How do you 'hear' God?

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Hethr

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I'm trying to make a difficult decision and I want to make sure I'm doing what God wants me to do.. trouble is, I'm not one of those blessed people who seem to be able to hear God easily.. I will pray about something but always wonder if was my rational mind I'm responding to and not God.
How do you hear God and how do you know it's Him and not your own mind?
 
I don't know about other people, but when I feel God is making something very clear to me, I get a very nagging kind of feeling that I can't let go. Another way of saying it is "i feel it in my spirit"... and unless I deal with that it won't let me find peace.
God communicates to us through His Spirit, our conscience, and other people.
 
This is a very, very important and interesting question, and I have four answers as to, "how I hear...God."

Now, so far as his voice is concerned, I have found that it is is unmistakable. I have no doubt when it's he that is talking to me, but we all must be careful, as I do believe that Satan wishes to deceive us. I would describe the first way as an overwhelming urge to do something, accompanied by the, "Still, small voice," that the Bible refers to. Usually, it's simple and direct, yet profound, too. For instance, God will tell me, "Give everything in your wallet to (such and such), now." Sometimes, it's a really big thing, though, and that is sometimes accompanied by a vision.

Yeah, I know some reading are going to say that God doesn't speak to people in visions anymore, but I think that's horse hockey. He has clearly spoken to me in visions, just as he did many biblical characters. Mostly, this has been regarding business matters.

The third way he speaks to me is through other Christians, including from the pulpit. God will speak directly to me and a life situation directly through a pastor or a friend.

Fourthly, God speaks to me through his written word. After 34 years of being a Christian, it amazes me how God's word has meaning.
 
I have a song in my heart, when I do something wrong it stops playing and if I'm not paying attention I normally regret it and have to pray and think and read the Bible to see where I took the wrong step.

However I normally just do what I think is right unless I hear the song stop because my thoughts are not in line with what God wants me to do.

I think God allows us to chose like we allow our kids to chose their clothes, God often allows us to chose our paths because we have more than one that will serve His purpose. He loves us and guides us. He will correct us when we do wrong but we just have to pray and listen and study the Bible to know what it is that we are NOT allowed to do as His children. but for the most part we are FREE not bound to chains of laws and endless works salvation because we are saved by Faith and Grace not because of anything we have done or can do but because GOD loves US.

what decision are you thinking about? you can pm me i you like :)

Dear Lord Give Hethr the wisdom to chose a path that will glorify YOU!. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Hey Rick, I'm with you on all those ways you listed ;)
 
Hethr said:
I'm trying to make a difficult decision and I want to make sure I'm doing what God wants me to do.. trouble is, I'm not one of those blessed people who seem to be able to hear God easily.. I will pray about something but always wonder if was my rational mind I'm responding to and not God.
How do you hear God and how do you know it's Him and not your own mind?
Click to expand...

Very, very good question. In fact a while back I posted the same question on here (and other places), and asked some people personally.


God speaks to us through His Word. This is 100% certain. So every time you read the Bible, you're reading (or hearing) the very words of God.


You're asking specifically how to get an answer to a decision. From my experiences, God orchestrates everything. Every little thing. As for the decision, I believe that if you pray about it He will (again through circumstances) reveal the right decision to you so clearly that no other choice will seem to be to be an option.




I want to write on prayer specifically for a few lines, however.

Now, many books have come out called "How to hear the voice of God," or something of the like.


They all say the same thing: "God tells us that He has a still small voice. Listen for that still small voice, and you will hear Him."


People forget that we have the Bible, the Word of God. If you abide in Christ, fruits will abound with streams of living water out of you. You've heard Him if you're doing His will (those who love me will do what I command).



God gave us a mind as well. We can think on our own. Now, I'm not saying that God NEVER speaks to us in our heads (or even audibly), but I believe it to be very rare.


So, we hear God:
-Through circumstances
-Through the Bible
-Through his creation (Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge, Psalm 19:2)
-Through others
-(Sometimes) In our minds
-Always if we abide in Him


Grace and Love


(LOOK AT THIS LINK BELOW)

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/the-morning-i-heard-the-voice-of-god
 
Pray about this and God may speak to you through events and circumstances. He may also by having you read certain scriptures in the Bible. Most of all realize if you are a christian God lives inside you and God will eventually show you want he trying to say to you. God does not have to talk to you directly because he lives in you, God will reveal what he wants for you to do when the time comes.
 
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Thanks so much you guys for your input.. I have an update, I believe I got God's answer last night.. I will explain what my question to God is first so it makes sense.
My Dad just found out he has cancer and I am his only family/child besides his brother. He lives in a small 2 bedroom apartment and I figured someday I'd have to move in and take care of him and I am willing to take that on as my responcibility. However I was not prepared for him to ask me this week. I was shocked. He doesn't 'need' me, he's just lonely and could use the extra money as I would be a roommate. I was NOT prepared for this, I am single, in my late 30's and I value my independance and privacy, I love living alone and I love my neighborhood. I am a grown up who does not want to live with her father. I'd have a longer commute to work, I have a small apartment as is and can't imagine living in one bedroom plus where would all of my stuff go? I told him I didn't think now was a good time. besides we both have cats and my cat does not tolerate other animals.
ANWAY.. I've been praying to God about it, saying if He wants me to move, I will. I want to go where God wants, when He wants, I'm just not usually very good at sensing what that plan is, I have a logical brain and I rationalize EVERYTHING.. So the last few days I've prayed for a clear answer from God. Last night, as I was in bed petting my cat a phrase entered my head.
"Wait.. I will tell you when to go"
Now, being the rational person I am, I could reason that as being something I could imagine God saying. I had the song wait upon the Lord in my head all day, b/c I was praying and waiting for an answer so the word wait didn't come out of nowhere.. and you know how we like to imagine what God would say to us.. But like I said, I was petting my cat, I wasn't thinking about it at the time. That's the most convincing to me. The phrase just popped into my head. and it sounds like something God would say, you know how sometimes he doesn't always give a specific answer. Well, there you have it, I think I'll just accept that answer and trust that someday I will be able to know when the time is right.
Sorry about the uber long post.
 
