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HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD

(Jesus speaking…) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27, NIV)

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IT, prayer is an amazing thing. Through prayer, we are able to communicate with God, Himself. When we pray, the Divine Creator of the universe is listening to us as we present the deepest cries of our hearts to Him. But as we are praying, are we also listening to Him? Have you ever considered that prayer is actually a two-way conversation, and that He has something to say back to you? God is indeed speaking back to us, although we may not be recognizing it as God because we are not accustomed to hearing His voice.

Some may be wondering if there is any truth to that statement. Consider the fact that throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, God spoke to His people often. He spoke to the kings, the judges, the prophets, the shepherds, and the disciples. He spoke to old and young alike. He spoke to those in powerful positions, and to those with no social status. He spoke to the righteous and the sinner. From Genesis to Revelation, God was speaking to all kinds of people.

There is absolutely no Scripture in the Bible which even suggests that God stopped speaking when the last word of the Bible was written. Throughout the ages, God has continued to speak to His people. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord, that includes you! He speaks direction, comfort, insight, correction, exhortation, promises and the like to His people today. “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying…” (Revelation 2:7, NLT).

WHAT PREVENTS US FROM HEARING GOD?

We firmly believe God is still communicating – or trying to communicate with His children on a regular basis. With that assumption in mind, the question often many predictably ask is, why don’t we hear Him more often? One reason is that we may not recognize how the Lord is attempting to speak. A bit later in this article, we will give several possible ways to hear from God. The other main reason for not hearing the Lord in our lives is that we may be dealing with issues in our lives that do not prevent Him from speaking, but can prevent us from hearing and receiving His voice. Here is a list of five possible issues (this list has been adapted from Marilyn Willett Heavilin’s book, “I’m Listening, Lord”):

1. DISTRACTIONS

Have you ever found it difficult to pray, or, once you set your mind to it you become bored and distracted? We often miss what God may be trying to say to us simply because we are unable to focus on Him. If we are having a phone conversation with someone while trying to do three other things, chances are we won’t have absorbed all of the conversation. This is one of the reasons that we are exhorted by Scripture to meditate on God and His Word. If we can find a strategy to minimize our distractions, we may be amazed to hear God speaking to us.

2. DISAPPOINTMENT

When we feel God has somehow disappointed us, it can be very difficult to hear Him, or even to want to hear Him. Disappointment can become a barrier. But King David gives us an excellent example of how to handle disappointment with God. He was not reluctant to tell God of his frustration and discouragement. Rather than become silent before God, he told the Lord just how he felt. I encourage you to do the same thing. If you’re disappointed with God, say so. He wants to talk with you no matter what it is you have to say.

3. DISCONNECTION

Sometimes we can feel disconnected or distant from God because of something we have done. Sin in our lives can have a powerful disconnecting effect that causes us not to hear God’s voice. We recently focused a radio program and article on this topic. If you feel disconnected from God because of unresolved sin in your life, I urge you click here to go to the article and radio program in order to help you deal with it so the channels between you and God are once again clear.

4. DISINFORMATION

Often as Christians we look to our churches and our colleagues to build our theology rather than basing our doctrinal stand on what God’s Word says. This is why many have come to believe that God does not speak to His children today—not because of anything the Bible has said, but because of disinformation they have received somewhere along the line. God has given us His Word and His promises, and He expects us to check our decisions and our beliefs with Scripture so that we will not get tripped up with disinformation. We are always correct to ask God to renew our minds so they conform to Him rather than to the beliefs of the world (see Romans 2:12).

5. DISBELIEF

Many cannot and will not hear the voice of God in their lives because they simply do not believe. They may have come to salvation, and may even pray from time to time, but they really expect little or nothing to come of it. If we truly believed that every time we pray, God—who has control of everything in and around—not only will listen to us, but desires to converse with us, we would pray every chance we get. But often, because we don’t see immediate or what we consider to be adequate answers to our prayers, we fall into disbelief. But, we must remember that we serve an all-powerful, all-knowing God that we can trust to give us the very best in spite of what we ask for, or in spite of how we interpret His answer. If we have fallen into disbelief, our first prayer back toward God should be, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NIV).

SOME WAYS WE HEAR GOD’S VOICE

As I mentioned earlier, it may be none of these five issues that keep us from hearing God. Some are not hearing Him because they do not recognize how He speaks. We may be hearing Him, but have not learned to perceive His voice. To perceive means to take hold of, feel, comprehend, grasp mentally, recognize, observe or discern. Learning to perceive God’s voice and acting upon it is a key to living a successful Christian life.

