“God told me who my husband is.”
“And God told me to move to Texas.”
“God told me to start a hair care business.”
Have you ever heard any of these statements and wondered “How did these people hear God’s voice?”
I know that was me. I used to hear people talk about the instructions that God gave them and I wondered how they heard God.
Also I wondered how they knew it was God.
I wanted to hear God’s voice too and I wanted Him to give me directions as well. I had a burning desire to hear God and recognize His voice but I didn’t know how to.
My Story
A few years later, I started attending a new church. I noticed that some of the leaders at the church would use the familiar phrase, “God said…”
This piqued my interest and I was set on finding out how they heard God and how they knew it was God.
So I approached one of the leaders with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm and asked my questions. He directed me to Jeremiah 1:11-14 and asked me to read it. So I did.
11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”
“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”
14 The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land.
Jeremiah 1:11-14
After reading that Bible passage, I realized that sometimes, the Lord will impress images on the mind but you will still need to decode them.
This was just the start of the journey. I still didn’t know how to hear God’s voice for myself but I realized that they weren’t hearing a literal, audible voice.
Approximately one year later, I attended a session to learn more about hearing God’s voice. And that’s when I started to learn way more about hearing God’s voice.
How To Hear God’s Voice
First Step To Hearing God
The first step to learning to hear God’s voice is to recognize the various ways that He speaks to us. He speaks in two main ways:
- Through His Written Word
- By His Spoken Word.
The written word is the Bible and it is sometimes referred to as the logos. While the spoken word is referred to as the rhema.
Please note that the spoken word should never contradict the written word. The written word is the standard so the spoken word should always be compared to what the Bible says.
Therefore, if you receive a spoken word instructing you to commit adultery, you need to reject that word because it contradicts what the Bible states.
As you take on this journey of learning to hear God, you will realize that most of the time you won’t literally HEAR God.
Instead He will communicate with you through images, written words and your thoughts.
Here are some of the ways that God speaks to you. He speaks through:
- Bible
- Dreams
- Visions
- Other people
- Confirmation sign
- Signs and wonders
- Your thoughts
Hearing God Through The Bible
When I was younger, I had so many questions. I wanted to know “How can I be saved?” and “What is God’s will?”
Once I started reading the Bible, I realized that the answers that I wanted were already written in the Bible. God had already answered my questions. I just needed to read the Bible to see the answers.
I have also noticed that sometimes the meaning and power of a familiar passage of Scripture hits me with more conviction. This normally happens when I am meditating on the Word or studying the Bible.
So if you really want to hear what God has to say, start with reading the Bible.
Hearing God Through Dreams
God can also speak to you through your dreams. The book of Job tells us that God speaks to people through dreams (Job 33:15-16).
He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings
(Job 33:15-16 NLT).
And there are several instances of God instructing or warning people through dreams. He spoke to:
- Abimelech (Genesis 20)
- Pharaoh (Genesis 41)
- Joseph, husband of Mary (Matthew 1:18-24)
- Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19)
- Paul (Acts 16:9-12)
However, you must be able to discern where your dream is coming from. This will require prayer and using the Written Word as the standard. There are three sources of you dreams:
- God
- The devil
- You (Subconscious mind)
Some dreams may be straightforward like Joseph, the husband of Mary being told that the child Mary was carrying was indeed conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-24).
While others may be coded in symbols like Pharaoh receiving a dream about 7 slim cows eating 7 fat cows. This symbolized that there would be 7 years of famine (Genesis 41).
If you receive a coded dream, you can ask the Lord for interpretation (That’s what Joseph and Daniel did). This may be God’s way of inviting you to start a conversation with Him.
You can also use the Scripture to help you learn what symbols mean. This will require some study or you can purchase a Bible-based book about dream interpretation.
Please ensure that it is a Bible-based book. There are several dream interpretation books out there that are not Biblical.
Recommended Video: What Should You Write In Your Prayer Journal
Hearing God Through Visions
The difference between dreams and visions is that you receive dreams while you sleep but you receive visions while you’re awake.
A vision is an image or short clip that appears on the screen of your mind.
Here’s an exercise that will help you to understand what a vision is really like. Close your eyes and think about standing on the beach. Visualize the waves going back and forth and a red fisherman boat swaying left and right on the sea.
That’s what receiving a vision will feel like. You will see an image or a motion picture in your mind but you won’t be the one controlling what pops up in your mind.
I have found that I tend to receive a vision when I ask the Lord for one or if I am praying. It doesn’t normally just appear like that. I have to look for it.
Hearing God Through Other People
God can speak to you through other people. He can communicate to you through a family member, a friend, a sermon, a song or a complete stranger.
The person may know what to say to you because they have the gift of prophecy, word of wisdom or word of knowledge. It may also be a case where the person is edifying, encouraging or comforting you without knowing that they are being led by God.
Ways God Speak
Here are some instances where God may speak to you through someone:
1) If you are feeling discouraged and tempted to quit or give up.
