How to Listen to God
Learning how to listen to God’s voice is not a checklist of things you get done before He speaks to you. It is NOT like getting ready for work or starting a DIY project.
Preparing your heart to hear God is a lifestyle you seek to develop! You can add this to your spiritual goals, but it is a constant state of living in the presence of God!
How can we listen to God, and how can we know that He is speaking to us? Well, one thing we can know for sure is that He is always seeking to communicate with us!
Do not expect that He will only do so once you’ve marked everything off on the list because He can and does “talk” to us at any time!
These are ways to prepare or condition your spirit to recognize when God is speaking!
#1. Be Close to God (Fix Your Receivers).
You need to be close to God. You need to develop a personal relationship with Him! Get your spiritual receivers tuned in to His station. There are so many ways you can work towards building a relationship with God today!
#2. Give God the Authority.
Pray and declare that the Lord has the authority over your spirit! Permit Him to communicate with you! Galatians 5:25 says that if we live by the Spirit, we should also walk by the Spirit.
You have to let go of control of your life by handing it over to God! You need to declare that you want to hear from God openly and that you are listening!
#3. Study the Word of God.
John 1:1 tells us that Jesus Christ is the Word! If you want to hear from God, read His Word; often, He will communicate with us directly from the Bible! You can learn how to listen to the Word of God by simply reading the Bible!
Look at Bible verses about listening to God and not man, such as Acts 5:29!
#4. Be Still.
Practice being silent and listening to God! Get away from the noise and distractions. Be still in the presence of God. Stop keeping a full schedule and make time for God.
Use your quiet time to hear God speaking.
#5. Consider Your Motives.
Why do you want to hear from God? Do you want clarity? Are you in need of comfort?
Are you seeking an opportunity to boast? Do you want to be made to feel special?
Consider your motives when listening to God! If your motives are selfish, materialistic, or prideful, your own thoughts can block out God! One way that you can do this is by always seeking God and His will first!
#6. Don’t Force Your Will.
You cannot force God’s will to match your own. If you want to listen to God, you need to be prepared to hear anything and everything He wants to tell you.
There may be times that God reveals truths that you didn’t want to hear or prophecies that seem scary. When listening to God, you need to hear to understand, not to respond.
#7. Practice Active Listening.
You need to practice active listening in your daily life. When you communicate with others, do you seek to understand what they are saying, or are you waiting for your opportunity to talk?
Pay attention when others are talking, and notice how you respond! Learn from this and apply it to the way you pray!
There are many ways to practice being a good listener.
#8. Obey God.
Obedience is key to our relationship with God. God says we cannot truly claim to know Him if we are not living in obedience to His Word. If you expect to communicate with God, you need to know Him. If you want to know Him, you need to obey Him.
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