3 Ways to Discern God’s Voice from All the Other Voices | Dr. David Chotka | 311 | Hearing God & Knowing His Will, Prophetic Prayer, Discerning God's Will

**How do you know if you’re hearing God’s voice—or simply hearing your own thoughts? How can you discern God’s voice, recognize the Holy Spirit’s leading, and know when something is actually confirmation from God rather than coincidence?** In this episode of *Java with Jen*, Dr. David Chotka shares practical, biblical ways to hear God more clearly and recognize the surprisingly personal ways He may already be speaking to you. David tells an incredible story of following what seemed like a simple inner prompting that led him to a complete stranger’s home—and shows why hearing God often looks far less dramatic than Christians expect. We unpack some of the biggest questions believers wrestle with around hearing God: - How can you tell the difference between **God’s voice and your own thoughts**? - What does the **peace of God** have to do with discernment? - Can conviction actually be one of the ways you recognize God speaking? - Does God use **repetition, patterns and confirmation** to get our attention? - How do you know when something is a **sign from God versus coincidence**? - What does David mean when he says God will sometimes **“speak you to you”**? - Can your **own desires make it harder** to discern God’s will? - And can we become so afraid of “missing God” that **discernment actually turns into paralysis?** One of my favorite parts of this conversation is David’s explanation of Colossians 3:15 and the idea of allowing the **peace of Christ to act like a referee** when we’re trying to discern God’s leading. We also talk about the beautifully personal ways God communicates—using things that carry meaning specifically to *you*—and why learning His voice is less about finding a magic formula and more about growing in relationship with Him. If you’ve ever prayed, **“God, I just wish I knew if this was You,”** this episode will give you practical tools to test what you’re sensing without becoming fearful or obsessive about getting it perfectly right. **SHARE THIS EPISODE:** If you know someone who loves God but constantly second-guesses whether they’re actually hearing Him, send this episode their way. **About Dr. David Chotka:** Dr. David Chotka is the founder and director of SpiritEquip Ministries and served for more than 20 years as chair of the Alliance Church in Canada’s national prayer-equipping team. An author, pastor and international conference speaker, David has spent decades equipping Christians in hearing God’s voice, prayer and healing ministry. **GET HIS BOOK:** https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1777678137?ref\_=cm\_sw\_r\_ffobk\_cp\_ud\_dp\_TAQ4CQRDZF5DKA1P3QX0&bestFormat=true **In this episode:** hearing God’s voice, how to hear God, discerning God’s voice, Christian discernment, Holy Spirit, knowing God’s will, recognizing God’s voice, God or my thoughts, confirmation from God, signs from God, hearing the Holy Spirit, biblical discernment, prayer, spiritual discernment.