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There is a hunger in many souls to hear directly from God, to hear His voice and to get revelation directly from Him. While this desire is, I think, generally good, I have concluded that
wrong thinking in this area led to most of my big mistakes in life. What follows is what I have learned about hearing from God. It helps me now every single day. All feedback is welcome. Most of us know people who
are quick to say, "God told me." It is a powerful claim of significance and legitimacy that is difficult to dispute. We may also know the longing, especially in painful or difficult circumstances, to "hear a word
from God." We want to be comforted, to have clear direction, to understand. This longing feeds psychics and fortune tellers the world over, as well as energizing much of the "prophetic" in Christian circles. Yet when
touching the supernatural there is always danger, and we must be very careful. Jesus speaks openly on this topic and we do well to listen carefully; His point is easy to miss. "He that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep… and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out… and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." (John 10:2-4) Jesus points
out a simple fact: sheep know their shepherd's voice instinctively; it is not something they are ever confused about. Sheep immediately respond to and follow their shepherd's voice without having to "discern" or
"test" it. While it is true that we are to "test the spirits," (1 John 4) the context for such testing is not discerning whether we are hearing from God or not... but whether someone else is. When someone else
claims to have direct revelation from God, we must check everything they say using both wisdom and the Bible. But sheep don't test the voice of their own shepherd. When a shepherd speaks, his sheep respond to
him immediately because it is their instinctive nature to do so. Jesus is saying that when God speaks directly to one of His children, they will know this immediately and without any doubt or reservation. They will be unable to act
as if someone other than God has spoken. So, unless you want to be lead by the demonic, it is wise to dismiss all direct spiritual revelation which you are able to dismiss. One thing is certain from Jesus' teaching:
you will not be able to ignore God; so every form of direct spiritual revelation that is offered to you which you are able to ignore, you should. The Holy Spirit generally leads His children from
within, as a very part of them, not through external direct revelations or impressions. "Christ in us," the Spirit of Christ, works in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Phil 2:13) God dwells in believers in a place
the enemy cannot occupy: "in us," where we cannot tell Him apart from ourselves. Believers are one spirit with God (1 Cor 6:17), such that when the Spirit is leading we do not sense anything external, but it seems to us perfectly
natural and organic, as our very own thoughts, our very own wills... because it actually is. It is from within our very wills, hearts and minds, not externally from the outside, that God generally leads
believers. Believers are very active in this process, not passive. God works in us by becoming one with us, transforming us into the likeness of Himself, engaging us, completing us and enriching us. As we yield to Him we do not
become less ourselves but more; we do not become passive and yielding in the use of our facilites, but discerning and deliberate and powerful. While we purpose to walk with God He leads us in and by our very act
of willing. God calls us to think, will and act for Him, and as we do He leads us from within this very activity. The enemy cannot work like this in believers, but instead must supplant and usurp and replace us,
enlarging himself and weakening, diminishing and de-activating us, pushing us to the sidelines. External impressions that he offers us from the spiritual realm, which he wants us to accept as from God, are one of his primary means
to deceive and destroy us: this is how the enemy attempts to live vicariously through us. If and when God decides to speak directly to us from the outside, apart from our own wills such that we are essentially
passive in the experience -- which is generally quite rare -- we will indeed know that it is God, and any thought of a "test" will be out of the question. When God told Abraham to offer up his only son Isaac as a burnt
offering (Gen 22), Abraham did not test this word to see if it was from God: in fact, he could not test it. Abraham simply obeyed, knowing without hesitation or qualification that God had spoken and what God wanted. If you
aren't that sure about your experience, then ignore it and be on your way. Develop the regular spiritual discipline of immediately dismissing every single thought or impression which seems to come to
you rather than from
you. If you become aware that you might not be the source of a thought or impression, if it is something that you did not intend with your own will, if it did not spring naturally from within you, and if you are also able to think that the source might not be God, if you are able to even ask the question, "Who are you?" -- then don't evaluate the input…
ignore it. Filter out everything you can which does not originate within you yourself. It may take time to train yourself to notice what is going on within your mind and spirit, to become aware of these
dynamics. You may find it difficult to discern what is internal and external, and feel uneasy upon the discovery that you have largely been driven by a constant stream of external suggestions and impressions, that you
have not been living intentionally and deliberately on our own, that you have not been thinking and feeling for yourself. We have all lived under this debilitating stream, for it is in this type of spiritual and mental passivity
that the enemy "works in the children of disobedience." (Eph 2:2) Such passivity of the mind is the chief basis of demon possession, (see the classic, Once we become
children of God, by the power of God we must train our minds to resist the enemy's constant attempts, like a relentless spiritual parasite, to live through us in this manner. Learn to ignore his every nudge, every whisper, every
smooth suggestion, every clamor... everything that is offered to us -- we do not need any of it. In Christ we may ignore him entirely and learn to think and feel and act in progressively greater freedom. Resisting the enemy is
truly a battle, and we grow in it over time as we walk this out in the power of God. The discipline is basic to what the Bible calls, "girding up the loins of your mind" (1 Pe 1:13), and it is foundational in It is foolish then, understanding how God works in believers, as well as how the enemy does, to try to hear from God, to quiet Walk in wisdom. Be content with the revelation that God has already provided, and with the way that He has chosen to reveal Himself. If you really do need direct, special, supernatural revelation then God will
certainly provide it at the right time and very clearly. Meanwhile, avail yourself of the means that God has already provided for you to discern His will. Spend a LOT of time in the Bible, memorizing it, meditating on it, obeying
it, asking Him to teach you and give you wisdom. Connect often with spiritual brothers and sisters and listen for truth and wisdom in them. Be humble, carefully considering any kind of criticism, and repent promptly when in error.
Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Look often at the stars and revel in the beauty and power of God's creation. Hear them declare His glory and majesty to you. Look for truth where God has already
placed it, and don't take ultimate comfort or find your significance in anything or anyone but God Himself. Rejoice over Him all the time... and you will find that the hunger for that "rhema" word of God... is
finally and completely satisfied.
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