Hearing God’s Voice

"He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear"

By Mary Wilcox

 

 

A SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY NOTE:

"MY sheep hear My voice." (John 10:27)

There are many "spiritual" voices. Some are NOT the voice of God. One can be assured when God speaks they will hear and know His voice by first accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Becoming a child of God (a sheep of the Good Shepherd) and surrendering everything to His will can be done by sincerely humbling yourself before God, asking forgiveness for your sin, accepting His Son, Jesus, being crucified for you and believing in Christ’s resurrection.

CONFESSING YOUR COMMITMENT TO GOD PUBLICLY AND acknowledging, THE LORD IN ALL YOUR WAYS will cause you to become "Spirit born" through the power of the Holy Spirit.

WALK WITH GOD every day AND LISTEN TO THE MANY THINGS HE WILL SAY TO YOU. Some things heard will be unspeakable. All communication with your Heavenly Father will be WONDERFUL as you pray and read you Bible each day and obey His voice.

HEARING GOD’S VOICE

    COMMUNICATING with God involves hearing the many voices of our creator. Many times Jesus said "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear". HEARING IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTS OF THE BELIEVER. Much more important than speaking.

    Speaking (or confession as some say) should never be the focus of a faith filled believer. Very simply, if confession were to be more important than hearing, Jesus would have clearly said "He that hath a mouth to speak, let him speak". This is not saying "declaration" is unimportant, but becoming a good listener is best.

    PRACTICING AND PERFECTING OUR SPIRITUAL HEARING WOULD AID US IN KNOWING GOD’S TIMING. Then as we confess "it" or declare "it", it would certainly be done.

    Hearing helps us stay in tune with the workings of God. It will cause us to know as God know in some matters. This way we will avoid foolishly saying God will do something when He will not.

    It is God’s will to save, heal and deliver BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY ALONE TO SAY "WHEN". God performs His works to glorify Himself, confirm the deity of Jesus and manifest the Kingdom of God AS HE WILLS upon earth.

    OUR SPIRITUAL EAR is developed by hearing and reading the Bible. We discover how and what God spoke through men and women in the past.

    This trains our spiritual hearing to recognize God’s communication by examining the "HOWS and WHATS" of things we hear today. "Hearing comes by God’s Word". (Romans 10:17) READING SCRIPTURE ANIMATES OUR SPIRITUAL EAR.

  • Listening to God is the same as attending anyone who speaks. Self-discipline is involved to receive the correct communication. If we desire to perceive what God is saying to us, we must practice the following skills:
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    FOCUS ON GOD. If you want to hear Him speak to you, focus yourself on Him as you would another person.

    LISTEN TO GOD. When God begins to speak to you, do not interrupt! Allow Him to finish. If you continually interrupt Him, He may not speak to you again concerning that matter until you have learned to listen.

    ASSIMILATE WHAT HE SAYS. This is when you actually absorb or "take in" what has been said AS TRUTH. HERE IS WHERE A LOT OF BELIEVERS ERROR.

  • Before we accept what we have heard as coming from the Lord, we must ask a few questions.

    • 1. Does it COMPLEMENT or PERSONALIZE what God has already promised in the Bible?

    2. Does it REFLECT GOD’S LOVE as described in I Cor. 13?

    3. Does it foster any fear, dread, worry, anxiety or an abnormal (extreme) level of expectancy or despondency?

    4. Do the words spoken tend to glorify and exalt YOU by such phrases as "You will be great" of best, largest, the only, etc.? A bit of "humble" caution would be best applied when you hear voices telling you the things you want to hear.

    WISDOM IS COMMUNICATED AS GOD HELPS US SEE FROM ALL PERSPECTIVE ANGLES.

    Your answer to 1 and 2 should be "yes". Your answer to 3 and 4 should be "no". For example, God does not compromise His Word by making a special exemption for a favored few. He does not speak differently to your heart than He has provided for your mind to understand through the Holy Scriptures. ONLY SATAN, THE CARNAL MIND AND THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH AN EYE DISTORT GOD’S WORD TO SUIT THEIR OWN DESIRES.

    DECIDE TO ACT. When you are certain you have heard from god, you must decide to do something about it and DO IT! True hearers are also doers.

    APPLY IT TO YOUR LIFE NOW. Put to work in your life NOW what God has said. Practicing His promises NOW whether it be in preparation or actual works will prove authenticity to what you have heard.

    KEEP REMEMBERING WHAT HE SAID. Create ways to continually remind yourself of God’s "words" to you. Record your dreams, visions, insights and audible perceptions. Frequently consult them. Be willing to admit you misconceptions as well.

    REINFORCE WITH COMMITMENT. When you are finally experiencing what God has promised, continue in it until He directs you otherwise. "Preparing to do" or "doing" what began as only a word from God long ago, is true fulfillment. Becoming the person you HEARD God ask you to become, brings great joy.

    Reinforce what has become a reality. Stay assured YOU ONCE HEARD GOD AND WILL CONTINUE TO HEAR HIM TODAY.

    SOME OF THE MANY VOICES OF GOD ARE:

    THE AUDIBLE VOICE
    Sounds like man. ‘And the Lord called Samuel again in the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child." (I Samuel 3:8) Samuel heard the voice of God and it sounded like Eli’s voice.

