How Valuable Is Hearing God's Voice To You

Frequency/How Valuable Is Hearing God’s Voice To You

Connection: Jonathan at Allen Witt Park

When my son was young decades ago. I cook him to my jobs. Picnic at Alan with park. He was playing with all the other kids right next to me. As I was conversing with some of my coworkers, I looked around, and Jonathan was nowhere to be seen.

I was scared, frantic, all kinds of thoughts ran through my head.

I thought I lost him,

I thought someone grabbed him,

I thought my wife was going to kill me.

So needless to say a great deal of fear gripped my mind and my body.

Now the park was jumping that day there were people having barbecues there was loud music being played everywhere.

I begin asking my coworkers have they seen Jonathan?

Everyone began looking for him and then all of a sudden Karen Black said there is!

Jonathan had taken off running towards the playground area with the other kids.

He was about what seem to me 75 yards away from me in the loudest voice that I have. I screamed his name. Jonathan!!!

To my surprised and everyone around me, Jonathan stopped on a dime.

People marveled how he heard me and stopped on a dime.

He turned around and looked at me with my finger. I waved come here.

People around me marvel that he stop so suddenly and said wow your son knows your voice.

I have no idea how he heard me in the midst of all the noise distractions that was going on in the park that day.

There’s no way he should have heard me.

Later on as time went by, I’ve never forgotten that day.

And I said God I want to know Your Voice the way my son knows my voice.

In the midst of ALL distractions chaos I desire to know your voice.

Jesus said In John 10:27 KJV

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

POSSIBLY USE THIS

The simple statement My sheep hear My voice is packed full of Christian doctrine.

It expresses personal intimacy between the shepherd (Jesus) and his sheep (His followers).

In the first century, a single sheep pen held multiple flocks, so it was essential for the sheep to know and recognize their own shepherd’s voice.

There had to be an unmistakable familiarity between sheep and shepherd for the sheep to feel safe and know which voice to follow.

Jesus said in John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”.

Knowing the Lord’s voice indicates experiential knowledge through a relationship with Him.

My sheep hear My voice speaks of those who listen with obedient attention—this kind of listening results in faith.

Paul taught the Romans, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).

One primary way we hear the Lord’s voice is through the Word of God.

By hearing His voice in Scripture, we get to know Him, and knowing Him produces faith, and that faith causes us to follow and obey.

Pastor Rick Renner says when he wakes up before he eats physical food he opens up his Bible and gets spiritual food.

He values the word of the Lord.

Church/Family we are living in a time where we really need to know the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ our Shepherd.

Jesus says in Matthew 4:4 NKJV “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Again we are living in a time where we need to hear, trust, honor and value the voice of the Lord more than ever.

MAIN POINT (INSTRUCTIONS)

My title today is How valuable is hearing God’s Voice to you.

If we are really honest some of us or maybe even most of us don’t value the voice of the Lord on an everyday basis.

Why do I say that because we make time for the things we value.

Let me say it again or a different way we make time for the things we love, care about, want to do or things that are important to us.

I can’t speak for you but basketball is important to me. My wife is important to me. My children are important to me. My grandson is important to me.

In the midst of all the distractions in the midst of all the kids of life in the midst of all the things that are going on around us being able to DAZN and pick out the voice that truly matters that is the voice of the Holy Spirit.

When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior we become a new creature old passes away and new comes. From that moment it is written into our new nature to hear His voice.

You may get distracted, anxious, stressed, worried, bitter, but the ability to hear His voice is still in you to hear.

IMPORTANCE OF HEARING GOD’S VOICE

(You never know when you’re on assignment)

SO HOW DO WE TUNE OUR HEARTS, SPIRIT AND EARS TO THE FATHER’s FREQUENCY

Father I want to know your voice the way my son knows my voice. Why is it important to know the Father’s voice? I believe we are living in the last days.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Acts 1:8 NKJV

Jesus valued the Father’s voice. Jesus said He only says what the Father says and He only do what the Father do.

We make time for what we value.

Give scriptures to Jesus getting alone with the Father Give example of what people make time for

WHY IS HEARING GOD’S VOICE IMPORTANT?

Pastor Richard and Joan value the voice of God. They bring in prophetic voices and liberty was built on God’s voice.

