3 Tips to Hearing God's Voice

Lately, I've received a lot of questions surrounding God's voice. Does God really speak to us? How do I know it's His voice? People have written and made comments like, "I want to follow after God, but how do I really know His will?"

Oh my dear friends, GOD STILL SPEAKS! So, allow me to share three tips I've learned to hearing God's voice:

• First, relax. As much as you long to hear God's voice and know His will, He longs to speak to you. Jesus promised, as His child, you CAN know and WILL recognize His voice. You are His. No one can snatch you away from Him.

In John 10:27-30, Jesus promised "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (NIV)

In Isaiah 30:20-22, God's Word promises "Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 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." (NIV)

• Second, rest knowing that you WILL find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. How do you seek Him? Simple. Take time to read His Word. The Bible reveals God's character, His love, and provides direction for your life. 

Jeremiah 29:13-14 promises "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD..." (NIV)

Matthew 7:7-8 says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (NIV)

• Third, and most importantly, focus on having a relationship with Him. Quit worrying about "HEARING" Him and simply spend time with Him.

The more intimate our relationship with God is, the more certain we discern his voice from our own. Our relationship with him makes the difference. After all, think about your closest relationship; what sets it apart from every other? My closest relationship is with my husband. Over the years we’ve exchanged our deepest secrets and learned one another’s idiosyncrasies. We often know each other’s thoughts without speaking a word. How? —relationship.
 
I remember early in our relationship, Greg would disguise his voice and pretend to be a telemarketer. He would often trick me into believing a telemarketer was calling trying to sell me something silly. Now, it’s not as easy for him. Why?—because over the years I’ve learned his voice. The same is true in our relationship with God.
 
We can’t formulate a method to hear God’s voice. We either share a relationship with him or we don’t. The more time we spend with God, the easier we recognize his voice. At first it may be difficult to tell his voice apart from our own, but the closer our relationship with God grows the easier it gets.
 
So, does God speak? Absolutely!
 
And, if we truly want to identify God’s voice, the key is to live in a relationship with him; there are no short cuts!
 
Time spent in His presence, reading His Word, and listening for His voice is vital to recognizing Him when He speaks. The more we read his word, the more we understand his character. The more we acknowledge and experience his character, the easier we recognize his voice. The more we experience his voice the easier we discern it from our own. And friend, sometimes, that just takes time.
 
I want to encourage you to take time to get to know God today! He's longing to speak with you!