I thought I heard God, But?
What happens when you think you Heard God on something, acted out on it, and things just don't pan out? Lots of believers today are wondering if what they heard was God, or just themselves when things don't go as planed.
Scripture says that who is led by the Spirit of God is the Son of God, and Jesus saying my sheep hear my voice. God is more than able to speak to us and get things across to us in a very clear many by the Holy Spirit.
Now, Millions of believers are natural led, and they call that God. I am not going to get into that, but just because your business failed 5 times is no indication the Lord does not want you in business. People feel that circumstances are the Lord leading them and have no concept of being led by the Holy Spirit. Just because you got in your car drunk, hit a tree and ended up in the Hospital where you wittnessed to someone and got them saved, does not mean God had any plans for you to drink, crash, and end up in the hospital.
What it does mean is God has mercy on Dumb people. Never be Natural led, NEVER. Just because a tornado wipes your house out is not God telling you to move to some other state. Millions of believers are out of God's will living their whole life by things that work and things that don't work. We need to hear and be led by the Holy Spirit, and ignore Natural circumstances.
Now there is a thought, that if God speaks to someone, then it always happens. Not true. God can say something to us, but that does not always mean we won't add to it or subtract from it, or jump ahead and try to make things work on our own. Abraham is a good example of this, and had him a Ishmale when He should have just waited on the Issacc.
Act 21:4 kjva And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
The Holy Spirit told Paul "DO NOT GO TO JERUSALEM"
Paul is a Holy Spirit Led believer, taught us about the gifts, taught on How to be led by the Holy Spirit. Yet, Paul blows this one big time. If the Spirit of God tells you not to do something, then DON'T DO IT!
Paul takes a ship, makes his way around some cities. He knows He has to go to Rome, but He just had to stop off in Jerusalem against what the Holy Spirit said. God gives Paul another chance to consider though. God is good that way when we don't turn the car around after being warned and continue heading toward the cliff.
Act 21:11-14 kjva 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
Paul had a personal conviction about his own people who he wanted so bad to know the Lord Jesus. Being a Jew Himself, His heart was broken for his own Kinsmen whom he used to be one with them. (Rom 9:1-5)
Now the Lord said, don't go to Jerusalem Paul. Not God's Plan Paul die there, not God's Plan Paul Go, Not God's plan Paul end up in Prison for as long as Paul did.
We can't make our own plans, no matter how good they seem and just expect things to work out later. We see that in Marriages, and a whole lot of others "GOOD" projects people start that the Lord never said start. Paul is thinking that if I die there, at least I can get some of my own saved. Paul was not even factoring in that He was suppose to be in Rome later, as far as Paul was concerned it could all end in Jerusalem.
I want you to notice something else. Paul is so misled and head strong about going to a place he is not suppose to go, that He is not hearing the Holy Spirit very well himself. God is sending other Spirit Filled believers to convince Paul not to go.
When we think a thing should be one way, and only one way, then it's hard to hear God about something completly different and better way. You might have 20 college degrees in a certain area, and feel it's that area you need to work in, whent the Lord really wants you to do something that is not even related to your degree's. You can't even hear God on something else, because wasting all that time and money on degrees can't even seem like a option.
In everything, we can't lean to our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge the Lord. That means, we are open to anything, despite any training we had in something else. Many are out of the will of God today, following old foundations they built themselves from the past. Let it go, follow God.
Paul went though a whole lot of suffering and wasted time by not obeying the Holy Spirit. Paul kind of knew Prison was coming because he mentioned it in Eph, but He did not have to go to prison. When in Prison Paul wrote some very important letters, so God still had Mercy and used Paul in the capacity, Paul could be used.
Two people hear God to meet situation:
Act 10:19-21 kjva 19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. 20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. 21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
Now you may hear God perfectly, but things sometimes don't work out when God is counting on someone else to hear and do their part. We see that the great Apostle Paul flat out ignored direction from the Holy Spirit, missed all the people he would have ran into obeying the Holy Spirit.
God sent some men to go see Peter. Peter was told to meet them, God told the men to meet Peter. Everything worked out great, despite Peter Having issues with wanting to meet them, not wanting to eat any unclean thing. God had to fix that to get across the fact it was fine to meet with these men.
Now listen, a whole lot of our final directions, come from going and doing other things first. God many times has to build us up, teach us, so we can hear Him on the final thing.
So the Lord sent the men, and sent Peter to meet each other. What happens if the Men get off track and decide at the last moment not to meet Peter? If that happened, we suddenly don't get a chunk of Acts 11 Written.
This happens a lot though. God will want to use someone to help you, and give that person seed, but the person ends up not obeying God. So you go, and they don't show up, or they don't do what God said to do. Just like Paul did.
It does not mean you did not hear God. It just means the other parties are not obeying God and following through. God still has millions of other ways to help you, but God choose them to bless them.
So, just because you think you heard God and stepped out, and things don't work, does not mean you did not hear God. God is moving and prompting other people also on your behalf, and they don't always listen.
We never mention to anyone that is suppose to help, that they did not obey God. We keep quite. We don't pull on people, God is our source.
On the other hand if you think you heard God and things don't continue to work out month after month, then you have to admit that it was not God at all but just your idea.
There is a whole lot more to learn about these things. Stay encouraged, step out on things you believe are God, keep your conscience clear of all things.
Be blessed.