How to hear God’s voice?
Whenever we want to learn how to do something, we need to be purposeful, and learning how to listen to God’s voice is no different. It takes time, practice, and an open mind to discern the voice of God. We need to be proactive in our search to learn to hear his voice.
Take time this week to separate yourself and talk to Jesus. Whether that’s 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour. Just be still in a quiet place, pray, and wait to hear His voice. Maybe you won’t hear anything right away, but I assure you, you will hear His voice this week if you start seeking Him.
Some things that might help you out are:
1) Get rid of any distractions and focus on Him.
God speaks to us through a whisper. His voice is soft and sweet, and if we are surrounded by the noise of this world and the many distractions that surround us, we might miss the opportunity to listen when He speaks.
“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”
1 Kings 19:12 NIV
2) Start by praising Him, and talk about all His attributes.
The bible tells us that we should enter the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise. If we want to connect with God we need to recognize who He really is. His attributes will help us distinguish the way in which He speaks to us.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
These are some of His attributes:
He is good, He is compassionate, He is merciful, He is mighty, He is slow to anger, He is love, He is faithful, He is powerful, He is everlasting God, He is the Creator, He is eternal, He is Yahweh, He is our Maker, He is Almighty, He is the Son of God, He is Wise, He is Strong, He is consuming fire, He is great, He is a teacher, He is truthful, He is a jealous God, He is gracious, He is righteous, He is our mediator, He is our witness, He is a builder, He is our refuge, He is our strenght, He is the God who saves, He is spirit, He is King, He is Lord, He is our savior, He is forgiving, He is peace, He is holy, He is light, He is the Great I am, He is!
3) Be grateful, remember everything He has done for you until now, and give thanks to Him. You are alive!
I’m sure everyone has a lot of things to be thankful to God. Start by making a list of everything you are thankful for, for those things you have, and those you haven’t, even the things you are waiting on Him for because He knows exactly what we need.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 NIV
4) Forgive and ask for forgiveness. We need to have a clean heart. Ask Him for it, He is more than happy to heal you if you just ask.
Having a resentful heart could become a distraction from hearing God’s voice. When all we do is think about the way we were hurt, and we can’t forget, those thoughts fill our mind with heavy fog, and it’s hard for us to discern God’s voice. The enemy loves it when we have a resentful heart, he keeps replaying the scene of our past hurt over and over to create a distraction so we no longer can hear God’s voice. Remember step #1.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
Isaiah 43:18 NIV
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.””
Matthew 21:22 NIV
5) Before asking for things, ask Him to show you great things, to reveal Himself to you in a personal way. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in dreams and visions through His word, and always ask for clarity when you receive them.
God desires to have a personal relationship with each of us, and He speaks to us in many ways. In my personal journey, I have heard His voice in dreams; He has shown me visions; He has reminded me of something that happened in my life that I didn’t understand at the time; and He has given me a revelation as to why certain things happened in my life the way that they did. He has also spoken to me through a the advice of a child, even using nature: the other day he spoke to me through the rain as it was pouring down, and it was beautiful.
“For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it.”
Job 33:14 NIV
I am always amazed when I hear His voice because He is always eager for us to listen, and He communicates in unexpected ways that are so different and never boring. What I mean is that you might be asking to hear His voice out loud, and He might surprise you and speak to you through a street banner as you are driving yourself to work. He is that awesome!
“‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’”
Jeremiah 33:3 AMP
6) Be still & while you wait to hear His voice, continue to worship and praise Him, & give thanks for what you are about to receive.
In the same way, as distractions prevent us from hearing God’s voice, when we are the only ones speaking to God nonstop, we are not allowing Him to have a space to speak freely. It is ok to pray and talk to Him about everything that is on your mind, He wants that. But always remember to separate a time during your prayer when you are quiet. Remember, communication is between two people.
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”
Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
Mark 4:39 NIV
As you wait for Him to speak, you can dive into the word. He also speaks through words. The word of God is alive and is God’s thoughts, emotions, and words recorded for us to learn more about Him.
“Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.”
Isaiah 28:23 NIV
When God has spoken to me through His word, it is like something clicks and resonates with me, like God is placing a highlighter on specific words for me to see. Maybe you have already experienced something like this in the past.
7) Ask for discernment to hear His voice correctly, so the enemy can’t create confusion in you.
Discernment is key when getting closer to God. He speaks in many ways: dreams, visions, signs, the word, people, nature, etc. But sometimes, if we are not careful, we can receive or perceive through our emotions, bad intentions from others or even the hand of the enemy can interfere, and we can receive something that is not really from God.
“The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.”
Proverbs 16:21 NIV
So before anything, always ask God for clarity, and discernment and for Him to reveal Himself to you. When receiving a dream or a vision you can’t quite understand, ask for Him to give you an interpretation of it. If you are a child of God you have the Holy Spirit within you, the Holy Spirit is our guide, He is there to guide you, to give you wisdom, and to help you see things more clearly.
“Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.”
Psalms 119:66 NIV
“I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.”
Galatians 5:10 NIV
8) Once you hear His voice, remember to write down anything you hear & follow His instructions.
The Lord wants us to remember His promises, that’s why He decided to create the Bible so we could have all His promises in one place, so we could always remember His goodness and His ultimate sacrifice at the cross.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
Exodus 34:27 NIV
We need to remember and write down the times when He has spoken to us in a more personal way. Our minds can forget certain details that might be crucial to the whole message that He was trying to convey. That’s why keeping a journal of your personal time with God is so important. It could be something physical, like a notebook or a digital journal.
Having a record of the special moments God has spoken to us, is a great way to go back and read those promises again, so His words can encourage us and guide us during difficult times.