Hearing God's Voice
by Lisa Walker
Founder of Faith Travels Testimonies
Only out of an intimate relationship with God do we come to recognize God's Voice. Our relationship with Him is the most important key to hearing His Voice and knowing when He is speaking. God doesn't want us to become experts at using formulas, but he wants an intimate relationship with us where we depend on Him alone. Hearing God's Voice does not depend on a method or a formula, but through an intimate relationship with Him.
Hearing God's Voice and being led by the Holy Spirit is very exciting. God has a good plan for our lives, but we can miss out on so many good things if we don't learn how to hear His Voice.
Hearing God's Voice…Listening is Very Important
Mark 4:23 "If you have ears to hear, listen. Hearing God's Voice is something we all long for, but did you know that it's not hard to do? In fact, God only wants us to listen to Him, but He only wants us to hear His Voice.
God does not speak to us through psychics, through vibrations, through astrologists, through the occult, through mediums and those that talk to the dead. In fact, God's Word says that listening to and having contact with these things is an abomination to Him. He dearly loves us and longs to speak to us and for us to speak to Him.
Jeremiah 29: 11-13 "For I know the Plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me with all of your heart."
Do you want to hear God's Voice? First You Must Listen
Once I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me, "How can you hear from me if you don't take the time to listen first?" In order to hear God's Voice we must first be listening. We cannot hear anything unless we first make the decision to listen. The world can fill our ears up with so many things that silence out the voice of God and push Him into the background where His voice is so faint it can never be heard.
Hearing the Voice of God is as natural as hearing your best friend talk to you. We can hear Him everyday and not just on special occasions or by chanting special incantations and seeking after false religions or psychics. He speaks to us in the natural moments of our lives.
"Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." Jesus speaking in Luke 8:18
The Bible clearly states that we are to be careful what we hear, meaning we should be careful what and who we listen to. His sheep know His voice and a stranger they will not follow. Are you His sheep? Learn to know His voice and how He speaks and then it will be easier to recognize the voice of a stranger.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
God is constantly speaking into our lives, but the problem is that many times we don't recognize that it's God trying to speak to us. God can speak to us through all kinds of things. He speaks through His written word (the Bible), people, prophecies, the Holy Spirit, dreams and visions, circumstances, etc. We must not place God into a box of any kind and believe that He only spoke to His twelve disciples or His Old Testament prophets.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
God is the same today as He was when He spoke to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses, Paul, Abraham, etc. God changes not. God's ways are not our ways and we cannot decide how or when He will speak to us. We cannot choose the way He will speak to us or even who will choose to speak to us through. He can choose to speak to us through a donkey if He so desires. The Bible even says that He chooses the weak and the foolish things to confound the wise.
Have you ever wondered, as you read in the Old Testament accounts of how God spoke to the prophets and others, if they were just "ordinary people' as we are today? God must have talked back then to as many as would listen and some of those conversations were so amazing that they were recorded not only as historical facts, but also so that we could have examples of listening after which we can pattern our own listening to.
Who were some of the Old Testament listeners and how did they hear God's voice? Was God's voice a booming voice, was it an impression and could everyone hear Him? Saying all of this, let's look at Moses, who was just a lowly shepherd boy. By the world's view, Moses was nothing special and he even stuttered, but God chose to speak to Moses so that he could lead Israel out of bondage. God had a purpose in mind.
Why was Moses chosen? It took quite some time and many trials for God to get through to Moses that He was actually speaking to him, but he was chosen because he was willing to listen and be obedient to God. Many are called, but few are chosen…Moses listened to and was obedient to the Voice of God.
In an ordinary conversation, we speak and we listen for the response of the other person, it's the same way with God. Once we've prepared our hearts to listen through prayer, we're more likely to hear the Voice of God. Does He speak to us through an audible voice? Sometimes He does, but usually that's not the case. We may not actually "audibly hear" the Voice of God, but He speaks to us in many ways. Here are some of the many ways God speaks to us:
God speaks to us through His Word (the Bible), The Holy Spirit, People, Prophecies, Dreams and Visions, Circumstances, etc.
Hearing God's Voice - Why Do You Want to Hear Him?
Why do you want to hear God's voice? That may sound like a silly question, but our motives are important in anything we do. The Bible says this about God's Word: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
Do you want to hear God's Voice? If you do, it's possible you're hearing Him already as He may be the one giving you the longing to hear Him.
Hearing God's Voice in the Bible
The Bible itself declares, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). In another place, we read: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16).
You may hear people say that the Bible is just a book written by men, but the Bible itself claims to be God's Word! The evidence of history, archaeology, fulfilled prophecy and personal testimony over thousands of years is overwhelming that the Bible is, indeed, God's Word. Do you want to hear God's Voice? Then read the Bible and find a good daily reading plan and stay with it. By reading the Bible, God's Plan and Great Love for us is revealed.
Hearing God's Voice through Prayer
When starting a conversation with someone, how do you begin? Do you stand in front of the person and hope they will talk to you? That may work, but usually we begin a conversation by opening our own mouths and talking and engaging the other person's attention and it's the same with God. He loves to hear us talk to Him and it's in those moments that we prepare ourselves to hear the Voice of God.
Prayer is like saying, "Hi God, it's me. I believe You created me and that you know way more about how I should live my life than I do. I'd like to get to know you better. Here's what's going on in my life and I'd sure like Your thoughts on how to handle it. Would You please speak to me about this today?"
Hearing God's Voice through Jesus
The Bible also tells us that Jesus is God, in the flesh. Therefore, if you want to hear the voice of God, you must study and know the teachings of Jesus. You must also have a personal relationship with Jesus. Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation of any depth with a person you did not know? It doesn't usually go very far.
Shortly before He was crucified, Jesus met with His disciples to tell them of what would happen after He was gone. He promised them a helper, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the way we hear God's Voice!
Hearing God's Voice with the Help of the Holy Spirit
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26). His Spirit, that still, small voice inside you is the One who will remind you of what God said and help you recognize God's opportunities and answers for your life.
Hearing God's Voice - Accept Him Into Your Heart
We have the Bible, prayer, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and our own hearts help us in hearing God's voice. Do you want to hear God's voice? That is the final question, for God responds to willing hearts.
His Word says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20).
God will never force you to obey Him, but waits for your willing response to His call....we all have a free will. Are you hearing His voice right now? Don't let your final answer be the wrong one. Let it be the right one…Accept Him into your heart today if you haven't already.
