So, How do we hear from God?

Pic by Chloe Lewis

     "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." - John 16:13 (NKJV)

     Just because so many people don't hear, or aren't able to discern God's voice, doesn't mean He isn't speaking. We can't lower our level of expectation of God to what we experience, but rather we should push for our experiences to live up to the standard of His Word. As seen in the previous blog, it is imperative that we hear His voice. The truth is that as His 'sheep', we are capable of recognising the voice of the 'Shepherd', as Jesus taught in John 10, in the parable of the Shepherd and the Sheep. But, practically, how can we discern His voice? How do we know it is God and not just our flesh pushing it's agenda?

     The first step is being assured of the fact that God does speak and is speaking to us. Once we are aware of this truth,we start to look at situations differently, we start to expect God to speak to and through us. This expectation immediately starts making us more sensitive to the different ways He is able to speak to us and for what purposes.

     I want to stress at this point that the language used in many cases and contexts may be different; for example someone might say, "I heard the Lord say ..." and someone else might say, "I felt in my Spirit" and still someone else could say, "I just knew it was the right thing ..." All these things are filtered through our vocabulary and 'christianese' language, but come down to the same thing. God is talking and you heard!

     The most consistent and readily available way to hear from God is through His word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that "All scripture is God-breathed ...", another translation says that it was "given by His inspiration" This means that whenever we read His word, the Holy Spirit is able to apply the Word to your life, as though it is God speaking right to you; because it is God speaking right to you! Our part is to believe what we are reading to be true, inspired and relevant. We must believe God can speak to us through His word, for it to actually happen.

     But, what about when we don't have our bibles open, or if God is not reminding us of a scripture? What about when we are ministering to people, or are having to make a quick decision, what should we rely on then? The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, where the Lord wants to speak to Elijah, is a good example of what we experience today. The Lord was not in the powerful wind that tore through the mountains, He was not in the earthquake and He was not to be found in the fire. Instead, God spoke to him in a 'gentle whisper'. This is a great picture of how we hear God speaking to our spirits today. So often we expect the fireworks, like God writing on the wall (Daniel), shouting in a booming voice (Samuel) or sending a sign down from the heavens (Elijah). He can do all these things, but more often than not, He speaks in a gentle whisper to our spirits.

     When He whispers in our spirits we must be able to discern His voice. Often we get confused with our own thoughts and imaginations, however, there are some ways to discern His voice from all the other voices in your head. Firstly, whatever you feel is being spoken to you, does it contradict the written word of God. If it doesn't, but instead it aligns with what the bible says, then it could be from God. But, just because it's biblical doesn't mean you've heard correctly. For example, you may have felt that it was God telling you to talk to someone about their salvation, that's bible. But, it may not be the right time to do so, they might not receive what you have to say at that moment, but at a later stage they may.

     Ask yourself these questions: Does, what you think you've heard, bring peace to a situation? Will it bring joy to a situation? Does it speak life into a situation? Does it go against your natural inclination or flesh? Does it get you out of your comfort zone, in a good way? If your answer is, yes, to all of the above, then it is probably God speaking to you.

     These aren't formulas, they are just guidelines. At the end of the day we must practise hearing His voice. The more we practise it, the better we are able to discern it. Start with the small things, then when the big, tricky situations arise, your confidence for hearing His voice will be high.  Expect Him to speak to you in every situation, He is always speaking, but are you listening?