What does it mean that God knew me before I was born - Jeremiah 1:5?

The Hebrew word used in Jeremiah 1:5 is yada - an intimate, purposeful knowing. It means God did not discover you. He formed you intentionally, with a specific purpose in mind. Pastor Ricardo Zaal at Fountain of Grace International in Pretoria North teaches this as the foundation for following your inner voice.

How do I know if the voice I am following is God or just my own thoughts?

The message from Fountain of Grace International addresses this through 1 John 4:4 - greater is he that is within you than he that is in the world. The voice that is consistent with scripture, that calls you to build and serve rather than destroy, and that does not go away under pressure - that voice is worth following.

Why do other people's voices feel louder than my own sense of calling?

Pastor Ricardo Zaal explains that many voices saying 'stop' or 'don't run, you will fall' were spoken by people who meant well - parents, teachers, friends trying to protect you. The problem is that when those voices are repeated long enough, they become indistinguishable from your own inner voice. Jeremiah 1:5 is God's counter-declaration: he formed you with intention. That overrides what anyone else said.

What does 1 John 4:4 mean for someone who feels held back?

1 John 4:4 says greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. This means the God who formed your purpose and lives inside you is greater than every external voice, circumstance, or setback telling you to stop. The message preached at Fountain of Grace International in Pretoria North uses this verse to show that your inner knowing is backed by the same God who set you apart before birth.

Sunday Message · Fountain of Grace International · Pretoria North

Follow Your Inner Voice - Discover Your Destiny

Name: Follow Your Inner Voice - Discover Your Destiny
Uploaded: 2026-02-24
Channel: Pastor Ricardo Zaal
Description: Follow Your Inner Voice - Discover Your Destiny

Before you were born, God already set you apart. He did not research you on Google. He formed you, made you, and wrote what your life would look like. This message is for the person whose inner voice keeps saying "go" - while other voices keep saying "stop."

Pastor Ricardo Zaal · Fountain of Grace International, Pretoria North · 24 February 2026

Think about Carl Lewis. Born 1961. Nine Olympic gold medals. Now imagine that when he was young, people kept telling him: don't run, you will fall. That message was imprinted. And yet, in his inner being, he knew he was supposed to run.

The Hebrew word for "know" in Jeremiah 1:5 is yada - an intimate, purposeful knowing. God did not discover you accidentally. He did not observe you from a distance and decide to use you. He formed you. He wrote your life before you lived it. The question is not whether he placed a purpose inside you. The question is whether you are willing to follow it.

The voices that tell you to stop

Some of those voices belong to people who loved you. Parents who said "don't run, you will fall" because they were trying to protect you. The problem is that when those voices get repeated enough times, they become indistinguishable from your own. You start to think it is your voice saying "stop" - when it was never yours at all.

The voice inside you

1 John 4:4 - "Greater is he that is within me than he that is in the world." The God who formed you lives inside you. When that inner knowing says "go," it is not your imagination. It is the God who wrote your destiny speaking to the person he made you to be.

Stop going to outside voices first. Start listening to the one who knew you before you were formed. That does not mean you ignore wisdom. It means you take the word God has placed inside you seriously - and you stop burying it under everyone else's opinion.

"God did not do what I do when I search something on Google. God did not research you. God knew you. He aughted you, made you, formed you, and wrote what life would be like."
- Pastor Ricardo Zaal, Fountain of Grace International

If you are in Pretoria North and something in this message is stirring you, come to Fountain of Grace International on Sunday. These messages are preached live every week at 09:00, 323 B Danie Theron Street, Pretoria North.

Questions this message answers

What does it mean that God knew me before I was born - Jeremiah 1:5?: The Hebrew word used in Jeremiah 1:5 is yada - an intimate, purposeful knowing. It means God did not discover you. He formed you intentionally, with a specific purpose in mind. Pastor Ricardo Zaal at Fountain of Grace International in Pretoria North teaches this as the foundation for following your inner voice.
How do I know if the voice I am following is God or just my own thoughts?: The message from Fountain of Grace International addresses this through 1 John 4:4 - greater is he that is within you than he that is in the world. The voice that is consistent with scripture, that calls you to build and serve rather than destroy, and that does not go away under pressure - that voice is worth following.
Why do other people's voices feel louder than my own sense of calling?: Pastor Ricardo Zaal explains that many voices saying 'stop' or 'don't run, you will fall' were spoken by people who meant well - parents, teachers, friends trying to protect you. The problem is that when those voices are repeated long enough, they become indistinguishable from your own inner voice. Jeremiah 1:5 is God's counter-declaration: he formed you with intention. That overrides what anyone else said.
What does 1 John 4:4 mean for someone who feels held back?: 1 John 4:4 says greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. This means the God who formed your purpose and lives inside you is greater than every external voice, circumstance, or setback telling you to stop. The message preached at Fountain of Grace International in Pretoria North uses this verse to show that your inner knowing is backed by the same God who set you apart before birth.

Preached by Pastor Ricardo Zaal at Fountain of Grace International, 323 B Danie Theron Street, Pretoria North, Gauteng, South Africa (NPO No: 316-193). Sunday services at 09:00. Fountain of Grace International in Pretoria North teaches practical, scripture-based messages designed to connect with real life challenges and the specific context of people living in Pretoria North and the surrounding areas.

Come and hear this in person - Pretoria North, every Sunday.

323 B Danie Theron Street. Services at 09:00. Someone will meet you at the door.

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►Read Full Sermon Transcript

So it means that some of the things that you do in life, sometimes you think it's wrong because of certain things get spoken in your head. I can make another example quickly. You've been put from young days. Don't run, you will fall. Don't run, you will fall. Don't run, you will fall. It's been imprinted in your mind, but yet you feel like running. You keep on feeling like running and you ended up being Carl Lewis. Do you remember Carl Lewis? Or what's that guy's name? Is it? Yes, he's the right guy I'm talking about. When they told you not to run, but in your inner being, you know I'm supposed to run. But your mother and father kept on saying to you, don't run, you will fall. Yet you stop running. Yet you stop falling. Frederick Carlton Lewis, born 1961, is an American track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals. Nine Olympic gold medals. Imagine if he would have listened to his mother and father telling him not to run. We wouldn't have even known him today. And this is what I'm saying to you. Before you were born, God already set you apart. Yes. For you to know what you've been set apart from is to listen to your inner being where God is saying, the Bible says that, greater is he that is within me that is in the world. So stop listening to what your mother and father is telling you. If you know your destiny is different. You know the the Hebrew word for for new is yada. It means an intimate purposeful knowing. So God knew purposefully he knew you. No, no, no. Let me go one further. God did not do the same thing like I did now. I was going on Google quickly hitting Carl Lewis. Who is Carl Lewis? I typed quickly. God did not research you on Google. God knew you he uttered you he made you he formed you he wrote what life would be like. So where is it that you need to go and get your wall that you must stand against? I can make another example quickly. Let me make an example example. You've been put from young days. Don't run you will fall. Don't run you will fall. Don't run you will fall. It's been imprinted in your mind but yet you feel like running. I may not know you they go to I do cart