By Patrick Holloran
Therefore every one who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock—Matthew 7:24-25 (ESV)
I. Don’t make hearing God complicated!
It is actually not hard to hear God, but because of our Greek background from the early church, we unfortunately get a little too logical about this subject. Here are three easy points of the first step that are very simple to do.
A. Submit to His Lordship.
Ask Him to help you silence your own thoughts and opinions. You want to hear only the thoughts of the Lord in the moment. Proverbs 3:5-7, “In all your ways acknowledge Him. And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”
Pat Holloran
James says, “Submit unto God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice that this is the order of the Lord. He is telling us that the first thing to do is submit to Him.
B. Resist the enemy.
Due to the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we now have His very authority as His disciple to silence the voice of the enemy. Speak 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 aloud. If you do what God wants you to do (first!), then He will do for you what you cannot do on your own!
C. Ask your question and expect God’s answer.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Ask the question that is in your heart; bring it before the throne of Almighty God. Believe that as you submit to God and resist the enemy, you can now expect that you will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9).
It is important to not doubt in this moment. Since Holy Ghost lives within us and according to the word of God, He knows the deep thoughts of God; we should be able to know His thoughts as well. Remember, our mind is to be as the mind of Christ.
II. Allow God to speak His way.
Don’t try to dictate to God the guidance methods you prefer. Listen with a yielded heart. Remember that because you are submitted to Him, he has freedom to speak in the way He knows is best. He may speak through His written Word, through a person, through dreams, visions, even your thought life.
III. Confess any known sins.
Psalm 66:18 – “If I regard wickedness in my heart the Lord will not hear me.” The third point in hearing God’s voice is one of the foundation stones of Christianity—the confession of sins. Know that when we do this, He is listening and waiting to forgive. A clean heart is a prerequisite to hearing God.
Also, on a direct note for husbands, it is important to understand that we must always treat our wives as honored vessels from the Lord.
1 Peter 3:7 tells us; “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
According to the Word of God, our wives should be a blessing. In Proverbs 18:22, it says – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.”
So this is why it is important to always say we are sorry, but wives should never take advantage of this.
IV. Have you obeyed the last thing God told you to do?
If you haven’t obeyed His last orders, why do you think He would give you new ones? He’s waiting for you to do what He’s already told you to do.
This alone is one of the main reasons people don’t think they are hearing from God, Jesus Christ, or Holy Ghost. The Lord has already spoken. You already know what is required of you. It’s the issue of obedience. If you haven’t done what the Lord told you to do previously, then you should finish your last orders. There could be a word of wisdom in the last word that He gave to you so that you can continue in the destiny of your life’s journey.
V. Get your own leading.
God can use others to confirm your word, but we must learn to hear the voice of the Lord for ourselves. Exodus 34:14 speaks out “for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”. God is a jealous God. He wants to talk with you. Become secure in your own identity of Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
Proverbs 8:17 – “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”
Yes, our Lord loves us so much that He wants us to see Him, to hear Him, and to be with Him.
Realize that you are a son or daughter of the One True God. He has given us Holy Ghost to lead us in all truth. It is imperative that we learn to nurture this presence of Holy Ghost in us. As we learn to be dependent on His leading, and take time to be with Him and hear, it is then perhaps that the Lord will give to you a person to confirm if you so need.
VI. Don’t talk about your word too soon.
I think the dreamer Joseph might have wished he had heard this one also! The main purpose of waiting is to help you avoid people not hearing your heart, but only the words spoken. Have you ever considered that God might like to share a secret with a trusted friend, and that someone is you? If you ever want to share a word that you have from God, consider first asking Him if you have His permission to do so. Please remember that when the Lord gives His word, it is to prepare us to be the vessel qualified to do what has been spoken.
VII. God will confirm what He’s telling you.
Realize God does use others to confirm His word. It’s part of a safety net of protection. II Corinthians 13:1 tells us that God will confirm His word by two or three witnesses. If it really is God, He will speak the same or similar things more than once. Believe that the Lord will speak through those who have relational authority in your life. There is safety in the multitude of counsel as it tells us in Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”
VIII. Practice hearing God’s voice.
I have ringtones on my cell phone that help me to identify who the caller is. When I do not know who it is, many times I can recognize the voice before they identify themselves. It’s like that with our Lord. When we spend time with Him, we learn to recognize His voice at all times, and the more we practice, the easier it will be.
IX. Establish God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Ghost every day.
When we have intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we are getting to know personally who they are to us and of the very source of our destiny. When we start to tell the Father who He is to us, it becomes even more personal that ever before. If we want to hear clearly, we must get closer to the one who teaches, leads, and directs us.
Taking the example of Hezekiah, we can tell God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Ghost what they mean to us. This will bring about an intimacy that can never be taken away from us. When we do this, just as Hezekiah did, God will move for us.
Isaiah 37:16-21 “ And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”
You Are God!
God speaks and creation happens (Hebrews 11:3)
God is the Lord of the Hosts (Isaiah 6:3 & 5)
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6)
Lord of the heavens – Lord of the earth (Psalm 115:16; Psalm 24:1)
God knew us when we were yet unformed (Psalm 139)
God who makes and names the stars (Psalm 136:9 – Psalm 147:4)
God who is I AM (Exodus 3)
God who is called Restorer (Psalm 80)
You are God, my pledge of safety (Isaiah 38:14)
You Are Jesus Christ!!!
Jesus is Christ (God’s Anointed) (Isaiah 61:1)
Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13)
Jesus Christ has made all creation (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15)
Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father (John 14:6)
Jesus Christ in us, the hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27)
Jesus Christ the Healer (Acts 9:34)
Jesus Christ is the Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
Jesus Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords (I Timothy 6:15)
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life (John 6:48)
You Are Holy Spirit!!!
Holy Spirit is the spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:15)
Holy Ghost knows God’s Thoughts (I Corinthians 2:11)
Holy Spirit leads us in all truth (I John 2:27; John 14:17 & 16:13)
Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26)
Holy Spirit fills us up (Ephesians 5:18)
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Resurrection (Romans 8:11)
Holy Spirit regenerates (John 3:3-5).
So there are some simple thoughts on hearing the voice of God. I pray that you will find this as a part of your toolbox for living. And remember, God has something to say and He wants to tell you!
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