Learning to Hear God

Posted On May 10, 2020

“When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he shall guide you into all truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing on to you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

John 16:13 TLB

Does God really speak to each of us personally? Yes, He does. We just have to learn how to hear His voice. I have been on a journey for several months now to discover how to hear God. I really want to do His will. I want to be a faithful agent of His in the world. I want to determine His plan for me. But I have struggled with knowing how to do this. I felt a little lost trying to figure it out on my own, so I decided I should get some help. I read the book The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God by James W. Goll and began the most exciting adventure of my life! Here are some of the things I have learned.

God’s Eagerness to Be Heard

First of all, God wants us to hear Him. He is actively seeking fellowship with us. He wants us to draw near to Him and listen for His voice. One of the first things I had to learn was to talk less and listen more. The way I prayed before was by flinging all the thoughts in my head at God nonstop until I couldn’t think of anything else to say; then I said a quick amen and was done. Now I realize that prayer time can also consist of quiet time with God. Sometimes I make a conscious effort to still all my other thoughts (which is not easy for me) and just commune with Him, letting His presence wash over me. Whether I “hear” anything during this time or not, drawing near to Him lets me know Him better and brings a sense of peace. It’s like getting a warm hug from my heavenly Father.

The Holy Spirit

The second thing I needed to learn was that I already have Someone to help me. God gave us His Son, and Father and Son sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit. I admit I was always a little bit confused about the role of the Holy Spirit in my life. I knew He was there, but what does He do? Dr. Goll explained it perfectly for me in his book. He describes the Holy Spirit as our personal Tutor. As a math teacher, I have done plenty of tutoring in my life, so I completely relate to this comparison. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor and Guide, but more than that, He is our trusted Friend. He teaches us and prepares us for life in this world and the next. He helps us develop Christlike character. He helps us hear God’s voice and even helps us pray. He is the Spirit of Truth and will always steer us in the right direction.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ “

Isaiah 30:21 NIV

If we want to learn to hear God’s voice, we must develop our relationship with our personal Tutor. We can ask Him specific questions, and He will answer them. He may even give us a glimpse of the future!

“The Holy Spirit knows it all. He even knows everything about you! He is omniscient. He sometimes releases preview clips of things to come. As a part of His job description as our personal coach, He gives us cheat sheets by illuminating a Bible passage, imparting dreams, unfolding visions, and so forth. He gives us vignettes of things that are about to take place while preparing us for what lies ahead. Now He does not tell us everything, or we wouldn’t need the commodities called faith and trust. It is all quite amazing.“

James W. Goll, The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God

God’s Word

Another lesson I learned about hearing God’s voice, which should have been obvious, is that God has already spoken . . . in the Bible. That’s why it’s called His Word. How many times have I gotten annoyed with students for not reading the syllabus for my class? Then they wonder why they don’t know what’s going on. Well, I was just as bad! I was praying for God to tell me what to do, but He already has. I don’t need a burning bush or a voice from the sky. I just need to read His Book. And it’s not like any other book. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Bible actually comes alive. You can read the same passage twenty times and it can speak to you in twenty different ways. I just think that’s really cool! God can speak to us in many different ways, but the main way He communicates is through Scripture.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

“We must gather the Word as manna every day. Our portion today is only good for today. We cannot live off yesterday’s manna. If we do not eat today’s portion, we will have lack and need. But if we abide in His Word daily, we will have life within. . . . We can’t get God’s voice activated in our life without first putting it into our heart and mind. It’s an issue of obedience.”

James W. Goll, The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God

Practical Tools

Dr. Goll lists some steps we can take to learn to hear God’s voice:

• Don’t Make It Complicated! Silence your own thoughts and submit to God’s leading. Remember that God’s Spirit in you will give you the power to accomplish anything. Ask a question and wait in expectation for His answer.
• Allow God to Speak However He Chooses God may choose to speak through His Word, through other people, through a dream, through a quiet inner voice, or in some other way.
• Confess Any Known Sins You must come to God with a clean heart in order to hear Him. He is waiting to forgive. Confess your sins in Jesus’ name.
• Obey the Last Thing God Said You will not receive new orders until you complete the last ones. Do whatever God has already told you to do.
• Get Your Own Leading Learn to hear God’s voice for yourself. He will use others to confirm what He’s told you, but He desires to talk to you personally.
• Don’t Talk About Your Word Too Soon Consider anything God shares with you as a secret, and let Him decide when it should be revealed. He may not have given you all the details.
• Know That God Will Confirm What He’s Telling You God uses other people or circumstances to confirm His word. If something you hear is truly from God, it will be confirmed.
• Beware of Counterfeits Be vigilant against counterfeits from the dark side.
• Practice Hearing God’s Voice To get to know the voice of the Holy Spirit, you’ve got to spend time with Him.
• Cultivate an Intimate Relationship God wants you to hear His voice because He wants a closer relationship with You. Draw near to Him.

