God’s desire is to constantly speak to us. He does so through a number of different ways. He can speak audibly. He can speak through the Bible – His Word, He can speak via the avenue of prayer, He may speak through circumstances, He can even speak through a dream or a vision. He may speak in a whisper to our inner being where we get a sense or prompting in our spirit. At other times God may speak directly through another person. This was often the case in Old Testament times as God spoke through Prophets. We see several occasions in the New Testament where God also spoke clearly through people in this way. God hasn’t changed, He still desires to speak, He loves us and wants to communicate with us, revealing more of Himself and His ways.

1 Thessalonians 5:20 tells us not to despise, or ignore prophesies, but to “weigh” them, to test them. We are to be faithful with what God speaks directly to us and take those words and pray them into being with faith. Equally we are to take what God clearly declares in His Word and live in that reality with faith and obedience.

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit regenerates our spirit, we become one with Jesus, we are in Him and He is in us. That means we can communicate freely with God himself. Prayer, Worship and life itself is meant to involve two way conversations, God is always speaking but sometimes we are not listening. Our spiritual ears can become blocked. The bible shows us that those who heard God regularly did so because they had attuned their spiritual ears to hear his voice.

How do we do that?

1. Recognize that God speaks through His Word, therefore we need to spend time reading the Bible

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to make the Word alive to us

3. Set aside specific time where you cut yourself off from all outside distractions to hear God

4. Meditate on the Word – that is fill your mind with truth and God’s thoughts

5. Live with a confidence that you are a New Creation and can hear from God

6. Develop a prayer life that is more than a list of requests but is conversational in nature

7. Develop and grow as a worshipper, the whispers of God are heard in His Throne Room, the place of intimate worship

8. Obey what you hear, our ears can become dull when we ignore what God has previously called us to do.

How do you know if it’s God speaking?
God’s voice leads, the devil drives. God brings clarity, the devil brings confusion. God brings peace, the devil brings fear. God brings freedom and liberty, the devil brings bondage and condemnation.

May our hearts be open “speak Lord for your servants are listening”