Priscilla Shirer: How to Know When God Speaks to You
By Movieguide® Contributor
Priscilla Shirer, an actress and author known for her roles in WAR ROOM and OVERCOMER, appeared on PRAISE to discuss her book, “Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks.”
“There’s the conviction, you know, the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that green light of ease and peace that says go. That yellow light of warning and uneasiness that says hold up a minute till you get clarity. And then that red light that is a straight-up no, there’s no peace, there’s confusion, there’s dissension,” Shirer shared. “That’s the Holy Spirit’s way of telling you no; don’t go there; there’s a better yes for you if you’ll just wait and be patient.”
“Creating time, space, and opportunity to hear God is paramount for those of us who desire to sense His Spirit’s conviction, to receive His detailed guidance, and to discern His intimate leading,” Shirer wrote in her book.
Matt Crouch, one of PRAISE’s hosts, asked Shirer about the importance of discerning God’s word is important. She wisely replied, “This facet of our faith is what separates our faith from every other so-called faith on the face of the earth—that our God lives. He’s alive, and he speaks to us. We have an actual relationship with him.”
Last year, Shirer spoke about the voice of God at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden. She stressed the importance of a believer’s relationship with God and said, “He speaks, and we have the privilege to hear his voice.”
Shirer shared that believers won’t always know the voice of God when they hear it for the first time. She knows that God forgives believers when they don’t hear him.
“You do not know until hindsight that what you heard was the voice of God. And the reality is that there is grace and mercy to cover our missteps,” Shirer said. “His knowledge of our frailty and our humanity for the willing heart who desires to do His will even when we make mistakes He allows them to become our greatest teachers for hearing him correctly in the future. He does not hold it against us because we’ve misstepped along the way.”
Movieguide® recently celebrated Shirer’s recovery from a difficult lung surgery and shared her insight on asking God for help:
“Asking of God doesn’t make us pushy, not according to the Bible,” Shirer explains. “Nor, of course, does it mean He’ll give us whatever we want. But when we take Him up on His invitation to ask for what we need – both the big things and the small things – one of the greatest things He gives us is the opportunity to recognize exactly where our help is coming from.”
“When we request and He answers, we are enabled to know beyond any doubt that He was the One working in our experience,” she added.
Keeping the fullness of God in mind, Shirer also reminds us that God will do things that we could never think of. When we ask for Him to move in our lives, He will often answer our prayers in ways we could have never imagined.