WHAT ARE SOME REASONS WHY WE DON’T HEAR GOD’S VOICE

Ryan, Patricia and Richard preaching on Frequency hearing the voice of God

Pastor Patricia

Prayer

Read your word

Attend church

Fellowship

Obey

Romans 12:2

Purse Love

Ryan Pulley

His word

People

Circumstances

God speaks to us in our spirit or intuition

APPLICATION (CONCLUSION)

How valuable is hearing God’s voice to you?

Set an appointment Get quite before God/Be still Read your bible/worship Mark Virkler 4 keys to hearing God

Invitation to partner with God

Word at Divine Impact

the Lord said go to the upholstery shop As they were fixing my wife’s car I was outside in the parking lot worshiping God God said lay hands on him to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit When I went back in the upholstery shop I called him over and said. The Lord told me to lay hands on you to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He got emotional and said he’s been asking God for this free gift. When I lay my hands on him he began to speak in his heavenly language.

Laundry Mat

A gentleman walked in I was playing worship music I was the only one in the l Laundry mat As he began to fold his clothes the Lord said pray for him I approached him and said, do you believe in God? He thought for a second and said yes. I said the Lord told me to pray for you He thought for a second again, and said OK. As I prayed, the word of the Lord came about him being in business. He said he and his cousin are trying to start a business. We prayed about the business For God‘s direction He said thank you and I went and sat back down. Five minutes later, the Lord said, pray for salvation. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior

When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior we become a new creature old passes away and new comes. From that moment it is written into our new nature to hear His voice.

You may get distracted, anxious, stressed, worried, bitter, but the ability to hear His voice is still in you to hear.

Father I want to know your voice the way my son knows my voice. Why is it important to know the Father’s voice? I believe we are living in the last days.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Acts 1:8 NKJV

REASON WHY WE MAY NOT HEAR GOD’S VOICE

If God seems silent to you, it could be that there are things blocking you from hearing His voice. To keep the channels of communication open between you and God, you must recognize and remove the barriers that separate you from Him.

Distractions (Busyness)

Martha And Mary Distracted means having your attention averted Distractions will cause you to not to engage YouTube, Emails, online shopping,

Competing voices

NBA This last playoff season God said only 2 games People between 8-18 spend 8 hrs on there screens Romans 13:11-14 MSG

Unprepared heart

L

Having idols in your heart

L

Sin/disobedience/Maybe you’re not one of His sheep, followers,

He’s not taking about some 4 legged animal Jesus is taking about us. He is the Great shepherd and we are the sheep of His pastures. And we know His voice and follow His voice.

The mutual knowledge of the shepherd and the sheep. The shepherd giving life to the sheep The shepherds ministry to the sheep

Jesusflock is responsive to his teaching. They listen to his voice. They have intimacy with him. Jesus said I know them, his flock understands his message of salvation, and they follow him. To follow him means to obey the Father’s will as Jesus did.

What is the key to hearing God's voice? Mark Virkler 4 Keys To Hearing God’s Voice