Discovering how to hear God’s voice takes time and practice. It is a lifelong learning process which is designed to help us mature in faith and develop the character of Christ. Right now I am just a beginner. To help me on this journey, I started a Spirit journal where I record what I feel God is saying to me. Each entry begins with a note to my Tutor, H. S. (for Holy Spirit), followed by highlights from my Scripture readings, song lyrics, dreams, or any other “messages” I feel God has given me. Below, I have shared a few of the entries where I really felt I heard God speaking through seemingly random thoughts that popped into my head as I was waking up in the morning. I decided to follow through on these messages and was surprised at the insights I gained. I learned that you never know how God will choose to speak to you! While hearing God in this way can be very fun and exciting to experience, it is not the usual way He communicates with me. Most of my journal is filled with Scripture that the Holy Spirit illuminated during my daily reading and Scripture writing. The key for me is to be disciplined and to realize that there may be times when I don’t “feel” His presence. But He is always there and wants to help me. He wants to help you, too. Persist in faith, meditate on His Word, and keep listening . . . it will pay off!

Examples from My Spirit Journal

Sweet Hour of Prayer
Nov. 13, 2019

H. S.,
This morning I woke up with the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” playing in my head. I’m going to take this message literally and spend one full hour today devoted to prayer . . .

Thank You for the message. I set a timer and spent a full hour in prayer, just letting myself feel God’s presence and pouring out my heart and soul to Him.  At times I was quiet and just felt held by Him and comforted.  I told Him all I want is to be His faithful servant.  I felt Him saying “my child” and thought of the songs “I Can Only Imagine” and “Step by Step” as I prayed.  I know I have a lot to learn, but right now I feel like I need to focus on the basics:  feeling His presence, hearing His voice, strengthening my faith . . . baby steps.

“Oh God, You are my God and I will ever praise You.
Oh God, You are my God and I will ever praise You.
I will seek you in the morning, and I will learn to walk in Your ways.
And step by step You’ll lead me, and I will follow You all of my days.”

“Step By Step” by Rich Mullins

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Choose Faith
Nov. 14, 2019

H. S.,
Ok, this morning the random thoughts in my head seem totally unrelated: the song “Life Could Be a Dream,” the phrase “Ruth married Boaz,” and the name “Deacon Frost.” I didn’t recognize the name Deacon Frost, so I looked him up: he’s a Marvel character — a vampire from Blade. (What?) I did watch that movie lately, so my first thought was, “This can’t be from God!” But then I remembered what I read in The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God: The Father is “a multifaceted Creator, endlessly creative in how He chooses to communicate.” Also, another character from Blade is Abraham Whistler. My daily Bible readings right now are about Abraham, so I’ll do my daily reading before trying to figure out what all this means. I’ll also look up the lyrics to “Life Could Be a Dream” and read the book of Ruth. I can’t wait to figure this out . . .

Wow, this was a tough one, but I think I have figured some things out. By the way, I just read about the importance of filling your heart and mind with Scripture so that the Holy Spirit has something to work with when God wants to speak to you. I admit I’m a little bit lacking in this department since You are having to also use songs and pop culture references to reach me! Sorry, H. S., I’ll do better so that You’ll have more to work with. But thank You for using whatever You can to speak to me!

Ruth Married Boaz
I researched this story online and found the following information on GotQuestions.org:  “The story of Ruth and Boaz offers many wonderful insights for today. Among them is the principle that God often works through those who have endured tragic situations to change the lives of many others. Second, God will work through unlikely means. Ruth was a poor widow and a foreigner, yet God used her as part of the family line of both David and Jesus. Third, God’s sovereign power can be seen. He is in control of everything that happens, even when we do not understand the situation.” On a more personal level, I couldn’t help but be moved as Ruth asked for the love of a man she wasn’t sure she could have. She didn’t know if he felt the same way about her, but she had faith and followed Naomi’s advice.  It touched my heart to see how flattered Boaz was, and though he clearly wanted her, he did not take advantage of the situation.  He was very kind to her and took all the necessary steps to either marry her himself or to make sure she was taken care of by another kinsman-redeemer.  He went through all the proper legal channels and trusted that God would work out the situation, which He did.  Their faith was rewarded!

