Hearing God’s Voice
God is not some far away religious figure. God is spirit, He is omnipresent, and He is three in one – the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is a relational God. God is from everlasting to everlasting, and although He has spoken in the past, He is also still speaking today. God’s love for mankind compels Him to speak, because He cares about us as a Father.
“God is constantly trying to speak to men. He desires to communicate Himself, to impart holy ideas to those of His creatures capable of receiving them.” A.W. Tozer
Knowing God’s Voice
A great starting point is to understand that hearing God’s voice comes from getting to know Him. Just like any relationship, the more we know someone, the easier we can recognise their voice. One of the ways we do this is by delighting in the Lord, and delighting in His Word.
Psalm 37:4 (NKJV) Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
The focus is to have a heart that delights in who God is. In other words, our greatest desire is knowing and loving God, even more than hearing Him speak.
When this happens, God takes desires from His heart and plants them into our heart. It is not about the fulfilment of what originates in us, but rather about receiving the desires themselves from our Father in heaven.
Hearing and Obeying
Father will always speak in line with His Word. Romans 10:17 says, ‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ God wants us to move from a position of questioning (“Is this God?”) to a statement of faith (“This is God!”).
Then simply be obedient. When seeking to hear God’s voice, an understandable thought is that we don’t want to get it wrong. Agreed, but that’s where another wonderful scripture works hand in hand with our faith. Philippians 3:15 says, ‘All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.’
What a wonderful promise! If we are genuinely delighting in God with a desire to hear Him and represent Him well, He gives us permission to walk confidently. If we innocently get off track, He will make it clear to us. It’s similar to a small child with a loving parent. The child doesn’t second guess every decision – they just live life! But if they head towards something dangerous or unhealthy, they are lovingly redirected.
So be encouraged! Delight yourself in who God is. Know His Word. Ask Father to speak to you. Then, if you have any thought or feeling that does not go against God’s Word, confidently say, “This is God!” and follow the promptings immediately. Faith pleases God!
Living a prophetic life means approaching every day from a faith perspective.
Believe that God will speak to you. Expect to live life hearing God’s voice! Enjoy delighting in God, and find pleasure in hearing Him speak.
Hearing When God Speaks
If you feel God is speaking about something big or a major decision, wisdom would suggest that you seek godly counsel from a trusted leader or mentor. One method is to give God a chance to put up a red STOP light if it’s not Him rather than waiting for a green GO light. For example, you could say to God, “I believe this is You speaking to me, so in the absence of a red STOP light in the next three weeks, I will confidently step forward in faith and obedience.” This approach pleases God and empowers us.