How to Discern God’s Voice

Have you ever wondered how to discern God’s voice from your own? If you are like me, at some point you’ve wondered what God’s voice is like and if you’re really hearing from God or your own thoughts! My friend Apryl is here today to share why it is important and how to know if you’re hearing God’s voice.

 

Why is it important to hear God’s voice?

Making the decision to follow Jesus is life-changing. There’s so much to learn about who He is. I received Jesus into my life 10 years ago and I’m still learning.

One thing I struggled with as a new believer was the fact that Jesus is God in human form. Jesus tells us in John 10:30, that He and the Father are one. In addition to that, there are many more bible verses that confirm His identity.

Knowing Christ and making Him known is my mission in life. Having a personal relationship with Jesus and being in constant communication with God is a huge part of that mission. Although discerning the voice of God can be a challenge sometimes, discerning is a big part of Christianity. In 1 John 4:1, we are told not to believe every spirit but to test the spirits to see if they are from God.

How to discern God’s voice 

The definition of discernment is “the ability to judge well”. We are to test everything that sets itself up against God’s Truth (2 Corin. 10:5).

Knowing the Word of God is essential for this because we need to know His Truth in order to properly recognize and perceive things.

There are many different voices fighting for our attention so we need to train ourselves to hear the voice of God. My favorite verse about hearing God’s voice in Scripture is John 10:27, which says “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

We hear Him because He is our Father.

God speaks!

He spoke the world into existence and that includes us. Abraham, Moses, and Noah are just a few of the people that heard the voice of God. The Bible tells us that God spoke directly to them. Why would we be any different?

When Jesus came to earth He spoke many words. That was the voice of God! Many people have heard God’s voice audibly but that’s not the only way He speaks to us. God speaks in many different ways so we need to learn how to discern God’s voice. 

Have you ever wondered how to hear God's voice? Or if what you are hearing is God's voice or your own? Here are 4 tips for knowing how to hear the voice of God

What is God’s voice like?

There are four different voices we hear every day. We hear God’s voice, the enemy’s voice, our voice, and other people’s voices. That’s a lot to hear so we need to filter out what we want to hear every day. Let me give you a brief overview of what you may hear from each voice:

  • God’s voice is perfect. It brings conviction, love, hope, and
    redemption. It always agrees with scripture.
  • The enemy’s voice creates negative thoughts and confusion. It
    brings feelings of shame, fear, and condemnation.
  • Our voice usually comes in the form of I and me. It’s basically
    self-focused.
  • Other people’s voices are pretty obvious. You know it’s not you
    and you can usually put a face with the words that were spoken.

How to know if you are hearing God’s voice 

Now that we have a good understanding of what each voice is, we are going to focus on hearing God’s voice. Many people want to hear God’s voice when they are in a trial or in the midst of a big decision. We all want to know how to hear God’s voice when making a decision. That is ideal because He tells us in Isaiah 55:9 that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

It’s comforting knowing that He would make a better decision then we would but we must be careful in those types of situations. A lot of people claim they hear God’s voice but in the end, they find that their own thoughts and emotions have led them in the wrong direction.

Ways to Discern God’s Voice

1. Studying the Bible

Studying God’s Word is the most common way God speaks to us today.
We should always look to the Bible when we are seeking to hear from God. His will for our lives is written in the Bible. We need to surrender our will to Him so His will can be done.

Studying His Word is not a chore or another checkmark off the list. It’s taking His Word and living it out every day. It’s inviting Him into your life so you can have a personal relationship. We need to let His Word work through us so we can be more like Him. I love the experience of digging into my Bible knowing that God is speaking directly to me. He knows everything I need and He reveals it to me in His Word. The Bible is living. It speaks to you in every situation you are facing.

It is so important to spend time in God’s Word. Not a devotion or a book. You need the Truth from the Bible to be fed. If you don’t, you won’t know the Truth. We are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corin 10:5). How can we do that if we don’t know His Word?

2. Prayer

Daily prayer is another way to hear God’s voice. Prayer is not a routine, you should be in constant communication with God every day. We need quiet time with our Father. When Jesus was walking on earth, He prayed. There are multiple verses in the Bible that tell us
He prayed.

We are so blessed to be in contact with God. We don’t need anyone except for Jesus because He is the mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). We bring ourselves into a deeper relationship with God when we pray. Most people pray only when they have difficult circumstances. James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God. It’s ok to do that but don’t make that the only time that you pray.

Prayer is our communication with God so we should be praying in all circumstances.

