Hebrew 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

One thing I am very sure about is the fact God has spoken to all his children at one time or the other. Yes! I doubt if there’s any child of his that he hasn’t spoken to.

However, the problem may be that they do not recognize his voice to know that it was him that was spoke. A good example is Samuel. When he was a little boy growing in the house of Eli, God called him severally but he didn’t recognize that it was God that was calling him.

It took the discernment of Eli to recognize who was calling him. Eli told him to respond accordingly. When he did, God spoke to him and revealed what would happen to him.

Why can’t God speak to him the first time he heard his voice? Why can’t God in all of his power drop a message for him at the first encounter? The answer is clear. Samuel didn’t discern his voice and as such cannot recognize clearly who was speaking.

We have been like little Samuel for some time. God was speaking or leading us on an issue but we couldn’t discern who was leading us. Sometimes, we even come close to the point where we know we are compelled to act in a certain way but because we don’t know exactly who was behind operation, we often say things like, “something told me not to board that bus that had accident”. Did you read that?

We often relegate the leading of the Holy Spirit to “something told me”. That “something” is the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we are like little Samuel who doesn’t recognize the leading of God. Operating at this level maybe acceptable for a while but as you grow in God, you must be able to discern God’s leading rightly. That’s the realm God expect us to operate.

In my walk with God, I discovered that we can learn the dynamics of God’s leading just as Samuel was taught by Eli. The starting point in learning about how to discern God’s leading is to know accurately what is written in the word of God.

We need to be grateful that God made available to us his mind in a written form. We can always fall back on God’s word to help us in discerning his leading. Over the years, people want to hear God’s audible voice thunderously with bold inscription in the sky.

I have been there before but God doesn’t operate like that often. When you’re soaked in the written word of God, you won’t have problem recognizing the Spirit behind the word and other false spirits that maybe in operation. Why? The bible calls God’s word a discerner of thoughts and intent(Heb4:12). Train your spirit with God’s word.

CONFESSION: I am in the father. I hear his voice and I recognize it henceforth. I receive grace to soak myself in the word of God totally in the name of Jesus.