Hearing God

1. God Speaks Through His Word The Lord speaks through His Word. This can be a verse, or He speaks to us in our daily reading or He reveals truth through a study. And there are many times He will highlight a verse or portion of scripture and then confirm it in our experience or thoughts. You might find yourself running into that same verse somewhere else, or someone else saying It’s like the Holy Spirit is breathing afresh on those Holy Words!

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.– 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 2. Hearing God’s Still Small Voice There are times when the Lord will speak to us in a still small voice. This can be contrary to what we think God should talk like. We expect a powerful wind, a big shaking like an earthquake, or a roaring fire. We want God to be LOUD! But the Holy Spirit decides to whisper to us. These whispers can look like a passing thought, an impression, a strong sense of knowing. These things can be very real and powerful ways God speaks.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came to a gentle whisper.13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”–

1 Kings 19:11-13

 3. Hearing the Voice of God Through Impressions & Sensing Impression or sensing something can be God telling us something. This is not to be confused with suspicion. It is a deep “knowing”. In Acts 27 the apostle Paul perceived that the ship wasn’t going to make it.

Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”– Acts 27:9-10

When Paul said “I perceive” the original Greek is θεωρέωtheōréō, theh-o-reh’-o; which is defined in the dictionary as “to be a spectator of, to discern, (literally, figuratively (experience) or intensively (acknowledge)):—behold, consider, look on, perceive, see. If Paul had a vision that would have been a different word. Paul had an intense “knowing” that the ship was going to sink.

4. Angels: God’s Messengers God will sometimes send an angel to speak to us. We see countless stories in the Old and New Testaments. The very word angel, Malachi in Hebrew, means messenger. The archangel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her she was going to conceive and bear a child.

And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

And the angel answering said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God.

And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. — Luke 1:26–36

 5. Recognizing God’s Voice Through Creation The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.–Psalm 19:1-2 It’s such a beautiful picture when God uses creation to speak to us. This can look like the Lord reminding you that His strength is like a mountain, or how flowers speak of His beauty. But God can also use creation in unique ways to speak to us prophetically. Almost like nature is doing a prophetic act before us. This is also seen throughout scripture.

 6. God Speaks Through Visions God speaks through visions and dreams. Visions come in two types: 1. Open Visions– These visions are like a TV screen is all of a sudden in front of us with our eyes wide open. They are extremely vivid and detailed. I have experienced these before and it’s something you don’t forget. 2. Visions of the Mind- These are more subtle, like the still small voice. These pictures happen within your mind’s eye. You can see this when Paul the apostle was blind and had a vision of Ananias praying for his healing…He didn’t see the vision with his natural eyes. Acts 9

7. God Speaks Through Dreams In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.–Acts 2:17

Dreams have always been a way God speaks to His people.

Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found with the child of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. — Matthew 1:18–23

 8. God Speaks Through Trances Trances are not something you hear a lot about, but they are mentioned in scripture. “Trance” is ekstasis in the Greek. It means a displacement of the mind, i.e. bewilderment, “ecstasy”:—+ be amazed, amazement, astonishment, trance.

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. Acts 10:9-16

 9. Hearing the Voice of God through Godly Counsel & Fellowship with other Christians Sometimes God uses other people to speak through. We see this throughout the Bible. Here are some examples below:

● The Baptist with Jesus

● Jesus with Peter

● The story of Paul and Ananias

● When the Prophets prophesied over people (example: Samuel & David)

● The story of Ananias and Sapphira

 10. God Uses Circumstances to Speak to Us There are times when God speaks to us through circumstances. An example of this is the story of the prophet Balaam and the donkey (Number 22). God used an angel to prevent the donkey from being able to move forward. This hindered Balaam from cursing the Israelites, which God later told Him not to do. God will close doors, open others, and get us where He needs us. Sometimes God speaking isn’t through words, but through circumstances in our lives.

 11. Audible Voice of God We see this in the scriptures with Jesus, Paul, and others. It tends not to be a very common way God chooses to speak, but He has done it.