God Speaks: 6 Meaningful Tips to Hear God's Voice

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."   ~  Isaiah 31:10

While spending a lot more time with my grandkids, I have noticed something.  I can now clearly identify the cry of each one.  And, I can even tell if it is a serious cry with a legitimate need, or a fake,  manipulative cry to just get something they want.  How did I develop this skill?  It just took some time and experience to figure it out.

In a similar way, we need to spend extended time with God to be able to “hear” or discern His voice.  So here is some practical advice to hear God’s voice.

1. Be realistic and don’t expect God to speak audibly to you.  He can, of course, but He usually doesn’t.
2. How does God speak to us?  Through the reading of His Word (The Bible), through the leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds, through other people, and through circumstances.
3. In all of the above speaking methods, the Bible is the most objective and reliable.  It is not that the other ways are bad, it’s just that they can be more personal and emotional which can sometimes be confusing.
4. It takes time, desire, and effort to hear God’s voice.  For example, if you choose not to read the Bible, your chances of hearing from God greatly diminish.  And if you choose not to pray, it will be difficult to discern your voice from God’s voice.
5. When God speaks, He does it in a tone that is convicting and loving, not in a tone of fear, disdain, anger, or shame.  If I hear a voice saying, “I can’t believe how dumb and deaf you are.  I don’t love you anymore,” you can rest assured that this condemning type of communication is not from God.
6. Run everything you hear through the Bible.  God’s voice will never contradict His Character or His Word.

So how are you doing in listening to God’s voice?  Are you hearing Him in the din and noise of the broken world we live in?  I hope that some of the above advice will help you in understanding and following the voice of God.

Be safe and let us know if you or your family need anything.