Is this you? You're struggling to hear from the Lord, sending up prayers but getting no answers, maybe even walking a little aimlessly through your spiritual life at the moment, feeling distant from God.

You may be feeling like you're having one-sided conversations and you'll never really know for sure what God is trying to say to you.

I used to feel the exact same way. I desired to hear God’s voice and do what He wanted me to do, but I just didn’t know if it was Him speaking to me or not. Was I hearing from Him or someone else? Was He speaking at all and did the silence mean anything?

The wonderful news is that the Lord revealed to me that I can hear His voice. And the truth is that you can too! And I’m going to share with you how.

Debunking the Lies

The first step to hearing God’s voice is believing that you can. It’s quite possible that the enemy (or the world) has led you to believe that God doesn’t speak to you. “Did God really say that?” has been one of Satan’s favorite tactics since the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1).

Have you ever found yourself thinking any of the following?

God only speaks to pastors and church leaders
God only speaks to “good enough” Christians
God has nothing to say to me
God’s voice is confusing

If you said yes to any of those statements, the great news is that none of them are true! So let's get it straight and defeat the demonic lie of "I can't hear God's voice" once and for all.

Here are three Biblical truths to prove that you can hear from the Lord:

Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” For us to listen to His voice and follow Him, then it is implied that we understand what He is saying. ALL Christians have the ability to hear God clearly and carry out what He is telling us to do. Not just pastors. Not just prophets. Not just your mentors. All of His sheep, which includes you!
1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” While this verse isn’t specifically referring to God’s voice, it is referring to His character which is exemplified throughout all of God’s actions. So it’s safe to say that God never means for us to be confused when He speaks to us. We are MEANT to hear Him clearly. And even if what He is saying isn’t 100% clear at the moment, we can have faith that He will make it clear in His perfect timing.
John 14:26 says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit is a huge way God speaks to us daily. Jesus tells us in this verse one of the main purposes of the Holy Spirit — the teach and help. The Holy Spirit speaks to EVERY believer, and you CAN hear Him if you are listening.

God Speaks in Mysterious Ways

Have you ever heard that saying? I’d have to say it’s true, and it implies that God doesn’t just speak in one way. He speaks in many! And a part of hearing God’s voice is knowing how He uses it.

Here are seven ways God speaks:

Divine Thoughts (John 14:26) — The Holy Spirit was sent to be our teacher and REMIND us of what Jesus said. Sometimes you’ll have a thought, but really it’s an idea straight from the Holy Spirit!
Discernment (Romans 12:2) — In this life, we’ll have to distinguish what is God’s best for us. This is done with discernment through the Holy Spirit, and is best described as “a knowing.” Sometimes you will just know what to do, what’s right and what’s wrong!
The Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) — God is always speaking through His written word! Open it up and see what He wants to say to you today.
Dreams and Visions (Acts 16:9-10) — Yep! This still happens today and is totally Biblical. There are open visions you can have when you’re awake, and dreams for when you’re asleep. If you’ve never experienced this, ask the Lord to open up this form of communication with you!
Wise Peers & Mentors (Proverbs 27:17) — You ever had multiple people tell you the same thing within a matter of days? Yeah, that might be God trying to tell you something! We should be consulting wise mentors that have a strong relationship with the Lord when stuck about making a decision or going through a tough time. Iron sharpens iron, friend!
Audibly (Exodus 3) — This one certainly seems rare but it’s recorded in the Bible. Therefore, it’s POSSIBLE! I’ve heard testimonies of this happening to people today. Have you ever heard the audible voice of God?
His Creation/Nature (Job 12:7-10) — God loves speaking through His unique and beautiful creation. The Word tells us that nature worships the Lord. His presence and goodness is communicated through the very things He has created.

As you can see God reveals His voice in many ways and it’s important to remember that just because He can speak in a certain way to you doesn’t mean He will. It’s likely that He will speak to you in just a few of these ways that He has chosen for you and His relationship uniquely. And He may even use certain ways more often in different seasons of your life.

So how do you know what ways He will speak to you specifically? You spend time with Him! My two biggest tips on how to start spending time with God, getting to know Him, and opening your heart to His voice are:

1) Reading your Bible and 2) Prayer -- speaking and listening.

Yes, these may seem typical but they are the most important things. How do you expect to get to know someone and how they talk if you never take time to speak with them and listen for a response?

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Your New Daily Practice

If there's one thing I've learned from growing closer to God's voice is that it's a lifestyle. Hearing God's voice is not about having a daily ritual that you do every morning and check off your to-do list. It's not about praying the perfect prayer and living the perfect life.

Hearing God's voice is a continual thing, done all throughout the day. Yes, it is done in our quiet time and Scripture reading. But also in the car on the way to work, standing in the kitchen washing the dishes, and lying in bed after a hard day.

God is always speaking and always present, and no ritual can usher in who He is better than just being open to experiencing Him right where you are.

So your new daily practice is this:

1) Ask God when you wake up, during your daily quiet time, walking on the treadmill, driving to the store, whenever you can, this question: “God what are you saying to me today?”

2) And then go about your day listening for His answer. It's truly that simple, friend.