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Are you struggling to hear God?  How do we hear the voice of God?  Can we hear the voice of God?  What does the voice of God sound like? Is there a way to be sure it is God?

I don’t have all of the answers but I can tell you what helps me to discern His voice.

These are 3 ways I hear the voice of God.

Isaiah 28:23 

Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.

Let me preface this by saying before you can hear God you must have a relationship with Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

This post is written with the assumption that you are a believer and follower of Christ.  If you aren’t sure and would like to discuss it please email me and let’s talk.  It is the most important decision you will ever make.

Your relationship with God is just like with any relationship with someone you love, you have to spend time getting to know that person.  It takes time.  Spending time with God by Studying His Word, Scripture Memory and Journaling are 3 ways to hear His voice.

1. Bible Study

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

I’ve spent the last 30 years trying to know God. Drawing near to Him and claiming the promise from James 4:8 that He will draw near to me.  Structured Bible studies are a good way to acquire self-discipline, knowledge, wisdom, insight, and basic Bible skills.  All you need is a version of the Bible that you enjoy.  However, an accountability group is helpful, also.

2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

To get into a group and open that Bible for the first time can be intimidating.  We all have to start somewhere so don’t be afraid.  Jump in and go!  Grab a friend and call a church to find a study near you.

Most Bible Study groups start at the beginning of each semester and are about 6-8 weeks long so it’s not a huge time commitment.  There is homework to help you to learn to spend time daily in the word but it usually is not difficult.  However, It is important to pray before opening the Bible for the Holy Spirit to come and speak to you through His word. Structured studies are my favorite ways to learn.

2. Scripture Memory

After a while, I started leading Bible studies and learned more by teaching. To prepare to teach, you have to study harder and end up gleaning more due to that effort.  Consequently, I became more comfortable studying scripture and began to I challenged myself to memorize God’s word.

As we grow older, we begin to think we cannot memorize any longer.  That is a lie straight from the devil.  He does not want us to have God’s word at our fingertips or to know the truth of scripture. After all, that is our sword against him. (Ephesians 6:17)

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Here are the ways I approach scripture memory.

I do some strange things. I break down the scripture into pieces and write one part on each of my fingers.  Seriously, yes, on my fingers.  Told you it was weird.  Then I keep going over and over it until I can do it without looking.  Then when I wash it off, I can just look at my fingers and remember it.  It sounds crazy but it works for me.

You will need to find the way that works for you.  My Granny always said, “Anything worth having is worth working for”.  Do the hard thing.  God speaks through His word as we “hide it in our hearts.”  Experiment with different study techniques and do it.

2 Sam. 23:2 “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.”

Having God’s word hidden in our hearts is a way to gain insight into God’s ways and into hearing the His voice.  When the Holy Spirit brings a verse to mind, God is speaking to you. Usually, for me, He will repeat that Scripture several times in different ways.  That is my affirmation that I am hearing Him.

Henry Blackaby, wrote in his book, “Experiencing God”,  that God speaks through the church (other Christians), Bible study, prayer, His word and circumstances in life.  We only have to pay attention and listen.  This brings me to my favorite way to gain insight into God’s ways, journaling!

By journaling, I don’t mean the artsy, pretty, colored pencil journaling, even though I enjoy that too.  By journaling, I mean get serious, roll up your sleeves, get alone with God, close the door, intentional, writing out, and meditating on God’s word journaling.

Habakkuk 2:2 Then the Lord replied, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” 

3. Journaling

Journaling is one of the best ways to hear the voice of God.  I write down my praises, blessings, prayers for forgiveness, thanksgiving, and prayer requests for others.  After spending time blessing God for who He is and praising Him for all that He does, I lay all of my worries at His feet to completely clear my mind so I can focus on His voice.  The next part of journaling is not about talking to Him but listening for His voice through His word.

This is where the fun begins.

I ask God to reveal Himself to me.  He wants to be known by us.  I ask Him for discernment to hear Him speak through the power of His Holy Spirit.  I will get into this more in the post about Prayer.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will call to mind answered prayers and because they are written out,  I can go back and praise Him for them.  It is so exciting when I get to actually watch Him work.  What a blessing to get to be part of what the God of the Universe is doing and see it so clearly.

These are some of the ways I hear His voice.  You know when you hear Scripture it is from God because He breathed scripture into being.  Intentional quiet time in His word is the only way to gain wisdom and insight into God’s character and His ways.  If you want to know Him and hear Him you have to put in the time and effort.  It is a relationship after all.

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

There are several devotionals I use in my quiet time with God.  Any scripture the Lord puts in front of me, I look up in my Bible.  I read every word before and after it.  If any verse stands out to me or is meaningful, I write it down.

Bible Study, Scripture Memory, and Journaling are three ways to hear God’s voice through His word.  His voice is clear and will sound different to each person.  I mean I’ve never heard Him speak through a burning bush, but you never know what God will do.  The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Any time spent in prayer is time well spent in with God.  It doesn’t matter how you start.  Just start.

I would love to hear about your adventures with our Heavenly Father.

How do YOU hear the voice of God?

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