Hethr said:
I'm trying to make a difficult decision and I want to make sure I'm doing what God wants me to do.. trouble is, I'm not one of those blessed people who seem to be able to hear God easily.. I will pray about something but always wonder if was my rational mind I'm responding to and not God.
How do you hear God and how do you know it's Him and not your own mind?
Click to expand...

I don’t know if there is an easy answer to that. I suspect we spend our entire lives trying to answer that question. The Lord places thoughts in our heads, certainly, and it is up to understand when he is doing that, but our own wants and desires can interfere with that, and I think Satan also is hard at work in our minds trying to tempt us into doing things we shouldn’t do.
 
HI there. You wish to hear God's voice?

First off I want to ask you a couple of questions. See, if you don't get the foundation right, there really isn't building the house...
These are simple questions, and in no means must you see that I am trying to offend you. I am merely trying to aid you to get to the answer you seek.

Do you believe in Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Do you believe God wants to talk to you? Did you give yourself willingly to Christ and ask for him for repentance? Have you ever been at a fortune teller? Have you ever been involved with the occult or witchcraft or any other false religion? Are you baptised with water? Are you baptised with the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to have patience to hear the words of God? Are you willing to adhere to His commandments? Are you willing to obedient to God? Will you serve Him?

Ok, enough questions. Now let me explain. To hear God's voice in a lot of times is a process. What needs to happen first is you need to be saved. If you were with a fortune teller or with the occult,etc. You need to go into your private chamber and pray, confess and ask forgiveness that you have done it and that God should set you free from ANY bonds that the devil might have placed on you or/and your family. You need to be baptised with water. Simple. You must choose to follow Christ and you must be baptised with water. You must be baptised with the Holy Spirit. If these 3 are done. (1 John 5), you can feel free without conviction to ask God to speak to you. Now, Why the other quesitons? Understand what you ask before you ask it.

If you want to hear God's voice. And you are extremely sincere. Then God will talk to you. But then you must be obedient. Then you must do what He says. And no God does not always tell you, take two steps forward, now stretch out your arm and make yourself some coffee. Don't be crazy. However God will sometimes say make yourself some coffee and go and sit so I(God) can talk with you. Or don't drive here, but take that road. Or take a left here and go to the second house on the right. Or God can say go to John and tell him this....

Patience? Well, part of it is also to be willing to wait for God to speak if you pray... Most people pray like a telegram. One tracked. Its like you pick up your cellphone, call your friend, rumble a couple of words and then before they can answer you put the phone down.

But to aid you, I'll try and tell you of the method that I was taught and maybe it will aid you. Again this is not the ONLY way...but if you are sincere, do this and you shall reap the rewards.

Understand the following:
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Understand that there is a communication channel between you and God. On God's side it is open, but you might still struggle to believe. So this method is to help you in gaining faith to hear God's voice. It happens in three phases. It is going to sound strange, and you might not at first understand why, but just do it.
Understand that God always speak within His fruit. Well technically He speaks, and the fruit accompanies the Word, but to put it plainly. When God speaks, you will feel the presence of the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22). In this you know whether or not the message is from Him or not. One last thing before we start. God is the King. God is God. God is not the level we are. When you adress God, do so with the utmost respect. Authority is extremely important in the Spirit.

Phase 1
This you must do for a week or two. The reason for the time period is so that your faith can grow in that which you experience. It might be longer, it might be less. Each day (every single day, more but not less) you ask God for a couple of verses. These verses will come up in your head and you must write them down. Now understand this is also a test, to see whether or not you adhere to the verses. WHat do I mean? Well say for instance hypothetically you make pirated movies. And God gives you a scripture saying, do not steal. Then you must go and delete all your pirated movies and ask for forgiveness. You must not just read therefore, but do. I cannot tell you what God is going to tell you to do, cause in every person's case it is different. If you do not do this, God will simply repeat and then keep quiet. Yes God will NOT waste His time if you are not going to listen to Him. He is Loving, but He is strict. So whatever God gives you in scripture and you feel His fruit accompany this, you know you must obey. You might think, but maybe. No you know what you must do. Don't worry how you are going to look in front of others, but think of how you will look in front of God. So do this for one to two weeks. It depends on God.

Phase 2
You must have a clear book and pen ready next to your bed or in your study. Somewhere where you know you are alone and are going to have some quiet time with God. Just to clarify clear book. Have a book with blank pages (a lot of them) ready so that you are going to write in it. Now when the time comes you must go to this book and pen. Just like in the previous two weeks you received
a couple of scriptures a day and had to work through them. These scripture came into your head. By now, you should be able to "sense" about a word at a time. Meaning that your faith would be of such that you hear one word after the other. Kind of like "1", "John", "5", "verse 4." per example.

So go to your book and ask God to speak to you. Wait. Don't rush it. Wait for the fruit. THen write each word , word by word as it comes into your head. The words will make sentences and paragraphs and you'll have an incredible experience.
Continue doing this as often as you can and believe and let your faith grow.

Phase 3
Now after a while (again God's decision) you will hear God's voice while you are doing something, just like you heard it in the previous phase except there will be no book. He will just speak to you in you daily life. Answer and communicate with God. Simple. And then as you walk in your daily life you hear Him and speak to Him and He to you and you learn from Him.

May God bless and keep you safe. Amen.
 
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<------with one of these bad boys
 
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