How To Hear From God - 001

Something most people don't grasp is this: you already are hearing from God. You're just not recognizing it. That's the real issue. Jesus didn’t say, "My sheep will eventually understand what I'm saying." He said flat out, "My sheep hear my voice." (John 10:27). He spoke with a simple certainty. You hear Him. The problem isn’t that He’s silent; it’s that we’re confused about what His voice even sounds like. Since they don’t see the spectacular show they’re expecting, they assume He must not be speaking at all.

What about that booming voice from heaven, the parting clouds, and the choir of angels? Sure, God can speak that way. He’s God! But is that the common method? I suspect not.

Think about what the writer of Hebrews tells us right at the start: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets" (Hebrews 1:1, KJV). He spoke in "divers manners"; that means He speaks in different ways at different times. If we’re only looking for the one big, booming voice, we'll miss 99% of the conversation.

We need to know how He talks. It’s not the fault of the average believer that they don't know this; most haven’t been taught to tune their spiritual ear to the right frequencies. But the Bible lays it out for us. From scripture, we see God speaks to everyone, believer or not, in several powerful ways.

Creation itself is always on the air. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." (Psalm 19:1-4). You can see His eternal power just by looking at the world He made, "so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).

He spoke through the prophets in the old days, and in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). His clearest, most complete word is Jesus.

He speaks through your conscience. Even those without the written law still act out the law's work, which is "written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another" (Romans 2:14-15). That inner sense of right and wrong? That’s God communicating His standard.

Sometimes, it comes when we are most still. "For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men..." (Job 33:14-15).

So, right there, God is communicating to all humanity through Creation, the Scriptures (Jesus and the Prophets), Conscience, and sometimes even Dreams.

On top of those general channels, God has even more specific ways He speaks to those who belong to Him. These often come through the Holy Spirit within our spirit.

He speaks through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church: a word of prophecy, a word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation, or a word of knowledge.

Inside your own heart, the Spirit communicates through a personal, subtle language: Intuition, a deep Impression or prompting, a renewed Conscience, inspiration, and the sweet, powerful feeling of communion with God. Yes, sometimes it’s an Audible Voice or a Vision, but often it’s a quiet knowing. Even our Circumstances can be a message if we pay attention.

1. Through Creation

2. Through the Heavens (Psalm 19)

3. Through the Prophets

4. Through His Son, Jesus

5. Through our Conscience (sense of right and wrong)

6. Through Dreams

7. A Word of Prophecy

8. A Word of Wisdom

9. Discerning of Spirits

10. Tongues and Interpretation

11. A Word of Knowledge

12. Intuition

13. Impression

14. Communion with God

15. Renewed Conscience

16. Inspiration

17. Audible Voice

18. Visions

19. Circumstances

Nineteen different ways, and probably more! You’ve likely heard Him in many of these ways without realizing it. Suddenly, that time you felt a strong, sudden conviction to call someone, or the time you felt a peaceful, deep sense of guidance after prayer, you can confirm you 'did' hear from God.

If we’re already hearing Him, why do we feel so blocked?

Before we can even focus on hearing Him consistently, we have to deal with what’s taking His word away. Sometimes, I get so hyperfocused on writing or a project that my wife could be standing right next to me and shouting, and I just wouldn’t hear her. I’m distracted. The same thing happens with God. We simply aren't paying attention.

To understand this distraction, we need to look at the Parable of the Sower. The seed, Jesus explained, is the Word (Mark 4:14). It is sown, but it lands on different kinds of ground.

In Mark 4:15, Jesus says the Word is sown along the path, and "straightway cometh Satan, and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them." They heard the word, but the devil snatched it before it could take root.

The first step to hearing God more clearly isn't about trying to hear a new word; it's about making sure the word you already heard isn't stolen.

These are some of the things that choke or snatch the divine instruction right out of our hearts. When we continue this study, we will look into things in detail.

Be encouraged, though. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance all the things that He has spoken to us (John 14:26). Even if the enemy tries to steal the Word, God is always faithful. Job tells us that God "sealeth their instruction" (Job 33:16). That’s a wonderful truth. You haven't missed everything. God is kind, and He will always speak, and the Spirit will bring it back to mind.