Hearing God’s voice

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

(John 1:1 AMP)

God's voice is pivotal and needed in our generation. We are living in a culture of distractions. The word of God reveals that the last days are days marked by increased knowledge, you open the news, social media, the internet, etc., and everyone has an opinion, hence it can be difficult to hear God, but He has always been speaking.

In order to hear and know God's voice, you need to first be aware that, unless your life is surrendered to Jesus it is impossible to know and hear God. God speaks from a place of relationship. The Bible says, my sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me (John 10:27), thus it is impossible for a believer not to hear from God.

Though there may be things in our lives as believers that do cause spiritual deafness, the inability to perceive when God is speaking. Let's to look at two:

Distractions: I love how Stephanie Ike defines distractions, she says it is anything that causes you not to give your full attention to something. Distractions are not always bad things, in most cases it is the good things. It is when we put these good things above God, that they become a distraction. When you are distracted you disincline your ear from hearing from God. Every gift we have should be a means that push us closer and closer to God, when something steals our devotion to God, it is a distraction and therefore we must reevaluate. Hearing God requires a posture of intentionality.

Unconfessed sin: When we have sin in our lives, that we are refusing to acknowledge or just anything that the Holy Spirit has been nudging in our spirit to deal with, and if we have neglected that work, we hinder ourselves from hearing God. When we don’t confess our sins and be honest and vulnerable to God about where we are, we limit ourselves from having an intimate walk with the Holy Spirit. It’s never that God is not aware of our weaknesses, but that any relationship that is healthy thrives on vulnerability and honesty. The Bible tells us in the book of Acts, that we must repent, and turn to God, so our sins, offenses, and failures may be wiped out, and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). God wants to forgive and heal every part of our hearts, if we are not open to him, we rob ourselves of healing and experiencing the fullness of who God is and has called us to be. So what do you need to surrender today to God?, ask God to search your heart so that you can lay all burdens at his feet.

Let's look at some of the ways in which we can hear from God, there are many but let's look at a few:

God speaks through the word (the bible).

The word of God is the very means by which all other channels in which God speaks can be tested and understood. It is authoritative, It is living, and It is God Himself. I remember when I began my walk with God, I felt a sense of conviction, to study the word day and night, God made me aware that reading the bible is an investment that will pay off, and I assure you it paid off, and it is still paying off today. When we study and delight in the Word, we open ourselves to understanding, discernment, and wisdom. The word of God gives us access to the language in which God communicates, God has a language and it is through meditating on his word that we get not only to hear but know when it is God who is speaking.

God communicates through our thoughts, the word says to set your mind on things above and not on things on earth. what consumes your thoughts? what centers your mind? I love what Joyce Meyer usually says though you can't control what comes into your mind you can control how you react to it, we have the power through the Holy Spirit to cast down every human reasoning and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Your mind is a Holy Ground, the Lord uses our minds to deposit His word, his heart, and his instructions to us, so it is essential that we steward and guard our minds because that's where communion with the Lord takes place. Do not be conformed to this world any longer but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that (get this) " you can test and approve what the will of God is” that which is good and pleasing to the Lord, this communicates that a renewed mind is the one that discerns God’s will.

Patience!, I know we don't like to hear that word, but patience is an attribute we need to cultivate whenever we approach God, patience is what will save you from going ahead of God. When we approach God with whatever I mean, whether it's a physical need that we have or an emotional need, we need to be patient with Him remember God does not work according to our time zone, He exists outside of time, he is not limited or confined by time so the way He moves is not in the timing that we would expect, hence we use the currency of faith when we speak to God because faith speaks of things unseen, things that are not visible with the naked eye. The Psalmist writes I waited patiently for the Lord, He inclined and heard my cry(Psalm 40:1) there was a waiting period that took place there. I’ve also seen this in my own life, whether I am asking God for peace in the midst of a storm, or a physical need that I need to be met when I approach Him with an anxiousness of heart or a sense of urgency. I tend to not hear what the Spirit is saying, but when I enter a place of rest and stillness believing that God hears me, God speaks, it's not that God doesn't care that you need an answer or solution at the moment, but rather He wants you to come to an understanding that he is in control of everything, including the situation that troubles your heart and he is not anxious, so why should you.

Hearing and knowing God's voices requires intentionality, not perfection but a heart that is willing to wait in the presence of the Lord, a heart of humility that is willing, to be honest, vulnerable, and teachable.

Lets Pray!

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus, I desire to grow closer to you and hear your voice always in my life, I know through Jesus I can approach your throne with boldness, I believe you are not far away, you are always close, I pray that you would expose and remove anything that has hindered me from clearly hearing from you. Grant me the desire to seek your face with intentionality and humility, and remove any corrupt motive in my heart, that has caused me not to discern when you want to speak to me. I fall out of agreement with anything that has hindered me from hearing you. I thank you that your desire to speak to me more than I desire to hear from you. In Jesus' name Amen.