Many people would love to receive a message directly from God, but don’t know how to. They see God speaking to the prophets in the Bible and maybe even hear other believers talk about how God has spoken to them. All this does is make them wonder why He doesn’t speak to them. Does God only speak to those prophets or does He speak to more common people as well? If He does, how do we hear His voice? Is there something wrong with them?
God actually wants to speak to us and has several different ways in which He does so, depending on our individual circumstances. It is quite possible that He is speaking all the time; but we aren’t listening. We can’t receive a message from God, if we don’t stop to listen to what He has to say.
One of the biggest problems we have in hearing from God is that the world is drowning out His voice. God speaks with a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13), which is hard for us to hear, if we’re not truly listening for it. Yet, we have this image that God spoke to the people in the Bible with a booming voice, coming out of the clouds, with lots of reverberation. Thanks Hollywood. No, God doesn’t speak that way at all; He never did. Everyone who has ever heard Him, has had to listen and usually get quiet enough to hear Him.
This is especially true of the prophets, who spent much time alone with God, in intercession. They would separate themselves from others, seeking a quiet place to pray. We see this over and over in the Old Testament, such as when Elijah went to the mountains to pray:
So Ahab (the evil king) went up to eat and drink. And Elijah (the prophet)1 went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look towards the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, “Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.” – 1 Kings 18:42-44
This was Elijah, considered by the Jews to be the greatest prophet of all time; the one who went into King Ahab’s palace, surrounded by sin and talked about being in the presence of God; carrying that presence with him. Yet when he needed to talk to God, he got away from anything and everything that could be a distraction. I think we can learn something from his example. If He needed to get away from it all to talk to God, we probably need to also.
When God needed to speak to Joseph, the man who was to act as Jesus’ earthly father, He had to send an angel to speak to him in his dreams. This happened three times (Matthew 1:20; 2:13; and 2:19-20). It would seem easier for God to just speak to him directly, but he was probably busy, just as we are today, not taking time to hear from God. Therefore, God chose to speak to him at a time when He knew that Joseph would be quiet enough to hear.
Ask Questions
If you really want to hear God speaking to you; or, more accurately, to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you, ask questions. I’m not talking about whether you should buy a certain car, accept a certain job offer or date a particular person of the opposite sex; I’m talking about asking questions about the Bible. Ask God or the Holy Spirit to teach you what something means or ask them to teach you how to apply a certain verse to your life. God loves questions like that and will respond. He may not respond immediately, but He will respond.
As you receive answers, you will begin to learn God’s still small voice. You’ll also begin to understand the prompting in your heart, when He’s speaking to you. This is a key step in preparing for bigger things. It’s much safer for you to miss God when you’re asking Him to explain a particular verse to you, than when you’re asking Him who you should marry.
From there, the next step is asking God to tell you what to do. Again, I’m not talking about material things here; but rather spiritual ones. Ask God for someone you can witness to today or who you can bless in some other way. Be sure to remain open for His response, which will likely be through a combination of circumstances and that prompting in your heart.
Ways that God Speaks to Us
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that God only speaks to us through an audible voice, as that’s what we’ve seen in various movies. But the truth is that even what might be considered to be an audible voice, isn’t actually audible. Even if we hear it and think it is audible, we’re likely to be the only one who can hear it; those around us can’t. But of all the ways that God can speak to us, an audible voice is the least likely for us to encounter.
One of the biggest potential problems with God speaking through an audible voice is that Satan can do that as well. Many people think they’ve heard from God, when they haven’t. The biggest evidence for this is that the message they’ve heard is contrary to the Word of God.
Before going any further, allow me to clarify something; hearing from God is an act of faith. We must believe not only that HE will speak to us; but believe that he has, once it has happened. Generally speaking, the only evidence we’ll have that God spoke to us is the feeling in our heart. We must learn to discern that feeling, knowing when it really is God and when it is not. Starting out by questioning God on something really big in our lives, seeking an answer, probably isn’t a good idea, if you’re unable to discern whether the answer has come from God or not.
God Speaks Through His Word
The most common way for God to speak to us is through His written Word, the Bible. Through its pages, we find a wealth of wisdom and knowledge, awaiting our discovery. As we study it, the Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts, teaching us, if we are open to receiving from Him.
Please note that there’s a huge difference between reading the Bible and studying it. We can read it all day long, allowing our eyes to pass over the words, while we really don’t pay much attention to what those words say. Nobody is going to get more than a general overview that way. We need to take time to study it, thinking about what we are reading and analyzing it. That’s what King Solomon was referring to when he wrote:
But his delight (the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly)1 is in the law of the Lord, and in His Law he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:2
That word “meditate” isn’t the kind of meditation that Hinduism and Buddhism teach, where one empties their mind or focuses on one particular thing, with the intent of achieving an emotionally calm state, where they can receive enlightenment. Rather, it is best described through the image of a very preoccupied scientist, who is repeating things to himself over and over again, seeking understanding. Our meditation is repeating the scriptures to ourselves, not for the purpose of memorization, but to seek understanding.
