Hearing God's Voice
It is possible to hear God's voice and receive His
direction in life. God's people are supposed to be led by His
spirit. We do not have to guess our way through life, we can
know His will.
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God.
This scripture does not say that every son of God is
automatically led by His spirit, it says that if someone is
led by the Spirit of God, they are certainly a child of God.
Not all of God's children choose to listen for His direction,
but they all have the opportunity to do so.
As Christians, living a life that is pleasing to God should be
our greatest desire. To do this, we must receive His direction
in our lives. It is easy to get off course. We all need to
make adjustments from time to time. His Spirit can speak to us
and keep us on course and out of danger.
Many times in life there are difficult decisions to make and
we need help. The right choice is not always clear, we must
learn to wait on God and listen for His instructions. In order
to finish our course successfully, there will be times when we
must get our instructions from Heaven. God has promised to
help us.
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in which you should go and I
will guide you with my eye.
We can get general directions from God's Word, such as,
go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. (Mark 16:15) For specific instructions such
as where to go, when to go, and who to go with, we need to
hear from the Spirit of God. Only He can tell you where you're
supposed to live, what church to go to or what job to take.
It's easier to lean to the understanding or the intellect when
making choices in life and take what seems to be the most
promising opportunities, but they may not always be the right
choices. It's not always best to take the easiest road or the
path of least resistance. It's impossible to know what lies
ahead. It is possible to get directions from God and always
make the right decision no matter what it looks like at the
moment.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall
direct your paths.
Sometimes God's will does not make sense. However, if we
will learn to listen for His voice and allow His voice in our
heart to override the voice of reason in our own minds, then
He shall direct our paths. The key to success in life is to
have God direct our paths! Not only are we blessed but
everyone around us is blessed when God directs our paths.
As we spend time seeking God this year, let's make it a point
to hear His voice and obey what He says. Let's develop a
listening ear and a spirit that is sensitive to His voice.
These things come naturally as we spend quality time with God.
As we hear and obey Him, life becomes different because He
gains more and more control.
Let's look at several reasons people don't hear God's voice
and remove some of the most common hindrances that people face
when seeking God's direction.
1. He's not speaking.
Sometimes the reason we haven't heard from God about a
decision we want to make or an area we need help with is that
He hasn't spoken to us about it yet. We can't determine when
God will speak on any given subject. We must pray and spend
time waiting on God and let Him speak to us about whatever He
wants.
There have been many times that I have prayed about one thing
and God would talk to me about something else. He always gives
us what we need, when we need it. Sometimes He's silent on a
subject for a while and we must continue to walk by faith
until He speaks. It is better to trust in His timing and wait
on the Lord than to try to hear something that He's not
saying. When the time is right He will speak and you will
hear.
2. We aren't listening.
We must take time to hear from God. It's good to get quiet,
the psalmist said, commune with your own heart upon your
bed and be still. (Psa 4:4) Listen for the still small
voice, He will not compete with the noises of the world. As we
wait in prayer and worship, He speaks to our spirits and His
will becomes known. Paul said His spirit bears witness with
our spirit. (Rom 8:16) That is spirit to spirit communication,
the original wireless method.
3. Our minds are made up.
Some folks only want God to confirm what they already want to
do. Their prayers are aimed at trying to convince God and
themselves that He is telling them to do what they have
already chosen to do. This is getting the cart before the
horse. God does not always tell us to do what we want. To hear
His voice clearly we must be honest with God and honest with
ourselves. Psa 51:6 says, He desires truth in the inward
parts…
4. No commitment to His will.
If you want to hear God's voice you must determine to do what
He tells you to do before you even know what it is. As
we acknowledge Him in all our ways, then He will direct
our paths. (Prov 3:5-6)
5. Uncertainty
Sometimes uncertainty can cause a lot of confusion. If you
want to know God's will on a matter and think that maybe you
have heard or maybe you haven't, then you are unsure. If
you're thinking maybe this is God's will or maybe that is
God's will, then you are uncertain. If you are uncertain, then
you don't know. You don't have to move on something that is
not certain. God's direction is sure, it's not shakey. If you
don't know then just relax and admit you don't know. Tell the
Lord you don't know and ask Him to tell you in a way that you
can understand and know His will for certain.
6. Sin.
This is an obvious hindrance to anyone's prayer life, but it
needs to be mentioned. If things aren't right between you and
God, then get them right. If a person is living in sin or
willful disobedience, it has a profound affect on their
prayers. Your iniquities have separated you from your
God; And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He
will not hear. (Isa 59:2) It only takes a minute to
get back into the center of God's will and release the flow of
blessings and guidance that He has made available to every
believer.
7. Dull of hearing.
Some have become dull of hearing according to Hebrews 5:11.
This is caused by not spending time with God or time in His
Word and by not doing what the Lord has told us to do in the
past. The way to avoid this is revealed to us in Hebrews 5:14,
those who are ready to hear are those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
We must exercise our spiritual faculties through prayer and
receiving God's Word. This keeps us sharp and spiritually
aware so that when God speaks we are ready to hear.
Let's follow the advice of Pastor Cho, the pastor of the
world's largest church. When asked what his secret for church
growth was, he said, “I pray and obey”.
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