Most people want to hear God’s voice when they are facing a decision. If only God would speak to them and tell them which choice to make or which direction to embark upon. Many people will claim to have heard God’s voice, saying, “God led me to do this,” when in fact it was simply their own thoughts and desires that led them in a particular direction. The primary way that God speaks to us today is through His revealed, written Word. When we want to hear God’s voice, the Bible is where we should look. Most of the will of God for our lives is already fully revealed in its pages, and it is simply a matter of our obedience to it. All of Scripture is the will of God, but there are a few places in Scripture that specifically use the term will of God, which may be especially interesting to a person who wants to hear God’s voice:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” • 1 Peter 2:12–15: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” Other passages also let us hear God’s voice, even if they don’t use the phrase the will of God. But, just taking the three above passages, we know that a Christian should always give thanks in every circumstance, avoid sexual immorality, and live an exemplary life. If a Christian does not follow these clear dictates given directly by God through inspired Scripture, why should he or she expect to hear more information from God? If you want further direction from God, obey what He has already told you. A heart willing to listen and obey is the key to hearing from God. The primary way that a Christian hears God’s voice is through reading and studying Scripture and then obeying and applying what the Scripture says. People often rely upon “the leading of the Holy Spirit,” which is spoken of in Romans 8:14. In context, the passage speaks of the Spirit’s leading us away from sinful activity and into a confidence in our relationship with God as Father. The Holy Spirit will never lead contrary to Scripture. If a person is considering having an affair, the Spirit will only lead in one direction—toward marital fidelity. The Spirit might very well bring a verse like 1 Thessalonians 4:3 to mind for the person being tempted. When the Spirit leads, He is not imparting “new” information as much as He is impressing on our hearts the truth God has already revealed in Scripture and applying it to our situation. If a person says, “God told me” or “The Spirit led me to do such and such,” and the action taken is contrary to Scripture, we can be sure the person is mistaken. We can also hear God’s voice as God speaks through other people. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). Good counselors or advisers can help us see a situation with new eyes. Again, the Bible is key. Biblical preaching and biblically sound Christian material can be put in the “advisers” category. The Word of God is the control. If a bunch of counselors advise a person to do something contrary to Scripture, then they are all wrong, no matter what their credentials; however, if the advisers help an individual understand and apply Scripture, then they can be helpful. Godly advisers can often see areas that an individual is blind to. A group of advisers may discern that the person seeking to hear God’s voice concerning a particular plan is in reality seeking approval of his own personal agenda. Another way to hear God’s voice is to pray and ask for wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). When a Christian is facing difficult circumstances and needs to hear from God, the Christian should ask for the wisdom that God promises to give. This wisdom will ultimately come from God, but it may come through the word of a friend; through a sermon, article, or book; or from the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit. Once again, the written Word of God is the standard by which all thoughts, actions, ideas, and feelings must be judged. In this day of self-proclaimed prophets and the promotion of “new revelations” from God, people often mistake the voice of God for their own thoughts or the suggestions of other people. If you are hearing God’s voice, then the message will always be in accord with Scripture. We should all take great care not to misrepresent God. Instead of saying, “God told me this,” a better approach would be to say, “I think God may be saying this—what do you think?” People often want to hear a specific word from God when He has already spoken in a general sense. For instance, a person may be deliberating the choice of whether to take the family on a short-term mission trip or on a vacation to the beach. Perhaps a specific word from God is unnecessary. What is really called for is wisdom. Which trip will most benefit the family? Which trip will most benefit the kingdom of God? The family will benefit by building the kingdom. The kingdom will benefit from a strong family. Either one could be a good choice. Other factors such as expense and the current state of the family should be considered. (Are the kids selfish and entitled so they need to see how other people live? Has the family been under a lot of stress and needs to get away and relax? Are the costs comparable? If not, which can they afford?) If they go to the beach, they look for opportunities to share their faith and be an encouragement to other believers. If they go on the mission trip, they look for ways to build bonds with each other and enjoy themselves as a family. Both options are good. Neither is inherently sinful. In the end, the husband and wife come to some agreement and throw themselves into it wholeheartedly, trusting that, if the decision is wrong, God will somehow make it clear to them that they should do something different. How will He do this? Probably not through an audible voice but through a combination of circumstances, advice from other people, evaluation of their priorities based on God’s Word, and a lack of inner peace from the Holy Spirit

Does God still speak to us today?

The Bible records God speaking audibly to people many times (Exodus 3:14; Joshua 1:1; Judges 6:18; 1 Samuel 3:11; 2 Samuel 2:1; Job 40:1; Isaiah 7:3; Jeremiah 1:7; Acts 8:26; 9:15—this is just a small sampling). There is no biblical reason why God could not speak to a person audibly today. With the hundreds of times the Bible records God speaking, we have to remember that they occur over the course of 4,000 years of human history. God speaking audibly is the exception, not the rule. Even in the biblically recorded instances of God speaking, it is not always clear whether it was an audible voice, an inner voice, or a mental impression. God does speak to people today. First, God speaks to us through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Isaiah 55:11 tells us, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” The Bible is God’s Word, and it contains everything we need to know in order to be saved and live the Christian life. Second Peter 1:3 declares, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God can also “speak” to us through events—i.e., He can guide us through arranging our circumstances. And God helps us to discern right from wrong through our consciences (1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Peter 3:16). God is in the process of conforming our minds to think His thoughts (Romans 12:2). God allows events to occur in our lives to direct us, change us, and help us to grow spiritually (James 1:2–5; Hebrews 12:5–11). First Peter 1:6–7 reminds us, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” God may sometimes speak audibly to people. It is highly doubtful, though, that this occurs as often as some people claim it does. Again, even in the Bible, God speaking audibly is the exception, not the ordinary. If anyone claims that God has spoken to him or her, always compare what is said with what the Bible says. If God were to speak today, His words would be in full agreement with what He has said in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16–17). God does not contradict Himself.

