in His fullness. However, if we relinquish our death grip on these things we hold so dear and reach out to Papa and all He wants for us, we will quickly find that there is much more to this life than what we convince ourselves is important. So, "He who has ears, let him hear" what Father will say to you.