3. Worship Music

You can hear God’s voice when praising Him through worship music. You do have to be discerning of the worship music you are listening to. There are a lot of misleading songs that lead us away from Christ into our flesh. I make sure that the worship music I listen to is scripturally sound. It must line up with scripture so I can worship God through His Word. Discerning God’s voice through worship has been huge for me in this season of my life.

I wake up early, have some quiet time and worship through music. I have to be intentional about doing this before the kids get up so I can pour my heart out to Him. It often brings tears and conviction. Psalm 135:3 tells us to praise the Lord and sing praises to Him.

4. Through Other People

God puts biblically sound people in our lives that can help mentor us. They can speak into our lives and keep us accountable. We are called the Body of Christ for a reason. We each have a different role in the body.

Finding a trustworthy mentor in your life can take time. Pray and ask God for a mentor that will help you know His will for your life. Allow the Lord to work this into your life. Trusting people can be hard. So far, the Lord has not brought an individual mentor into my life. I’ve been so blessed to be part of a woman’s Bible study group for the past 8 years. We are all stay at home moms that homeschool our kids. It’s been a blessing to me because I can hear God’s voice through the situations they share. If you are looking to be part of an iron-sharpening-iron online community, I highly recommend Sojo Academy!

Have you ever wondered how to hear God's voice? Or if what you are hearing is God's voice or your own? Here are 4 tips for knowing how to hear the voice of God

If you know the Truth, you can Discern God’s Voice

These are a few ways you can discern the voice of God. The most important thing is to know His Truth. We need to know His Word so we can recognize His voice. God’s voice always agrees with scripture. He is faithful and will always show up!

 

 

Apryl has been married for 17 years and is a mother to 3 children. When she’s not homeschooling her children, she is blogging about her love for Jesus and being a good steward of money.

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6 Comments

  1. Hi there, I have a question. When it comes to discerning God’s voice, if I think I hear from him but I am afraid because maybe what he asked me to do is scary or hard, how do I know that it really is him? I think the answer is that there will be peace as well even if I am afraid to take the step of obedience. I also think we can ask God for confirmation, like with the story of Gideon or Samuel.

    1. Hi Bekah, this is a great question. First off, it’s important to understand that God frequently asks us to do things that are scary and/or hard! Look at the kinds of things He told people in Scripture to do. Pretty scary and hard sometimes! Since God is the same today as yesterday, we can expect the same. Having said that, God will never tell us to do something that goes against what He clearly teaches in Scripture. Sometimes one will say, “God told me it’s okay to do this,” when the teaching of Scripture is contrary to what God is supposedly saying. You can be sure they are not hearing from God. In order to not do the same, we obviously need to know His word.

      Here are a few tips: 1. It sometimes takes some time to learn to distinguish God’s voice, but over time you’ll become more accustomed to what His “voice” sounds like. (see John 10). You can learn to recognize His voice.
      2. It’s always a good idea to get counsel from someone who is trusted and biblically grounded. There is safety in a multitude of counselors. Having a group of people (or even one or two mentors) to run things by is really important.
      3. God wants us to act in faith. This is what pleases Him (see Heb 11) If you wait until everything makes sense or until you “feel” a certain way before acting, you’ll likely be waiting a long time! God wants you not to seek a feeling but to exercise faith. This is critical! When you step out in faith and take action, this is pleasing to Him… even if you don’t get everything “perfect.” ie.e, It’s okay if things are messy. Again, Scripture shows this, especially Hebrews 11 and the book of James.

      I hope that helps some as you seek to know His voice!

  2. I have been praying for a long time for God to guide me in the right direction, whether stay at current location or not. We are outgrowing current house, but my husband won’t listen, I think I heard God’s voice, not sure, but it said she doesn’t belong here,

  3. Hi, I was wondering how do you find in the Bible the verse that it answering a question or looking for God’s guidance? Example, if you have an issue with someone and you need to take a stand not only for yourself but for others, how do I show that person the wrong they are doing?

    Hope you understand what I am asking, I search my bible by a specific word, is that what you do?

  4. I just got married 4 months ago and one thing I’m trying to understand is how to hear God’s voice as a couple and learn to follow Him together. Any suggestions?

    1. Hi Kailey! I’m so glad to hear you are interested in hearing God as a couple! I would definitely spend time praying together each day and spending a few minutes in God’s word together, talking about what you read and how it applies to your lives. This will cultivate great spiritual conversations and give you the opportunity to grow together in Christ. It will also allow you to process things through the lens of Scripture together. As you have time, you can even do a full out bible study together, such as a topical study around an issue you may be facing, such as money or wise decisions. These are great ways to hear God and make choices as a unit! I hope that helps! AJ

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