1Kings19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
STILL SMALL VOICE- DISCERNING THE SOURCE
I was returning to Lagos from Ibadan sometime ago. While in the bus, I heard a voice telling me: "If you don't preach, you won't get to Lagos". That came to me as a shocker. I processed what I heard with my little knowledge of scriptures and I concluded that it was not God that spoke to me. I decided I won't preach to prove a point to that demon. I got to Lagos safely. Now, is preaching bad? No, it is not. However, the voice that told me to preach is not the voice of the Spirit and the conditioned attached betrays the loving nature of God. I got to Lagos and I'm still bouncing in the Lord. The undiscerning would hear such and act on it thinking they have heard God. I want you to know that the devil can mimic the still small voice.
You can hear something that sounds gentle but it may not be God. That spirit that spoke to me wanted to bring me under its manipulation. I may preach that day but the leading would be from the wrong source. That spirit is likely a religious demon. Discerning a religious demon is very hard because those demons may instruct you to do what seems good or religious but they're trying to bring you under their manipulative control for subsequent errors. Actually, that's the spirit that controls heretics. Some have truly heard a spirit tell them to start a church or act in a way that seems spiritual but it is not the spirit of God. Many voices speak to us but it takes discernment to know the voice of the Spirit of God. That's why I always tell people not to rush anything they have heard. Subject your leading thoroughly to the word of God, patience and time. That a leading sounds good doesn't necessarily mean it is from God. Don't forget that the slave girl in Acts 16 sounded good but it was a demon that was behind operation not until Paul casted the demon out.
I heard the story of a preacher that prayed for a cripple and the miracle occurred. Based on a leading he had, he told that cripple to start dancing by faith though the legs were trying to stand firm. After the miracle, that person died as a result of stressing the legs. The Holy Spirit told him that the leading he had was not from him. Strange? The undiscerning may ask, "Is there anything wrong with acting in faith" ? Of course, nothing is wrong with it but God has a template for all situations and circumstances. Acting in faith in that circumstance may have been to tell him to walk around instead of dancing. Discernment starts from knowing the nature of God through his word. Those that have a good understanding of the scriptures cannot be misled except they are not sensitive. Your goal should not be to hear but to know God through the scriptures so that you will be able to discern when you hear because you will always hear voices speak to you. I use to have a penchant for hearing not until when demons began to speak to me. The realm of the spirit is a single realm with similar operations from two forces, you need discernment.
CONFESSION: I shall not be misled. I refuse to listen to demons. Henceforth, the voice of the master I shall obey in Jesus name.