HEARING AND HEEDING THE VOICE OF GOD
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A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is My Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.’ – Luke 9:35 –
These powerful words were spoken by God at the Transfiguration of Christ. He proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God for all the world to hear. This announcement included a key command… Listen to Him.
Our Lord speaks to us in many ways. He inspires us deep within our spirits to see life in a new light. We recognize His voice as a spark of revelation… a new thought or idea… a unique perspective on a situation… a different path to follow. His voice may offer us enlightenment, encouragement, guidance, conviction, or even warning.
Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4
A key point to remember is that His voice will always line up with Scripture. Never will He go against His Word. The enemy is very crafty about putting thoughts in our minds that sound like God. Yet the words of the evil one will not resonate well with our spirits. The Spirit of Christ is our discerner, making us uncomfortable with any other voice than His.
How do we hear the voice of God?
→ God speaks to our spirit through the beauty of His Creation – He speaks through His magnificence. His omnipotence and majesty humble us. We are awed by the intricacy of all that He has created. We sense His presence in nature and are touched by His peace.
→ God speaks to our spirit through our world – We look to the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit to perceive the ways God is speaking to us. He may speak through inspirational songs and books… circumstances and events… open doors of opportunity. People we respect are also often vessels for His voice.
→ God speaks to our spirit through praise – Praise opens our hearts to the glory of God. As we worship Him, our spirits are awakened. We recognize His sovereignty in the world and in our lives. We yield to His holiness and His loving presence as we sing our praises.
→ God speaks to our spirit through prayer – As we pray, we connect with God in one-on-one communication. In this unity of our spirit with His, we hear His voice more clearly. Prayer is more than merely presenting our requests to God. He desires to talk with us. In prayer, we quiet our hearts and listen to His wise and loving words expressly for us.
→ God speaks to our spirit through His Word – The unfolding of His words gives light (Psalm 119:130). We “unfold” the words of Scripture when we read, study and meditate on key passages. For the Bible is the light of Christ. He Illuminates the Word in new ways for us to comprehend.
There would be no sense in saying you trusted Jesus if you would not take His advice. – C.S. Lewis
Imagine trying to help someone we cared about who never heeded our voice? Would we continue to offer words of advice only to have our help disregarded or ignored?
The world bombards us daily. When we are wandering from God’s path, we are less likely to recognize His voice above the clamor. We may dismiss His voice altogether, allowing our logic or our emotions to override His words. Truly listening to our Lord results in obedience to His voice and submission to His will.
It is to the man who is… obedient to the word of the Master, that the word of the Master unfolds itself. – George MacDonald
Perhaps you are hearing from God. Yet is your heart receptive and your spirit humble? Are you allowing His words to speak into your life to bring about change?
The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to understand the insights God unveils to us in His Word. He sheds new light on passages… places His revelations in our minds… and gives us wisdom to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. The Spirit will unveil God’s Word to us increasingly as we apply His revelations to change our lives.
Our Lord desires that we follow His words and yield to His perfect will. It is only as we stay close to Him that we will recognize when He is speaking to us personally. We ask Him for His courage and fortitude to obey. Our faith is deepened as we grow to walk in obedience to Him.
Every day, we need to seek some way to draw closer to God. As we listen for His voice, we become more aware of the many avenues He uses to speak to us. We learn to heed His voice and surrender to Him. He will align our thoughts and our ways with His. He will unveil Himself and His will to those close to Him. For He rewards all who seek Him with all their heart.
† Eternal Takeaway – Hearing from God requires a receptive heart and a humble spirit †
