It seems a number have found my previous two blogs on Jesus speaking to believers an interesting topic enough to do a follow up. So I thought I would provide more information to those who are skeptics, those people who do not believe a Christian can hear an inner voice. I have heard some think it is no more than their conscience talking to them and they really don’t audibly hear anything.

I was asked, what about when Oral Roberts stated that He heard Jesus telling him if he didn’t build a hospital he would be taken to heaven? When the money was coming in too slowly, a little later he said that Jesus gave him a little longer to live to get the money raised to begin construction. What about Bennie Hinn stating that God told him to do a number of things and then later confessed that God really hadn’t talked to him? We have all heard stories that Jesus told someone to do a particular thing. But did they really hear an inner voice talking to them?

The Bible is filled with instances where God or Jesus talked to people. For example: Acts 10:13 – 15 – “Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’  ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’  The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’” There must be at least 50 instances in Scripture where a voice from heaven spoke to an individual. Was it audible or was it someone’s conscience speaking to them? Most of us do not hear our conscience and then talk back.

The book “The Blessed Life” by Robert Morris tells of a time when he was a traveling evangelist and all of his income came from churches where he preached. One month he had only one scheduled meeting and finances were very low. After the service a love offering was taken and it was a check for exactly one month’s expenses. As he stood holding the check he happened to see a missionary who had taken part earlier in the service. He heard an unmistakable voice of the Lord tell him to give the check to the missionary. He went from excitement knowing he could pay his bills to panic. He said, “Lord that can’t be your voice.” He said he wanted to stick his fingers in his ears and say, “I can’t hear you”. He heard the voice again, “Give him the whole offering, trust me”. He walked over to the missionary and said he appreciated his testimony earlier and said, “Don’t tell anyone but I would like you to have this offering. The check is made out to me but I have signed it over to you.”

An hour later he was seated with about 20 members of the church at a pizza place. Across from him was a well-dressed man who asked, “How much was your offering tonight?” So he told him. The man asked, “Where is the check?” He said his wife had it and the man said to go get it, he wanted to see it. He got up and went to his wife and came back and said it was in the car. The man said, “Robert, the check is not in the car.” “How do you know that?” He responded. The man said, “Because God told me and He told me something else.” The man said, “God is about to teach you about giving so that you can teach the body of Christ.” The man handed him a check. It was ten times the amount he had given away.

There are thousands of stories just like this where people actually heard a voice talking to them. When Scripture also states that the Lord talked to people can’t we accept the fact that they actually heard an inner voice. When a light struck Paul on his way to Damascus he heard Jesus speaking. Acts 9:4 – 6 – “He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’  ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” The Bible says the others may not have heard Jesus.

Why is it so difficult for some to unwillingly believe that people hear an inner voice? Some of these same people will agree that they have heard of people hearing the voice of demons. If they can believe demons speak why can’t believers audibly hear the voice of the Holy Spirit or Jesus? Granted! Most believers are led by their conscience and do not hear an inner voice. However, there are believers who actually hear an inner voice. And when we get to heaven the apostles Peter and Paul will confirm it!

Let’s not confuse folks! If we feel led by the Holy Spirit as many of us have and have a deep feeling it is from Jesus and it does not work out people can understand. If we say Jesus told me to do a certain thing and it doesn’t work out that causes skepticism. Many times I have sensed the Holy Spirit telling me to do something to realize it wasn’t the Holy Spirit; otherwise, as an investment advisor I would be a multi-millionaire many times over.

Can you image what my clients would think if I said, “Jesus told me to invest your money into this particular investment?” They would expect to receive huge returns and would be absolutely beside themselves if they didn’t. This is why we must be careful in how we define what we hear.