Most of us want to hear God’s voice ASAP when we need help. We reason that because God created the universe and knows everything, He certainly could direct us in dealing with difficult situations that arise in our lives. The problem is that we pray and ask God to fix things, but most of the time, He chooses not to respond. Why?
Knowing God and hearing His voice within our souls requires spending time with Him. Randomly asking questions is not the relationship that God desires to have with us. It is when we read the Word of God and listen to the Holy Spirit in us that He will give us insight and peace in the good and challenging times in our lives. When we choose to turn from our self-centeredness and love God and others as we obey, we will hear the still, quiet voice within our soul that draws us close to God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil” (Proverbs 3: 5-7).
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him” (Psalms 28:7).
Most of us think we are way too busy to spend time with God. We want a drive-up window to ask for advice from God and then leave and go on to the next thing. God does not want to be our go-to guy when we need a quick answer. He wants us to take time to pray and give thanks for the things that God has generously given us.
Out of our impatience of waiting for God to resolve things, we tend to let our feelings lead our way no matter what God would have us do. We default to follow the voice of our sinful nature, which leads us to a quick fix that makes us feel suitable for a time but may have serious consequences. When we turn from God, we open ourselves to Satan’s voice that tells us to love ourselves and stop following after a God who doesn’t love or care about us. We have all heard in our minds Satan’s voice that seems convincing at the time but is absolutely a lie.
Jesus loves us and wants to have a close relationship with us that will help us navigate through the best and worst days of our lives. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). In Jesus alone, we can trust that He will always be with us. He wants us to be obedient to His Word so we will clearly understand the difference between right and wrong and good and evil.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10)
God wants all of us to know His voice and invites us to ask for His wisdom. This wisdom ultimately comes from God when we read the scriptures, listen to a biblical pastor, and get advice from godly friends. Answers and suggestions that come from the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit and are supported by Scripture are truth and can be trusted. What others say must be measured and judged against the written Word of God.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalms 119:105).
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceed out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
It is when we are reading and meditating on the Bible that the presence of God comes to us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to Scripture. We must ensure that when we hear something that does not seem correct, we should always check to see if the verse in question was taken out of context from the Bible or another source. For example, if a person is considering having an affair, and she says that she prayed about it and God told her it was permissible, we can be sure that this person is mistaken. We need to show her that the Bible does not condone affairs. God never contradicts Himself. His Word is Truth.
“But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself” (Proverbs 6:32).
“Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” (Hebrews 13:4).
“You must not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
Other passages also let us hear God’s voice. The passages below give us God’s voice. If a Christian does not follow these clear dictates given directly by God through inspired Scripture, why should he or she expect to hear more information from God? If you want to hear God’s voice and know His will, obey what He has already told you. A heart willing to listen and obey is the key to hearing from God.
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (1 Peter 2:12–15).