Hearing from God

By Carmen Williams

“Lord, what are you saying to me? What should I do? What is my next step?” Have you ever found yourself asking God questions and waiting on Him to respond? I have. Have you ever been in a situation where you thought you couldn’t hear from God or that He was not speaking to you? I have too. Before I get too deep into it, I want you to think about your children (if you have any). Or think about your friends and family. If you had to relay a difficult message to them, how would you do it? Would you speak to your parents the same you spoke to your siblings? Would you use the same words with an older adult as you would with a toddler? Obviously, the answer is no. You would be more careful to use words each of them could understand. So I pose to you this question: How do you think God speaks to you? And what do you think He is saying? 

If you were to ask me this question, I would say He speaks to me chiefly through His Word (the Bible) and He is saying whatever is necessary in the moment concerning my situation.

“…no prophecy of scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man: instead, men spoke from God and they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:21

The Holy Spirit that lives in us after we receive salvation speaks to us and guides us into all truth. He gives us knowledge and insight. God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden, as well as Cain after he killed Abel. He spoke to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Joseph, and Moses- all in different ways and with different approaches. He spoke through His angels, His prophets, by way of dreams and visions, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I mean, he even came to Moses in a burning bush! There’s no limit to how God can speak. And through speaking, I believe His goal is to teach, train, inspire, guide, and father us as we journey through life. He is speaking to you more often than you think. Those moments of enlightenment or epiphanies are not coincidental. Those well-timed words of encouragement were not done in your own strength or wit. God is speaking and I want to shed some light on how we can get even more in-tuned with what He is saying. 

So first, let’s talk about the Bible. I’ve often heard God’s word referred to as “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,” and I love that because it’s really so true. We’re all at varying stages on our Christ-led journey, but the Bible is the common ground upon which we can all stand. It creates a sort of sounding board and point of reference in our faith walk. The Bible is the best source because the messages are spoken clearly, the stories are captured in striking detail, and most importantly, it’s telling the Truth. It is accepted as a record of the events that transpired in ancient Hebrew times (Old Testament) before Jesus Christ came to the earth. It captures His life and journey while here on earth, and the following years after His death and resurrection (New Testament). So in the conversation of hearing God, the best way to know that you heard God, is by knowing how He speaks. You can’t understand a language you don’t learn first – and the way to learn God’s language is by reading His book. God can drop a specific scripture in your spirit to minister to you through a rough situation. Or, He can drop a word of wisdom on you (inspired by scripture) to minister to someone else. However, you cannot bring back to remembrance that which you do not first commit to memory. God wants to speak to us, but we have to understand His language. Read your bible folks! 

Secondly, I believe God speaks through people. Of course He speaks through His prophets, but let’s be clear- they are supposed to be speaking what He says. They have been chosen and graced with a specific gift of being able to hear the voice of the Lord and articulate His messages to us. These “mouth-pieces” for God have been given the assignment to prophesy. Hearing from God is a little different. We can ALL hear from God. The word tells us in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Whether you are in church listening to the preacher’s sermon, at home listening to a worship song, at work tuning into a podcast, or at a café casually talking to a friend- at some point, you will receive a revelation that stirs your soul. That is God speaking to you. He can speak to and through anybody. He will even use the conversation with your enemies’ to expose the Devil’s traps to you. God is faithful.

Thirdly, God can speak to you through your consecration. Try to recall the last time you just sat and communed with God. Remember when you would pray, and just sit there quietly, giving the Lord time and space to respond? Now think about the last time you prayed. Did you give Him time to speak to you? So many times we use our “prayer time” as an opportunity to pour out our list of needs to the Lord, but we once we’re done, we don’t let Him speak. We say “Amen” and start our day. We don’t create a space for Him to minister to us. Saints, it shouldn’t be this way! I challenge you, the next time you pray, carve out space at the beginning and the end of your prayer time to listen to God. That still, small voice can become a powerful call to action. In my experience of doing this, God has placed names of people and situations on my heart (before I started praying) that required intercession, and He has revealed to me answers and truths about my life’s situations (after I finished praying). I cannot tell you how many times I have reached out and ministered to hurting people just because God placed them on my heart during my quiet time. He has also dropped incredible words of encouragement and strength to speak over others at the right time. But it started with me getting disciplined in my consecration and time with Him.   

“To give an appropriate word is a joy; how good is a word at the right time! (Proverbs 15:23 CEB)”

God is speaking, and not just for to keep the message to ourselves, but for the millions of people around the world that don’t know Him. Let’s read, listen, and meditate on His word, and spend time with Him. Once that becomes a permanent part of our lives, we’ll understand His language better. And once we understand His language, we can start hearing His voice louder and clearer than ever before. 

If you are interested in following the writer of this article, you can follow Carmen on her personal Instagram, her professional page on Instagram @ThePrayingMillennial, or at www.ThePrayingMillennial.wordpress.com.