Hearing God's Voice
“But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:5 KJV
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 NIV
Within each person’s individual relationship with God, one of the most important aspects is learning to hear His voice. This particular component is vital because it brings us closer to God, prevents us from wasting unnecessary time, and pursuing things that were never meant for us.
The easiest way to perceive learning to hear God’s voice is by viewing it as building a new relationship. In order to build a meaningful relationship with someone, you must communicate and spend time with them. Last week, I discussed the importance of building a strong foundation in your relationship with God. That foundation allows you to develop your spiritual growth. Engaging in routines such as morning devotions will allow you to recognize His voice and know when He is leading you to do something.
The first step is being still. Quiet the world around you and focus your attention on God. My way of being still is by doing my morning devotion routine mentioned in last week’s blog. (Check it out, if you haven’t seen it!) This gives me approximately thirty to forty minutes of uninterrupted quiet time before starting my day. Additionally, it allows for me to learn God’s voice and decipher whether He is leading me down a certain path.
It’s like tuning into a radio station. Think back to when we used to turn the dial on an old radio. How we would methodically slow down once we were close to our desired station. The closer we got to the station, the clearer the voices and music became and the richer the frequency. This closely mirrors what is like when we connect to God. The more things we have distracting us, the further away we are and the more muddled life sounds. There is so much noisy static that encompasses our everyday lives. We are constantly taking in television shows, movies, and other’s opinions and reactions to situations. How can we possibly make sound decisions? Remember that we are continually changing, but God is constant. His steadiness guides us to make the right decisions that will propel us into the life He has planned.
Personally, I have only heard God’s voice three times in my life. Of course it was not audible, but it came through like a spiritual download. Almost like the full message appeared all at once in my mind. I’m sure that people have experienced it differently, but this was my experience. Each time, the message was the complete opposite of what I wanted to do. The most profound time was when God told me, “don’t date . . . wait,” during a particular season. (I will definitely go over that revelation in a future post!) I immediately rebuked that thought. Who wants to do that? However, it came through clear as day one morning while I was wrapping up my morning devotion. I knew in my heart of hearts that this was what God wanted me to do. To validate this fact, He sent confirmation one day through my best friend while we were riding in the car. She informed me that God had told her to take a break from dating and to, “chill and heal.” I couldn’t believe it! I mean, what were the odds? We had both received three word messages within the same time frame that were short, sweet, and went directly to the heart of the matter. On top of that it seemed as if Jesus had bars, lol. He spoke to us, and allowed us to be confirmation to each other that we had not heard wrong.
Learning to hear God’s voice is an ongoing thing, and requires consistent communication with Him. There have been times where I have fallen off in my consistency and had to rebuild the connection. Even if you fall off, do not let that keep you from finding the right frequency again. We must keep the connection clear and strong to ensure that we are guided by His voice. Implement a daily routine to strengthen your connection with God. I wonder how many times He wants to speak to us, but cannot get through due to a poor connection.
I hope you all have a blessed week. See you next, Sunday!
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