Most everyone accepts the idea that God speaks to special people, like ministers and prophets. When we hear regular people say “God spoke to me” or “I heard God say,” we tend to wonder if it is real. Does God speak to ordinary and common people? Can anyone hear God speak?
Created To Sense
The Eternal One designed and created the first human by combining two foundational components: the dust of the earth and His Spirit, the breath of life. Every living person has these natural and spiritual components. A third component is our developing soul’s conscious awareness. (a) [See endnotes for Scriptures] These three components are equipped with five senses that enable us to relate to both realms of reality.
Yes, there are two sides of our five senses. They equip each of us to function, relate to, and interact with both realms of life. Our physical and spiritual activity feeds information to our soul’s developing consciousness and our five senses equip us to see, hear, taste, touch, and feel both realms of reality. (b) Our activity helps to form our personal character, attitude, and personality (CAP). (c)
The original error in the Garden of Eden was the act of ignoring God’s guidance. Their decision produced a rift in Adam and Eve’s communication with God. Scripture notes this as an ongoing death-like condition that complicates our awareness and interaction with God. (d) Their confusion allowed a debilitating fear to enter their consciousness and caused them to try and hide from God. (e)
Thinking our heavenly Father was going to punish them complicated their understanding and reduced their ability to clearly hear and understand. Their lack of repentance continued to skew their perception and caused them to lose the “garden-like” quality of life that God’s guidance provides.
We are all birthed into this life with the ability to sense and hear God’s enlightening and directional insight. (f) Our lack of understanding of God’s nature and our hesitation to repent, change and renew our desire to follow His insightful guidance continues to complicate our ability to hear His voice. We want to be more willing to repent and adjust our mistaken ideas, beliefs, and actions.
We all have the ability to see and hear unnatural realities. Since scientists are only able to study and measure natural things, they label our ability to see and hear unnatural realities as a sixth sense. Without realizing it they actually acknowledge the existence of the spiritual side of our five senses.
We are all birthed into this life with the ability to sense and hear God’s enlightening and directional insight.
God’s Voice
Does God speak to people while living in sin? Consider this, God spoke with Adam and Eve while they were in error. (g) God spoke with Cain and cautioned him about the error he was entertaining. (h) He even spoke to the Canaanite prophet Balaam while he was disobeying. (i)
God continued to speak to the rebellious Israelite people for centuries. “The day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning persistently, ‘Listen to my voice.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ears.” (j) God chided them for not having an ear to hear. Scripture is full of examples of God speaking to people “while we were still helpless…while we were yet sinners.” (k)
The way God speaks to us is not limited to one or two methods. Scripture tells us that God spoke to Abraham at least 10 times. (l) In each occasion, God’s insightful and inspiring thoughts were received by Abraham’s willingness to follow His lead. Faithfully following God’s lead is the Scriptural definition of faith. Listed below is the breakdown of times God spoke to him and why Abraham became identified as the father of faith. (m)
- Once in a vision
- Once as three men
- Twice as an angel
- Twice without noting a visual
- Four times simply as a voice
King David compared God’s voice to the wonders and forces of nature, as though they were often His delivery vessels. (n) When God spoke to Israel at Mount Sinai, they saw and heard many natural wonders. They also heard His words but they chose to not experience such interaction again. (o)
God spoke to Peter in a dream about his ill attitude toward non-believers. (p) He also spoke to Saul who became Paul, from a bright light; to correct his treatment of people he perceived were in error. (q) This should shed a little light on any ill attitude and actions toward those who are not like us.
How does anyone hear God speak and receive His insight for our day? The way we receive the thoughts that God shares with us can be understood as telepathy (the transfer of thoughts apart from natural senses). How did Jesus know what to say and do in the many situations he encountered? He sensed what God was saying and desiring to accomplish. (r) Jesus even prayed that we would be as he was in this life; “Father, I desire that they also…be with me where I am (in this world).” (s)
To illustrate our heavenly Father is a forgiver; God-in-Christ shed His life’s blood on Calvary for everyone. (t) Rather than bringing sacrifice and offering, God wants us to change and be responsive. (u) We want to be repentant people that continually seek to hear and follow His guidance.
So, how sensitive are we to God’s input? While Israel was delivered from bondage, their previous beliefs kept that generation wandering in their wilderness. Our lack of sensitivity to God’s voice today can keep us from entering the abundance God is providing. (v)
Our lack of sensitivity to God’s voice today can keep us from entering the abundance God is providing.
Hearing God’s Voice
Our erroneous behavior, mistaken understandings, and sense of separation can keep us from receiving God’s insightful guidance. While we can be open to hearing God’s voice, our previous beliefs can cloud our ability to hear clearly. Since God understands our limitations He continues to speak.
God speaks to us in a variety of ways. Rather than waiting for an audible voice from out of nowhere to get our attention, we want to realize God may already be speaking to us. We do not want to leave God’s intended productive abundance for our life in limbo because we are not listening.
Since my early teens, I have sought to sense God’s presence and His insightful direction. At the age of 42, I entered a new line of work and became quite productive. Nearly seven years later, before my 49th birthday, I sensed God saying I was going to experience a Jubilee, the freedom to begin afresh.
What is a Jubilee? God instructed Israel to declare a Jubilee every 50th year. It was to be a release from debt, a restoration of what was lost, and allow a fresh start. (w) I thought I had a year to get ready. On my 49th birthday, without any warning, I was fired. My shock lasted for just a moment as God reminded me that I was entering my 50th year. God is faithful even when we don’t see clearly.
We want to understand that everyone can hear God speak and nudge us in a better direction. A lot like how we experience gravity, we can sense God speak without realizing it. How do we sense a direction to go, receive a fresh idea, or have a revealing thought? Where does inspiration come from, out of nowhere? Our Eternal Father wants to lead and guide each of us into a more abundant life!
We can hear God speak anytime and anywhere; while reading, meditating, listening to a speaker, praying, through music, and in conversation. As we allow ourselves to hear and receive God’s guidance, we learn to recognize His voice above this world’s chatter. Remember, the voice of God is full of benefits for all who listen. (x)
The voice of God is full of benefits for all who listen.
a) Genesis 2:7; b) Psalms 34:8; Hebrews 5:14; c) see book Created To Relate; d) Genesis 2:16-17; Ephesians 2:5; Matthew 8:22; e) Genesis 3:8-10; f) Acts 17:26-29; g) Genesis 3:9-13; h) Genesis 4:6-7; i) Numbers 22:22-31; j) Jeremiah 11:7-8; k) Romans 5:6-8; l) Genesis 12-22; m) Galatians 3:6-9; Romans 4:3, 13; n) Psalms 29:2-4; o) Deuteronomy 5:24-26; Exodus 20:1, 18-19; p) Acts 10:10-21; q) Acts 9:1-19; r) John 5:19; s) John 17:22; 14:23; t) 1 Timothy 4:10; John 4:42; 1:29; u) Isaiah 1:11-17; Hosea 6:6; 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalms 40:6; 51:15-17) v) Exodus 20:19; Hebrews 12:19; w) Leviticus 25:10-22; x) 1Timothy 4:10
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
Created To Relate author