Bible Study
Hearing God‘s Voice
Do you need to hear from God? Is there a situation, circumstance, or condition in your life (or a loved one’s life) where you need to hear His voice?
God is speaking to us today. Our ability to recognize His voice is not only the key to discovering His will in any situation, it is also the key to staying in His will for the rest of our lives. Hearing the voice of God is not only possible for His child; it is absolutely imperative.
Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke said, “It would be hard to find a line of Scripture on which to build a doctrine of a silent God. It is not at all the Bible picture. People called on God because that is how they knew Him - as a God whose voice can be heard.”
Jesus said, “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep…and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
(John 10:2-4)
If we are part of His flock, we have all been called by the voice of the Good Shepherd, and the voice that called us to salvation is the same voice that must lead us throughout our lives.
I’ve often been asked, “Daniel, how do you hear from God?” I can truly say that, for me personally, the most common way I have heard God’s voice and sensed His leading is through the Scriptures. They will always speak to anyone who will take the time to meditate on them.
The Scriptures ring with the pitch, tone, rhythm, and meter of God’s voice.
You will learn to recognize His voice as you cultivate a deep, abiding love for what God has already said in His written Word. We must enter into a dimension of supernatural awareness and sensitivity by spending time to read and meditate upon the Word of God. The more we give God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s presence a place of honor in our lives, the more sensitive we become to His voice.
I’ve heard people say, “That’s great for you, but why doesn’t God speak to me?” I think many times the reason is so simple: we aren’t listening. Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply be quiet and listen. You may need to learn how to become quiet in the presence of the Lord, and tune your spiritual ears to His voice. God will speak to you in this place, and you will encounter His presence as Moses did at the burning bush when you “turn aside” and listen.
“But what does God sound like? If we believe that God speaks, how do we really know we are hearing from Him and not our imaginations?” One key is to know what to expect God’s voice to sound like. Elijah gives us an excellent example. He experienced mighty manifestations in the presence of the Lord – a wind that broke rocks, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Bible says God was not in those things. After he had witnessed powerful demonstrations of God’s power and glory before his eyes, God finally revealed Himself more personally to Elijah as “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) - in contrast to the cataclysmic, earth-shaking storm from heaven.
God speaks through a variety of means, and the more sensitive we become to His voice, the more we will realize that God is always speaking - if we will take the time to listen.
On the back of this brochure, I have put together a list of eight common ways God speaks. I believe it will be a blessing, and will help you (or a loved one) in situations or circumstances where you need to hear God’s voice.
I want you to experience the thrill and wonder of hearing God’s voice, and the adventure that comes from following His lead.
Daniel Kolenda
1. An audible voice
When God speaks it can sometimes sound like an audible voice. Most of the time the only person who hears Him this way is the one to whom He is speaking. Or sometimes God speaks in a clear sentence or phrase deep within our heart.
2. A sudden supernatural awareness from heaven
Hearing the voice of God may come as what could best be described as “a knowing” or a sudden awareness of something God is communicating. It has the same effect as hearing the audible voice of God in our hearts, but it is compressed into an instant of time. It is like a moment when God’s thought, God’s emotion, or God’s attitude becomes our own. It’s almost like an instantaneous download of information.
3. An unfolding, extended revelation over time
Sometimes God’s voice may come to us the same way as mentioned above, but much more slowly. It can come as an unfolding revelation over a period of time, long or short, and will usually be mixed with our own thought processes. That means it will require us to continue listening, learning, and responding in obedience in order to process fully what God is saying. It may also involve other people who are being used by God to speak into our lives.
4. Impressions
Impressions from the Holy Spirit may come simply as “feelings.” They are not audible or dramatic. They happen only in the silence of our own hearts, and their meaning must be discerned. When God speaks this way, these impressions do not seem to go away. They come, they stay, and they get stronger with the passing of time.
5. Conscience and conviction
As we draw closer to the Lord, our conscience will become increasingly tender toward God, and He will often use it to lead us. When this happens, you will find that these convictions are highly personal. If you silence that voice and violate your conscience, it is a sin before God. On the other hand, the more sensitivity you develop to God’s voice through your conscience, the more you will discover that He is speaking to you every day – much more than you may have realized before.
6. Dreams and visions
Throughout the ages God has used dreams and visions to speak to His people. Major portions of Scripture came from dreams or visions, and there are many other references to these experiences in the Bible. Without doubt, God still speaks through dreams and visions today:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions”
(Joel 2:28).
7. Prophetic words
God uses prophets, as well as the prophetic anointing operating through believers, to speak and bring revelation to His people. Great care needs to be taken at this point to ensure that we remain scripturally balanced. A person should never seek guidance through a prophet without a corresponding agreement in his or her own spirit that has come through prayer and time in the written Word of God.
8. Opportunity
Sometimes God will reveal His will by presenting us with an opportunity that we did not plan or orchestrate on our own. We may never have even thought of doing a particular thing. But suddenly the way seems to open up before our eyes, and it is God calling us to walk into it.
