Being a Christian is all about having a relationship with God, not following a bunch of religious rules and regulations. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and give our lives to Him, we begin a lifelong journey that leads us to the best life we could ever have.
In our journey, God’s will is for us to be led by the Holy Spirit, or live with divine guidance (see John 14:26). He has a purpose and plan for each of our lives, and we discover how to walk it out as we learn to hear His voice.
I went to church for many years and didn’t know God talked to people. I observed the religious holidays and went to church every Sunday, but I didn’t have a personal, intimate relationship with God, and I didn’t understand that I could hear His voice, guiding the direction of my life.
This seems to be a common issue. At our ministry, we receive prayer requests from people who are facing problems and don’t know what they should do. They need to hear from God and ask us to pray that they can make right decisions.
Get God’s Wisdom for Every Situation in Life
It’s an uncomfortable place to be when you don’t know what decision to make. We often run to people to ask their advice, and it’s not wrong to do this, but we can end up running to others for direction more than we’re seeking God, expecting Him to give us guidance and wisdom.
The truth is God cares about every detail of your life and He wants to be involved in everything you do. He does speak to you, and you can learn how to hear His voice.
Isaiah 30:21 (AMPC) says, “And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.”
There are two things to note in this verse: God tells us the way, and then we walk in it. This is a great promise from God. He will give us guidance in every situation, as long as we walk in His ways.
Learn His Ways
We learn God’s ways as we study the Bible and spend time with Him in prayer, and the Holy Spirit, who lives in us as born-again believers in Christ, works in our hearts. John 16:13 says He is “the Spirit of Truth” and He guides us “into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth)”; He tells us “whatever He hears [from the Father … ]” and declares “the things that are to come [that will happen in the future.]”
God knows we need help to walk out the good plan He’s laid out for us, so His Spirit—the Holy Spirit—lives in us and gives us His instructions. He is in us and with us all the time, leading us in the way we should go.
The Holy Spirit knows the counsel of God—He knows the mind of God. And because He lives in us, “we have “the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart” (1 Cor. 2:16b).
Overcome Selective Listening
One reason we have trouble hearing from God is we don’t always like what He’s saying. Facing truth is not easy, especially when we need to face the truth about ourselves and take responsibility for our mistakes or bad choices. There are also times when we have a way we want things to work out, so we go to God with our plan, asking Him to make it happen, instead of asking Him to do what He wants to do.
We need to remember that there is no error in God’s ways. His ways are perfect (Ps. 19:7) and He “will perfect that which concerns [you]” (Ps. 138:8a).
His ways are higher than ours (Is. 55:9), and whatever He does, it’s for our good. We simply need to trust Him and do what we know to do. As we partner with God in accomplishing His plans, He will always do what we can’t do.
It’s also important to understand that God leads us step by step, and we usually only see one step at a time. 1 Corinthians 13:9 (NKJV) says, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.”
Hearing from God is a progressive process. There will never be a time when we know everything or have everything figured out. But we can be confident that God will always be with us to take us through the challenges we face.
I want to encourage you to take time to be still in God’s presence and listen for His still, small voice speaking to your heart. Study His Word and pour out your heart to Him in prayer. Trust His love for you and His promise to show you what to do at all times. He is faithful, and He wants to guide you every step of the way, in every situation in your life! {eoa}
