“How can I know when God is telling me to do something?”……Pray, especially when you're unsure of God's will for your life.

James 1:5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking."If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him".

Psalm 37:7"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.…Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.. If you don't know what to pray, you can always personalize & pray verses such as,

Psalm 143:8"Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." and,

Psalm 25:5"Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

The primary way God commands us is through His Word.

2 Timothy 3:16"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.".

If Scripture commands something of us, there's no need to hesitate & wonder if it's really God's will for us. He cares so much about us that He already gave a plain and clear guidebook to life – the Bible.

Psalm 119:105 "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path".

Psalm 19:7"The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Psalm 119:9"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word".

Likewise, God never, ever contradicts Himself, so He'll never ask you to do something contradictory to Scripture. He will never ask you to sin. He will never ask you to do something Jesus Christ wouldn't do. We need to immerse ourselves in the Bible, so we will know which actions meet God's standards.

Joshua 1:8"Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.……Christians also have the Holy Spirit to discern what is, or is not, God's will for our lives.

John 16:13"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future"

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will either agitate our conscience if we're making a wrong decision, or He will pacify and encourage us when we're leaning toward the right decision. Even if He doesn't intervene in such noticeable ways, we can have confidence that He's always in charge. Sometimes God can alter a situation without us even realizing He has acted.

Isaiah 58:11 "The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.You will be like a well-watered garden,like an ever-flowing spring.".……If God is calling you to take a leap of faith, be encouraged by His presence.

Joshua 1:9"This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

And remember,

1 Peter 5:7"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Proverbs 3:5-6"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

What we are not to do is expect to hear voices from God. There is a dangerous trend today where people seek to hear a "word from the Lord," extraneous to the words He has already given us in the Bible. "The Lord told me . . ." has become the mantra of experience-driven Christianity. Unfortunately, what He "tells" one person often contradicts what He "tells" another, and these extra-biblical revelations have proven to be very divisive, tearing apart church after church as one person's experience seeks to take precedence over another's. This results in chaos, benefiting no one except Satan, who loves to sow discord among believers. We should make the Apostle Peter our example in these matters. In spite of the miraculous experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, where he beheld the glorified Christ speaking with Moses and Elijah who came from heaven, Peter refused to rely on that experience, declaring instead that

2 Peter 1:18-19"We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place-until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines[a] in your hearts.

We also have the more sure prophetic word which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place".…