Hearing God is one of the most important factors in building a personal relationship with Him. There are no special requirements that qualify us to hear from God. According to Jesus, we only need to be one of His sheep. In other words, to hear God, we only need to be born again. A great benefit of our salvation is to hear God speak to us personally. But despite the simplicity with which we can speak to Him, many Christians find it difficult to hear His voice. That was not the Lord's intention. So how does God speak to us in a world full of noise and distraction?
Many Christians are frustrated over this topic, and we used to be one of them. Because of our religious mindset and lack of understanding, we struggled to hear God's voice in the past. We often relied more on someone else - like our pastor, father, friends or spiritual mentor - to be "closer" to God and hear His voice for us. But then a person now serving as a missionary in South America gave us the verse from John 10:27. Although Johann had memorized this verse since childhood, that evening completely changed the direction of our lives. For more than three months, Johann prayed and thought about this verse until it finally clicked, as if a switch had been flipped. Around four years earlier, we began to seek God seriously, ask about Him and open ourselves to His words.
John 10:4 says: "When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." Later in verse 27, John continues: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Jesus, the last Adam, makes it possible for us to enter into an intimate and personal relationship with God again. When we step out of the first Adam and are born in Christ (born again), we are his sheep. This allows us to hear His voice when we seek Him.
In 95% of the time, God speaks to us through His Word. When we need clarity in our walk, we spend a lot of time in His Word and pray in the Spirit. The Bible says that the entrance of His Word gives light and His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:130, 105). Most of the time when we read the Word, we get a " knowing" in our spirit of what we should do. God doesn't usually speak to us in spectacular ways, like through an audible voice, an angel, a dream, a vision or a prophetic word from someone. This has happened at best 5% of the time in our lives. Usually we hear his voice through an inner witness, a silent voice or an inner longing. He has often spoken to us through "rhema verses" from his word.
John 10:4 says: "...for they know his voice". This means that every child of God - you and I - can recognize His voice. The bottom line in listening to God is that His voice, no matter how He speaks to us - whether through a dream, a vision, an audible voice, a prophetic word, a "rhema" from the Word, an inner testimony, etc. - is identifiable!
Two years after we received the revelation about John 10:27, we went to Costa Rica. We've already shared at length about our time away there. And as you all know, the key to changing our lives was not in the country where it took place, but in the Word of God. For a long time, we didn't understand what exactly happened in Costa Rica that changed our lives so much. But about three weeks ago, almost two years after the experience, our eyes were opened.
A guest speaker at our church spoke about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. The woman returned to her town and told the locals about her experience with Jesus and what He had said to her, after which many became believers (John 4:39). The people believed in Jesus because of the woman's story and testimony and went to see for themselves. Afterwards they said the following: John 4:42 - "They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Or take the verse from Job 42:5, in which Job says: "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;"
Ps 34,8 - Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
The key point in Costa Rica was that we heard from God ourselves. That changed our lives! We knew and believed God because of preaching, but we had never heard from Him personally. It is very important that the Word is preached. Because faith comes from hearing the sermon, and the sermon comes from the Word of God. And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Rom 10:14) The letter to the Ephesians describes that we have been given the fivefold ministry so that we may be fully equipped. Each of us today still needs the fivefold ministry in order to be equipped for the work of the kingdom of God and to grow into maturity. BUT we don't need the fivefold ministry to have a relationship with God or to hear from Him. We need to reflect on what we have heard and search the Bible for ourselves to see for ourselves whether it is true to what was preached and let it move in our hearts, let the seed sprout. In Joshua chapter 1, God commissions and encourages Joshua as the leader of the people. In verse 8 of the same chapter, God tells Joshua to meditate in the Word day and night so that he will prosper and act wisely. The word "meditate" in Hebrew (hâgâh) means: to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak (Strong #H1897)
How do we know that we have heard God's voice and not someone else's?
When we believe that the Lord speaks to us in some way, we always measure those impressions against what we know about Him. How does what I believe to have heard from Him fit with what I know about His Word, His character and His nature? How does it affect my relationships with others? Is it loving or selfish? Does it bring peace to my heart or confusion? Does it lead to freedom or bondage? These are just some of the factors we use to discern the voices.
The only way we can accurately see the things of the Spirit is through the mirror of the Word of God (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Word of God shows us like a mirror who God is, what we have in the Spirit, what Christ does and therefore what our true identity is. The resurrected Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God, is in the realm of the spirit. The words that Jesus spoke are spirit and life (John 6:63). His word was not written down for our brain, but for our heart. It is not about head knowledge but about relational knowledge. Have you seen and tasted how good the Lord is? What do you see Jesus doing?
The more we know Him through His Word, the easier it becomes to discern His voice from our feelings or other voices. We can hear and recognize His voice! When we rely on others to hear God for us, we remain babies in our new identity and are hindered in our growth in Christ. There may be moments in life when others hear for us, but this should never become the main thing. It is essential that I and you hear from God personally on a daily basis.
We pray that this post will bless you and that you can hear His voice!
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 ESV
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