How to Hear God’s Voice When Making a Decision
May 14, 2026Summary
Have you ever stood at a crossroads in your life—deciding whether to change careers, move your family, or navigate a tricky relationship—and felt completely paralyzed by the "what ifs"? It is so easy to freeze in fear, terrified that if you don't receive a loud shout from Heaven, you might make a choice that ruins everything. If you are asking how to hear God's voice when making a decision, you are in the exact right place.
In this episode of the Arise, Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson is joined by Kari Anjewierden and Wendi Christensen to tackle the heavy burden of decision fatigue and spiritual paralysis. We explore powerful biblical frameworks for finding clarity, including how Gideon used a "fleece" to ask for divine confirmation, and how the Apostles in Acts 1 used their own wisdom to narrow down their choices before going to the Lord in prayer.
Learn how to lay your fear on the altar, step forward in faith, and look for the "God winks" that confirm your path. We also discuss why acting on promptings helps you see the fruits of the Spirit, proving that God was in the details all along. Tune in to move from decision paralysis to peaceful confidence as you walk hand-in-hand with the Ultimate Guide!
Episode Takeaways
- The Gideon Fleece: It is okay to ask God for a sign or confirmation when you are terrified of a big step. God meets us in our fear and provides the "dew on the fleece" to help us move forward with confidence.
- The Acts 1 Method: Don't just wait for an answer to drop from the sky. Do your research, narrow down your choices to the best options using your own wisdom, and then take them to the prayer closet.
- Action Builds Confidence: The only way to know for sure if a thought is from God is to act on it. When you see the "fruits of the Spirit" (love, joy, peace) resulting from your choice, your confidence in hearing Him grows.
- Clarity Through Conversation: Sometimes, God uses the process of talking through a problem with a trusted friend to drop the perfect clarity into your mind.
Resources
Ready to verify your path and move from paralysis to peace? Get our free Roadmap to Revelation bundle with a downloadable pdf & an MP3 Meditation to help you calm your mind and prepare to Receive Light & Revelation here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/Roadmap-to-Revelation
Reflection Questions
- Are you currently facing a decision where you are paralyzed by the "what ifs"? How can you apply the Acts 1 method to narrow down your choices today?
- Have you ever laid out a "fleece" before God to ask for confirmation? What did that look like for you?
- Think of a time you acted on a prompting and saw good fruits come from it. How did that build your confidence in hearing God's voice?
Host & Guest
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Wendi Christensen @wendichristensencounseling
Kari Anjewierden @pocket.miracles
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:00.560 - 00:04:51.540
Have you ever stood at crossroads in your life?
Maybe deciding whether you're going to change careers, move your family, or handle a difficult situation with a child or a friend, and felt completely paralyzed by the what ifs? Perhaps you're asking how do I hear God's voice when I'm making a decision? Because sometimes the stakes feel too high to get it wrong.
You're afraid that if you don't hear a loud shout from heaven, you're going to make a mistake that ruins everything. Well, my friend, don't worry. You are in the right place.
Case by the end of today's episode, you'll have a three step framework for verifying your path. Moving you from paralysis to peaceful confidence will help you solve feeling indecision.
Like looking at how Gideon used a fleece and how the apostles narrowed down their decision. We're moving from fear of the wrong door to walking with the guide. Stay tuned. Ordinary Women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast.
I'm your host, Tamara Kay Anderson, and today I'm joined by the wonderful Wendy Christensen, my co founder, and Carrie Angewerden, who is part of our Women warriors of Light advisory board. And today we're diving into how decisions aren't just about picking an option, they're about developing a dialogue with God.
In Judges Chapter six, we meet Gideon. He was called by God to lead an army, but he was understandably terrified and probably a little bit overwhelmed.
And so he asked God for a fleece witness. He put a piece of wool on the ground and asked for it to be wet when it was supposed to be dry, and then dry when it was supposed to be wet.
God didn't rebuke him for needing that certainty, and he provided the witness that Gideon needed to move forward with confidence and faith. I've had many a fleece moment in my life when I was deciding if I wanted to spend the time, effort and money into starting a podcast.
My fear was very loud and I had many a conversation with God. I I told God, I'm willing to do this, but I need to know that it's your will. My fleece wasn't wool on the ground.
It was looking for doors to open that I couldn't open myself. When the right mentors appeared with the right resources as I sought them out, everything lined up in a way that can only be described as a God wink.
I knew the answer was go.
