How do I know when God/The Holy Spirit is trying to guide me?

[Praise2God4ever]

Sometimes I get "urges"  telling me that I should do something... But I don't know if it's God guiding me or something I made up in my own head/my flesh guiding me.
I do not want to do anything displeasing to God, but I don't think I want to ignore a possible "calling" either...

If possible, please include bible passages in your answer so I know it can be trusted

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Praise2God4ever

    Welcome to Worthy,there would be no need  to quote Bible passages because that is my advice to you ......if you are rooted,grounded & firmly established in Gods Word then you will know what is pleasing & what is displeasing to the Lord and the Holy Spirit Will bring Remembrance to you when someone speaks etc.........just as I am speaking to you now,as I speak to you the eyes of your heart should see Gods Word    (but of course I will give you verses of Scripture as a start,you should read them all in full context)

Quote

King James Version
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:26

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God(Romans 10:17) Only when the Word of God is Written on your heart can you Receive Wisdom ,Understanding by accessing the Heart & Mind of Christ Jesus.......

Quote

Spiritual Wisdom

Ephesians 1:17and asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. 18I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. He displayed this power in the working of His mighty strength,…

Berean Study Bible

All that is needed is  to LET GO,the only hindrance to Holy Spirit is self(flesh)    I'm sure you heard the saying"Let go & let God"....it is true,focus on Your Relationship with God in Christ Jesus ......listen to His Still Small Voice and always test the spirits,we can never trust our feelings(urges) & that is why you must know what you know(Gods Word)& not listen to our own heart & mind that are of the  flesh

Quote

Romans 12:2

 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Psalm 119:66

 Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments.

Isaiah 11:3

 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

Philippians 1:9-10

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

Hosea 14:9

 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them For the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.

Fill your Spirit with the Word of God,seek Him in His Word & He Will Reveal Himself to you......then you will walk in Spirit & in Truth & know the difference

                                                                                                                             With love-in Christ,Kwik

[Sing40King]

For me it usually happens during my quiet time with God or when I'm going to sleep. He puts a thought in my mind that I hadn't thought of and I can't think about anything else. It also comes with a peace usually. If I'm not sure and don't do it, I feel convicted and sad. God will lead in a calm loving way. Satan will come on like a lightning bolt and be forceful. If you don't yet have the gift of discernment pray for it. That will help you a lot. I will be praying for you and will look for a praise report soon.

[BK1110]

kwikphilly hit it on the head. In short, the Bible is how we know all that we know about God, correct? All His teaching about Himself, His nature, His plans and desires for the world and for us, spring from those pages. So you must read continually, memorize those verses, write them in your mind and your heart. If you're feeling an "urge" you must ask if following that urge would line up with what the Bible teaches is right or not.

Of course, this doesn't happen overnight. No one can read the Bible in one sitting, much less memorize a lot of it or understand all of it's deep truths. I would suggest that, every day, you pray something along the lines of "help me to know more about You, please give me the discernment to know right from wrong, to understand if an urge is from You or not, and to do Your will. Please help me to learn a little more today so that I can keep growing and more readily understand Your will." God desires to give you His wisdom so that you can follow His teachings and will, and indeed delights in your earnest requests for it.

[kwikphilly]

Blessings BK

    Praise Jesus! You have also"hit the nail on the head" & that is because we speak Gods Timeless Truth,all Glory to God Most High!!!You are 100% correct,it does not happen over night & I was having that conversation with someone just this morning!  I am sure you can confirm what I said,"With every conversation we have or hear (hear,visualise,think,remember etc,,)The Scriptures come flooding in,verse after verse after verse,story after story,chapter after chapter,Book after Book"......At forst(as a babe) I just could not comprehend what Paul said...

Quote

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ Rejoice evermore.

¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Philippians 4:8King James Version (KJV)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

And one day the Light came on,it all made sense once I was Filled with His Word....operating in Holy Spirit Power,walking in Spirit with the Hearty & Mind of Christ Jesus,the WORD.......the RELATIONSHIP...Halleluyah! And it was not a "feeling"  that Relationship formed & grew by  Wisdom & Understanding ...knowing about Him transformed into KNOWING HIM    

Quote

Matthew 6:33-34King James Version (KJV)

³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

³⁴ Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Focus on Him,in the NOW and enter into His Rest,Comfort,Peace ,Joy ,LOVE                                        With love-in Christ,Kwik

[heyvavhey]

23 hours ago, Praise2God4ever said:

Sometimes I get "urges"  telling me that I should do something... But I don't know if it's God guiding me or something I made up in my own head/my flesh guiding me.
I do not want to do anything displeasing to God, but I don't think I want to ignore a possible "calling" either...

