4 Truths to Hearing God's Voice

Our world is noisy, isn't it?  I always look forward to warm summer days and having the windows open or laying on the hammock.  But it seems that every time I do, someone is mowing their yard!  I mean could we just establish a rule that everyone has to do it at the same time (when it is convenient for me, of course) so I can enjoy the peace and quiet the rest of the time?

Our minds get noisy too with the constant thoughts of things we need to do and things that concern us.  With all the noise in life, how can you hear from God? I'm convinced that almost every Christian would do whatever God asked them to do if they just knew for sure they heard Him say it.   How can you know it was Him speaking and not your own thoughts?  How can you hear that one voice in life that you need to hear the most so that you can get the answers to your most pressing needs?

God has promised to guide us by His Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth. Having the Holy Spirit is like having the best tour guide around!  He knows all the best places to go, what to eat and how to stay out of trouble.  You don't have to go blindly through life trying to do the best that you can and hoping you made the right decisions. 

God is speaking all the time and you can learn to hear Him.  Let me share four truths to hearing God's voice...

1) Turn on your spiritual ears.  Jesus says 15 times in the New Testament, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  The ears Jesus is referring to are your spiritual ears.  When you became born again, your new spirit has a special connection with the very God of this universe, a special receptor to pick up on what He is saying.  The rest of the world doesn't have this connection and that is why God's ways seem foolish to them.  If you don't turn on your spiritual ears, what does that leave you with?  That leaves you listening to the voice of the world or the best that you can come up with on your own.  You wonder if you are hearing the voice of God, and no, you are not hearing Him, if you haven't turned inward to listen to him.

I know we all want the big sign in the sky or a billboard or even an audible voice, but usually, God speaks quietly through a voice that you will only hear in your spirit.  He speaks in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).  When you first start learning to hear God's voice, it's almost like you have to turn on your receptor.  You have to purposefully turn inward and see what you are picking up on the inside of you.  You have to quiet the other outside noises competing for your attention and tune into what God is saying.

This all can be done in a moment's time and with practice, you'll get faster and more proficient at tuning in and picking up His signal.  You'll be able to turn inward and ask God about a matter and get a reply.  But today are you even expecting one?  When you choose to turn on your spiritual ears, you are basically telling yourself and God, "I want to know what you say about this.  I'm asking for your guidance and I expect to receive it based on the authority of your word."

2. Know God's voice.  How do you get to know anyone?  By spending time with them.  You've spent so much time with your family that even if you didn't have caller ID on your phone, I bet you would recognize their voice if they called without them having to identify themselves.  You would also be able to identify someone close to you out of a voice line-up based on the kinds of things they say and the way they say it.  Have you ever had someone tell you that someone said something, and you thought to yourself, well, that doesn't sound like them?  Just hearing the words alone that the person supposedly said, tells you they likely didn't say that because you know them and they wouldn't say such a thing or not in that way.

All of that applies to God too.  The more time you spend with Him in prayer and Bible reading, the more you'll get to know His voice, the way He says things, the things He talks about.  You'll be able to identify the liar or even your own fleshly thoughts compared to God's thoughts when you get to know Him.  You get to know God's nature by reading the Bible.  When you are reading a story or really any verse about what God has done for you, ask yourself "What does this show me or tell me about God's nature?"  Get to know His nature. 

I've heard stories of people saying that they know they heard God say that they are supposed to get a divorce because they don't love this person and marry this other person that is their soul mate.  I sincerely doubt that.  That would go against His very nature and His word.  The voice of God will never go against His written word.  Or how about if you think you hear God say, "No, I'm not going to heal you.  I want you to be an example to others of how graciously a Christian can go through sickness in this life."  That doesn't sound like God.  That sounds like an excuse some religious person came up with because they needed some explanation of why they didn't get an answer to their prayer for healing.  Do you see that ANYWHERE in the Bible that Jesus told people no when they came to Him for healing or even to wait awhile?  No!  That's not God's nature.  It goes against His word that by Jesus' stripes you were healed.  (1Peter 2:24) When you get to know His nature you can recognize those as opinions or traditions of man, not God's voice.  

3. Know God's ways of speaking.  God doesn't usually give us big revelations or long instructions.  His ways are to give you the simple things to do that really turn out to be what make big changes in your life.  Like obedience.  Let's say you go to God to ask, "Him how can I get past these financial problems I'm having," and you are waiting for a big parting of the Red Sea moment where God will miraculously drown your debt and you walk away free.  But more likely God is going to speak to you about tithing or giving to others or your attitude of your job being your source instead of Him.  He's going to ask you for obedience. 

He'll give you the one next step you need to take and you might be left wondering how that is going to help.  You want to see the end result at the beginning before you take a step of faith and how it is all going to come together and God says, "Trust me.  Take one step at a time."  And truthfully God has already told you the end result.  (Philippians 4:19)

4. Be a good student.  God doesn't expect you to be perfect at all of this.  He is willing to teach you.  Are you willing to be a good student?  He will show you things to remove out of your life that are holding you back, adjustments you need to make to hear him more clearly. 

He wants to see where your heart really is.  Are you wanting to hear Him just because you are in desperate pain right now over your relationship issues and as soon as you get past this you'll go back to your old ways of hardly every seeking God?  Or do you want to hear His voice because you truly want to please Him and bring glory to Him through every part of your life, including your relationships?

In Jeremiah 33:3, He says, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NASB). God WANTS to talk to you.  He wants to help you navigate through this life and walk in victory.  He is not trying to keep you in the dark.  Keep pursuing hearing God's voice more clearly and pretty soon you'll be living a life you never thought was possible.

Are you feeling stressed by all the noise in life?  Can't get your mind to stop and rest?  Let me offer you one of my FREE one-on-one stress-buster strategy sessions.  We'll work together to create a crystal clear blueprint that will help you break free from the stress and enter His rest.  Limited spaces available - sign up here.