Hearing God's Voice

 

Does God want to speak to me?

Why does God want to speak to me?

How can I hear God’s voice?

How do I know when God has spoken to me?

What prevents me from hearing God’s voice?

Dear Reader

Have you ever asked yourself any, some, or all of the above questions? Well, I have and a number of times too!

I’ve been walking with the Lord for over thirty years now. I became born-again in May 1988 and over the years there have been times when I have been on fire for the Lord and times when I have been down in the dumps for various reasons and have let my flame burn down. There have been times when I have heard God’s voice and times when I have not!

But in all this, the ups and downs of life, there are two things that I now know with unwavering certainty, God loves me, and He has never left me nor forsaken me! 

In my times of doubt it was never God who left me, it was I who withdrew from Him. He never leaves us! I went through a period as a prodigal son! But because of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, God, in all things works for the good of those that love Him!

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Now why did I share that little testimony? Simply to highlight the fact that for a period I stopped hearing God’s voice, not because He didn’t want to speak to me but because I had withdrawn from our relationship and didn’t want to hear Him because the circumstances of life had sometimes overwhelmed me!

Alright, that’s enough of me, now let’s see what scripture says about the five questions I posed above!

Does God want to speak to me?

Yes, He most certainly does!

We are His sheep; Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He speaks to us so that we will know how to follow Him and be transformed and conformed to His image! A sheep knows the Shepherds voice and will not follow any other voice!

John 10:27 (NIV)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

God is our Father, and He wants to have a relationship with us in Christ Jesus and you can’t have a relationship with someone if you don’t talk to them! God wants to speak to us, and He wants us to speak to Him. In fact, Jesus tells us that there are lots of things that He wants to tell us. He tells us things that we need to know when the time is right. God's timing is always perfect. Let's take time to wait upon the Lord!

Isaiah 40:31 (AMP)

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strength and renew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired.

John 16:12 (NIV)

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.

Why does God want to speak to me?

God wants to speak to us so that He can tell us what is still to come.

John 16:13 (NIV)

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

God wants us to talk to him so that he can tell us great and marvelous things that we will have no hope of knowing unless He tells us.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

God wants to speak to us so that we can go the right way and not stray from the path that He has willed for our lives in Christ Jesus. No mater where we are or where we go, we can always talk to God!

Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Knowledge of the Bible and being obedient to its entire teachings is hearing God' voice!

How can I hear God’s voice?

By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour - becoming born again!

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV)

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

By reading and studying the Word. Everything that Jesus is, is in the Word. Every thing that is in the Bible comes from the mouth of God! A Christian cannot live on physical food alone. To grow in faith and to grow to spiritual maturity, we need be nourished by the Word of God. Jesus is the bread of life!

Mt 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

All scripture is from God, written by men in the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches us the things of God that enable us to live in His will and to hear His voice.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

When we are obedient to and doers of the Word of God, then we are hearing God’s voice and putting it into practice and we are blessed.

Luke 11:28 (NIV)

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

James 1:22 (NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

We can hear God’s voice through a prophecy spoken over us but be careful to test that word to make sure it lines up with the Word of God and make sure that you witness with the prophecy in your spirit - there should be no inner turmoil running through your mind. God is a God of peace and order!

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NIV)

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

God can speak to us in a dream or a vision or a mental picture!

Matthew 1:20 (NIV)

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Joel 2:28 (NIV)

“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

How do I know when God has spoken to me?
From my personal experience, when you cultivate a lifestyle of prayer, study the Bible, obey its teachings, are serving others, asking God to continually fill you with the Holy Spirit, and you are doing everything in love and you make time to wait upon the Lord, then you will naturally hear God’s voice in your spirit. 

You will hear him through a scripture and/or through prophecy, a word of knowledge or in any one of the methods described in the preceding section. You will have an inner witness and a feeling of peace in your spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:1-3 (NIV)

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.

What prevents me from hearing from God?
Hearing from God depends entirely on the attitude an individual has towards a relationship with Jesus and being obedient to God’s Word! A Christian that never hears from God never reads their Bible!

If you are not cultivating a relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and you are not reading and studying the Bible and being obedient to its teachings, then you are not likely to hear from God.

Unconfessed sin in your life and a broken or lukewarm or no relationship with Christ Jesus will also be a hindrance to you hearing God.

Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)

But your iniquities have separated

you from your God;

your sins have hidden his face from you,

so that he will not hear.

John 8:47 (NIV)

Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

James 5:16 (NIV)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Lack of faith will prevent you from hearing from God. Faith in Jesus and everything that He tells us in the Bible will prevent us from hearing from God. Our Christian walk is entirely one of faith in Christ Jesus and obedience to His Word! 

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)

But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

Prayer – from Psalms:

Dear Heavenly Father:

Psalm 51:10-12
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 119:11-12
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.

Amen!

All glory, honour and praise belongs to Jesus!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!

Last updated: 22 October 2022