Day 1 | Why We Keep Missing God’s Voice (Sharpen Your Spirit: How to Develop Spiritual Discernment)

We have touched on this subject here before. And many of us have also heard it discussed in sermons over many years. 

Have you ever heard The Voice of God speaking directly to you? How do you know it is The Voice of God or whether isn’t really, as we sometimes say, our minds telling us to do something ?

This is the questions one might often ask: How many times have I mistaken God’s Voice for my own thoughts and missed His direction?  

Family, there is a difference between God not speaking and us not discerning…being able to recognise and distinguish what is true, right, or from God, versus what is false, wrong, or from our own emotions.

Jesus said in John 10:27 (KJV):“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Notice He did not say “My sheep occasionally hear me.” He said they hear His voice.

So if we are not hearing clearly, the issue is hardly silence from Heaven. It is usually that there is interference somewhere within us.

Like Samuel who mistook God’s voice for Eli, and like Israel with the Gibeonites who relied on what looked convincing instead of seeking the Lord, even the prophet Nathan once assumed he was speaking for God. 

In 2 Samuel 7, when David said he wanted to build the temple, Nathan immediately told him, “Do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee.” 

It sounded right and spiritual, but God corrected him that night. Here we see that even seasoned voices can mistake good ideas for God’s instruction, if they don’t have discernment.

Many believers today are like Samuel, Israel with the Gideonites, or even Nathan.

We attend church. We serve. We post scriptures.

But when God speaks through conviction, correction, or restraint, we think it is coincidence, fear, or “just my thoughts.”

For example, You’re about to send that text. Something in your spirit says, “Don’t.” But your emotions say, “They need to hear this.” And you press send.

That was not silence. That was ignored discernment.

What we should do or should’ve done is, before any major decision, pause. Ask, “Lord, is this You, my flesh, or my frustration?”

Hebrews 5:14 (KJV) says: “Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age… who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Family, discernment is exercised. It is certainly more than just saying, I have spiritual discernment. Discernment does not just appear; it is built.

If your emotions are constantly leading — anger, excitement, attraction, fear — you will struggle to distinguish Spirit from impulse.

Look at Elijah in 1 Kings 19.

God was not in the wind. Not in the earthquake. Not in the fire. He was in the still small voice.

But we cannot hear a still small voice in a loud soul.

Take for example: You meet someone new. It feels exciting. Everything aligns quickly. Doors open fast. But deep down there’s a subtle check — there is no peace.

We overlook it because it looks right, it even feels right, and you want it to work.

Discernment is often quiet. Deception is often loud. And oh how many of us can look back now and say ohhhhh, so that’s what that was!

Family, with all of the experience we have had in these relationships gone wrong and choices we later regretted, isn’t it about time we start measuring decisions by peace and not pressure?

It is important for us to remember that God leads, but the flesh pushes.

James 1:5 (KJV) says: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…”

We love this verse. But discernment requires humility.

Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 3:9: “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad…”

So discernment is not just about knowing what is good. It is knowing what is almost good but not God.

Sometimes we miss God’s voice because He corrects our plan and we prefer our own plan.

So we would have prayed about a business move. But God keeps closing doors.

Instead of asking, “Is this protection?” We say, “Why is the enemy fighting me?”

Family, not every closed door is warfare. Some are mercy.

So when something stalls, instead of rebuking the devil immediately, ask, “Lord, are You redirecting me?”

Psalm 119:105 (KJV) says: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

The Holy Spirit will never contradict Scripture. And that’s why we need to study so that we know what is in the Word of God. 

If we are biblically illiterate, everything can sound spiritual.

This is why 1 John 4:1 says: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God…”

Discernment is tested against the Word.

So, for example: Donna says, “God told me to cut everyone off and isolate.” But Scripture teaches accountability, counsel, and fellowship. Therefore, if it violates biblical principles, it is not divine direction.

Again, I encourage you as I encourage myself, to daily seek the face of the Lord through Bible study. This sharpens spiritual recognition.

We cannot identify counterfeit if we’ve never studied the original.

So, the problem is not that God is silent. The question is:

Are we still enough to hear?

Are we humble enough to obey?

Are we trained enough to distinguish?

Discernment grows when:

• We pause before reacting.

• Test impressions with Scripture.

• Measure decisions by peace, and

• Accept correction quickly.

This week, Family, we are not just learning about discernment. We are sharpening our spirit.

Because in this hour, excitement is not enough.

Opportunity is not enough. Open doors are not enough. 

We need clarity. And clarity comes to those who exercise their spiritual senses.

Let’s grow together. 

Click here for the full Live Empowerment Session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prt7Jt-RAH0&t=11s&pp=0gcJCa4KAYcqIYzv