Wisdom Wednesday: Can you hear God’s voice?

Yes, as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you can hear God’s voice.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
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How does God speak?

1. He speaks through His Word. His Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). As a child of God, the Holy Spirit will illuminate and open up the Scriptures to you so you understand God’s Word, and you can discern Him speaking to you through it.

2. God speaks through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you are indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit through God’s Word and what He hears the Lord speaking.

3. In these last days, God has spoken through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). During Jesus’s time on earth, He revealed the Father, His Will, and the Kingdom of God.

4. God can speak through people and circumstances in your life. However, it’s imperative that you read and study the Word of God, along with having an intimate relationship with Him, so you can discern what’s of Him and what’s not.
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Tips on hearing and discerning God’s voice

1. Make time to read God’s Word to know Him, His character, and how He has spoken in the past. GOD WILL NEVER CONTRADICT HIS WRITTEN WORD. God’s voice aligns with His Word and character. It is loving, gentle, and gracious. Even when He brings conviction or correction, there remains hope and an invitation to repent and receive forgiveness.

2. Pray and listen. Lay your own will and desires down so they don’t influence what you hear. You want to be free to hear what God wants to say, not what you want God to say.

3. Live a life of holiness. Keep God’s Word and commandments, along with any personal convictions He has given you. “For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, but His secret counsel is with the upright” (Proverbs 3:32).

4. Intimacy. God whispers His secrets to those who are close enough to hear them. However, understand that God is not an information center. You come to God because of relationship, not information.

5. God’s voice is consistent. He is not going to tell you one thing one minute and another the next.

6. Be on guard for familiar spirits (demons) and your own deceitful desires. Both of these can speak and lead you astray. Be very cautious and test what you hear against the Word of God.

7. One way you can know God’s voice, is to know what it’s not: the devil’s voice is pushy, condemning, and snuffs out all hope. God’s voice is none of those things.