It’s a glorious experience to discover God’s perfect will for your life. It’s even more thrilling and fulfilling to do God’s perfect will!

In last week’s message to you, I mentioned that God speaks to you in a number of ways, each distinct and different, but regardless of how He chooses to speak, everything He says and does is in response to your prayers. According to the Word of God, when we call upon Him, He will answer (Psalm 91:16).

When we call upon Him in prayer, He may choose to respond in only one way, or He may choose to employ several different ways to reveal His will to us.

Here are four more ways:

#4. God speaks through prophecy and the gifts of the Spirit
Paul the apostle became a powerful man of God, used mightily for the Kingdom, yet at the height of his ministry, God sent Agabus to speak to Paul through a prophetic word, warning what would happen if the apostle went to Jerusalem — confirming what Paul already knew deep in his heart. As a result:

Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered,“What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:12-14 NKJV)

God often speaks through the nine gifts of the Spirit: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

I truly believe that God speaks through these gifts, but I am also convinced that an individual should not go around looking for a prophetic word all the time, nor should you accept a word from just anyone who comes along. The best place to get direction regarding God’s perfect will for your life is in your prayer closet. Get to know the Lord, and you will hear from Him as you learn to hear His voice.

Remember, a prophetic word should confirm what you already know deep down in your heart. Furthermore, I have discovered that if a prophetic word is from God, you’ll never forget it. No matter how much time passes, the message will be as fresh and as real to you as in the moment it was first spoken.