You may ask, how do I discern the voice of God? The bible says: My sheep hear my voice and a stranger they will not follow. As you read the Word of God, seek Him and learn to quiet your mind and spirit, you will begin to hear and discern God’s voice speaking, and leading you.
In the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through His Priests and Prophets. Today, He speaks directly to us, if we would but hear Him.
Being able to discern the voice of God, is a matter of learning the ways in which God speaks to you. Some people are more sensitive to the Spirit then others. It is also important not to compare yourself with others who seem to be able to hear God easily.Some people spend more time with the Lord, and some people have a greater ability to tune everything out. God will speak to you in His time and in His own way.
Spending Time in His Presence
God is waiting for us to communicate with Him in payer. Our lives are hyper-stimulated with meaningless activity that is constantly drowning out God’s voice. This is why if we are to discern the voice of God, it is necessary for us to cultivate a habit of prayer and practice the presence of God. We have to, as the bible says, study to be quiet. This quietness of should, is not easy to achieve at first. This is where the practice comes in. Find a quiet place somewhere in your environment as your meeting place with the Lord. People worship, or approach God differently. Some sing, some dance; some kneel; some pace the floor.
You can Discern the Voice of God
Have a Clear Conscience: If you carry unforgiveness, resentment and unconfessed sin, will make it difficult to hear the voice of God. when we pray. Matthew 5:23, Matthew 5:24. It is important to forgive others.
Have faith that God Loves you: The love of God is eternal, all encompassing, and sacrificial. God’s son Jesus is the greatest proof of His love for us. John 3:16. God loves us, and desires to have us talk to Him and for us to hear His heart.
Be Still: When you are done praying, be still. Sit quietly and meditate on the love and grace of God and quietly worship. As you are still, you will begin to get impression, scriptures, song, or some other things speaking to your heart. This is how and when we can discerning the voice of God.
Pray with Expectation
Have faith that God hears you when you pray: If you have never prayed before, you may feel foolish speaking to someone who obviously cannot be seen. Prayer is not a bunch of flowery speech; it is just talking to God, the way you would to anyone else. “God, you know I really feel I deserve this raise…” As you begin to pray, after a while, the Spirit of God will make Himself known to you, and you will feel His presence, a calming or peace comes over you. Don’t be afraid, continue to pray. As you pray you will begin to discern the voice of God giving you answers to you requests. Hebrews 11:6
God will answers our prayers. It is not always what we want to hear, but He will answer. Sometime when I have prayed and prayed and have seemingly not received an answer, I know the answer is to wait. Some things will seem to manifest immediately, and something takes more time.
Know God’s Promises: When God is speaking, He will confirm it with His word. He will not direct you contrary to the Word of God. Psalms 119:105, Psalms 119:11. After you have repented of your sins, cleared your conscience, after you have prayed, be still and listen to what you hear in your heart. When God speaks to us, it actually sounds like your inner voice, but speaks things that are heavenly.
How God Answers
God also answers our prayers through people or seeming coincidences; for example: You have been laid off your job for two months, you have no food, or money; you pray that the Lord would provide for your family, A day or two later a friend comes to your door and tells you their freezer broke down, and they need to store some meat in your freezer and for the favor, they want to give you half. That is an answered prayer.
Another example: One evening you cannot sleep, and for some reason, you keep on thinking about your mom. The more you ignore the feeling, the stronger it becomes. You finally get up and go over to your moms to find her unconscious on the floor. This was God speaking to you by impression.
We Discern the Voice of God Differently
By practice you will learn to discern when the voice of God is speaking to you. We are all individuals and they way God speaks to you, He may not speak to me. He will use your personality sensitivities and environment to speak to you. If you love to sing, God may speak to you through song. If you love to dance, God may speak to you while your are worshiping Him in the dance. If you are a pilot, He may speak to you in nautical terms. As different as we are, are the ways the Father will speak to His children. So, my friend, know that the Father desires you to hear His voice, that He may instruct you, teach you and help you. Be open to his voice an He will lead and guide you into all truth!
