How often have you heard someone say they heard from God? I have had many people tell me God told them to start a ministry only to say a few days or months later that God sent them a different direction. Too often we are following our emotions and egos instead of hearing from God. I have felt many times that God was speaking directly to my spirit directing me to go one direction or another, or do something particular. It is important for you to know what God’s Word says because God will never direct your life outside of what His Word says. The one sure way to know if it is God speaking to you to do something is to find it in His Word. We need to be able to identify false spirits, egos, emotions, desires, and other influences that seek to get a foothold into our lives. (1 Thessalonians 5:21 But test them all; hold on to what is good.) Hearing from God clearly and avoiding the possibility of deception comes only from spending regular time with Him and learning His Word. Listening for God’s voice without having knowledge of His Word is a mistake. Knowing God’s written Word protects us from deception. We may like what we hear, but the fact that something appeals to us doesn’t mean it is from God. We may hear something that feels good to our emotions, but if it fails to give us peace it is not from God. God’s advice to us is to always follow peace and let it be an umpire in our lives. Test everything you hear against the Word of God, because that is the only standard of truth that exists. Pastor Don