But I still hesitated because I was facing a huge fear and I had to Lay that fear on the altar before God and focus on faith and on the difference I knew I could make with God's help. Sometimes God wants you to move forward with faith, and he will provide the dew on the fleece as you walk.
Another beautiful scriptural pattern is found in Acts, chapter 1. The apostles needed to replace Judas, and they didn't just wait for a name to drop out of the sky.
They used their own wisdom first to narrow down their candidates and their choices down to two qualified men, Joseph and Matthias. Only after they had done their part to research and narrow down their choices did they go to God in prayer.
Lord, thou which knowest the hearts of all men, shoe whether of these two thou hast chosen. That's great prayer, right? I love using this Acts Chapter one method when I'm making a big decision that affects me or my family.
For example, when we moved here about 14 years ago, I thought, thoroughly researched the different places we could possibly lived, how the school districts treated kids on the autism spectrum and typical kids as well. And then I took my two best decisions to the prayer closet.
Usually I will feel a bright, clear yes of peace or confidence or a no, which kind of remains an unsettled feeling in my heart and soul. But I didn't get that answer when I asked. And so I had to actually come here and visit.
And as I was visiting one of the towns that we were looking to live in, I felt God's witness. This is the place where you need to be. So sometimes we keep moving forward and learning more and experiencing more until the answer does come.
Even when we use these methods, the fear of what if I'm wrong? Can still creep in. Let's be honest. We're mortal, we're imperfect, and sometimes we have to battle those negative thoughts.
Carrie is now going to share a vulnerable moment about how that kind of paralysis has stopped her in her tracks.
Kari Anjewierden
00:04:52.260 - 00:05:25.590
A lot of my younger life was lived in fear. Fear of choosing the wrong thing, making the wrong decision, some of those things.
And that has paralyzed me in the past. And I'm so grateful to be in a place now where I'm confident in what I hear.
I've learned some tools to help me that have made it so that I don't have to be paralyzed anymore. And I'm so grateful for that.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:05:26.230 - 00:06:36.800
Once you have confidence, you can move forward and act.
And the beauty of acting on a prompting is that you start to see the fruits, the evidence that God was indeed in that decision. And ask God, teach, teach me.
Is this you and the Only way you're going to know and come to know those thoughts are from him or if you're acting on them. Right? So get those impressions. If they're good, act on them.
And often you will see the fruits of the spirit is what it's called the fruits of the spirit. Did something good come from that? There's been times when I've acted on things and somebody will be like, how did you know?
How did you know I needed this today, that I needed you to show up right now and do this. And I'm like, that is because it came from God. And so that also helps reinforce, Tamara, that thought really was from God.
You know, good job you followed it.
And so as you receive those good things and act on them, you'll grow more and more confident in these are thought, these good thoughts are coming from God. Any other thoughts on this, Wende?
Wendi Christensen
00:06:37.520 - 00:07:17.420
Yeah, you know, it's interesting. As you were talking and I was pondering, I thought sometimes it comes from different sources that reinforce that I've heard God.
Like sometimes if I'm struggling with something and I talk to a friend about it and I'm describing this and then this, and I'm not sure what to do here, and I'm trying to figure this out, then clarity will come into my mind that's from God. He's used another person to help me to figure it out.
But sometimes clarity will come as I'm even describing the challenge or the decision or what I'm struggling over. Right. That it can come through that.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:07:17.580 - 00:08:42.520
So, my friend, God doesn't want you to live in fear that you're going through the wrong door. He is a shepherd who knows how to find his sheep. He knows exactly where you are right now and the decisions you are making. And guess what?
He will find you if even if you detour onto a side path, whether you need a fleece witness like Gideon or you're narrowing down your choices like the apostles, God is always ready to counsel and guide to help you move from paralysis to peace. We would love to give you this free gift through our Roadmap to Revelation.
It has an accompanying audio meditation that goes along with it that you can also get for free by clicking the link below. When you're at a crossroads, I invite you to peek at Step five, Safety Checks for the Soul.
It's the framework I use to verify every decision that I make when I turn to God. And you can verify it by testing the fruits of the spirit.
We also recommend the evening review in step six to write down the God winks or how God has showed up and been with you in your walk each day, especially after you've made a choice. So, my friend, may you feel confidence as you approach God and make decisions hand in hand with Him.
Trust in the Lord and lean not unto your own understanding. Ye will direct your paths and until next time, may you arise. Do it God's way, God strong.
