Hearing God's Voice: Strengthening Your Spiritual Connection

Hearing God's voice involves a process of spiritual connection, often characterized by a still, calm, and confident inner knowing, as opposed to a literal audible voice.

Jesus said the ‘true sheep’ listen to His voice and follow Him (Jn 10:4,14-16,27). He speaks, yet we don’t always hear, or want to hear, but we must hear God’s voice and respond correctly, as we can’t follow unless we do. There must be an intentional focusing on God, a stilling of our hearts and reducing the competing ‘noise’ and business to hear His voice, which, to be of value, must be outworked by doing, a walking in it (1 Kgs 19:12; Isa 30:21; Jas 4:8).

God is Spirit and communicates directly with our spirits with a strong impression; many times, the Holy Spirit quickens a Scripture or convicts us through our conscience, so it is essential to develop unhurried,

A fundamental key to living ‘successfully for God’ is to hear and do His will

consistent habits of Bible reading, meditation and prayer to receive divine guidance and instruction clearly. A rephrasing of the Psalmist’s words, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” is ‘Open my ears that I may grasp what you want me to know, reveal it to me’ (Ps 119:18). Faith comes from hearing the Word of God and allowing it to change us from within (Rom 10:17).

We also ‘hear’ from God through books, sermons and other media besides life’s everyday situations and interactions with other people. Dreams, visions and visitations by angels were other means by which God has conveyed messages (Gen 37:5-10; Mt 1:20,24, 2:13,19; Act 16:10; 2 Cor 12:1). Whatever the means, it is important to both hear the voice of God and obey (Ex 15:26, 19:5,6; Deut 28:1,2,15; Jer 7:22-24).

Discernment and Obedience

In major decisions, we need the input and counsel of wise, mature and independent people. In the parable of the wise and foolish builders, both heard the same words, but only the wise builder put them into practice with a good outcome, while the

Hearing God ‘speak’ is a catalyst to action. Am I ‘listening’ for His orders?

‘hearer only’ ignored them and met with disaster, hence “You are blessed if you hear and do” (Mt 7:24-27; Jas 1:22-26). We are challenged, “If you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts and miss His blessing as the Israelites did” (Heb 3:15-19). There are only two options available: obey, co-operate and be blessed or ignore, reject, rebel and turn away, resulting in His judgment.

Listening and responding are vital in our relationship with God and to progress in the Christian life because “If you leave God’s path and go astray, you will hear a Voice behind you say, ‘No, this is the way; walk here’” (Isa 30:21). God is ‘speaking’ continually – do we hear? Our response should be, “What message does my Lord have for His servant” (Josh 5:14). Our response should be like that of Samuel when the Lord spoke to him, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:4,6,8,10). Pray that you too will have sensitive ears, receptive to God’s voice so you clearly receive His instructions and a willing heart to say, ‘I’m here and available’ followed by obedience to act (Ps 95:7; Isa 6:8; Jn 14:15,23; Rev 3:20).

To distinguish between God’s voice and the suggestions of Satan, we need to know the character of the Father’s heart – He will never tell us to do anything that is prohibited in the Bible or contrary to its principles. Besides, it will ultimately be best for us and others, even if it causes some short-term pain. Daniel built a close relationship with God by meditating on His word day and night and exhorted others to follow his example. He could say, “I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures…” (Dan 9:2). He studied, memorised and applied them to his circumstances. However, a word of caution needs to be given to those who state emphatically, ‘God told me…’ It is better to say ‘I believe God told me…’ as we are all fallible human beings with our carnal minds and desires influencing what we perceive the Lord is saying, and Satan wants to lead us astray. Thus, be cautious of those who regularly say, ‘the Lord told me.’ These people try to impress others with their inflated super-spiritual relationship with God, when in fact we all should have an intimate connection whereby we hear from Him by various means.

The steps of a righteous man are directed by the Lord for “It is not in man to direct his steps [well]” (Ps 37:23; Jer 10:23). To increase your ability to hear from God, repent of any known sin, separate from what distracts or is not beneficial, withdraw from

Pray for spiritually hearing ears and a responsive heart

the hustle and bustle of life, and spend time worshipping so your heart is attuned. Jesus spent much time in prayer and was continually in communion with His Father, whilst the Holy Spirit ‘rested’ upon Him. Because He heard clearly, is it any wonder He could say, “I always do and say what the Father wants” (Jn 8:29, 12:49).

Hearing the voice of God is not necessarily dependent on a person’s righteousness, as Adam and Eve heard the voice of God after they sinned, and Cain heard it both before and after he killed his brother (Gen 3:9, 4:6-16). However, if you aren’t hearing from God, revisit the last instruction He gave you, as He may require obedience on that point before He provides more guidance. God hears and responds when people cry out to Him in faith for He says, “Call upon me…I will listen to you…and I will answer you” (1 Sam 1:27; Jer 29:13, 33:3; Dan 10:12; Lk 1:13; Act 10:31; Heb 11:6).

While Jesus currently 'speaks' of fellowship, guidance and comfort, eventually those who have not received Christ as Saviour will hear the words, “Away from me you evildoers” (Mt 7:23).

Reflection and Application:

Set aside dedicated time each day in quiet prayer and Scripture reading to cultivate a deeper sensitivity to God’s voice.
Reflect on past decisions—identify moments when you sensed God’s guidance and consider how obedience led to growth or blessing.
Journal insights during meditation, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of disobedience or distraction that may hinder hearing God clearly.
Share your reflections with a mature believer for accountability and discernment, ensuring alignment with biblical truth.