June 1: I'm confused! How do I know it's God's voice I'm hearing?

I Kings chapters 12 and 13, 2 Chron. 10, 11

1 Kings 13

The Message (MSG)

13 1-3 And then this happened: Just as Jeroboam was at the Altar, about to make an offering, a holy man came from Judah by God’s command and preached (these were God’s orders) to the Altar: “Altar, Altar! God’s message! ‘A son will be born into David’s family named Josiah. The priests from the shrines who are making offerings on you, he will sacrifice—on you! Human bones burned on you!’” At the same time he announced a sign: “This is the proof God gives—the Altar will split into pieces and the holy offerings spill into the dirt.”

4-5 When the king heard the message the holy man preached against the Altar at Bethel, he reached out to grab him, yelling, “Arrest him!” But his arm was paralyzed and hung useless. At the same time the Altar broke apart and the holy offerings all spilled into the dirt—the very sign the holy man had announced by God’s command.

6 The king pleaded with the holy man, “Help me! Pray to your God for the healing of my arm.” The holy man prayed for him and the king’s arm was healed—as good as new!

7 Then the king invited the holy man, “Join me for a meal; I have a gift for you.”

8-10 The holy man told the king, “Not on your life! You couldn’t pay me enough to get me to sit down with you at a meal in this place. I’m here under God’s orders, and he commanded, ‘Don’t eat a crumb, don’t drink a drop, and don’t go back the way you came.’” Then he left by a different road than the one on which he had walked to Bethel.

11 There was an old prophet who lived in Bethel. His sons came and told him the story of what the holy man had done that day in Bethel, told him everything that had happened and what the holy man had said to the king.

12 Their father said, “Which way did he go?” His sons pointed out the road that the holy man from Judah had taken.

13-14 He told his sons, “Saddle my donkey.” When they had saddled it, he got on and rode after the holy man. He found him sitting under an oak tree.

He asked him, “Are you the holy man who came from Judah?”

“Yes, I am,” he said.

15 “Well, come home with me and have a meal.”

16-17 “Sorry, I can’t do that,” the holy man said. “I can neither go back with you nor eat with you in this country. I’m under strict orders from God: ‘Don’t eat a crumb; don’t drink a drop; and don’t come back the way you came.’”

18-19 But he said, “I am also a prophet, just like you. And an angel came to me with a message fromGod: ‘Bring him home with you, and give him a good meal!’” But the man was lying. So the holy man went home with him and they had a meal together.

20-22 There they were, sitting at the table together, when the word of God came to the prophet who had brought him back. He confronted the holy man who had come from Judah: “God’s word to you: You disobeyed God’s command; you didn’t keep the strict orders your God gave you; you came back and sat down to a good meal in the very place God told you, ‘Don’t eat a crumb; don’t drink a drop.’ For that you’re going to die far from home and not be buried in your ancestral tomb.”

23-25 When the meal was over, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. Down the road a way, a lion met him and killed him. His corpse lay crumpled on the road, the lion on one side and the donkey on the other. Some passersby saw the corpse in a heap on the road, with the lion standing guard beside it. They went to the village where the old prophet lived and told what they had seen.

26 When the prophet who had gotten him off track heard it, he said, “It’s the holy man who disobeyedGod’s strict orders. God turned him over to the lion who knocked him around and killed him, just asGod had told him.”

27-30 The prophet told his sons, “Saddle my donkey.” They did it. He rode out and found the corpse in a heap in the road, with the lion and the donkey standing there. The lion hadn’t bothered either the corpse or the donkey. The old prophet loaded the corpse of the holy man on his donkey and returned it to his own town to give it a decent burial. He placed the body in his own tomb. The people mourned, saying, “A sad day, brother!”

31-32 After the funeral, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the same tomb where the holy man is buried, my bones alongside his bones. The message that he preached by God’s command against the Altar at Bethel and against all the sex-and-religion shrines in the towns of Samaria will come true.”

