God is Speaking—But Are You Listening? How to Train Your Spirit to Hear
Two things are always assumed in scripture.
The first is that God exists. The first four words of scripture are, “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1). God is without beginning or end. He was before the beginning, and He forevermore shall be (see Revelation 1:8). Only the fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). God exists—and, in case you weren’t sure, you’re not Him (see Job 38–41)!
The next assumption in scripture immediately follows those first four words: “Then God said” (Genesis 1:3). The worlds were framed by the word of God (see Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3). And they are preserved by that same word (see Hebrews 1:3; 2 Peter 3:7). God speaks. He is the Master Communicator who speaks to a people He created to hear—and, in case you weren’t sure, that’s you and me. From Genesis to Revelation, these two assumptions appear and reappear as a consistent theme through nearly every page. God is, and He speaks.
Many people today, both in the church and outside it, do not believe God speaks. Yet how can we sincerely believe God wills to have relationship with us without also desiring to communicate with us? Relationship without communication is not the way we manage natural relationships, so why would it be true of our supernatural relationship?
“Well God does speak,” some say, “but only to a ‘select elect’ or the ‘super saints.’ Everybody else hears what God says through them.” That is not what scripture teaches. In the new covenant, there are no “super saints,” no mediators between God and man (see 1 Timothy 2:5). That is Jesus’ role. John says that since we have all received the Holy Spirit, we have no need of anyone to teach us (see 1 John 2:27, NLT). That does not mean there is no place for anointed teaching and preaching or that we can’t learn from one another. Jesus put those ministry gifts in the Body for our edification (see Ephesians 4:11-13). What it means is that God wills to speak to and lead us all—from the least to the greatest—by His Spirit (see Hebrews 8:8-12).
How God Speaks
As I was learning these truths, my biggest struggle came when learning how God speaks. I understood that He could and did speak to His people. I just didn’t know how. I would hear people say things like “God said” or “the Lord spoke to me” but I thought that meant He spoke to them in an audible voice. And while we know from scripture that God certainly can speak with an audible voice, that mode of communication is the exception, not the rule.
Since I’d never heard God speak aloud, I thought those people who claimed to hear Him had a corner on God. That they were just holier than I or in possession of some secret that allowed them to hear God’s voice. In reality, I just didn’t know how God spoke. I didn’t know how to tune my ear to hear Him. This ignorance led me to being unfruitful in and frustrated with my Christian experience.
If you’ve felt that way, let me encourage you. Scripture says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV). Faith begins and ends where the word and will of God are known. My breakthrough came when I learned that God desired to direct me with His voice. When I understood that God was always speaking and realized I just needed to learn the language of the Spirit, things changed. You see, every kingdom has a dominant language. In America, the dominant language is English. In Mexico, it is Spanish. The language of the Spirit is love, peace, visions, dreams (just to mention a few). I will spend chapters on the native language of the Holy Spirit.
Many good Christians recoil at the idea of God speaking to us because we have been conditioned to overlook His voice. The world calls those who hear God “kooks.” (And to be fair, many who claim to hear God are kooks! But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t speak.) Even the church has encouraged us to deafen our ears to His voice because of so much abuse regarding what God says. And while I want to avoid Kooksville, misunderstandings, and pride as much as the next guy, the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” comes to mind. We can’t let possible mistakes and abuses of others keep us from listening for, hearing, and discerning God’s voice.
Instead, we need a solid understanding of how God speaks, what His voice sounds like, and how we can best position ourselves to discern His leading. That starts by learning to recognize all the ways we have allowed doubt to infiltrate our belief system. Instead of relying on God’s word to tell us who we are and how God speaks, many believers have allowed a worldly perspective to rewrite their identity. They have bought into the lie that being a Bible-believing Christian is abnormal. To avoid the characterization of the national media (including Hollywood) who say that people who “hear God” are one fry short of a Happy Meal, they have turned away from the truth.
But the world is not the only one to blame for this doubt. Many mainstream churches and false religions frown on the idea of a God who speaks. They like having a God who doesn’t speak to His people—or at least does so selectively—so they can control the masses. If each of us can hear God, that threatens their position. I used to be perplexed at the idea of Israel worshipping idols, which the Ten Commandments forbids. I couldn’t understand why anyone would worship a graven image of a bird, calf, or frog. Then I realized people were drawn to such a “god” because it can’t speak! They could make it say or do whatever they wanted. They could make up the “rules” as they went and only be accountable to themselves. If the idol spoke, they would have to obey.
Other Christians are driven by carnal-mindedness. They allow their five physical senses—taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch—to dictate truth. But God is Spirit. Neither His voice nor His will is discerned in this way. Scripture says those who worship God must do so in spirit and truth (see John 4:24). God communes with us Spirit to spirit. He speaks to our spirit and from our spirit. He does not lead us from without like He had to lead Israel before the new birth. He leads from within.
We are trained, in western culture, that anything we cannot see, taste, hear, smell, or feel is not real. To hear God, we have to learn to discern with our sixth sense—our spirit. Christianity is more than a set of rules, regulations, and commands. It is relationship. Relationship with a God who helps, leads, guides, and speaks to us even in our failure.
What About Sin
Growing up in church, I was taught that God could not fellowship with or speak to me if there was sin in my life. I was smart enough to know I could never be perfect, but no one would tell me which sin or weakness God unfriended me over. And if He stopped fellowshipping with me over this particular sin, how could He keep fellowshipping with Sister So-and-So for that one? Was God so hard up for fellowship He allowed certain levels of sin to slide? Of course not! While God does not participate in or ignore sin, He doesn’t quit speaking to us when we fail. God’s speaking leads us to repentance. His fellowship draws us out of sin and back into holiness.
Another issue that hinders people’s faith in hearing God is the abuse of others with the “God card.” People saying “God said” when He did not say. This is using God’s name in vain. We have all experienced people saying, “God said,” and know that He did not “say” yet they persist in misrepresenting God and refusing any accountability. This is neither a positive wit- ness to the lost or to the saved nor is it a pleasure to God. You would not want people saying “you said” when you did not “say.” You certainly wouldn’t appreciate it when what you “supposedly said” violated your nature and character.
Too many people use God’s name to manipulate others and release themselves from earthly accountability. They say and do things in God’s name that God does not endorse, but just because there has been abuse in this area, that does not cancel out the reality of a faithful God who speaks to His people (see Romans 3:3-4). We all have to learn to separate God’s character from people who fall short in displaying that character. We have to let God be true and learn to walk in our birthright. God does speak and we can hear and obey. We can learn to discern and heed the lead, causing us to be blessed and be a blessing to others.