How does God reveal Himself to us?

The Bible tells us that God reveals Himself to humans in four primary ways. All that God has created in nature discloses who He is. Our consciences (the human mind and heart) bear witness to the existence of God. He reveals Himself to us through His Word and the person of Jesus Christ. The first two ways that God reveals Himself to us are general and limited. But the second two avenues of revelation are personal, full, and complete. Creation Reveals God Paul said in Romans 1:19–20 that, ever since the creation of the world, God has made the knowledge of Himself evident to all people: “They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (NLT). Humans can take in the beauty and splendor all around and recognize that these created things testify to the existence of God, who is the all-powerful maker of the universe. According to Paul, God has provided sufficient insight into His eternal power and divine attributes through creation so that no one can be excused for missing His existence. Psalm 19:1–4 declares, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (NLT). Scripture also seems to indicate that the revelation of God in creation is only a tiny glimpse—a small whisper—of who He is and how He wants to be known by humans: “He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:8–9,14, ESV). Written on Our Hearts The Bible says that God has revealed His existence to humans in their consciences by impressing His law on their hearts even before they hear the gospel message: “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:14–15, NLT). According to Ecclesiastes 3:11, within the heart of every person God has planted a longing to know Him: “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (NLT). God’s purpose for placing this yearning in the human heart is so that we might have a living, personal relationship with Him. The apostle Paul spoke of this internal revelation to the pagan crowds of people in Athens: “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27, NLT). Through the Person of Jesus Christ God has revealed Himself to us with the most clarity and detail in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the living, breathing, flesh-and-blood, human presentation of God: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Speaking of Jesus, John writes in his gospel: “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18, NLT). Paul told the Colossians, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation” (Colossians 1:15, NLT). And Jesus said to Philip, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9, NLT). The signs and wonders Jesus performed revealed the glory and power of God. The way He lived, the miracles He performed, and His teachings and parables all demonstrated how much the Father cares for us. The way to know the Father and have a relationship with Him is to know the Son, who is the fullness of God’s revelation of Himself (Galatians 4:4–5; Hebrews 1:1–2). Through the Word of God One of the greatest ways we get to know the person of Jesus is through the Word of God. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself and His purposes throughout history. Jesus Himself taught that the Scriptures reveal who He is (Luke 24:27, 44–45; John 5:39). The Bible presents us with eyewitness testimony of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ: “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. . . . We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16–19). From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself for all to read and understand. Many people can acknowledge the fact that there is a God. But God wants us to know Him intimately—to spend all eternity in close fellowship with Him.

3 Reasons We May Not Hear God’s Voice

1. We aren’t listening

Maybe we are in too big of a hurry or maybe we have so many other voices in our heads or maybe we are so far from Him that we can’t hear Him. Perhaps we don’t like what He is saying so we tune Him out.

2. We are disobedient to what He tells us

Why would God talk to people who ignore Him – right

3. We are duped into believing that we don’t hear God’s voice

Of course we hear it. Jesus said we would, and He doesn’t lie. The enemy of our soul wants to keep us doubting ourselves and doubting God. How about if we stop buying what he is selling?

Whatever the issue, this is not a good situation. Hearing and knowing His voice is essential.

Here’s the truth, if we don’t hear His voice, we will get totally lost. And lost sheep get eaten by the wolf.

Hear the Word of the Lord:

Isaiah 28:23 - "Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say."

Isaiah 30:21 - "Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, 'This is the way you should go,' whether to the right or to the left."

REASON WHY WE MAY NOT HEAR GOD’S VOICE

f God seems silent to you, it could be that there are things blocking you from hearing His voice. To keep the channels of communication open between you and God, you must recognize and remove the barriers that separate you from Him.

