Imagine an impression, conviction, direction or affirmation imprinted so strongly upon your spirit that you knew for certain it came from God. It’s an appealing idea, but we may wonder:
How can we know when a thought is divinely bestowed?
The above promise from Jeremiah 33:3 indicates we can distinguish God’s voice. (Further evidence includes Isaiah 30:21, John 8:47, Revelation 3:20, and more.)
In addition, many respected Jesus-followers offer affirmation, based on their own experience.
Below you’ll find excerpts from some of these teachers, preachers, and authors, to answer our questions about hearing God speak within our hearts—questions like:
TO WHOM DOES GOD SPEAK?
To those who belong to God.
To those who make time for stillness.
God [is] waiting in the depths of my being to speak to me
if I would only be still enough to hear His voice.
–A. B. Simpson, quoted in Streams in the Desert, 255
To those willing to sit in silence.
Silence is the room we create for the searching of God,
where we hear his voice and follow.
–Mark Buchanan, http://christian.net/resources/bible-verses-about-hearing-god/
To those who prepare themselves to hear.
God will speak to the hearts of those who prepare themselves to hear.
–A. W. Tozer, God Still Speaks; Are We Listening?
WHY DOES GOD SPEAK INTO THE HEARTS OF HIS CHILDREN?
When God speaks, His chief aim is to reveal Himself.
He desires to make Himself known and lead
you into a more intimate relationship with Him.
–Priscilla Shirer, Discerning God’s Voice, 105
HOW CAN WE KNOW THAT GOD IS ACTUALLY SPEAKING TO US?
He speaks in love (Jeremiah 31:3), not condemnation (Romans 8:1).
One of the distinguishing characteristics
which will identify His voice is that it will
highlight His great, never-ending love for us . . .
Even when He is disciplining and correcting you
He is still operating from
His foundational character of love.
Love is how He is.
–Priscilla Shirer Discerning God’s Voice, 112
Whatever God says will concur with his Word.
When God speaks, it always lines up with the Bible—
His character and His actions.
He is kind, loving, inspirational, wise, healing,
and convicting without being condemning.
–Alice Clarke, https://www.catchthefire.com/blog/prophecy-prophetic-c45wm
Confirmation from elsewhere may also present itself.
When [God] speaks to you internally,
and then causes other events to confirm what he’s saying,
it’s not coincidence, luck, or chance.
It is likely his sovereign hand orchestrating circumstances
to help lead you to his will.
When God speaks, he does so persistently.
–Priscilla Shirer, Discerning God’s Voice, 76
WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE OUR LISTENING ABILITY?
Spend time in God’s Word.
The more time we spend in the Bible,
the more familiar we become with his voice,
making it easier to recognize it when he speaks.
–Denise J. Hughes, Deeper Waters, 50
Pray.
Prayer can lead regularly to personal encounter with God,
which can be indeed a wondrous, mysterious, awe-filled experience.
–Friedrich Heiler, Prayer: A Study, 129. Referenced by Timothy Keller in
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, 43.
Be still.
How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.
–Francois Fenelon
Take time to wait.
I listen for His voice. I wait. I take the time.
And He has never failed to meet me
at the place of listening.
–Joni Eareckson Tada, 31 Days Toward Intimacy, 82
Stay alert.
God murmurs in the silence of unexpected places.
–l. l. barkat, God in the Yard, 87.
Even at the kitchen sink.
“Just as this beautiful cluster of grapes once grew on a vine,
you are growing beautiful fruit as you abide in Me”–JESUS (John 15:5).
If we ask God to reveal himself, he’ll do it—as he chooses—through little whispers, confirmations, divine delays and heavenly echoes that corroborate with what he’s already saying through His Word and Spirit (Priscilla Shirer, Discerning God’s Voice, 193).
Let’s ask him now.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jesus, please quiet all the loud voices that flood my heart and mind. Give me ears to hear the gentle sound of your voice. Speak Lord, your servant is listening. Amen (Chrystal Evans Hurst, Kingdom Woman Devotional, 41).
Psalm 37:7; 1 Samuel 3:9
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From the Inside Out 