As we study, the Holy Spirit will provide understanding, directing us to study areas of the scriptures where we can find answers to our questions. When we find them, He will speak to our heart, confirming what we’ve received.
Never try the trick people talk about, where they just allow the Bible to fall open and read the first verse they see, taking it as a message from God. That’s bordering on occultism and isn’t a method that God uses to speak to us. What would you do if the verse you found said, “And Judas killed himself”?
God Speaks Through Others
While God can speak to us directly through His Word, sometimes we have trouble hearing Him that way. In such cases, He might speak to us through another believer, usually a pastor, other minister, or church leader. The Sunday morning message might seem that it was written specifically for you, or they may just happen to say something that answers a question you had; but it can be more directly, where they tell you something that they think you need to hear or that God has told them to tell you.
This can also happen in counseling sessions. The Apostle James wrote about receiving wisdom from God and it is very applicable:
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. – James 1:5-6
There are at least two ways of applying this verse. First, we can ask for wisdom generally, expecting the Lord to teach it to us. But there’s another way as well, asking for wisdom in a particular situation. Church leaders who are counseling others need this, asking for specific wisdom in that counseling session or while answering a church member’s question. The Holy Spirit is faithful to answer those requests and provide that wisdom.
God Speaks to Our Hearts
Perhaps the most amazing way that God speaks to us is speaking to our hearts. It won’t be so much words that He speaks, but rather a sense of what He wants us to know. We can tell this is God speaking to us, rather than the enemy, because the enemy speaks words to our minds, whereas God always speaks to the heart and not the mind.
This often takes the form of a “feeling” that we should do something, whether that is to go visit someone, do something for them or speak a word of encouragement to them. It doesn’t matter so much what it’s about, as that we recognize that it is God speaking to us.
As an example, there was a young man driving home from the church youth group, complaining to God, because others had talked about how God spoke to them, but he never felt that God spoke to him. As he passed a convenience store, he felt that he should stop in and buy milk. Not really understanding why, he did, then continued driving homewards. A few blocks later, he felt he should turn down a particular street, even though it wasn’t the way home. He did so, stopping after a couple of blocks. A house across the street attracted his attention and he went to knock on the door, milk in hand, wondering why he was doing it.
He heard movement from deep inside the house and a moment later a man opened the door, screamed, grabbed the milk and ran back into the house, leaving the door open. A moment later he returned, asking the young man if he was an angel. The man explained that he had lost his job and they didn’t have money to buy milk for the baby. They prayed, and a few minutes later the young man appeared with the milk.
That’s having God speak to your heart.
God Speaks Prophetically
God still speaks to His people through prophecy. While the Bible’s books of prophecy contain many prophecies which are generalized, speaking to God’s people, there are also prophecies in the Bible where God spoke to individuals. Several of these are of God speaking to Paul through various prophets in the Early Church, such as:
When he (Agabus, a prophet)1 had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “This says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bund the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” – Acts 21:11
There are some denominations which believe that prophecy has passed away, using Matthew 11:13 as their proof, but I’m not here to argue with them. Let me just say that the book of Revelations was written after this time and that’s a book of prophecy. God still speaks through prophecy.
There is a real danger in trusting personal prophecy though. That is, the person speaking prophetically can make mistakes, whether they are a prophet or simple someone moving in the gift of prophecy. The error usually isn’t in the prophecy itself, but in the interpretation of that prophecy.
One example I remember clearly was of a visibly pregnant woman who received a prophetic word from someone known to be a prophet. The prophecy was about her baby, telling her that she would have a son and certain characteristics about that son. Everyone interpreted the prophecy to be about the baby in her womb, so the whole church was surprised when she gave birth to a baby girl. That may seem like the prophet was wrong; but it was the interpretation that was in error, thinking that the prophecy was about the baby she was carrying. Eighteen months later, she gave birth to a baby boy who exactly fulfilled every point of that prophecy.
Take care when using personal prophecy; it should only confirm, not guide. If you have received a prophetic word that doesn’t confirm something that you feel God has been talking to you about, set it aside, not forgetting it, but not taking action on it until God gives you the necessary confirmation for that prophetic word.
God Speaks Through Visions and Dreams
God can also speak to us through visions and dreams. Peter made reference to this in his preaching on the day of Pentecost.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. – Acts 2:17 (quoting from Joel 2:28)1
Looking at that in context, Peter was obviously saying that those days had come. The basic difference between these two is that visions happen when we are awake, while dreams happen while we are asleep. This does not mean however, that all dreams are prophetic in nature, as some people have supposed.