If you feel overwhelmed or disheartened about school, a job, an entrepreneurial pursuit, a project or a new venture, the Lord may send someone to encourage you.
2) If you have sinned, the Lord may send someone to correct you and instruct you in righteousness.
This is what He did when David orchestrated the murder of Uriah and slept with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. He sent a prophet by the name of Nathan to speak to David so he could realize that he had sinned (2 Samuel 12).
3) If He wants to confirm what He has already spoken to you.
If the Lord spoke to you about His purpose for you or if He gave you an instruction but you’re not certain if it’s His voice. He may send someone to tell you the same thing as a sign of confirmation.
4) If He wants to warn you about something
The Lord may also use someone to warn you if you’re making a bad decision or if there will be an unexpected event like the loss of your job.
He can even warn about a famine which will help you to prepare. This happened in Acts 11:28, where Agabus predicted that there would be a global famine. His prophecy helped the believers to provide support for other believers.
Hearing God Through Signs
God can also speak to you through different signs and wonders. There is an example of this in the Bible in Judges 6.
The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites and they cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord chose a man named Gideon to deliver the children of Israel. However, Gideon wanted confirmation that he would be successful in the battle.
So he placed a fleece of wool on the ground and asked the Lord for a sign. He reasoned with the Lord that if the fleece was wet in the morning but the ground around it was dry then that would be confirmation that he would be successful. The next morning, it happened exactly as he had asked.
However, he wanted yet another sign. He reasoned with the Lord that if the fleece was dry in the morning and the ground was wet then that would be confirmation that he would be successful. The next morning, it happened exactly as he had asked.
So God had communicated to Gideon through this sign and wonder. Likewise, He can communicate to you through signs that serve as confirmation.
Make sure to spend time in prayer as you seek God for direction especially if it’s major decisions like who to marry.
Can God Speak To You Through Your Mind?
God can definitely speak to you through your mind and this is normally through your thoughts.
Human beings can have up to 70,000 thoughts per day. These thoughts can be influenced by God, your carnal nature or the devil. So you have to spend some time to determine the source.
A thought from God or the devil may sound like your thought. But you will learn to differentiate the thoughts with experience and reference to the Bible.
Key Points To Keep In Mind
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
1) A thought from God will not contradict the Bible
2) A thought from God will be in alignment with His kingdom.
The Bible tells us that the kingdom of God is about peace, joy and righteousness (Romans 14:17). Therefore thoughts from God will bring peace, joy and righteousness.
3) A thought from God will be in alignment with His nature.
Therefore, the thought or instruction should be in alignment with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).
4) Thoughts from the devil will be condemning or accusatory.
The Holy Spirit convicts but the devil condemns.
5) I have also realized that some thoughts or instructions from God may challenge you.
These ones may be a little bit harder to discern the source. If you believe that God spoke to you but you feel fearful, anxious or worried, spend some time praying and fasting about it, comparing it to Scripture and seeking wise counsel from other believers.
Examples of these are:
- “Quit your job”
- “Go back to school”
- “Move to a next country or state”
- “Donate half of your salary”
- “Start a business or a blog”
How To Hear God’s Voice When Making A Decision
If you want to hear God’s voice when making a decision, the first step is to pray and ask the Lord for direction and wisdom. Ask Him specific questions like:
“Should I move to New York or Florida?”
“Should I study to become a teacher or an engineer?”
You can then spend some time in silence and pay attention to what He brings to your mind.
Then you can journal the thoughts that flow to your mind so you can keep a record of what is revealed to you.
You can also search the Bible to see what God says about the matter. Was there someone in the Bible who had a similar issue? What lessons can you learn from him/her?
Use resources that can help you to make a more informed decision and ask for His guidance. This may involve doing a Google search, talking to people who have experience in the area or reading a book.
So if you want to know if you should be a teacher or engineer, start reading more about what each job entails. Look at the skills and knowledge that are required for each career and compare them to your skills and traits.
If you want to know if you should move to Canada or Florida, then start looking at the cost of living, the climate and job opportunities. But keep praying.
It’s also a good decision to ask for confirmation just to make sure you’re not being misled by your own desires, fears or any other emotion. You can also ask for specific confirmation signs like Gideon did in Judges 6.
Recommended Article: How Devotional Journaling Improved My Walk With God
Takeaway
The next time you hear someone say that “God told me…” just remember that they may not have heard a literal voice. They may have received a dream, a vision or a confirmation word, sign or even a spontaneous thought.
I strongly believe that God is already speaking to you. So what you need to do is be intentional about listening to God and learning to recognize His voice.
This is a journey of faith. You won’t always know for sure if it was your thought, God’s voice or the devil.
So give yourself time to learn and grow. If you continue to be intentional, it will be easier to recognize God’s voice. And remember to be obedient if God gives you an instruction.
You can keep a journal to help you keep track of the times when you believe God was speaking to you. This will help you to keep a record of the things that God revealed to you and to identify the various ways He speaks to you.
Recommended Video: How To Have Quiet Time With God (Step by Step)