How Do we Hear God

How do we hear God?  Seems like a simple question, but it seems to be getting more & more difficult.

I didn't always understand that, God talking to me. Though, when I think back to my teenage and even childhood years, I can remember God talking to me. I remember Him telling me to stay away from certain situations, or how I really shouldn't be where I was at the time, and I remember doing things my way anyhow and suffering the consequences, wishing I would have listened to that still small voice inside me. I don't think I always recognized that as God, but I believe it was and is. 

I have been in a few too many conversations lately that have Christians questioning if God talks to them at all. They don't hear Him, or haven't heard Him lately. People have said to me, "God's not talking to me, or at least I am not hearing him." 

 I am convinced that God speaks to us all the time. He may be silent at times, when He is testing us. Not when He is trying to get out attention, which I believe is more often than we think. But, what does that sound like, how does He communicate with us. How does He communicate with you. Do you know.  

For me, it mostly sounds like my own voice, or just my thoughts inside my head. For some it's dreams, some a word of knowledge, that is someone else says exactly what God told you, or even visions. These are just some examples of the way God may talk to you, but we don't always recognize this as God. 

I believe we hear God all the time, but it is not always clear to us, because we are not thinking about God, and what He wants. 

When God talks to me, if I am thinking after the flesh, then His commands are frightening to me. Some examples of this might be, start a new ministry, or lead a bible study or leave that job, or witness to those people. I know that some don’t find this hard at all, but for me, it is. For me these commands are usually something I struggle with. 

The question becomes what should I do?   What would you do?  God is giving us a command.  I hate to admit this, but I usually procrastinate. I usually want to run away from the responsibility. The worries of the world become overwhelming to me. I have so many other responsibilities, when could I fit that in?  I start to make excuses:  I am not the right person to do this anyway, I am weak in my faith, I am not confident in my speaking ability.  Are you sure about this?  I hope that last one made you smile.  Like God doesn’t know what He is doing. 

I don’t know if that’s you, but I believe there are definitely others that have the same thinking reeling in their minds. I believe we all hear God, but we don’t want to hear Him, because He asks too much of us. He tells us to give up something, we don’t want to give up.  He tells us to do something, we don’t feel comfortable doing. At least in my mind, with my own thinking, with a fleshly outlook, that is how I see it.  What about you?

The funny thing is, none of this is a problem for God. He is going be right there with us. Giving us words to say, and then He will do the work that needs to be done, but He needs us to walk in obedience. If I remember correctly, my Pastor said once, God doesn’t need us for anything, He is all powerful and can do whatever He wants. But what He wants, is to do it through us. All through the Bible He does His will through His people. He sends Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, He sends Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh, He sends Nehemiah to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.  Do you believe He could have done all those things, without their help?   I sure do.  But He chose to use His people.  

God is talking to all of us, I am convinced of that. I as grow in my relationship with Christ, I am learning to listen and do more quickly than I used to, the things He commands. I still struggle with my selfish spirit, with my flesh, but as I grow in my walk and die to myself more and more, it becomes easier. 

The Bible says in James 4:1-3 “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong - you want only what will give you pleasure.” 

I cringe when I read that. Because it’s me. I want to be more like Him. It is a constant struggle, but as I spend more time in His word, and in prayer with Him, it gets easier. 

Listen, He’s calling you. He speaking to you daily, just listen to that still small voice. 

Reference to read: John 10:1-9 and Psalm 95:6-11