IMPORTANCE OF HEARING GOD’S VOICE

It is vital to our walk with God that we hear Him.  When we take time to listen to our Heavenly Father, we have the opportunity to learn, grow and become who God has created us to be. As I continue to grow in hearing God’s voice, I would like to share some things that I have learned about: How to listen to God; How to know it is God and How to stand against the enemy’s attacks.
 
How to Hear God’s Voice:

1. Remove Distractions and Get Still
2. Focus on God, Invite Holy Spirit, Pray and ask God questions (i.e. “God, what do you love about me?”)
3. Pay attention to spontaneous positive thoughts or pictures
4. Write out those thoughts or pictures without judgment
5. Go back and pray over what was written and perhaps share with a seasoned Christian to gain greater discernment and understanding.
6. After writing for a set period of time (a week, month, quarterly), go back and prayerfully read what you have written. Look for common themes. Look to see promises God has fulfilled and other confirmations.

 
You will know it is not of God based on the fruit of what is said. Some helpful questions are:

1. Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control)? Or does it bring the opposite (stealing the fruit of the Spirit [i.e. stealing yours’ or someone else's joy], death and destruction).
2. Are they calm peaceful thoughts or racing or fearful thoughts?
3. Is what is being said in line with Biblical principles or the heart/nature of God that we find in the Bible?

 
Hearing God’s voice is an area the enemy tries to attack me. If I doubt that I am hearing from God, or get discouraged, the enemy wins and makes me ineffective.  Hearing God operates on faith. One must trust that He is talking with us. When doubt comes, some helpful points to keep the faith and believe/know that are:

1. His sheep hear His voice
2. God will never leave us nor forsake us
3. As we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us
4. God wants to communicate with us more than our personal desire to hear from Him. So, a little effort on our part will go a long way.
5. The enemy will always try to discourage us because hearing from God is our lifeline.

 
Remember: Hearing from God is like exercising a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and the easier it is to discern His voice. Practice makes perfect.  My prayer and encouragement for us is to continue to practice listening to God’s voice!