Listening for God

Here is an interesting question. When was the last time that we believed that God specifically spoke to us? Sadly, too many Christians have said that they do not know when God is speaking to them, or if He even does. The truth is that if we are a Christian and if we have the Holy Spirit living within us (which we do), then God does speak to us many times throughout the day. 

His words and thoughts often come to us through our emotions and feelings. Those emotions and feelings will then set our thoughts on a path that will take us to where God wants us to go. If the actions that we feel prompted to take will benefit someone or bring glory to God, then that guidance is, in all probability, from the voice of God. If our thoughts go against the teachings of Jesus or are guiding us to do something that does not honor God, then those thoughts and feelings were not prompted by the Holy Spirit. Every prompting and every feeling that either honors God or draws us closer to Him is in fact God speaking to us.

Sometimes God speaks to us through revelations in our life. It may be those moments of clarity when something is telling us that the path we are on is destructive and not part of God’s plan. It may also be some form of confirmation that gives us peace in knowing that we are on the right path. So often we have heard God’s voice yet chose not to follow His guidance. As the writer tells us in Hebrews 3:7-8, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,” Each one of us have had moments and seasons of rebellion, and each one of us have paid the cost. 

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to soften our heart and sharpen our discernment so that we can know more surely when God is speaking to us. 

Pray that the Spirit of God will remove any rebellion in our heart and replace it with a heart that is humble and willing to listen for God’s voice. 

May we repent for any rebellion in our past and let God know that we belong to Him, that we will listen for His voice, and that we will follow whatever path He lays before us.

When we pray, we must always take time to also listen. Too many times we say our prayers then quickly shift our mind to something else. How often have we missed what God was saying to us as we finished praying to Him. Take two minutes to be quiet and still and present with the Lord. Listen for His voice. He may have something to say. Either way, it may be the best two minutes of our entire day.