Debunking myths about hearing God
I don’t think there’s anyone who’s mastered the art of hearing God, because it’s a continuous process that we get better at as we grow spiritually, and as humans, we must recognize that only God knows all and he’s all in all. Growing up, whenever I heard men of God say God spoke to them, I always felt it came in a loud thunderous voice or a distinct sharp voice that made it obvious it was God speaking. It didn’t help that I was more familiar with how God spoke to people in the Old Testament and couldn’t see how this transitioned in the New Testament. So I lived a Christian life, unsure about how to discern God’s voice, and resorted to my dreams instead.
This made it hard to figure out what God was saying to me per season because I had to depend on my dreams a lot. Not that all my dreams came out wrong, but if you’ve spent enough time with God, you’ll know it’s not the best way to hear God. You can read more about that here
Are you struggling to hear God? Do you often get frustrated that everyone else seems to be getting a word from God but when it’s your turn, God seems mute? Perhaps you’re wondering why God seems to be saying something to everyone else but you’re struggling to even get a revelation from him. Some of these myths about hearing God may be responsible for your inability to hear God the way you ought to. Because God speaks, but if your spiritual antenna isn’t connected to hearing him at the right frequency, you’ll miss out on your father’s voice.
God’s voice must be loud and distinctive
Can I tell you a secret? God’s voice is rarely loud and distinctive. It’s a still small voice, and so negligible you can easily dismiss it. Sometimes his voice sounds like a thought that dropped in your spirit. It’s not something you’d usually think about, but deep in your heart, you’d just know, even if you’re slightly uncertain of the outcome.
It could be like a nudge or a check within your spirit. Sometimes it comes in form of restlessness, especially when you’re trying to do something you ought not to. It could also be a green light… like a release in your spirit to go ahead with something. In the past, I’d have a gut feeling about something, but because I wasn’t very learned spiritually, I wouldn’t know if it was God or just me.
Whenever I pause to pay attention to it, I would reap the benefits but whenever I just ignore the voice and go about other things, I would almost bite myself for not listening to the still small voice. The only way this can become natural with time is when you spend time in God’s word and prayer. This leads me to the next point
God speaks outside His word
If we find it tasking to spend time in God’s word, then we’ll find it hard to discern God’s voice. God’s word must be feasted on the way you feed on your natural food. Do you know we live in a world filled with many voices? Even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Meaning if God doesn’t reveal that Satan’s the one speaking, we would definitely think it’s God. I’ve heard people share their convictions about God’s leading but deep within my spirit, I would know it wasn’t God leading. I wouldn’t even need to pray about it to get clarity. Why? Because it just contradicts God’s voice in his word.
Now whenever I reference God’s word, I’m not just referring to reading anything in the bible, because there are many things in the bible and if we are not learned spiritually, we will make a mess of things. It’s the reason why someone can be so convinced that God took him to hell and all he saw were those wearing pieces of jewelry and trousers in hell. And such a person would pick out scriptures to back up his points.
Anyone can use the bible to defend their leading or their doctrine and back up their choices.
But you must be able to understand the pattern of God’s voice in his word over time. God will NEVER contradict his word. For example, some people believe God told them to stop attending church which completely contradicts God’s word according to Hebrews 10:25. I have no doubt God may ask you to change your church, but not leave completely. God will never contradict himself. Let God be true and every man a liar. Even the weakest, hopeless, and helpless-looking church has more potential than the world.
Because God will marry his bride, not the world.
Some people also believe they’re the only ones or because they belong to a certain denomination, they’ll make heaven. That’s so unscriptural.
Also, we must ensure scriptures aren’t taken out of context and follow the spirit behind scripture. Whenever you read the word, are you projecting yourself into it, or allowing God to project into you? In the past, I judged God as this vengeful vindictive God that was just waiting to send his enemies to hell, until I realized I was one of those enemies yet he gave me a chance at salvation. So what makes everyone else different from getting a chance at salvation? What makes me believe God isn’t waiting for others to get saved too?
Like the scripture says:
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you
2 Peter 3:15
For in the mouth of 2-3 witnesses (in scriptures), truth is established. And we see this pattern in the book of Jonah 4:11 and many other scriptures. And this highlights God’s nature of Love in 1 Corinthians 13. Even his judgment is birthed from love, just as I explained here
God’s word is NOT enough
You know why the enemy finds it easy to bamboozle us? It’s because the simple task of believing God’s word alone feels too simple and foolish for us. But the moment you prioritize God’s word above everything else, you’ll see how rooted you’ll become over time. God’s word is alive and it speaks! -Hebrews 4:12.
God speaks to us, primarily through his word. Many of the times God has spoken to me, silent or loud, it was rooted in scripture or from scripture. The times I was discouraged, the time when he was ushering me into a really tough season, the times he was guiding me through certain choices, it was scripture he brought to me in my spirit. But imagine if I was bankrupt in scripture, I would keep missing out on God’s voice.
God’s voice is STATIC
Just because the bible says Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever doesn’t mean God’s voice is static. If you read the rest of the scripture, you'd notice God’s voice moves. Even in Genesis, God’s voice was moving in the garden - Genesis 3:8. God’s voice always moves and you’ve got to move with it, except he tells you otherwise. It’s the reason why those who will inherit eternal life are those who are willing to follow the lamb wherever he goes - Revelations 14:4. The lamb is always on the move. A spiritual man must be easy to yield, and not so bent on his own ways due to his overzealous and religious nature, and not God’s nature.
For example, God was the one who told Abraham to offer Isaac, then later told him not to, because it was about his heart. Imagine if Abraham was bent on what God told him days ago and refused to budge when God’s voice came again to tell him to do otherwise. He would end up blaming God whereas God was speaking but the recipient’s heart wasn’t receptive.
God is spiritual, quite unpredictable, but reliable. Remember salvation was meant for the Jews, but God allowed us Gentiles to have access. The birthright was meant for Esau, but Jacob was willing to get it all cost and he did. And God blessed him.
Judah wasn’t the tribe Jesus was supposed to come through. It was destined to be Joseph’s tribe if you read the prophecy closely. But the heart that was ready received the promise. Just like Saul and David. Just like Ahab who did wicked things before God, yet found God’s mercy before he died because he repented. Imagine if someone prophesied Ahab was going to hell because of his wicked deeds and chose to hold on to that prophecy because God told him so. Whereas God had forgiven Ahab and moved on.
God wants to speak to you. Even the times you feel like you’ve failed or missed it, he’s still speaking. Because his voice guides and saves us. His voice is also essential for our growth and without it, we would wander on earth without clarity and fall short of God’s purpose for our lives.
To read more on how to hear God, check out my post on discerning God’s voice here
Recommended Book: How to be led by the Spirit of God by Kenneth Hagin