Deacon Frost
This is a vampire character from the comic book and movie Blade.  I guess God really does speak to us in unexpected ways sometimes!  I researched this character online and, other than the fact that Deacon Frost is the enemy of Blade, nothing really jumped out at me.  What did catch my eye was the fact that the first name of Blade’s friend Whistler is Abraham.  So Deacon Frost is also the enemy of Abraham.  Since I’ve been studying Abraham’s life in Genesis, I decided to research enemies of Abraham.  The only story that came up is the battle fought in Genesis 14 to rescue Lot.  (Note: In Genesis 14 Abraham is still known as Abram.) I found the following insights on ThingsoftheSort.com:  “When the rebellion came, Lot was taken captive. Then, Abram had a choice to make. He could intervene, or let Lot go. He chooses to intervene, a choice that proves his valor and leads him to a blessing. . . . On his return to the land, he met two kings on the way: the king of Sodom and the king of Salem, Melchizedek. . . . Derek Kidner explains:

‘For Abram the harder battle begins, for there is a profound contrast between the two kings who come to meet him. Melchizedek, king and priest, his name and title expressive of the realm of right and good (see Heb. 7:2), offers him, in token, a simple sufficiency from God, pronounces an unspecified blessing (dwelling on the Giver, not the gift), and accepts costly tribute. All this is meaningful only to faith. The king of Sodom, on the other hand, makes a handsome and businesslike offer; its sole disadvantage is perceptible, again, only to faith. To these rival benefactors Abram signifies his Yes and his No, refusing to compromise his call. Such a climax shows what was truly at stake in this chapter of international events. The struggle of kings, the far-ranging armies and the spoil of a city are the small-change of the story; the crux is the faith or failure of one man.’

“Here stands Abram between two kings, between two worlds. The king of Sodom represents the world and all its unfaith. The king of Salem represents the kingdom of God and all its faith. . . . Melchizedek wasn’t Jesus. But the priest Abram met all those years ago was a type of the one to come—the priest he and we need, the eternal mediator between God and us. When we look to him by faith, we find in him the mercy and grace sufficient for our unfaith. We find in him the salvation we need. Jesus, the priest of a higher order, is ours. And he was Abram’s, too.” So the message I’m getting from all of this is the same message I got from the Ruth and Boaz story:  choose faith!

Life Could Be a Dream
The name of this song is actually “Sh’boom.”  It’s an early doo-wop song by The Chords.  It didn’t really seem to say anything significant to me until I reread the lyrics as though God were speaking to me.  Then the message became clear:  choose faith, and life could be a dream!

“Oh, life could be a dream if I could take you up in paradise up above,
If you would tell Me I’m the only one that you love,
Life could be a dream, sweetheart!
Oh, life could be a dream if only all My precious plans would come true,
If you would let Me spend my whole life lovin’ you,
Life could be a dream, sweetheart!
Now every time I look at you something is on My mind.
If you do what I want you to, baby, we’d be so fine.
Oh, life could be a dream if I could take you up in paradise up above,
If you would tell Me I’m the only one that you love,
Life could be a dream, sweetheart!”

“Sh’boom” by James C Keyes, Carl Feaster, Floyd Mc Rae, Claude Feaster, James W. Edwards

—————

Know Your Reference Angle
Nov. 30, 2019

H. S.,
The message in my head this morning was “reference angles.” As a math teacher, I know what these are. A reference angle is the acute angle between the terminal side of an angle and the x-axis. In Quadrant I the reference angle (“Theta prime”) is the same as the angle (“Theta”). But in all other quadrants, it is different. The reference angle tells you how far away from the x-axis you are, no matter what quadrant you’re in. The message I’m getting from this is that no matter where you are in life, you should always evaluate where you are in reference to God. He is the standard we should measure back to. No matter what the world sees (our “Theta”), we should know where we are in reference to God (our “Theta prime”). 

