Hey, you can hear from the Lord too!

Last month, the Lord gave me two dreams in two consecutive weeks. I didn't see how they relate to each other initially, until I talked to the Lord about them. And He gave me the understanding. 

In the first dream, I saw some believers of God are secluding themselves away from the sight of others. They had tried finding the solutions to their problems from different Christian groups and organizations, but to no avail. They seemed to be so overwhelmed by the sense of failure and defeat. 

I woke up feeling sad and could only pray for these people whom I do not know, wherever they are. 

In the second dream, I saw the Lord conveying His message and giving His confirmation to a Christian through a non-believer. I was astounded! 

I remember waking up saying, "Did I see it wrongly, Lord? Is it possible?" 

Then I heard the Lord said this, "Yes, I would speak even through someone who do not know Me because My people are not willing to seek Me for answers. In fact, many do not believe that I can speak to them anymore. Due to their unbelief, they do not ask. Thus, they do not receive or hear from Me!" 

After hearing the Lord, my spirit groaned deeply inside of me, and I cried for God's people. I wish to see more believers of Christ learn to hear directly from the Lord, instead of feeling lost or being tossed to and fro by wrong advices. I wish to see more believers of Christ come out victorious from their sense of defeat and depression, always knowing what to do with their lives, and with the guidance and direction of the Lord. 

The second dream reminded me of the story of Balaam and his donkey in the Book of Numbers chapter 22. Have you read it before? Do read it again if you have the time. If God can speak through a donkey, He can choose to speak through anyone or anything. And He can definitely speak to you and through you. Amen? 

I do not know why some people do not believe God can speak to them personally, because I have been hearing from Him ever since I accepted Christ into my life in my early teens. There has always been two-way communication with the Lord. Isn't that what a relationship is about? And it's clearly written in the Bible that the Lord speaks to His beloved, whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament. So, why can't the Lord speak to you in this present time? Isn't He the same God, yesterday, today and forever? 

John 10:27 (EASY) My sheep recognize My voice. I know them and they follow Me. 

Now, do not be afraid to hear from God or make mistakes. The Lord will teach you to recognize His voice if you learn to trust Him and hear from Him. If you need help and assurance, find a fellow believer or spiritual leader who is experienced in hearing the Lord and share with them your experiences with the Lord. 

John 14:15-18 (EASY) Jesus then said, "If you love Me, do what I have told you to do. I will ask the Father to help you with this. He will send another Helper to be with you. That Helper will stay with you for ever.  He is God's Spirit and He shows you what is true. The people who belong to this world cannot receive Him. That is because they cannot see Him. They cannot know who He is. But you know Him because He stays with you. And He will be in you. I will not let you remain alone, like children without parents. I will come to you."

God has never intended for you to be left alone without His help and guidance in your life. He is always ready to guide and help you. 

John 16:13-15 (EASY) But the Spirit will come. He is the one who shows people true things about God. When He comes, He will be a guide to you. He will help you to understand everything that is true. He will not speak on His own authority. He will tell you only what He hears from the Father. He will tell you about things that will happen after this time. He will take My message and He will tell it to you. In that way, He will give Me honour. Everything that the Father has is Mine. That's why I said, "The Spirit will take what is Mine and He will tell it to you." 

You will never feel lost if you allow His Spirit to guide you. Spend time with Him. Read His Word. Talk to Him. Allow Him to speak to you in the ways He chooses to. 

1 John 2:27 (EASY) But Christ has given the Holy Spirit to you, and He continues to help you. So you do not need people to teach you what is true. The Holy Spirit Himself teaches you everything about God's message. He helps you to know what is true. He does not tell you any lies. So you must remember what He has taught you. Continue to live together with Christ. 

According to this Bible verse, it should be a norm that believers of Christ are used to having two-way communication with the Lord in their daily living, and being taught by Him personally in every area of their lives. Do you believe in His Word? Do you want to see this happening in your life? The choice is yours!  

Luke 11:9-10 (EASY) So I tell you this. Continue to ask God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Continue to look for what you need. Then you will find it. Continue to knock at the door and God will open it for you. Everyone that asks for something will receive it. Everyone that looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone that knocks on it. 

If you wish to hear from the Lord and receive His guidance personally, do not be afraid to ask from Him. In fact, in Luke 11:9-13, it can be about asking the Lord for the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's guidance. So, you shall surely hear from Him, if you believe and continue to ask from Him. He has promised this! 

Let us pray. 

"Father God, Your word has said that we can hear from You directly, and we can receive Your guidance through the Holy Spirit, as long as we ask. So, we ask,  O Lord, that we can hear from You and receive Your wisdom, so that we will know what to do with our lives and with our future. We ask that we always have a two-way communication with You. Teach us to recognize Your voice and receive Your confirmation, whenever we perceive that we have heard words, seen a vision, or receive a dream from You. All these we pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen."

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Hearing God

“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.

1^st 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?

2^nd 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.

God speaks to lead you

Be led by the Spirit of God

In any satisfying relationship, there should always be 2-way communication e.g. in husband-wife & parents-children relationship. Many Christians pray and hope that God would hear them. But that is just 1-way communication. You need to know that God loves communicating with you! He talked to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:16; 3:8-9). It was the sin of disobeying God that broke the relationship and hence the communication between God and men (see Genesis 3).

The reason Jesus came to earth was to restore our relationship with God. Once your relationship with God is restored, the communication between God and you is restored too. What does that mean? It means the Father God wants to speak to you directly and personally.

By Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you are made righteous and are now a temple of the Holy Spirit once you have confessed Christ as your Lord and Saviour (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16). Right on, God sent the Holy Spirit to live in you, to guide and teach you (see John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-15).

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

The word ‘led’ here in Greek is pronounced as ‘ag-ō’. It also means ‘to lead, to bring, to drive’. If the Holy Spirit is to ‘lead’ you, no doubt there must be a way of communication. Isn’t it?

The 1^st communication: ‘’I know that I know that I know’’

You may say, “Pastor, I have never heard from God before.” That’s because you didn’t even realise it when God spoke to you in different ways.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ… (Romans 8:15-17a)

When you are asked, “how do you know you are surely saved?” You can explain with all the profound scriptures about Christ’s salvation work on the cross. It’s great! But it’s the ‘’I know that I know that I know’’ deep inside your heart which resonates with those scriptures that causes you to ‘know’ deep inside that you are saved. What’s that? It’s God’s Spirit bearing witness inside your heart. This is the most basic, non-verbal and yet deepest way God speaks to you in your spirit.

So, what makes you think your Father God doesn’t talk to you? Some believers think God shuns away from them when they sin. Some believers think they don’t hear from God because they are not special enough compared to other believers with ‘great callings’. But can you find Jesus or His apostles said it anywhere in the Bible? No! So who told you that?

It’s the devil who first lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden - that God doesn’t want mankind to have His wisdom! (see Genesis 3:5)  It’s religion that tells you, you need someone ‘holier’ or with ‘greater callings’ to be the mediator for you. But Jesus has already become your perfect Mediator! (see 1Timothy 2:5) It’s your legalistic flesh (old-self) that tells you, you aren’t worthy to hear from God because you still can’t stop sinning. But you are already cleansed and saved by His grace through your faith in Christ. You cannot achieve it with self-effort (see Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-9). The true desire and the ability to please God can only come by the working of the Holy Spirit within you (see Philippians 2:13).

Be set free from that bondage of fear! You are now joint heirs with Christ (see Galatians 4:6-7). As much as God loved to communicate with Jesus when He was on earth, that’s how much He longs to communicate with you.

Father God speaks to each of His sons & daughters

You may ask, “How about the prophets? Aren’t they sent by God to speak to us?” Good question.

In the Old Testament, God spoke only through the anointed prophets because the Holy Spirit was not yet given. In the New Testament, every believer of Christ is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance in Christ (see Ephesians 1:13 & 2 Corinthians 1:22). Therefore through Christ, we have access by one Spirit to the Father God (see Ephesians 2:18).

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. (1 John 2:27)

If you are a parent with 3 children, will you make one of them as your representative to speak to the rest? No! You love each of them as who they are. You love to spend time and talk to each of them personally. So is your Father God. He loves talking to you personally.

Then, what are the prophets for? Prophets in the New Testament are called together with apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers in the 5-fold spiritual offices to equip the saints for the work of ministry, and to edify the body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:12). Prophets teach and train believers to hear more accurately from God. Prophets also prophesy to confirm revelations the believers have personally received from God. Apostle Paul told us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 not to quench the Spirit by despising prophecies. But we are to test the prophecies and keep what is good. 

The best way to receive prophecies and to know the accuracy of the prophecies is when they come as a confirmation to the revelation you have already previously received from the Lord. I personally think that Father God prefers to communicate with you personally first, before sending the prophets. But that depends on how open and ready you are to be led by His Spirit, thus to hear from Him.

The ways God speaks to lead you

But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; … (Acts 2:16-19a)

Apostle Peter quoted Joel 2:28-30 in the above scriptures. He was preaching Christ boldly in the public for the first time after being filled with the Holy Spirit. These scriptures are very powerful because they are the proof that God wants to communicate to 'all flesh' which is every one of us through His Spirit!

The above scriptures also indicate that God communicates with us in different ways:

Bearing witness – the Holy Spirit testify unto your spirit as in Romans 8:16.

Stirring in the spirit – the Holy Spirit impresses God’s feeling upon your spirit and prompts you for actions. (Note: related scriptures will be provided in another post on this specific topic.)

Hearing – in order to prophesy, you need to first hear from God’s Spirit speaking either audibly or in your spirit.

Visions – He lets you see visual slide(s) of stagnant or moving picture(s) or divine figure(s), while you are awake.

Dreams – The Holy Spirit overrules your mind with drama scenes when you are sleeping.

Signs & wonders – He speaks to you through physical signs and also through supernatural occurrences.

Many ministers of God use the above scriptures to teach on the gift of prophecy. It’s not wrong as believers with prophetic gifts tend to hear from God through the above means more frequently because of their specific calling. But the prophetic gift is the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit of others (see 1 Corinthians 12:7). That means if you have the prophetic gift, you receive revelation from God to minister to others. While as a beloved child of God, you receive revelations through these means for your own benefit.

I will give more details on each of the ways God speaks to you through the Holy Spirit in other posts on these specific topics.

We have derived from the scriptures and we are convinced that our Father God loves to communicate to you through His Spirit. He doesn’t look at how perfect you are or how great a calling you have. He looks at each of you as His beloved son/daughter, redeemed by Jesus’ precious blood. How will you look at Him today? Are you ready to spend more time conversing with a loving Father God and to hear from Him? If you are willing to hear, He is always willing to speak and lead you!