Here are some notes from Jack Deere’s The Voice of God on how to discern the voice of God:
God’s voice always agrees with the Scriptures
All private revelation in any form ought to be checked against the Scriptures. I do not believe that God will ever contradict the Bible. He may contradict our interpretation of the Bible, just as he did Peter’s interpretation of the Levitical food laws (Acts 10), but he will never contradict the actual teaching of the Bible. All prophetic words, impressions, dreams, visions, and supernatural experiences of any sort ought to be tested in light of the teaching of the Bible.
God’s voice may contradict friend’s opinions
-Some texts support that the counsel of friends are important to discerning the Lord’s will (Prov. 11:14).
-God sometimes leads his people to do things that make no sense to their friends – Paul deciding to go to Jerusalem even though his friends warned him that prison awaited him there (Acts 21:10-12; 20:22-23).
-When we are trying to discern whether or not the voice speaking to us is the Lord, we are not looking for advice in the natural. We do not simply want the opinion of others. We are trying to judge, not by eyes or ears, but by the Spirit of the Lord (Isa. 11:2-4). If others are to help us, what we need from them is true spiritual discernment, not reasonable advice. God expects us to learn to recognize his voice (John 10:3-4), therefore he will hold us, not our advisors, accountable for hearing his words (cf. 1 Kings 13:1-2)
God’s voice bears fruit
-Whether a prophecy comes true is not a good test b/c many prophecies contain a contingent element (cf. Jeremiah 18:7-10)
-Jesus’ test for discerning false from true prophets – their fruit (Matt. 7:16,18). Look at the effects of the voice speaking through the prophetic person. If that voice is from the Lord, it will produce good effects among the believing community – the fruit of the Spirit …. Jesus is giving us a general test of a person’s life or ministry. If we really are listening to the voice of the Lord, our lives will be marked the fruit of the Spirit wherever we go. If, however, we claim to be hearing from the Lord, and yet everywhere we go there is strife, dissension, and envy among believers, then it calls into question whether we are really hearing the voice of the Lord.
God’s voice is easy to reject
-Frequently God comes to us in ways that are easy to reject him. He comes to us as a baby in a stable, when we were looking for a prince on a white horse. He comes to us in a shadowy dream, when we were looking for a solid text of Scripture. He only lets us prophesy in part and know in part (1 Cor. 13:9), when we want complete understanding.
-Why don’t you speak more plainly, we ask? But God has already given us clear commands which we fail to heed. Why should God speak more plainly to people who ignore his clearest commands?
-Friendship is the key to recognizing God’s voice
The Brooks 