Many times we wonder if an idea that came to us is an instruction from God, a deception from Satan, or just something we want to do. It is extremely important to recognize the difference and know how to discern God’s voice, because it can have eternal consequences.

A lot of evil gets blamed on God when people say, “God told me to do it!” The Bible says in 1 John 4:1, “Don’t always believe every message you hear just because someone says it is a message from God; test it first to see if it really is” (TLB).

God will never contradict his Word. Does that idea in your mind right now agree with the Bible? God doesn’t say one thing and then change his mind and say another thing. If he said it, it’s true, and it will always be true.

God is consistent. He isn’t moody. He doesn’t change his mind. He will never tell you to violate a principle that he’s already given in his Word, the Bible.

So the first question you need to ask is, “Does this thought line up with what God has already said?” If what’s in your mind contradicts something that God has already said in the Bible, then you know it’s wrong.

Jesus said in Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (NIV). God’s Word is eternal, because truth never changes. If something was true 5,000 years ago, it was true 1,000 years ago, it is true today, and it will be true 5,000 years from today.

People might say, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” No! God said it, and that settles it — whether we believe it or not!

If God tells you to do something, then he’s never going to contradict it. The first question you must answer is, “Is this idea in harmony with the Word of God?”