7 Keys To Hearing God Speak

Over the last two weeks we have looked at 6 keys that help us to hear God speak to us personally. But whilst I was typing this summary of those 6 keys, I was asking God if there were any other keys that I needed to mention. And there was. As a bonus, I have added the 7th key at the bottom of this summary.

Key # 1 : God speaks to us when we really want it (read Okay! So my dog is finally dead!!). The Bible says that if we seek God with all our heart, then we will find Him. Seeking him with all our heart is not limited to specific times, occasions or events, but everything.

Key # 2 : God speaks to us in stages (read Revelation by Elimination). When God speaks to us, He doesn’t always give us the full picture. As we obediently obey each of His ‘minor’ revelations, he reveals more to us.

Key # 3 : God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible (read The Never Ending Story). The more we read it, the more we become a part of it, the more we hear God in it. Even for our daily decisions.

Key # 4 : God speaks to us through other people (read Husbands: Listen to your wives). As people speak to us, the truth of God’s word (as impressed by the Holy Spirit) will resonate within us. The challenge is that many times we are “closed” to hearing God speak through people because of our biases towards those people.

Key # 5 : God speaks to us through dreams and visions (read Feed them pineapple). Peter himself declared the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy which states this very clearly. It is nearly as if God knew that our lives in this modern age would be too busy to hear Him during the day. This post deals with how to use the Bible to help interpret the dream and how God then uses the Bible to also affirm the dream.

Key # 6 : When God speaks to us, we must walk by faith and not by sight (read When victory comes from chaos). Many times, after we have obeyed God’s word in our lives, there is an immediate period of opposition and it seems that our lives are going in the opposite direction of what we believe God (and us) intended. Remain strong. God’s purposes will prevail.

Bonus Key

Key # 7 : God speaks to us in silence. Sometimes God uses silence as an answer. I have  found this especially when I have asked God for something and He has already given me an answer for, but the answer is one that I “don’t like”. So I go to Him in prayer again, trying to twist His arm. On these occasions His answer to my prayers are normally silence. That silence is God speaking to us, affirming His original answer. The other reason why God answers in silence is because He is not wanting you to actually do anything pertaining to the reason you are seeking Him. His silence is His way of saying be patient and wait. Your response is to do exactly that : wait. Don’t rush ahead of God.

I hope that you will be encouraged as you hear God speaking to you.

Are there any other keys that you have discovered in order to hear God speak to you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

my name is darryl
and this is what i have to say

Husbands: Listen to your wives

It’s been almost a year now since God told me to leave my work, become a house husband, and continue studying part time. Been almost a year since God told me that my wife must return to full-time work. Been almost a year of living under one of the most amazing blessings that we have ever experienced. And been almost a year that I nearly missed it!!

You see, I believe that the man is the head of the household (see Ephesians 5:23-24). I believe that he has the final say on all things ‘household’. But I believe too that the flip-side of that authority is sacrifice, not power (see Ephesians 5:25). And so it was with this ‘head-of-the-household’ mentality that my wife and I fasted and prayed for finances. At the time, I was only working half a day to accommodate my studies, and my wife was working only part time as a nursing sister. But together, we were just not making ends meet.

We shared with each other in the weeks that followed, what we believed God was saying. My wife told me that her praying was quite deliberate into a full-time half-day position. I was not happy!!! Half-day for a nurse is actually about a two-thirds day for a ‘normal’ job, with no breaks. With her continuing household responsibilities, she was going to reach burnout very quickly. So I matter of factly told her that as the head of the household, I do not give her my blessing to pray for that.

Well!!!

My wife took it well (as a Godly women should).

God didn’t.

By the end of that very afternoon, as I was ‘righteously’ seeking God through my own prayer and fasting, God clearly spoke to me and told me to allow my wife to pray for work. And the rest is for another testimony.

The point is that God uses people to speak to us. It may be your wife, your friend, your children, or even a complete stranger. As long as YOU are open to hearing God and are not being biased in who you are prepared to receive council from, then you will hear God speaking to you through people. And if they have been seeking God specifically on your behalf, then there is an even greater assurance that God can use them to speak to you.