If possible, please include bible passages in your answer so I know it can be trusted

 

Mark 8:34 [

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

 

 

 

The cross is torturous way of dying. It slowly drains the body of oxygen, while prolonging pain. It is the absolute worst way to die in the history of execution. 

 

 

 

 

So the answer to your question is pretty simple. I start by asking myself if it's something that I want, or something that He wants? It should be both. Then I ask myself, has He made it clear this is His will and given this burden to me? He gives us each unique gifts/callings and we have authority within our boundaries of faithfulness, but none outside of that. 

 

If those questions are answered correctly then I'd start with a short list:

 

Do these "urges" challenge you to do something beyond your comfort zone? 

Will the result be to the visible glory of God or will it exalt (only) you?

Does this "urge" consider the benefit of others as being more important than yourself? 

Will your flesh suffer to accomplish it?

 

 

If you answer those questions, I think you'll have the answer. Then it's a matter of faith. Can you see the end as if it already happened?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2017 by heyvavhey

[FresnoJoe]

Welcome~!

~

When God Speaks
There Is No Question He Spoke

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Psalms 42:7

In My Experience

[ravindran]

On 1/25/2017 at 11:29 AM, Praise2God4ever said:

Sometimes I get "urges"  telling me that I should do something... But I don't know if it's God guiding me or something I made up in my own head/my flesh guiding me.
I do not want to do anything displeasing to God, but I don't think I want to ignore a possible "calling" either...

If possible, please include bible passages in your answer so I know it can be trusted

Holy Spirit works through our consciences mostly. The only way to know whether it is Holy Spirit guiding or simply our flesh is to be rooted in the Word of God. You can very well have urge to sin or resist the sin. How do you know what is sin and what is not? Through Word of God

[kwikphilly]

Quote

The cross is torturous way of dying. It slowly drains the body of oxygen, while prolonging pain. It is the absolute worst way to die in the history of execution. 

                  heyvavhey

Not  true ,but you're close      And considering mere mortal MEN ,crucifixion lead to death by asphyxia(positional asphyxia)....men had to lift themselves with their arms & push up with their legs in order that the oxygen could "escape"  the lungs      In any event that was not the case with Christ Jesus,God the Son    Jeseus was tortured,beaten,maimed beyond recognition,humiliated ,spit upon & indeed nailed to a cross but in every other crucifixion men hung there until they  died of asphyxia....on this occasion,the 3(including Jesus) were crucified just before a Sabbath & the soldiers literally were to put them out of their misery by breaking their legs so they could no longer struggle to stay alive for the usual amount of time it took(this was to appease the High priests concerning the Sabbath & in keeping with their Laws,,,,,,when the soldier came to Jesus,he was already dead(this was very unusual) ,,,,Gods Word gives us the testimony of witnesses that heard Jesus cry out with a loud Voice & give up the "Ghost"     His Holy Spirit He Yieded up Himself,Died at Will(Matt 27:50,Mark 15:37,Luke 23:46)    THis is very important because no one TOOK Jesus Life,He Sacrificed His Own LIfe for each & every one of us............

Quote

I start by asking myself if it's something that I want, or something that He wants? It should be both.                         heyvevhey

If it is something we desire then it is important to know if the desires of our heart are what they ought to be........

 

Quote

Do these "urges" challenge you to do something beyond your comfort zone? 

Will the result be to the visible glory of God or will it exalt (only) you?

Does this "urge" consider the benefit of others as being more important than yourself? 

Will your flesh suffer to accomplish it?                                          heyvavhey

Comfort zone? Picking up our cross is not always "comfortable"......again' comfort" is a feeling,flesh ......I don't believe it is of little or no consequence

"Urges"  & feelings are not even a consideration,imo this is not sound advice get grounded in the Word of God and look to Jesus .....the less you focus on "self" the more you SEE & HEAR

[FresnoJoe]

On 1/25/2017 at 10:26 PM, Sing40King said:

For me it usually happens during my quiet time with God or when I'm going to sleep. He puts a thought in my mind that I hadn't thought of and I can't think about anything else. It also comes with a peace usually. If I'm not sure and don't do it, I feel convicted and sad. God will lead in a calm loving way. Satan will come on like a lightning bolt and be forceful. If you don't yet have the gift of discernment pray for it. That will help you a lot. I will be praying for you and will look for a praise report soon.