Each of us harbors thoughts and plans in our mind—some good, some bad, and some neutral. So how do you know if those thoughts come from God, the devil, or if they are just from you?
Psalm 94:19 (WEB) says,
In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul.
God has created us to think, to plan, to dream, and to imagine. We have a multitude of thoughts within us each and every day—and most of what goes on in your head is just you.
It is simply inconsistent with God’s Word to attribute every thought that goes through your mind to God or to the devil.
You do not want to be one of those people saying, “Well, I was going to go to Trader Joe’s market, but the Lord said, ‘No, go to Sprouts market.’ And I was going to get some corn tortillas, but the Lord said, ‘No, get flour.’ Then I was about to buy butter leaf lettuce, but the Lord said, ‘No, Romaine.’”
This might surprise you, but when my wife, Janet, and I need to go to the market, we just go. We do not have a prayer meeting. I make up my own grocery list…no divine revelations, no prophecies, no word of knowledge.
And when I go out golfing, God does not talk to me about the details of my golf game, whether to use an 8-iron or a pitching wedge on a particular shot. I just have fun and play.
It is important to understand that most of the thoughts that go on in our head just come from us.
Having said that, we must remember we are spiritual beings living in these physical bodies. And the heart and the mind of every person has been created to seek after and to yearn for inspiration—which will come from either God or the devil.
The question we must ask, then, is how can we distinguish if a thought has come from God or if it has come from the devil?
Well, if a thought is from God, it will lift up Jesus.
When Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus said, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (v. 17).
Inspiration from God lifts up Jesus. Jesus said in John 15:26, “When the [Holy Spirit] comes…He will testify of Me.” In John 16:14, He said, “He will glorify Me.”
When it is truly the Holy Spirit at work and speaking, Jesus will be elevated. He is central to everything that God does.
But if what you are hearing takes away from Jesus, if He is not central in things, it is not God doing the talking.
