Confused about hearing from God?

I have heard people ask this particular question severally, "How do we hear from God?" But if we check pretty closely we will see that God always, always speaks but who is listening?

Most times we are waiting for Him to speak to us in a big audible voice like He did to Samuel and in doing so we miss hearing Him at all!

God always speaks but you've got to be alert and in constant fellowship with Him to even hear Him at all.

1. Audible voice: Few days ago, at our Care group a lady shared how God instructed her in an audible voice to give up her school fees for her school's fellowship program and she did. So one of the ways God can speak to us is through an audible voice. 

God has never spoken to me this way before. Lol. But does that mean I am less spiritual? No. It doesn't happen to everyone. If God chooses to talk to us this way, it's His own choosing not yours, and that doesn't make you more special than other Christians.

2. Dreams: Yeah, God does speak to us through dreams sometimes. Remember Joseph? Daniel? I am not a dreamer but I have had few impressionable dreams of course.

3. Visions: Peter saw a vision and this vision came with a message - "Arise, Peter. Kill and eat."

 

4. Prophecy:  One thing you should know about prophecy is that it will confirm what has already been revealed to your heart. In other words, prophecy is a confirmation about what God has spoken to you before and needs you to pay attention to.

 

Why I say this is because there are so many fake prophets dishing out fake prophecies saying , "God said...," when He hasn't. If your spirit does not bear witness to it or if it does not in anyway coincide with God's Word, throw it away.

 

5. God's Word: Truth is - the surest way God speaks to you is through His Word. Dreams, prophecies etc can be manipulated by Satan but it's impossible to manipulate God's Word. That's why whatever prophecy you may receive, or what dreams you may have always weigh it by God's Word. 

But hearing God starts from having a personal relationship with Him. Only then can you recognize His voice. All you hear Him speak to you. He is your Father. 

6. The inner Witness: Here's another way according to Joyce Meyer: "One of the greatest ways God leads His people is through the inner witness. You just know in your inside what is right or wrong. This type of knowing is in the spirit - we simply have peace or lack peace, and by that peace or lack of it, we know what we should do."

*God can speak to us through any means really. It can even be through other people's experiences, incidents etc. It's all about listening to Him...with our spirit. But the surest way He speaks, like I mentioned earlier, is through His Word.

 

Sharpen your spiritual antennae by waiting on God, fellowshipping with Him, studying the Scriptures and growing in your relationship with Him. You will hear Him.