Hearing God's Voice
Have you ever desired to hear from God, but was not sure how to go about it? God desires to speak to you through His Spirit. The most obvious way to hear God's voice is in His Word, but I also believe God still speaks to us directly.
This is the third post on hearing God's voice. In the first post I encouraged you to listen for God’s voice. In the second post I mentioned six safeguards to protect you from false messages. In this post I will give you four keys to hearing God's voice. I first came across these keys in the writings of Mark and Patti Virkler.
Four Keys
These four keys are found in Habakkuk 2:1-2. What better place to look for advice in hearing from God than one of His prophets?
- I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
The first key is to still yourself in God's presence. Stop what you are doing and be still. In our hectic world it is imperative for us to slow down enough to hear God. He may be speaking and you have not turned down the volume of your life enough to hear Him. - and look out to see ...
Once you are quiet, look expectantly for God's voice and visions. Picture yourself in God's presence or walking with Jesus and be open to the Spirit speaking to you both through words and images in your mind. - ... what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
Listen for the spontaneous flow of the Spirit's voice within you (John 16:13-14), and be willing to dialog with God. - And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision; ..."
Write down what God has said. Even begin a dialog on paper. By writing down the message you can better evaluate whether it is from God and keep your mind focused on the message.
Remember the Safeguards
Once you feel you have a message, don't forget your six safeguards to hearing a false message.
Do I believe that God will answer in an audible voice? Probably not. Do I believe God will always answer you? Yes, but not necessarily in your timing. Silence could mean the time is not right. Daniel, the prophet, once waited 21 days for the answer to a question (Daniel 10).
God desires to talk to you. Get out a piece of paper and pen, sit down, and ask God a question. Who knows? Maybe He has a message for you right now.
I dare you to try this and post a comment on what God said to you. Please leave a comment.
by Jerry Wyrick, President of Worship Arts Conservatory