Distractions (Busyness)

Martha And Mary (Luke 10:41-42) Distracted means having your attention averted Distractions will cause you to not to engage YouTube, Emails, online shopping,

Competing voices

NBA This last playoff season God said only 2 games People between 8-18 spend 8 hrs on there screens Romans 13:11-14 MSG. Hebrews 11:6 Romans 13:11-14 MSG

Unprepared heart

Rocky ground Good ground Colosian 3:1-2

Not having your heart in a neutral position

Having idols in your heart

L

Sin/disobedience

1 Samuel 3

We know the story of Eli and Samuel. God would call out to Samuel at night but Samuel didn’t no the Lord’s voice yet. So he would go to Eli the priest every time the Lord would call his name. Finally after the 3rd time the Lord called Samuels name Eli knew what was going on.

Eli said to Samuel next time you hear your name being called here’s what you say. Here am I Lord

You see Samuel didn’t know God’s voice so he had to tune his ears, his heart and his spirit to the Lord. And when he did The Lord began to speak to him and use him.

Many of us are waiting on God to speak to us and use us. But God is waiting on us to tune our ears, our hearts and spirits to His voice.

Samuel may have been in his teens by the time his calls from the Lord took place. The word translated boy means a young man. It’s the same word translated youth to describe David when he killed Goliath.

My laundry mat story. Praying for the gentleman, prophesying over the gentleman, and leading him to the Lord.

Mark Veckler 4 keys to hearing God voice

Adam and Eve story of not listening to the Lord.

6 Questions To Ask When You Can’t Hear God

If you have a problem, God has the answer.

If you’re without something you desire, God is waiting to tell you what to do to receive it.

Maybe that’s where you are right now—needing to hear from God about something but going day after day without the word you need from Him.

One thing you need to know is this: God has not gone silent on you.

When you aren’t hearing from God, something is blocking the way, and clearing the path is critical.

As Gloria Copeland says, “The answer to living a life of victory is hearing from God and doing what you’re told to do.”

There’s no reason to go year after year, or even month after month, without hearing from God on a particular matter.

If you’ve been stuck in the same place, it’s time to consider these

6 Questions To Ask When You Can’t Hear God.

1. Do I Believe I’ll Hear from God?

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” –Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

You may be praying and hoping to hear from God, but if you don’t really and truly believe you’ll hear from Him, you won’t. Perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that He has nothing to say or that He’s somehow holding out on you. He isn’t! But He does have a still, small voice. He isn’t going to chase you down. The key to hearing from Him is to spend time with Him in prayer and in His Word.

2. Am I Relying On Others To Hear for Me?

“God does not show favoritism.” –Acts 10:34 (NIV)

It’s easy to want to hear a word from the Lord through a prophet or a minister, but God didn’t make you to be dependent on someone else’s faith. A pastor, minister or prophet can build you up, but he’s not God. Don’t depend on someone hearing from God for you. Build your life in a way that you hear from Him on your own. God is no respecter of persons. He’ll speak to you as much as He’ll speak to anyone else.

3. Am I Walking In Love and Forgiveness?

“If I have faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” –1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

If you’re the kind of person known for snapping at people or speaking harshly, hearing from God is going to be more challenging for you. Likewise, if you have a critical spirit or spend time pointing out the flaws of others to make yourself feel superior, your times of hearing from Him will be fewer and farther between.

That’s because a person who is prideful, self-centered or holding a grudge has a hardened heart. It is a soft and tender heart that hears from God. So, if you’re coming to Him with a grievance and carrying on in prayer about how you’ve been done wrong, He’s just going to wait. Wait for what? For you to obey what He’s already told you, which is found in John 13:34 and Mark 11:25. In short, love and forgive.

There is no justification for treating people disrespectfully or refusing to forgive. The Bible is clear—your faith means nothing if you do not know how to love others. If you haven’t heard from God in a certain area, ask yourself, “Am I walking in love and forgiveness?” If not, make a change! And ask God to help you. He’ll help you soften your heart and clear the line of communication to hear from Him.

4. Am I Casting My Cares On Him?

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” –1 Peter 5:7

As long as you’re holding on to the care of a situation, it’s going to be very difficult for you to hear from God. If you have already made a decision (or are afraid of making a wrong one), there is no room for Him to speak.