But remember – it is not what they say but what the Holy Spirit impresses upon you that turns their words into God’s words. And make sure to test what they say with God’s Word; if it is does not line up with Scripture, then you can be assured that you are NOT hearing God through them.

Probably the greatest Biblical account of God speaking through another person, so happens to be a wife as well – Mary. Mary is told how she will miraculously conceive (see Luke 1:26-38). Then in Matthew 1:20 we read that Joseph considered what had happened (and most likely Mary’s account of what the angel had said to her). It would thus be fair to say that she was giving a testimony that God had spoken to her. And we read further that after he had considered these things, an angel appeared to him too and confirmed what had been spoken to Mary. God had spoken through Mary to Joseph.

Has God used other people to speak to you? Are you ready to be used by God to speak to other people? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

my name is darryl
and this is what i have to say

Scripture references:
Unless otherwise noted, all references are from the New International Version

Ephesians 5:23-24 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. (24) Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, (27) to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (28) The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (29) Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. (30) But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. (31) You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. (32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (34) “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (35) The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (36) Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. (37) For nothing is impossible with God.” (38) “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

The Never Ending Story

When I was a child there was this great fantasy movie called ‘The Neverending Story’. It was about a boy who got seriously engrossed reading a book about the downfall of fantasia. The more he read it, the more he became a part of it, became a part of the story. God’s Word, the Bible, is much the same. The more we read it, the more we become a part of it.

God is the author of all of life and He has chosen to reveal Himself to us, and one of the key ways He has chosen to do that, is through the Bible. Unfortunately, many people believe that the Bible is nothing more than a history book and so do not read it. But the truth is that if you are earnestly seeking to hear from God, then you are going to have to read the Bible. Because that is the primary channel that God speaks to us by His Spirit.

Jesus said that He will send the Holy Spirit who will remind us of all the things that He taught (see John 14:26). How are we to be reminded of Jesus’ teachings if we have not read them? Others believe further that they do not need any teaching because they have the Holy Spirit in them (also John 14:26). But if that be the case, why is it that after being filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostles needed to appoint deacons in order to study the Word (see Acts 6:2-4)? In order to hear God, you MUST read the Bible.

So how do we use the Bible to hear from God?

1. Simply start reading it. As you continue to read it day after day, some things will start ‘standing out’ for you and you will start recognising how certain passages are ‘answering’ certain things in your life. As you continue reading it, you will find that you are being reminded more and more of what is in OTHER verses, helping to bring context to that which you are reading.
2. Ask God to speak to you specifically from His Word. And then expect him to answer. Ephesians 6:18 says that we must pray all the time and for anything.
3. Be patient. Do not ask and then jump on the first verse that you read. Speak to other believers to make sure that you are ‘hearing’ right. There is the classic example of a depressed man opening the Bible to hear from God and he read “Judas hung himself”. I doubt greatly that God was telling this man to hang himself.

In summary:

• Pray
• Ask God
• Read
• Seek clarity and confirmation

A final point is that you must understand that God is speaking to you personally and not anyone else. You cannot use your ‘revelation’ as a ‘must’ for others in similar circumstances. Yes, you can use it as a testimony and a guide, but never a must. I remember praying for months (yes months) regarding a business opportunity that God had clearly told me not to get involved in, but I was trying to “twist” God’s arm (with Bible verses) that it was okay for me to still be doing it. After many months of no success in the venture I cried out to God in prayer, asking why it was failing? No answer.

So I read the Bible. As I read, a specific passage jumped out at me that was crystal clear. It was Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” God had answered. It was still no. But cannot go around telling people who’s businesses are seemingly failing that God doesn’t want them to be in business. That was a specific word for me and me alone.