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“There is no substitute for time spent with our Father in Heaven. Time spent in His Word and prayer is never wasted. It turns our heart’s compass to true north and sets the tone for all our activities and interactions.”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

Godwinks

As you can see, God has spoken to me in some very creative ways — ways that fit my unique personality. He will do the same for you. He may speak to you in a dream, in an audible voice, through nature, or maybe through a “coincidence.” Recently, I have been reading a book called When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life by SQuire Rushnell. (As the author mentions on the dedication page, yes, the “Q” in his name is supposed to be capitalized.) In this book, Mr. Rushnell talks about how God can speak to us through what appear to be coincidences, what he calls “Godwinks.” He defines a Godwink as “an event or experience so astonishing it must be of divine origin” or “another term for answered prayer.” Godwinks are uplifting messages from God that offer us reassurance when we most need it. They’re little miracles, things that cause us to say, “What are the odds of this ever happening?” God uses them to encourage us on our life’s path and to point us in the right direction. Since we cannot always see the big picture, God provides guidance throughout our lives by winking directly at us.

“You are part of a universe that is ordered and designed. Your life is not a series of random experiences taking you like a twig in a moving stream to destinations unknown. You are part of a much greater plan. Raising your consciousness to the Godwinks that often go by unnoticed or get dismissed and recognizing them as tremendously personal will reaffirm that your existence is not random and that you do have a role to play in God’s grand plan.”

SQuire Rushnell, When God Winks

Mr. Rushnell encourages us to trust in our dreams and choose to live up to our potential. Pray, read the Bible, and obey God. Using our unique gifts, we should work hard and bravely step out in faith. There may be a time when we’ve done all we can do. That’s when we need to “Let Go and Let God” do the rest. Have faith that all our preparation has gotten us ready for what’s coming. Then be on the lookout for signs of hope and encouragement.

When I started this blog, I was definitely stepping out in faith. I had the domain name for over a year before I did anything with it. I considered many different ideas but couldn’t really decide what to do. Although I’ve been dreaming about writing, I thought about just scrapping the whole idea. I was afraid it would be too much work, that I wouldn’t be any good it at, or that it’s not what God is calling me to do. But then I mustered some courage and wrote the first couple of posts. I’ll just see how it goes, I thought. I’ve done what I can. It’s time now to “Let Go and Let God” show me if I’m on the right path. Then a Godwink arrived in the form of a gift from my aunt. She had read my posts and was very encouraging. She said she made me something and was sending it in the mail. When I received the package a few days later, I opened it to discover a beautifully embroidered cuptowel with a picture of a hummingbird and a message: “Let Go and Let God.” Message received!

“When we carry ourselves as far as we can and feel we can go no further, that’s when we should be on the lookout for a Godwink. It’s coming.“

SQuire Rushnell, When God Winks

Some Cautions

As exciting as all of this is, I should mention that there are some things we need to be careful about. Learning to hear God’s voice is a lifelong process. When we think we have gotten a revelation from God, we need to be sure it was really from Him. I am just beginning this journey, so I am not an expert, but James W. Goll offers some lessons in discernment that we should all learn. As he instructs, “The Scriptures teach us that spiritual revelation or communication comes from one of three sources: the Holy Spirit, the human soul or the realm of evil spirits. The Holy Spirit is the only true source of pure revelation.” Since we cannot always be sure who is actually speaking when we hear that quiet inner voice, it is imperative that we test any revelations we receive against Scripture. God never contradicts Himself. If a message we receive does not agree with God’s Word, then it should be rejected. Here are nine scriptural tests Dr. Goll lists for evaluating any spiritual experiences:

1. “Does the revelation edify, exhort or console? The end purpose of all true revelation is to build up, admonish and encourage the people of God.” (See 1 Cor. 14:3 and 1 Cor. 14:26.)
2. “Is it in agreement with God’s Word? Where the Holy Spirit has said ‘yea and amen’ in Scripture, He also says yea and amen in revelation. He never contradicts Himself.” (See 2 Tim. 3:16.)
3. “Does it exalt Jesus Christ? All true revelation centers on the person of Jesus Christ and exalts Him.” (See John 16:14 and Rev. 19:10.)
4. “Does it have good fruit? The true voice of God will produce fruit in character and conduct that agrees with the fruit of the Holy Spirit.” (See Matt. 7:15-16, Gal. 5:22-23, and Eph. 5:9.)
5. “If it predicts a future event, does it come to pass? ‘When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him’ (Deut. 18:22).”
6. “Does the revelatory turn people toward God or away from Him? If a person’s words seem to be accurate, but they end up turning people away from following Jesus Christ as the Son of God, then it is a mistake to adhere to his or her ministry.” (See Deut. 13:1-5.)
7. “Does it produce liberty or bondage? True revelation given by the Holy Spirit produces liberty, not bondage.” (See Rom. 8:15, 1 Cor. 14:33, and 2 Tim. 1:7.)
8. “Does it produce life or death? The authentic voice of God always produces growth and life-giving energy, not hopelessness, stagnation or defeat.” (See 2 Cor. 3:6.)
9. “Does the Holy Spirit bear witness that it is true? The Holy Spirit is called ‘the Spirit of truth’ (John 16:13). His indwelling presence in our hearts and minds provides us with a kind of supernatural common sense about the accuracy of words that seem to be from God. This ninth test is the most subjective and therefore must be used in conjunction with the previous eight standards.” (See 1 John 2:27.)

