The Bible shares a lot of what the Eternal One spoke and did in ancient times. We can observe how individuals and collective peoples received and responded to His guidance. Learning about what God has said in the past can help us perceive what His will is for our lives today. However, it is not the same as personally hearing His voice regarding our particular situation.
Every person can actually hear and receive God’s insightful guidance for each situation we are facing in our lives. What a relief! But how do we do this? How is God’s voice perceived?
How God Leads Us
While Scripture records how the “word of the Lord came” to people in the past, (a) [See endnotes for Scriptures] it instructs us to “hear the word of the Lord” (b) for ourselves. What God said yesterday may not be what He wants to share about the various circumstances we face in our day; it could be a little different. (c) God wants to lead and guide each of us through our own specific ups and downs. (d)
Just as “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” (e) the Eternal One is changeless. (f) While our heavenly Father remains the same, His directional word to us as His wandering offspring and responsive children can change. This is true for believers and non-believers alike. (g)
Scripture shares how God spoke to individuals and groups and then following their response, His instructive word changed. God instructed Abraham to slay his son as a sacrifice. As Abraham was being obedient, God intervened and told him to stop and not do what he previously said. (h) When God told ancient Israel to go into the Promised Land and take it, their unbelief brought a change in His directional word for their lives. (i)
Here is another variable to consider. The guidance our parents and spiritual leaders give is based on what they were taught and their experience. While their advice is not to be ignored, some of their instructions may not continue to be appropriate for our maturing situations. While yesterday’s word was good for that day, God wants to share more insight as He guides us into more maturing growth.
I heard a word recently that I sensed was appropriate for all of us. “We need to re-sensitize and focus on what God ‘is’ doing instead of what He has done or what we think He will or should do.” Are we settling for past experiences, deliverances, revivals, revelations, or future expectations? God always has more insight to share with us about the day we currently live in and our specific circumstances.
God wants to lead and guide each of us through our own specific ups and downs.
Understanding God’s Emotion
There is another reason why we should sense and hear God for ourselves. His voice can convey an emotion that clarifies His intent. Scripture rarely notes what emotional emphasis was in God’s voice. Were His words spoken as a matter-of-fact, as stern commands, or as inspiring incentives?
Consider the Ten Commandments; The Hebrew dabar, translated as “commandments” actually means “words.” Scripture uses dabar over 2500 times. The KJV translates dabar into English as ‘commandment’ just 20 times, as “word” 770 times, and into a multitude of other English words.
Moses and all the people of Israel heard 
God speak to instruct and encourage righteous living. (j) Since the Hebrew account simply says “words” we can only surmise, were they stern commands or inspiring incentives? Rather than demanding, our heavenly Father seeks to lead and guide us through this life.
The Ten Words we have assumed were commands and became Laws to obey, Jesus condensed and simplified into a two point instruction: “Love God with all your heart… soul…mind…and love your neighbor as yourself…Of these two…depend on the whole Law and the Prophets.” (l)
My book “Created To Relate” explains how our spirit of life comes from God and enables each of us to communicate with the Eternal One. God can speak, quicken, inspire, and share thoughts via our spirit so we can consciously relate.
How does anyone hear God speak today? Some report they hear the voice of God with the natural ear while most say they sense new or inspiring thoughts that come as an inclination or a still-small voice.
Like we discussed in my last blog, one way to describe how we actually hear the Eternal One speak is telepathy. This is defined as the transfer of thoughts between minds. Telepathy is the activity of giving and receiving thoughts without spoken words or other signals.
The voice of God is not restricted to our natural ear. More often than not, God’s shared insight is transferred from His Spirit to our spirit and we receive them as inspiration.
The voice of God is not restricted to our natural ear.
Ask, Seek and Knock
God can speak and we can sense His inspiring word anytime and anywhere. In some ways, we are a lot like an electronic device designed to receive signals. The spirit of life in every person enables all of us to function as receivers. When we consciously tune-in to receive, we can sense and hear what God may say about our situation.
Scripture says “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives.” (m) We first want to examine our motives (for good, not so good, or bad). We may begin to realize that we have heard from God or are hearing Him share a thought right now.
How do we know a new thought is from God? The best way is to have an active personal relationship with Him. While everyone can sense good and bad thoughts, the more we relate to God as our insightful Father and seek to share His heart-beat, (n) the easier it becomes to recognize His voice.
How can we personally hear and recognize God’s voice? Here are some suggestions:
- Understand that God actually wants to interact with each of us!
- Be open to receiving, understanding and then acting on His inspirational guidance.
- To speed up the process and activate your inspiring interaction, simply ask, seek, and knock. (o)
God cares about the quality of our natural and spiritual livelihood. He is always ready to speak and reveal insight. Sometimes we are unable to hear because the beliefs we maintain stifle our ability to hear. Many times we are just too busy to really listen. We simply need to stop and listen for God’s inspiring voice, right where we are.
When we are attentive, God’s word to us can be very personal. We are able to take possession of what we hear deep within. Intimacy with the Eternal One improves everything in us and around us!
We want to be focused and continually ask the Lord for ears to hear what He is saying today. Stay tuned and keep your receivers up (heart open). It is amazing what God desires to reveal.
When we are attentive, God’s word to us can be very personal.
a) 1 Kings 16:1; 2 Chronicles 11:2; 1 Samuel 15:10; Jonah 1:1; Haggai 2:20; Joel 1:1; b) Jeremiah 22:29; Ezekiel 34:47; 37:4; Joshua 3:9; c) John 16:13; Psalms 31:3; d) Psalms 23; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18; e) Hebrews 13:8; f) Hebrews 1:10-12; g) Romans 10:12; h) Genesis 22:1-3, 10-12; i) Numbers 14:1-24; j) Deuteronomy 5:22-26; k) 1 John 4:8, 16; l) Matthew 22:36-40; m) James 4:2-3; n) John 14:6; o) Mathew 7:7; Luke 11:19
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
Created To Relate author