So, ask yourself, “Am I casting my cares on Him?” And be honest in your answer. Some people have a hard time not being in control of everything all the time. This will be your greatest enemy.

One way to cast your cares on Him is to clear away the flesh by going on a fast. Set aside 24 hours, or another amount of time, to fast and only pray and listen regarding your situation. Don’t let anything else cloud your thinking during that time. Get to a place where there is nothing between you and the Father. Rebuke fear in your life, and actively resist the devil.

Another way is to pray in the spirit. As you turn over your prayers to the Holy Spirit, He will pray the perfect prayer on your behalf. Take the time to listen when you pray in the spirit. Ask for the interpretation. It draws you closer to God’s presence, and He doesn’t seem so far off. The magnitude of His goodness and holiness becomes more real, and you clear the way to hear Him.

5. Have I Neglected To Obey?

“Blessed…are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” –Luke 11:28 (NIV)

What is the last thing God told you to do concerning your situation?

If something is missing in your life, there will be instruction and correction. Most of the time, there will be multiples of each. Some people don’t like to hear the correction. They don’t want to believe there’s an area they need to fix. But it’s for your own blessing to obey God’s instruction or make His correction.

If you haven’t heard from God, consider that He may be waiting for you to respond to the last thing He said. Maybe you haven’t even acknowledged an answer He sent you through another person, and you’re still sitting and waiting.

Find out How to Find the Answer to Any Question HERE.

Obedience means we do what He tells us, even when we don’t understand it. We want some big assignment from God, but we don’t want to hear the little things He asks us to do. It doesn’t work that way. If Peter would have obeyed Jesus in the small things—“watch and pray”—maybe he wouldn’t have denied Jesus in the bigger moment. He would have been able to overcome the temptation.

That’s how important it is that when you hear from God, you obey what He says.

You can’t afford to procrastinate. Just do it. Don’t try to figure it out. Just take the next step.

Of this Gloria Copeland says, “Ken and I have always found this is true in our lives. We are always able to take the next step. We might not see the whole thing through right now, but we can take the next step, and then we can take the next step. Pretty soon, you’re in the perfect will of God for your lives, hallelujah. We can’t let natural thinking hold us back.”

6. Am I Really Open to Hearing?

“He who has an ear, let him hear.” –Revelation 3:22 (NKJV)

Sometimes people pray about a matter and think they want to hear from God, but they’re really shut down inwardly because they’re afraid of what God might say. They don’t want to hear that they need to make a correction. They don’t want to hear a certain instruction. They’ve already made up their mind what they should or shouldn’t do. Or they fear making the wrong decision. So, they shut down and aren’t open to hearing from Him.

Gloria Copeland says, “A lot of people want to hear from God, but they don’t want to hear from Him when He corrects them. You’re not going to get directions and not corrections. That won’t work.”

Be open to hearing things you may not think you want to hear. But keep in mind—every correction or instruction brings you one step closer to that victory you want! So why fight it?

We hope these questions have helped you uncover why you haven’t been hearing from God. That thing you need an answer to? That desire you so long to see fulfilled? He has the next step ready and waiting for you. It’s time you heard it!

God is talking to you.

It may not seem like it, but He is. And He has some things to share with you that will change your life.

One way to turn up the volume on God’s voice is to renew your mind to the fact that He wants to talk to you every day.

When you increase your expectancy, you also increase your ability to hear Him.

To get you started, here are 18 powerful scriptures about hearing from God that will remind you of His goodness and the power that comes with hearing from Him. (All scriptures are from the ESV.) 1. Isaiah 30:21 “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

2. Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

3. Psalm 29:3 “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.”

4. Psalm 85:8 “Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.”

5. Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

6. Mark 4:24 “And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.’”

7. John 8:47 “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

8. John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

9. John 10:16 “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

10. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

11. John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

12. John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

13. Romans 8:14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

14. Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

15. Hebrews 3:15 “As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’”

16. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

17. James 1:19 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

18. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

When you renew your mind to the truth that God is talking to you all the time and wants to guide you in every part of your life, you will begin to expect to hear His still, small voice every day. Lean in. He’s talking to you right now!