33-34 After this happened, Jeroboam kept right on doing evil, recruiting priests for the forbidden shrines indiscriminately—anyone who wanted to could be a priest at one of the local shrines. This was the root sin of Jeroboam’s government. And it was this that ruined him.

This chapter is extremely interesting to me. Because it reminds me of what God has been showing me in the past 4 years since my healing from anxiety and depression. 
Throughout the past 4 years, my first thought has been, 100% of the time, (if I'm remembering correctly) the God inspired one. 

The pattern goes something like this: 
1. Dilemma
2. Solution appears in my mind.
3. I start second guessing myself, because the solution seems hard, impossible or not appealing.
4. A different solution pops into my mind, which seems much easier.
5. Confusion in my mind.
6. Back to solution #1. 
7. Prayerfully proceed in that direction, asking God to please put a halt to everything if it's wrong. 
8. Prayerfully stay on course (don't second guess if I heard right). 
9. Success! And intense relief that I didn't carry out solution #2!
10. Worshiping and praising God for victory!

We have to be on guard at ALL times! This can also go the other way.
1. Dilemma
2. Easy solution appears that I instantly feel not good about.
3. I second guess my negative gut reaction, because on the surface it seems perfectly okay.
4. Confusion
5. Back to my first NO! gut response.
6. Prayerfully stick with my decision, even in spite of pressure to cave in.
7. Intense relief in the end that I stayed strong.

These are two positive outcomes. I have made many wrong decisions in the past. To be perfectly honest, some of these wrong choices are what led me to the pit of anxiety and depression I was in!  Thank God I have been able to turn everything around!

Oh and also I have noticed the hard thing is most often the right thing!!!
When the king asked the man of God to come and eat with him, 
8-10 The holy man told the king, “Not on your life! You couldn’t pay me enough to get me to sit down with you at a meal in this place. I’m here under God’s orders, and he commanded, ‘Don’t eat a crumb, don’t drink a drop, and don’t go back the way you came.’” Then he left by a different road than the one on which he had walked to Bethel.
Turning down a meal was definitely the hard thing. 
Then, the man of God was tempted a second time! Another man of God heard what happened and tracked him down.
15 “Well, come home with me and have a meal.”

16-17 “Sorry, I can’t do that,” the holy man said. “I can neither go back with you nor eat with you in this country. I’m under strict orders from God: ‘Don’t eat a crumb; don’t drink a drop; and don’t come back the way you came.’”

18-19 But he said, “I am also a prophet, just like you. And an angel came to me with a message fromGod: ‘Bring him home with you, and give him a good meal!’” But the man was lying. So the holy man went home with him and they had a meal together.

Can you believe it??? Confusion set in. Just before this, he had explained clearly to the king that God's orders were, "Don't eat a crumb and don't drink a drop." He was no doubt so relieved that God's word had changed, because he was hungry!  And it seemed right! Only he didnt know the other man of God was lying! And as a result, he was killed by a lion.
We learn from this sad account that we should always follow God's original orders. 
So when someone, even someone who seems to be righteous, tells you something other than what God has originally told you either through His word, or in prayer, or by your pastor or pastor approved spiritual leaders in your life, WAIT! Dont take ANY action. Fall to your knees and seek God's face. The evil fog of confusion will dissipate and you will once again hear God's voice.
"Dear God, please clear away the fog of confusion from somebody's life right now! You have spoken clearly to them, and now they are second guessing Your original word. Help them to hang on to Your spoken word in their life with everything they have within them! Help them to stay strong and do the hard thing! Because the hard thing is most often the right thing! And when it's all over, deep, blessed peace and joy overwhelms. Thank You Oh God for Your sure word of truth. Thank You that we can trust You! You are amazing! Blessed be Your holy name, Jesus! AMEN."

Matthew 11:28-30

Amplified Bible (AMP)

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will [a]ease and relieve and [b]refresh [c]your souls.]

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest ([d]relief and ease and refreshment and [e]recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, [f]good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.