How to Hear God’s Voice


  • God Speaks in Various Ways
  • The Quiet Still Voice of God
  • How to Distinguish Our Voice from God’s Voice
  • How to Cleanse Our Ears and Hearts So We Can Hear Clearly
  • Conclusion

God Speaks in Different Ways

   God speaks to us through:
  • The Bible:
    • "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
    • Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).
  • Prayer. Prayer is talking with God, which includes listening to His response.
  • Sermons & worship songs at church, sermon podcasts, worship songs, books, and social media. 
  • The Holy Spirit inside us gives us a sense of confirmation that He is speaking to us through these, as something pops up “within our spirit,” confirming what we have been hearing from God. We experience a resonance between our spirit and God’s Spirit.
  • Opening and closing of doors. Circumstances that give us the green light, while other doors are being closed.
  • Others. When others share their wisdom with us, or when we see how a godly person lives out their faith, or when we hear someone’s testimony.
  • Dreams and visions (see below).

The Quiet Still Voice of God

  • “…a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper” (1 King 19:11b-12).
  • While we might like for God to speak to us clearly and directly, most of the time He speaks in a gentle whisper.
  • We have an unexpected idea/thought.
  • Some people “see a vision” in their mind – it pops up unexpectedly.
  • Some have actual dreams that are filled with imagery and spiritual meaning.
  • Some have heard an audible voice inside their head.
  • Hearing God’s voice usually takes place as we are listening for His voice or as we are dialoguing with Him.

How to Distinguish Our Voice from God’s Voice

  • We need to know the Bible – Understanding God’s will and principles in the context of the entire Bible.
  • We need to distinguish between God’s unconditional vs conditional promises. Some unconditional promise: God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6); As far as east is from the west, God has removed our sins from us (Psalm 103:12). While other promises are conditional: If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8); “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 
  • God’s voice will not contradict God’s principles throughout the Bible.
  • Some principles to check the voice we hear:
    • Does it seek God’s glory/would God’s name be glorified by this voice?
    • Does it fit the wisdom from above: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).
    • Who would benefit the most? God, others, or us?
    • How much of it is my own desire that I might be projecting onto God?
  • “Test” the voice: Could the voice be telling us something we want to hear for our own gain? Watch out for “Confirmation Bias.”
  • Try it out and practice hearing God’s voice, starting with something “little.”
  • It is all right that we may have mixed motives when we ask God for something. Just ask God to reveal our own motives and to cleanse us of our impure motives.
  • Expect “hearing it wrong,” especially at the beginning, because it is hard to separate our own desires from those of God’s at first.
  • YouVersion’s Daily prayer prompt: “Jesus, I am so grateful that You love me. I know that You are the source of abundant life, so this year, please help me to rest in You. Draw me closer to Your heart so that my desires echo Your desires. Help me to flourish in every way by remaining near Your Heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
  • The more our hearts are submitted and conformed to God’s heart, the more He will answer our prayers - because our desires are now actually His desires.

How to Cleanse Our Ears and Hearts So We Can Hear Clearly

  • God wants to communicate with us at all times, in all situations and circumstances.
  • Sometimes things get in the way of us hearing God clearly:
    • Unacknowledged sins: Sins of commission as well as sins of omission.
    • Anger toward God.
    • Resentment.
    • Bitterness.
    • Pride.
    • Lack of dependence on (Independence from) God.
    • Unforgiveness toward others.
    • Unforgiveness toward ourselves.
    • Worries, anxieties, or fears.
    • Lack of faith in God. 
    • Distrust toward God.
  • We would do well to:
    • Acknowledge our negative feelings.
    • Confess any sin.
    • Repent of our sins.
    • Invite God into our emotions and situations as we process them.
    • Offer our pains and hurts to Jesus and leave them at the foot of the cross.

Conclusion

  • Offer up our every present moment to God as a living sacrifice (We live for Jesus, not for ourselves).
  • Be ready to respond to God’s voice through action.
  • The more we try out God’s voice and learn from our experiences, the more clearly we will be able to hear His voice.


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