Was that God Speaking to Me or Did I Just Imagine it?

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4
What is ‘born of God’?
I believe there are at least two things that are born of God.

First, we have the obvious.
The things commanded to do in the Bible are born of God. These things originated with God. To do what God says to do is to do the will of God. This includes obey the commandments, love one another, treat others the way you want to be treated, and tell the world that salvation has come into the world through Jesus Christ. The Christian is able to do things we are told to do in the Bible through faith.

Second, there are specific tasks that are set to the individual to accomplish. Accomplishing these tasks is made possible through obedience to all the commandments and teachings of the Bible. When God has called someone to do a task, faith in God is what will actually get the task accomplished.

Is there a specific way that one identifies a specific task that he or she has been set to accomplish?

Not exactly, but pretty close. While Moses had the blessing of having his task to deliver the children of Israel from bondage explained to him directly by God in some detail, most people do not have such direct communication with God.

Notice that Moses had just spent forty years tending sheep and thinking on the things of God. He was close to God, and seemingly content in his life as a shepherd. God called him to go and do a specific and monumental task, but God didn’t give Moses all the gory details of what it was going to take to get the job done. Moses’ peaceful life was suddenly over. What I notice from this is that a special commission from God for an individual will likely totally annihilate a peaceful routine.

For us today, it is possible that God could speak from a burning bush. It is also possible, even likely, that God will just continually impress on your mind and heart a specific task. It may be something major. It may be something minor. You will find the idea of specific task or duty will not leave you alone. I suppose we have all had thoughts that seemed wonderful today, but we are unable to remember them tomorrow. It is the idea that stays in your mind that can be from God.

To discern whether it is the will of God, or just a rabbit trail that leads to nowhere requires some knowledge of the Bible. Whatever endeavor that is in your mind will not require that you step outside the rules set for every believer in the Bible. God never calls anyone to do anything that is outside the instructions given to us for righteous behavior.

After you have determined that what you want to do is within Biblical guidelines of righteous behavior, the next step is to give it some additional consideration to just see if the idea sticks in your mind, or if it fades away. It may be something that is good and that needs to be done, but it may not be your personal calling to do it.

If the idea stays with you, and does not go away over time, then it is likely that you should consider setting out to do it. That may be the idea that is ‘born of God’. Moses’ idea of delivering the children of Israel from bondage was definitely born of God. By faith Moses accomplished his task and overcame the world of his day. Through Moses, God showed His power. Faith is not a way of manipulating God. We cannot choose a task on our own without consulting God, and then expect God to show up and give us success. Moses had always known that he wanted to children of Israel delivered from slavery. He had first attempted to do this good deed on his own. The result was 40 years spent in the wilderness. When God was ready to set them free, Moses was ready to do it God’s way.

Psalm 37:3-5 says:
3. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

This is the key to doing God’s will.
First, put your trust in the Lord and do the things He says to do. This brings blessings beyond counting.
Second, delight in the Lord, or continually walk with Him and get to know Him better. THEN, God Himself puts the right desires in your heart. He will change your heart to want the things that He knows will be best for you AND direct your path.
Once you have a desire, or calling, or goal from God, turn the accomplishment of these things back over to God. He will give you good success in the things He has called you to do.

Verse 7a says, ‘Rest in the LORD, wait patiently for him:’. Moses probably knew what God wanted from him when he attempted to set the Jews free forty years prior to the burning bush incident. He set out to do God’s will on his own time frame, and of course disaster was the result. Abraham pretty much did the same thing when he had a child with his wife’s maid instead of waiting for God to send them the promised child.

When a Christian is certain that God has given him or her a task to do, they must still wait on the Lord for the right moment. It can be somewhat frustrating at times.
Time spent waiting on the Lord should be spent continually doing the things all Christians are called to do.
Like Nehemiah, prepare as best you can for the time when God makes a way for you to begin your work.
Nehemiah had a list a mile long of things he would need to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and when given the opportunity he spoke boldly to the king to secure the things he needed. There certainly would have been a different result if Nehemiah had deserted the king without permission, and set out to rebuild the walls of the city without building materials and the authority to boss people around.

Then, once you do begin your work, don’t measure your success as the world counts success. You may gain fame or even fame and fortune doing the will of God. Then again, you may not. What you will gain is a level of contentment and peace that is not available any other way.

If you are looking for something more to do for the Lord, keep looking. Seek Him continually.
Hebrews 11:16 says, ‘but without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’

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