Are you reading your Bible regularly? Are you meditating on it (see Psalm 1)? How has God used the Bible to speak to you? You can share a testimony or comment by clicking here.

my name is darryl
and this is what i have to say

Scripture references:
Unless otherwise noted, all references are fromt eh new International Version.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Psalms 1:1-6 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (3) He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (4) Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. (5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. (6) For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

When God speaks only one puzzle piece at a time

Yesterday we kicked off our series on ‘How to hear God speak to you’ (read it here) with the fact that in order to hear God, we must first earnestly seek Him. Today I have reblogged on old post that shows how God doesn’t always speak to us in clear and direct terms, but that He many times speaks to us in stages. Him speaking to us is many times like Him giving us one puzzle piece at a time. Only once we have laid down that piece in it’s correct position, does He give us another piece. Very rarely does He give us all the pieces, let alone the final picture before-hand.  

May God bless you as you seek to hear Him more in your life.

 

my name is darryl 
and this is what i have to say

this is what i have to say

Would it not be great if God spoke to us as He did to Saul/Paul, Moses and the other Bible greats? Would it not be great if when He spoke to us, He told us directly what He wanted us to do or who to speak to? Personally, I’ve prayed many times for God to show me who to speak to, waiting patiently for an answer, and all I got was an increasing awareness of the silence.

But I was reminded this morning that sometimes God speaks to us through a process of elimination.

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Okay! So my dog is finally dead!!

For those that have read my blog regularly, may recall the post “God: Why is my dog not dead yet?” (click here to read it). It centred on my very aged dog struggling with ailing health and how I wanted her to die so that her suffering would end, but my repeated prayers of compassion seemingly falling on God’s deaf ears. And so one day (in desperation) I prayed and asked God why my dog is not dead yet?

Well, He answered me and you can read all about it here. Needless to say, He didn’t tell me when she was going to die. And so I continued with my still ageing dog for another month and a half before I again cried out, “God: Why is my dog not dead yet?” You see, besides her own suffering that everyone was telling me she must be going through, she was also becoming a real nuisance. and admittedly, I was getting frustrated. So I wanted both her and MY suffering to end.

Well, He answered me again!! But this time with a different answer than the last one. Where He last told me that He was using my dog to teach me a very specific lesson, this time He told me that the reason he had not yet taken her, is because He has given us (humans) dominion over the animals; it was up to me to decide when to let her go (that is euthanase her). This I eventually did. And so, yes! My dog is finally dead.

The point of the post though is that there is no greater joy than to hear from God. Admittedly, I have never heard God speak with an audible voice, but I HAVE had God impress things upon my heart and mind that I know is from Him. How is it that I can hear God speak? Simply because I am looking for God in EVERYTHING that I do. Jeremiah 29:13 says that we will seek God and find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. When you seek God in everything that you do, I guarantee you that you will hear God speak to you.

But how do I know that it is God? That is where faith comes in. This is not the faith of Hebrews 11:6 which says that we must believe that God exists, but rather the faith of James 1:5-6 which believes that God answers us when we pray or speak to Him. And so, if you have asked God for wisdom, BELIEVE that He will answer you and be expectant for that answer. Seek Him with ALL your heart and you WILL find him. And when He DOES answer you, don’t doubt it. Satan will come to plant the seed of doubt in your mind just as quickly as God answers you, just like he did in the Garden of Eden. Believe that God speaks to you and you will hear Him.

But what if He did speak and your world is now turned upside down, causing you to doubt that you heard Him? I’ll answer that question next week.

Hearing God speak might require some changes to your life.

1. You will have to believe that he speaks to us even today.
2. You will have to actively pursue hearing from Him.
   • This requires listening more than praying.
   • For some, it might even mean praying more than just “Give me my daily wants”.
   • And you will have to remove those things that are distracting you from hearing God (i.e. TV, radio, internet, etc.)
3. You will have to believe that He has spoken to you.
4. You will have to act on what He has said.

Have you heard God speak to you? Do you believe that He still speaks to us today? What is stopping you from hearing Him speak? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

my name is darryl
and this is what i have to say

Scripture references:
Unless otherwise stated, all references are from the New International Version.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

James 1:5-6 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  (6)  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.