How to Hear God’s Voice

Many years ago I thought there was something spiritually wrong with me because I didn’t hear God speak to me. You know what I’m talking about….when you hear people say, “God told me this.” “Or the Lord put it on my heart to do that.”

The Bible talks about the sheep knowing the Shepherd’s voice.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

We, as children of God, are obviously the little ewe lambs and the Lord is our Shepherd, right? Well, what happens when the little lambs don’t know what the Shepherd’s voice sounds like?

I wanted to know Christ more and to hear Him speak into my life, but I often wondered what else I needed to do so I could actually hear Him.

I was reading my bible.

I was in Bible studies.

I was going to church regularly.

I was seeking out the Truth.

I had a willing heart and a teachable spirit, but I still didn’t know how God spoke to His children.

What was I missing, and what did I need to learn?

Does the Lord only speak in an audible voice?

Is it my voice?

Is it a loud voice or a gentle whisper?

Does He speak through other people?

If it is my voice, how do I know if it is the Lord speaking or if it is my flesh that’s speaking?

Those were my thoughts on the matter. So, have you ever had any of these thoughts, my friend?

Well, after many years of growing in my relationship with Christ, I can actually hear Him speak to me, so I’d like to share a few things that I’ve learned with you. But first know this. There is no formula or 3-step process to hearing the Lord. I wish it were that simple, but it’s not. However, it’s still not hard to hear His voice, but like any relationship, it does take time to get to know someone.

What I have learned over the years is that it comes down to knowing what the Word of God says.
The more I know my Bible, the more I know Jesus Christ.
The more I know Jesus Christ, the more I’m in tune with the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is One with Jesus and the Father.

Let me give you this scenario. You’ve never met me personally, but say I wrote an autobiography of my life. After reading that book about myself, would you know me more? Of course you would. You’d find out in that book what I was all about. What made me tick. What my heart was like and what I was passionate about. Well, it’s the same premise with the Bible. It’s a book about Christ; the Word became flesh. (Jesus) So, the more you read it, the more you’ll know Him and what He desires of His kiddos.

2 Things to Know About the Holy Spirit’s Voice

1) He’ll speak in Truth

When the Holy Spirit speaks to you, His words will line up with the Word of God. Meaning He is not going to say something contrary to Scripture. He’ll prompt you towards righteousness. When you’re trying to discern His voice over your voice (your flesh), think along the lines of the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22,23

In my life, 9 times out of 10, the Holy Spirit is prompting in my heart to say or act in such a way that is the exact opposite of what my flesh wants to do. Maybe He’s asking me to apologize to someone or to keep my mouth shut and not get into an argument. Or maybe He’s sending me into a mission field that I feel is outside of my comfort zone. Instead, let’s make this 10 times out of 10 because I just can’t recall a time in my spiritual journey when the Lord has prompted me to do something I felt comfortable doing or wanted to do. Moving towards righteous living is not something that the flesh wants to do. It is a constant battle.

2) He Won’t Lie

Since God can’t lie because it’s against His character, the Holy Spirit won’t lie either. So the Lord will never tell you to do anything sinful.

So now we know what His voice is all about. Now, let me share with you what His voice personally sounds like to me. I have never experienced the Lord speak to me in an audible voice or through an actual burning bush. Instead, He speaks to me through my soul. It’s my actual voice in my head, but it is His words. At times, He speaks to me through a gentle whisper, or when I want to ignore what He has just asked me to do, He’ll speak even louder. Sometimes, when I’m not sure of His voice after I’ve lined it up with truth vs. lies and it’s an amoral issue, I’ll continue to pray for more guidance. Sometimes He’ll speak through another Believer, or the circumstances will give the direction that I’ve been seeking.

There have been seasons of my life when I haven’t always heard Him, and there will be future seasons when that’s the case as well. (I know my fleshly tendencies!) However, I pray daily for Him to speak to me, to fill me with His presence, and to reveal His will to me so I can be led by Him rather than myself –because that never turns out pretty.

In case you can’t hear Him, here are some things to keep in mind:

Reasons Why You Can’t Hear the Lord

There’s too much noise in your life. If you live in a house full of people and children, then it’s imperative for you to spend some time alone with the Lord.
There’s too much busyness. Schedules are packed full. You’re running from one commitment to the next, and there’s no time for your soul to be quieted so you can hear from the Lord.
You don’t know the Word of God.
Your heart is hardened towards the Lord.
You have unrepentant sin in your life.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is our Helper. He’s been given to us, so we have Someone by our side to help us navigate life.

Next up in the series is Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts.

If you’ve missed my other posts in this series, you can find them here.

Live a poured-out life for Christ,

Jolene Engle