Hearing God's voice!
God wants to speak to you, so be willing to listen!
Nothing matters more than learning to discern the voice of God. Whether you realize it or not, a lot of the decisions you make are because of something that led you there. The question you have to ask yourself is: “Did God lead me here and is this going to glorify Him instead of me?” You were made for relationship with God, and He wants to speak to you! This relationship is not one-sided. Just as you pray and speak to Him, He wants to speak to you too.
In 1 Samuel 3 (we will be focusing here), it says that “the World of the Lord was rare.” This is because of the culture in that day. “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” Judges 21:25
People did not consult God about their decisions. They did as they saw fit, therefore they were not guided by the Lord. God doesn’t speak to or share His heart with people who are wicked. Samuel stands in stark contrast to the wickedness of the culture and the people. He was doing right in God’s eyes, and everything he did was to honor God. That should be our same motivation for everything we do!
“I will listen to what God the Lord says; He promises peace to His people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly.” Psalm 85:8; “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” John 8:47; “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20
If you can’t hear from God, then that means it’s a problem of the heart! God speaks to His children, and you need to turn your heart to God to be His child. “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:1-5
God knows and calls you by name! Listen for His voice because it’s there. God is speaking to you in so many ways, you just have to be willing to listen. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
God spoke directly to Samuel because He knew Samuel would do something with what he heard! For some context: God gave Samuel a vision of what would happen to Eli and his family for the wickedness that has continued in his house. God wanted Eli to know about what He was planning to do, but He didn’t speak to Eli directly because of his wickedness. He spoke to Samuel because He knew Samuel would tell Eli.
God speaks to us in many ways:
The Bible! This is the revealed Word of God. When you read the Bible, God is leading and guiding you.
The Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit can urge you to do or not do something. He prompts and leads. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” John 16:13-14
Dreams and visions! We see this a lot in the Bible. “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, you young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Acts 2:17-18
It is so important that when God does speak to you, you do something with what He tells you! Whenever you feel like you should do or say something, check it with the Bible first - the Bible is the standard. God’s not going to put the writing on the wall because it’s already in the Word.
Be patient and wait for the Lord to speak! He may not answer on our time, but He answers when we’re ready. “Ten days later, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.” Jeremiah 42:7
I was going to apologize for the amount of Scripture in this post, but I’m not going to because it’s literally God’s Word!! I encourage you to read it all because every word is applicable to your life. I pray that each of you would listen for God’s voice and be patient. God wants to speak to you, so listen intently and act upon what He tells you! I’ll see you next Monday.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
I’m finding myself in the midst of You, beyond the music, beyond the noise. All that I need is to be with you, and in the quiet, hear your voice.
“Word of God Speak” - MercyMe
hey this is so good bestie!!! lots of good Scriptures & i love a list of helpful tips! so excited to see you later 😚❤️
Great lesson today! I pray that you will hear the voice of God as you discover His will for your life! He certainly seems to be leading you to a medical career! Keep your ears open and your eyes fixed on Jesus!