Hearing From God

John 10:27 (KJV) Says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV) Says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." John 14:26 (KJV) Says, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

Many people have shared with me that God doesn't speak to them. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, I assure you God speaks to you. God also speaks to the lost by convicting their hearts prompting them to come to Him in prayer, and accept His precious gift of salvation. With that said God does indeed speak to us. We miss Him speaking to us only when we fail to listen, and do so with intent.

One of the ways in which God speaks to us is through the Holy Spirit. For example, when a person comes to mind out of the blue, reach out to them they may need prayer, and recognize the thought as the Holy Spirit talking to you. If you have a prompting to perform an act of kindness, recognize the prompting as coming from the Holy Spirit, and perform the act of kindness . Have you ever walked by someone in need, and after walking past them repeatedly been bothered with the thought that you should have stopped to help them? That is the Holy Spirit letting you know that you should have stopped. In short, God placed the Holy Spirit within us to lead, guide, and direct our path.

Another manner in which we hear from God is through other people. For example, if God has placed something on your heart or on your mind, and it recurs, He may place a person in your path who confirms what He has been telling you.  Let me add here to make certain that the person who shares something with you is a born again believer, and that what they tell you lines up with what God has placed on your heart and/or on your mind.

Yet another way God speaks to us is through His Word. God speaks to us as we read His Word by shining light on scripture that pertains to what He wants us to glean from it at a particular time for a particular reason. I strongly suggest going to God in prayer prior to reading His Word, and asking Him to shed light on anything that He specifically wants to tell you at that moment. He will certainly do so. He speaks to us through all scripture. There are times, however, when He has something in particular that He desires to say to us through His Word.

One more way that God speaks to us is through prayer. When we go to God in prayer, if we will pause to listen periodically as we prayer, God will speak to our hearts. Prayer is vital as it is our means of communicating with our Lord and Savior, and what a privilege it is to be able to go to Him anytime day or night and talk to Him as a friend. Prayer is a vital part of our building and maintaining a strong personal relationship with Him.

Yet another avenue through which we hear from God is circumstances. For example, if we allow ourselves to drift away from God, spending less and less time with Him, He may allow something to occur that forces us to slow down. When that happens, most times the first thing we do is go to God in prayer asking for help. He will do whatever is necessary to prevent us from drifting to far away from Him.

If you think that they are not hearing from God then there is only one reason for that, and it is because you're not listening. As God tells us in the above verse of scripture taken from the book of John His sheep hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him. I don't know if you are aware of this, but multiple herds of sheep can be together in the same pasture, and when a shepherd calls out to his sheep only his sheep heed his voice, and follow him. The remainder of the sheep continue as they are until their shepherd calls out to them. Just as the sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd, we as children of God should have such a close relationship with Him that we hear Him, when He speaks to us.

I encourage you to build a strong personal relationship with God through prayer, reading and studying His Word, meditating on His Word, attending worship services, and spending time alone with Him simply listening with intent. As the above verse of scripture taken from the book of Jeremiah tells us, if we will call unto God He will show us great and mighty things. God loves you tremendously, and He will never leave you nor forsake you. Again I urge you to spend time with Him, and to listen with intent as He speaks to you through whatever avenue He chooses. If we grow distant from God it is not because He walked away from us, but rather that we have distanced ourselves from Him. I urge you to listen for God to speak to you, and too obey His voice as it will result in your living the best life you could ever possibly hope to live.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message, and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!