Determining whether a dream is prophetic is difficult at best. There are two good criteria that I have heard. The first of these is that we remember the dream. But that isn’t always true, as there was a time when King Nebuchadnezzar didn’t remember his prophetic dream. He threatened to kill all his wise men, if they couldn’t tell him both the dream and its interpretation. They couldn’t but the prophet Daniel did (Daniel, chapter 2). The second criteria is that the dream repeats, quite possibly over several nights. This happened to Pharaoh in Genesis, chapter 41, where he had two dreams with the same meaning.
Most dreams and visions are symbolic, further complicating things. We must trust the Holy Spirit to provide us with the interpretation. Don’t take action, until you are sure you have the right interpretation. Take care when using dreams as a means of hearing from God. Look for a confirmation, so that you don’t end up taking a normal dream as being prophetic and take the wrong action.
God Speaks Through Signs
One of the least reliable means of hearing from God is through signs. It’s not that God can’t use signs, but that the devil can fabricate them as well. This can be especially dangerous if we aren’t specific in the sign we ask for. It is very easy in such cases to interpret anything as being a sign from God, even when it isn’t.
The most famous case of someone asking God to use signs to provide an answer was the story of Gideon’s fleece, in Judges, chapter six. Gideon was unsure that God had spoken to him and that he had understood correctly, so he laid out the fleece of wool on the threshing floor, asking God to make the fleece wet overnight, while the threshing floor remained dry. It happened; but Gideon wasn’t satisfied. He asked God for a second sign, again using a fleece; but this time, he wanted the fleece to be dry, while the threshing floor was wet with dew. God did what he asked, proving that God had spoken to him.
We refer to asking God for a sign as “laying a fleece before the Lord” in honor of this example. While it can be effective, it is necessary to make sure that the fleece which is laid out is something that only God can do. otherwise, the answer we receive may not be from God.
Some might say that Gideon didn’t have much faith; because he laid out the fleece twice. That’s one way to look at it; but another way is to say that Gideon had much wisdom, wanting to be sure that the sign he received was truly from God. We need that assurance, if we are going to take action on such a sign.
God Speaks Through Circumstances
Similar to the fleece, God may speak to us through arranging circumstances which provide the answer. Once again, this is something that the enemy can counterfeit, so we should seek some independent confirmation if the circumstances lead us to believe that God is speaking to us. That doesn’t mean running around asking people if the circumstances were from God, but rather waiting until confirmation comes to you, without asking anyone.
Some Basic Observations About God Speaking to Us
Most people ask God to speak to them, in search of specific direction for their lives. They want to know about what job to take, who to marry, what town to live in and what home to buy. God isn’t as concerned about those things as He is in the condition of our hearts. While He may provide direction in those areas, it’s just as likely that He won’t.
There are many questions that we might ask (such as those I just mentioned) where God will only provide a one-word answer. That could be “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” Of those, the only one we want to receive is usually “yes,” but that answer could put us in danger, if not physically, than spiritually. God is never going to give us something that is going to hurt us spiritually. If we aren’t ready to receive and accept His answer, no matter what it is, we’d better not ask Him.
Much of the time that God speaks to us, it is either to instruct us or to correct us. There are a lot of people going around in the Body of Christ today, calling themselves prophets, who only give nice sweet words about how God loves His people. While it is true that God loves His people, that’s not the example we see in the Bible. God sends His prophets to correct, not to tell us that we’re okay, even while we’re living in our sin.
That’s true for both the Old Testament and the New. Many people think that prophecy in the New Testament is different than that in the Old. But God hasn’t changed. The one book of prophecy in the New Testament, the book of Revelations, is probably the toughest book of prophecy there is, painting a very clear picture of destruction for those who don’t turn to God. How is that a “nice sweet word?”
God will never give us an answer that goes against what is written in the Bible, so don’t expect Him to. If you are trying to live a lifestyle that the Bible calls sin, don’t expect God to show you how the Bible has been misinterpreted and give you “new revelation” on how to interpret it. You’ll receive new interpretations all right, but it won’t be from God.
Everything that God says in prophecy is conditional, but not everything God says is prophetic. Much of what God says will be instructive; that’s not conditional. But if God tells you that He is going to do something, whether in your life or the life of others, that’s prophetic. Whether or not He actually does it will depend largely on the way that people respond to what God has said. The people of Nineveh repented at the prophetic word that Jonah brought them, so God did not bring the destruction that He had prophesied on them.
Saying that God has told you something, that it is not clear that God has told you is dangerous. Never say “Thus saith the Lord” if you’re not sure He actually did say it. That is likely to end up being lying and God will hold accountable those who malign His name. If you think God has said something to you; but aren’t sure, say so. It is always better to be clear about such things and allow God to show others that you are correct. At the same time, if you aren’t correct, that provides an opening for God to use in protecting those who have heard you make that mistake.