So, how does God speak to us? Hearing the voice of God is not as difficult as many might think. There are several ways. While this list is not exhaustive, it shows some of the ways God speaks to His people today (portions of the following list have been adapted from Leanne Payne’s “Listening Prayer”):

1. THE BIBLE

The first and foremost way we hear God speak to us is through the Bible—Holy Scripture which is His written revelation to humanity. When reading the Bible, has a verse ever just seemed to jump off the page? When that happens, it is often God communicating a particular truth to us for our particular situation. We should never underestimate the power of Scripture as an instrument of God to speak to us in a personal way. In fact, the Bible is our litmus test for any other kind of revelation we feel we are receiving. If we think we have heard God, but what we are hearing contradicts the Bible in any way, you can be sure it’s not God’s voice you are hearing! Powerful as the Bible is, however, many today make the mistake of saying that God ONLY speaks to us through the Scriptures. Even though revelation must align with the principles in the Bible, there are other ways God speaks today.

2. GOD’S STILL, SMALL VOICE

When God speaks to us in this way, we just know that we know something is right. We have a strong feeling to move ahead in one direction, or we find an issue in our heart has been settled, and the answer is clear to us. Some may call this intuition, or even a “sixth sense,” but it is often an inaudible voice of God speaking directly into our spirit.

3. OTHER PEOPLE

God can and often does speak a very direct word to us through other people. Some biblical examples of this are: King David expresses, “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2, NIV). “But men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, NIV). This can happen not only in preaching and teaching we receive, but also in conversations we have. When the Lord uses someone to speak His words to you, they hit you in a deep and profound way—like someone turning on the lights in the midst of darkness.

4. GOD’S CREATION

“For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20, NIV). Have you ever felt the presence of God in a sunset, a flower, or even a raging thunderstorm? At times great beauty in nature or even in a moral truth can be a vehicle for a direct word from God. In the Bible, we see He used a rainbow as a sign of His covenant with Noah. He used dew on a fleece to help guide Gideon. He caused a fig tree that did not bear fruit to wither and die. The righteousness He makes available to us is likened throughout Scripture to white snow. If we take the time to stop and look around us, we may be surprised to find that God is speaking through His creation.

5. DREAMS AND VISIONS

“‘We both had dreams,’ they answered, ‘but there is no one to interpret them.’ Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams’” (Genesis 40:8, NIV). We see many biblical examples of God speaking to His people in dreams and visions. He spoke to Joseph, Solomon, Pharaoh, many prophets and kings, and Joseph (Jesus’ earthly father) by this means. Joel 2:28 says, “afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. …Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” God still speaks through dreams today. If you awake from a dream that seems unusually vivid and very real, you may want to ask the Lord if He is trying to speak something to you through that dream.

6. EXPERIENCES

Sometimes referred to as a “religious experience,” there may be times when God speaks to you through a very specific incident. Sometimes this happens in prayer at home. Sometimes this happens when we respond to an alter call. Often this will occur when people first become saved. When God speaks to us through a specific experience, we will be able to point back to that moment in time as a benchmark for a shifting in our lives.

7. ANGELS

All throughout the Bible, God sent angels as His messengers to speak to something to His people. This method of communication is still one He chooses to use from time to time, and one that we cannot discount. One day God may surprise you!

8. AUDIBLE VOICE

While this is relatively rare, there are times when God chooses to speak in an audible voice. He did so in young Samuel’s life as well as to many others in the Bible. Once again, this is not something to dismiss as impossible. Genesis tells us that it was by His audible voice that God created all of heaven, earth, and every creature that has breath. Can God not use that same voice to speak to His creation?

Our prayer for you and your family is that you would hear the voice of the Good Shepherd clear and strong in days ahead.

With blessings,
Jack and Rebecca Sytsema

©2007, Children of Destiny. All rights reserved.

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HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD
SCRIPTURE GUIDE

Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying…
(Revelation 2:7, NLT)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
(John 10:27, NIV)

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
(Romans 1:20, NIV)

The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
(John 10:3-4, NIV)

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, NIV)

As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."
(Hebrews 3:15, NIV)

Afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. …Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
(Joel 2:28, NIV)

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.
(Job 37:5, NIV)

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
(Psalm 29:3-9, NIV)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
(Isaiah 6:8, NIV)

And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
(Luke 3:22, NIV)

I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
(John 5:25, NIV)
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