    DREAMS
    "For God speaketh once, yea twice, but man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction". (Job 33:14-16) God not only speaks in "perfect" or "it made sense" dreams but you may hear God speaking something to you amidst a confusing and "garbled" dream as well.

    VOICES OF PROPHECY
    God will use another Believer’s words to speak to you and you will certainly know it when He does. When the Pastor preaches, the teacher teaches, a testimony is given, a prayer is prayed, a song is sung OR ANYONE ANYWHERE SPEAKS…LISTEN!

    SCRIPTURE
    Yes, God has already written you a book of letters through the obedient pen of past men of God. READ IT FIRST.

    PARABLES
    You may see a thing, person or situation and God will use it to explain His ways of doing things. Drawing comparisons with the way God’s creation works can help us to better understand and hear God’s desire for us. After all, creation is a "Bible’ for those who do not have the canon of scripture. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse". (Romans 1:20)

    OBSTACLES
    "Closed doors" are often the only ways He can speak to busy and aggressive Believers who want to hear the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and HOWS of their future YESTERDAY. The bumps and bruises of running into thwarted opportunities usually keeps us humble enough to recognize that "open door" when it does appear.

    YOUR THOUGHTS
    Yes, God will speak to you directly in a thought. How important it is to keep tuned to HIS FREQUENCY! Think on things TRUE, HONEST, JUST, PURE, LOVELY and of GOOD REPORT and you will not miss His communication.

    THE VOICE OF THE BURDEN OF YOUR HEART
    Compassion is one way God tells us to pray for individuals or minister to them. Caution: Letting your heart always guide you can be a mistake. It is good to get some confirmation from other more reliable sources when it comes to anything other than prayer. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it: (Jeremiah 17:9)

    A KNOWING
    Many times God tells us "yes" or "not now" by giving us such an "inner certainty". It is almost as though FAITH is felt. This same assurance is experienced concerning our salvation. WE KNOW WE ARE A CHILD OF GOD and no one can take that knowledge from us. We can also "know" concerning other things as well.

    ORDINARY CONVERSATIONAL WORDS WITH ANY PERSON
    GOD CAN AND WILL USE ANYONE IF NECESSARY. Saint or sinner may get our attention and tell us what we need to know. Sometimes God speaks to us using the very words of a non-believer. How important we listen to everyone, not just those we esteem worthy.

    AUTHORITY
    Whom God has set over you, whether in the world or in the church, may be the one He will choose to lead and guide you. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that BE are ordained of God." (Romans 13:1)

    THE VOICE OF SILENCE
    Because God HAS NOT spoken to you nor answered your call by any other means…speaks volumes. This could men He trusts you to perform well as a mature child of God. Do what you normally would do or do what "YOU WILL DO". When God know you will naturally do what is right, He is often silent, waiting for you obedience. You may also check to see if you have been obedient to the last communiqué. If not, this may the reason for His silence. After worshipfully waiting as long as possible…move ahead in faith.

    OVERWHELMING SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES
    Maybe you are like Jonah whose "FISH" (from which he could not escape) carried him to the right shore. If God sees your circumstances will carry you down the right path, why would He need to tell you all the details? When we are overwhelmed by the painful present it is very difficult to hear anything concerning the glorious future.

    THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF TONGUES AND INTERPRETATION
    In a full Gospel church service you may hear God speaking to you through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12 are manifested through a yielded Spirit Baptized Believer. The message is to the assembled church as a body and also to the individual. Listen, not disbelieving or afraid and hear what God is saying to you. It will always be exactly what you need to hear.

    YOUR REGENERATED CONSCIENCE
    When you become a believer in Jesus Christ and are "born again" you may let you conscience by your guide at times. Good morals, ethics and courtesies always decorate the path of God’s will for you.

    VISIONS
    The Bible records many visions given to mankind by God. Whether it be a vision of the mind, of the sight or of the heart, all should be measured by the entire Word of God. They should never exalt people nor place overwhelming burdens and expectancies above and beyond what God has promised in the Bible.

    THE VOICE OF SPIRITUAL HUNGER AN THIRST FOR GOD
    This voice speaks load and clear the WE ARE TRULY BORN AGAIN AND ALIVE IN JESUS CHRIST. Often this voice in us that motivates daily prayer and study of God’s Word is enough to assure us we are going the right direction on the right path. When God is ready to speak; we know we will be in the position to hear clearly.

    PEACE
    If you have God’s peace in a questionable situation you can be assured He is with you. However, this DOES NOT MEAN the absence of peace says you are in the wrong place. Sometimes peace is not experienced because we lack faith. Remember the trip across Galilee for Jesus’ disciples? (Luke 8:22-25) JESUS, OUR PEACE WAS STILL IN THE BOAT EVEN WHEN THE "SEA" AND THE "DISCIPLES" WERE… PEACE-LESS. They only needed more faith and perhaps this is you condition too.

    BE A GOOD HEARER! GUARD YOUR TONGUE AND OPEN YOU EARS. GOD IS SPEAKING NOW.

    LISTEN TO HIS MANY VOICES. GOD SPEAKS TO EVERYONE WHO WILL HEAR!

     

    A Tree of Life Publication ©®2005 HTM /BMI