“What are the ways to
hear God? “
“How do you know that what
you hear is of God?”
These are some of the frequently asked questions I have encountered
wherever I go in ministry.
What are the ways to hear God?
i)
You
hear God with your natural ear
“So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 NKJV)
You are saved through faith by the grace of God (see Ephesians 2:8) and
your faith in God comes by hearing the word of God. Therefore, you hear God
with your natural ear through the preaching and teaching of God’s ministers,
i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (see Ephesian 4:11).
You also hear God with your natural ear through prophecies you receive
from prophets or ministers of God who have the gift of prophecy (see 1 Timothy
4:14).
In certain crucial circumstances, God might choose to speak to you audibly (when you can hear Him
loudly with your natural ears) especially concerning your spiritual ministry
(see Matthew 3:17; Acts 9:1-7).
ii)
You hear
God with your spiritual ear (in the spirit)
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you
into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He
hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13 NKJV).
As Spirit-filled
Christians, the Holy Spirit is in you. He teaches and reveals the things of
God to your spirit. Hence, you hear Him in your spirit, with your
‘spiritual ear’. Some call it hearing ‘the still-small-voice of God’ or ‘inner
voice’. Some say it’s ‘the intervention of divine thoughts in the mind’.
However, having known
all these, how can you be sure that what you hear, whether it is hearing with
the natural ear or hearing with the spiritual ear, is of God?
How do you know that what you hear is of God?
Greatest Obstacle – the Mind
The greatest obstacle
to hearing God is actually the mind. Christians all over the world come
from all kinds of backgrounds and upbringing. Thus, some may have consciously
or unconsciously ‘’mixed’’ their faith with teachings that ‘’adulterate’’ the
Word of God, e.g. teachings from their previous religions getting mixed up with
Christianity, certain philosophies taught in a family and education system that
contradict the Word of God, or even some traditions/customs. These resulted in a
mixture of Christian-pagan worship (as can be seen in many parts of the world),
or a mixture of law and grace (old and new covenant) teachings in the Body of
Christ.
Note: ‘To adulterate’ means ‘to add a foreign substance into the
original substance, hence causing the original to be of poorer quality’.
Consequently, many
Christians remain ‘’spiritual babes’’ because they are not able (or willing) to
‘’let go’’ of the old ‘’structure’’/’’routine’’ that they are all too familiar
with.
In order to comprehend
the things of God, the mind needs to be renewed, with the unadulterated
Word of God and the help of the Holy Spirit! (see Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23;
Colossians 3:10)
There are 2 basic keys
to help you filter the words you hear and determine if they are of God.
1st Basic Key : Jesus
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been
taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to
the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
(Colossians 2:6-8 NKJV)
Whether you hear God
with your natural ear or in the spirit, remember the first and foremost
important basic key is Jesus!
Any word that denies or undermines the perfect work of Jesus Christ on the
cross is not of God! Therefore, have the understanding that your salvation (and
righteousness) is a free gift from God, and cannot be ‘’achieved’’ by the work
of hands or through religious observation, or else, Christ died in vain (see
Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:21).
What if the words you
hear are beyond your biblical knowledge?
2nd Basic Key: Holy Spirit
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children
of God” (Romans 8:16 NKJV)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17NKJV)
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all
the churches of the saints.(1 Corinthians 14:33)
The Holy Spirit, who
is the Spirit of truth, comes to testify of Christ (see John 15:26). He will
bear witness with your spirit when you consult Him if the words you hear are of
God. Therefore, you can train your spirit to sense the liberty and peace
that come along with the Spirit of the Lord when you hear a preaching, teaching
or prophecy.
Other than these 2
basic keys, you can also ask the Lord for 2 or 3 confirmation for the
prophetic words you have received before you act on them (see 1 Corinthians
14:29).
Hearing in the spirit – a worship lifestyle
When it comes to hearing
God in your spirit, besides having the 2 basic keys above, cultivate the habit
of consulting the Lord in every area of your life. God is looking for
worshipers who worship Him in spirit and in truth (see John 4:23). He is
looking for people who don’t just worship Him with worship songs, but also those
who live a worship lifestyle by asking for His advice and opinion in all their
ways (see Proverbs 3:5-6). In other words, a true worshiper worships Him
by consulting Him in every area of his/her life. The more you consult God and
hear from Him in the spirit, the easier you’ll recognize ‘His voice’ the next
time.
Receive with your spirit
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV)
Once you have the
assurance that the words you hear are of God, receive them with your spirit,
even though your mind may not be able to comprehend the full meaning or have
the spiritual understanding yet at that stroke of time. You see, spiritual
substance (i.e. spiritual knowledge and understanding) can be built upon and grown,
just as you can grow in Him from faith to faith (see Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians
10:15). So, absorb in the spirit first, and it’ll eventually bring to
spiritual knowledge and understanding.
Having
learned how to test the words you hear, do not allow yourself to be judgmental.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21(NKJV) says, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise
prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
Accept and receive the ministers of God who
preach, teach and prophesy the unadulterated words of God to you
He who receives you receives Me (Jesus), and
he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the
name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a
righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s
reward (Matthew 10:40-41 NKJV)
As
you receive their teachings and words, know that you receive not just their
spiritual knowledge and impartation, but you will also receive God’s reward
upon their lives and ministries. Amen.