We also need to be careful about tuning God out. The Rev. Billy Graham in his book The Holy Spirit discusses the danger of rejecting the voice of the Holy Spirit. This sin is called blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and in Matthew 12:31-32 Jesus warns that there is no forgiveness for it. We all have an inner struggle between our sinful nature and the work of the Holy Spirit within us. It is when we resist the Holy Spirit that we are in jeopardy. As Rev. Graham explains: “So long as the Spirit strives with a person he has not committed the unpardonable sin. But when a person has so resisted the Holy Spirit that He strives with him no more, then there is eternal danger. In other words, the unpardonable sin involves the total and irrevocable rejection of Jesus Christ. . . . ” In The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis gives an illustration of what can happen if we stop listening to God’s voice. After Aslan the Lion had sung the world of Narnia into existence, one of the characters, Uncle Andrew, chose not to hear Him anymore:

“When the Lion had first begun singing, long ago when it was still quite dark, he had realized that the noise was a song. And he had disliked the song very much. It made him think and feel things he did not want to think and feel. Then, when the sun rose and he saw that the singer was a lion (“only a lion,” as he said to himself) he tried his hardest to make believe that it wasn’t singing and never had been singing . . . . And the longer and more beautifully the Lion sang, the harder Uncle Andrew tried to make himself believe that he could hear nothing but roaring. Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. Uncle Andrew did. He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan’s song. Soon he couldn’t have heard anything else even if he had wanted to.”

C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

As Dr. Goll reminds us, God wants us to Hear his voice so that we will bear fruit that will remain. Ultimately, it’s not about us. It’s about being transformed into the image of Christ.

Life Could Be a Dream

Imagine being able to hear God speak to you personally. Imagine being empowered by the Holy Spirit to achieve whatever tasks He gives you. Imagine what God could accomplish through you, through all of us. In his book The Holy Spirit the Rev. Billy Graham says, “The world today is again in desperate need of a spiritual awakening. It is the only hope for the survival of the human race. . . . Our world needs to be touched by Christians who are Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered. Are you that kind of Christian? . . . If so, know that God the Holy Spirit wants to bring that renewal to you right now.”

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20 NIV

This week’s Scripture passages focus on listening for God’s voice. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. Also, be sure to check out the YouTube video posted below. May we all learn to hear our Father tell us about His precious plans for us!

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

Jeremiah 29:11

References:

• Alcorn, Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity. Multnomah, 2017.
• Goll, James W. The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God. Regal from Gospel Light, 2008.
• Graham, Billy. The Holy Spirit. Word Books, 1978.
• Lewis, C. S. “The Magician’s Nephew.” The Chronicles of Narnia, Harper Entertainment, 2005, pp. 7-106.
• McLemore, David. “The Faith of Abraham: Genesis 14 Abram Rescues Lot and Is Blessed by Melchizedek.” ThingsoftheSort, 5 Feb. 2019, www.thingsofthesort.com/bible-studies/2019/2/5/genesis-14-abram-rescues-lot-and-is-blessed-by-melchizedek.
• Rushnell, SQuire. When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life. Kindle ed., Howard Books, 2001.
• “Street Corner Renaissance – Life Could Be a Dream.” YouTube, uploaded by SCRVEVO, 17 April 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-miJQUD9l4.
• “What is the story of Ruth and Boaz?” GotQuestions, www.gotquestions.org/Ruth-and-Boaz.html.

Images:

• Fantasy Sky featured image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay
• Spring Meadow image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
• Bible image by James Chan from Pixabay