All great accomplishments require work. Hearing God’s voice and His discernment is no exception.
Hearing God's voice can be difficult for many of us. More often than not, it can feel like hearing God's voice is impossible. Inspired by 1 Kings 19:11-13, I began to find Him once I started looking in the right places. God's voice wasn't in the wind, earthquake, or fire but in a gentle whisper. Here are five ways I learned to hear God's voice.
1. Listen To Him in His Word, the Bible.
While God can speak to us in various ways, we mainly hear from Him by reading the Bible. We talk with God in prayer, and the most prominent way He responds is through Scripture. The Bible contains the very words of God, and since this is true, it is the best place to hear God's voice and seek discernment. I struggled with having time to read the Bible, but I had to start making it a part of my day.
After finishing undergrad at a Bible University, I started finding it difficult to read the Bible every day, which in turn caused me to have difficulty hearing God's voice. As mentioned, 1 Kings 19:11-13 spoke to me personally and encouraged me to get back into Bible reading and to start listening to God better. Reading the Bible has to become something you earnestly want to do, or you might fall away from being engaged in your faith. It is best to turn back to prayer, reading the Bible, and leaning on God. Through listening to Him in His Word, I learned to hear God's voice and to hear what He wanted to tell me.
This is an ongoing discipline as some days we might not feel like reading the Bible; however, we must actively read to hear God's voice. We cannot avoid reading the Bible because it is the main way God talks to us. There is no way to hear God's voice if we dowithout reading the Bible and apply things to our lives. Try listening to God through the Bible and see if you can hear God's voice better too.
2. Be intentional.
All great accomplishments require work. Hearing God's voice and His discernment is no exception. We must put in the intentional work to hear His voice. This means you should not be mindless in your Bible study but alert, present, and engaged to hear His voice in your everyday life.
The Bible is the main way God speaks to us; however, the Holy Spirit can also speak to us in our hearts. To hear His voice, you also must be intentional rather than trying to blot Him out. A few days ago, I thought a lot about life after death and started to doubt things. I was outside walking, and I had just finished a podcast. Rather than allowing the false belief that everything ends when we die, God encouraged my heart by turning my head upward to the trees above me. These trees were gently blowing in the wind, reminding me of God's beautiful design and our hope in Him.
Through intentionally seeking Him, I have heard God's voice easier. It takes time and effort; however, you can hear Him too. Be patient and allow yourself to rest in the Lord's presence. It is often through the gentle whispers of God that we can hear and feel Him closest to our hearts. Try being intentional when you read your Bible and throughout your daily life to see if you also can better hear God's voice.
3. Be in tune with the Holy Spirit.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are given the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity; therefore, this means He is God. In this way, God Himself lives in us to instruct, guide, and encourage us. Even though the Holy Spirit is in us, it might be difficult to be in tune with Him. This takes practice and the desire to want to know Him better as well as to listen to His guidance.
The Holy Spirit will guide and convict us throughout our lives; however, it is up to us to listen to Him. Things will not go well if we fail to listen to Him or drown out His voice. Instead, we need to be open to hearing His voice and being in tune with Him. You can become more in tune with the Holy Spirit by listening to the gentle tugs He places upon your heart or listening to the conviction He places upon your heart when you have sinned.
4. Get rid of distractions.
This might sound simple, yet it is often a hard concept for many of us. The noise of our phones, people talking in the background, and our own intrusive thoughts can derail us from focusing. We must rid ourselves of these distractions to better hear God's voice. The best way to do this is by going somewhere quiet when you talk with God and read the Bible.
Maybe this means going to your room or going for a walk. I often hear God's voice best when I'm somewhere like this, free of distractions. While I know it isn't easy to turn on your phone, sometimes it is quite freeing. By ridding yourself of distractions, you can hear God's voice and better grow in your relationship with Him. Silence can help you focus, as well as it can help you hear God better. Silencing your thoughts might be more difficult, but you can always ask God to help these thoughts cease creeping into your mind for you to hear His voice better.
Learning to hear God's voice better might sound impossible; however, it doesn't have to be. Listening to God in His Word, being intentional, being in tune with the Holy Spirit, and ridding yourself of distractions, will help you learn to hear God's voice and have discernment. It might take time, but it is well worth it because hearing God's voice is one of the greatest things you can learn in your Christian life. There is hard work ahead, yet the rewards are far more significant.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Mary Spickelmier
