Did you really hear from God?

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Did you really hear from God? Here, you are excited that you have received a prophetic word. The word sounds so good that you can’t contain yourself. Then everything goes wrong. Let me put this into perspective. You attend a prophetic summit and the pastor singles you out and tells you that there is a very huge financial blessing coming your way or even that you will be an influential person. And then you hear an inner voice confirm the same word. And you know with no doubt that God spoke to you. Suddenly, your life goes downhill. In fact, suddenly you experience financial constraints that you didn’t have before and it makes you wonder. Was the word for me? Did I miss it?

Often, we go through a process after we receive a prophetic word. And often, the process contradicts what God told us. This is often the cycle. And until we realize it, we will live our lives confused. Today, I want to let you know the enemy will always contradict God’s word. And the proof that you heard from God is the attack on the prophecy. After all, the enemy will only fight God’s word from coming to pass and not yours. The enemy’s goal is to gain dominion and take over from God. So, let’s look at the life of Jesus to help you answer the question: Did you really hear from God? And to do so, let us look at the temptation of Jesus.

The enemy tempts Jesus.

Before we look at the temptation, it is important that we look at the back story, which was the baptism.

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The Baptism of Jesus

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. ¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.”

It was at this point that God validated Jesus. He did not do it after Jesus began His ministry. This was important because God wanted Jesus to know that He was proud of Him for who He was and not what He would do. It had nothing to do with performing miracles or living right. Rather, it was all about His position in God. This also applies to you. God calls you His child because you said yes to Jesus and not because of what you do. Your position as God’s child is based on the finished work of the cross and salvation, and not your actions.

And let me show you this in scripture.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2 Timothy 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for humanity appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

John 1:12, ESV But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Galatians 3:26, NIV So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

Romans 8:15, NLT So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:16, NLT For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

1 John 3:1, NIV See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

The Temptation of Jesus to help you answer the question: Did you really hear from God?

The devil tests Jesus in the wilderness.

4 Then, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

After John the Baptist had baptized Jesus, God validated Him by saying that He was His Son. Almost immediately, Jesus got tempted by the devil. If you want to know that a word really came from God, look at the circumstances that follow it. The enemy will only contradict God’s truth and no one else’s.

Radiantly Resurging

When we look at the temptation of Jesus, we see in all 3 instances; He wanted to get Jesus to doubt who He really was.

• If you are the Son of God, command these stones to be loaves of bread.
• If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
• All these things I will give to you if you bow down and worship me.

In all these 3 instances, we see the devil wanted Jesus to doubt His Sonship, so He could give up the promise. You see, God had a reward waiting for Jesus after He completed His purpose. And the enemy wanted to fight that. Whenever the enemy tries to make you forfeit your promise, he will lure you with a promise that is lower than what God would give you. However, at the time, it seems grand because you are yet to walk in the promise of God. Because he knows what God has for you will be a threat to the kingdom of darkness. Today, I want to encourage you to hold on to the promise that God has given you. Because the blessings of the Lord make one rich and He adds no sorrow to it.

Check out this other post on when God’s promises over your life get tested.

When Jesus was here on earth, He was fully man. He had given up His God nature. Therefore, Jesus could have succumbed to the temptation. He, however, focused on the bigger picture. He exercised self-control and delayed gratification. You and I need to exercise the same. The truth is that God’s promises take time to come to pass. And that is where patience comes in. Will you be patient enough to wait on God’s promises, regardless of how long they seem to take?

⁵ In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something He could use for His own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross! Philippians 2

When Jesus came to earth:

• He gave up His Godly attribute
• Emptied Himself
• And took on the role of a servant.

Jesus lowered Himself from the heavenly realm to becoming human and later facing persecution and death for you and me.

What lessons can you learn from Jesus’ temptation that will help you answer the question: Did you really hear from God?

The devil contradicted God’s validation

When we look at the temptation Jesus faced, we see that it directly contradicted the Word that God had told Him earlier. We find the temptation in the same chapter where Jesus received His validation. If your life contradicts the word God spoke over your life, take it as a sign that the word is from God. Again, we see that in those 3 instances, the enemy tried to invalidate God’s word. It was evident that the enemy wanted to make Jesus question whether He heard from God and, therefore, act outside of His character. This was the same thing that the enemy did in the garden of Eden. The enemy contradicted the same word God spoke by asking Eve if God had told them to eat from every tree.

The good news is that because Jesus was in tune with God and had cultivated a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit, He did not fall prey to the enemy’s scheme. You, too, need to do the same. You need to cultivate your relationship with the Holy Spirit by spending time with Him and reading the Bible. As you do that, you will be sensitive to notice the schemes of the enemy and will not fall prey to temptations. The Bible tells us that God will provide a way to escape when the enemy tempts us. However, for you to be sensitive to the way He provides, you need to have a relationship with Him.

Fight temptation and contradictions using God’s word.

Another thing to note is that during the temptation, Jesus quoted the Word and the scriptures targeted the specific lie spoken by the enemy. When going through a season of warfare, we need to be so in tune with God’s word and find scriptures that align with specific promises given to us by God. An example would look for scriptures that talk about wealth and what God says about them.

God has given us a blueprint for how to win this war against the enemy. He has given us the scriptures to make decrees. And as you decree scripture, you release a sound in the atmosphere that makes room for the presence of God to dwell. And we all know where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. It was after Jesus spoke the word of God that the angels came to minister to Him. So let me ask you this: are you using the word of God to ward off the enemy’s darts?

If there are any conditions to meet, ensure that you meet them before standing on the word. If for any reason you are having a hard time believing the promise, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the lie, and allow yourself to receive the truth- The truth being that through Jesus we have received all the spiritual blessings meaning that you are also part of receiving the promises spoken over your life. Keep decreeing the scriptures, and victory will be yours.

That you are facing warfare that contradicts the promise given to you is proof that you heard God correctly. Don’t lose hope. The proof is in the warfare. Press in knowing that on the other side of warfare is your promise and if you faint not, you will receive power to not only overcome but also thrive at your next level. God is the only one who can validate you and warfare is proof that, in fact, God did.

Conclusion.

There will come a time when the enemy will test the promises God spoke over your life. And you have to be ready. You cannot fight the enemy when you are not alert. Even the Bible tells us to remain vigilant and alert because the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Fortunately, you and I have the Holy Spirit to help us avoid and overcome temptations. The Holy Spirit will also quicken the word we need to defeat the enemy when he contradicts God’s word. Come alive and wake up sleeper. God has a plan and purpose for your life, And the promise He has given you is true and will come to pass. Who will you believe? The enemy of God who always fulfills His promises?

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• These 5 Unique Signs Prove Your Dream is From God.

Did you really hear from God? Well, the only way you can answer this question is by looking at your current circumstance. If it contradicts the word God spoke, then you heard from God. One disclaimer I want to make is that. God will never contradict His word which is the Bible or His character. So always test every word to see if it lines up with the Bible.