Just to be specific, we are going to discuss his rhema word, the spoken word. I do believe that he can speak through his written (logos) word as well, but I believe that a solid Christian walk will have both. They compliment each other and he uses his spoken word to augment and bring (experiential) life to what is written. They work together.
In John 10:27-31, Jesus says…
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”
So, if this is true, then why do so many Christians believe that God doesn’t talk or that he somehow stopped talking somewhere along the line? Does that really make any sense? Does a loving God who created us and wants relationship with us NOT talk? So, if this is such a common theme, then why?
I believe that in so many cases, people believe that God doesn’t talk because of their experience (or, in this case, lack of experience). In an effort to “justify” why they’ve never heard him, they adopt unrealistic and misguided theology that molds the bible to their experience, instead of their experience being molded to his word.
So, what if God is actually talking all the time? What if we just don’t hear him? What if his sheep really CAN hear his voice, but just don’t know it?
Here’s some simple ideas about hearing his voice. I hope they help…
Let’s start with a simple model of how the communication process works…
God and Jesus speak through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in our hearts. So, God and Jesus speak through the Holy Spirit directly into our hearts. And, contrary to public opinion, they are speaking a lot, if not all the time.
So, if this is true, then why aren’t we hearing them all the time? Oh, but wait, doesn’t the bible tell us to “pray without ceasing?"
After the rhema word enters your heart through the Holy spirit, there is a “translation” process that occurs before you have a cognitive knowledge of what they’ve said. If your translation isn’t quick enough, or your emotional vocabulary (future blog post on this idea) can’t faithfully represent what they’ve said, it’s VERY easy to miss the conversation.
Worse than this, though, is that if you don’t know to listen in your heart, you may miss the conversation all together. So many people want God to just speak to their “heads” and don’t even listen to their hearts. So many people have been taught that the heart is wrong, unreliable, or even worse, a liar and evil. In truth, your heart is a beautiful and amazing work of art. It is the phone line to God and Jesus.
OK, ok, I get the point. How do I hear Him?
The first step is to turn off your mind. The bible talks about getting quiet and even praying from your closet. The point here is to eliminate distraction. Isaiah heard the “still, small voice.” The voice of God is easily trampled by the things going on around you. IT TAKES PRACTICE TO HEAR HIS VOICE, and especially when starting out.
Next, begin with some praise. Think of things that bring you joy. Position yourself to ENJOY him. The joy of the Lord is your strength and this will help you to open your heart to the conversation. Music, art, praise, and many other activities engage your heart.
Start by asking very simple questions. Yes/No. Many people start way too big with questions that begin in “why?” “Why did you let that happen?” “Why doesn’t anyone like me?” “Why did you make the platypus?” Think about those questions for a second… how BIG does the response have to be to really answer them. As you grow in the conversation, the Lord will add to your “emotional vocabulary” and will be able to expand his answers and your understanding of them.
When you receive an answer, test it. How? Ask yourself a simple question - does it change your heart or understanding of God? Do you feel peace (not the absence of pressure, but a true feeling of joy)? Is something inside of you moved? Do you now see this from a new perspective or with a different (better) outcome? Those are the kinds of things that his voice will do in your heart.
Lastly, act in faith. Whatever he tells you must be consistent with his word and his personality as you know it. Use discernment, here. If he is asking you to act on something, and you discern that this is really him (remember, the Spirit will confirm this to you), then act on it in faith. Do you remember that Abram’s faith was accounted to him as righteousness? What does that mean? Well, in short, even if you’re wrong, God has made the wrongness righteous and will redeem it. It’s right up there with when Jesus tells the woman who was bleeding that her faith has healed her. There is undisputable power in faith (yes, even when misguided).
So, here’s the cliffs notes version (wish you’d known these were coming 30 minutes ago, huh?):
1) Turn off your mind, get quiet and somewhat secluded if possible
2) Praise, worship, adore
3) Ask simple questions, build your “emotional vocabulary”
4) Test answers - do you feel different? Look for divine perspective, understanding, compassion
5) Act (or don’t act if he’s telling you not to) in faith
Last important thing - he can speak in a variety of different ways. You will need to discover for yourself how he speaks to YOU…
1) Some people report hearing his voice in their heart. He sounds very much like them, but his voice carries a weight or authority that they do not have on their own.
2) Some people report pictures, visions, and even colors (something visual). Some people also watch him perform actions or do things that help them understand. There may or may not be any voice attached. If you are a highly visual or artistic person, check this one first.
3) Some people report an instantaneous understanding. No words, no pictures, just “knowing in their knower.” This is the most difficult to discern as they can often have trouble deciding if they’re hearing themselves or God. Go back to the test - does your heart change? Do you suddenly “know” something that seems bigger than you could have told yourself? Do you have revelation, compassion, spiritual growth?
What if I’m getting nothing?
1) You HAVE to be connected to the emotion of what’s going on! You can’t think or reason this one out. Push yourself to emotionally connect. If you aren’t (you get stuck, you “numb out,” or you are easily distracted), ask yourself what feels bad about pressing forward. Why would you NOT want to hear him (and be brutally honest)? Talk to him about that even if it’s a one sided conversation. Tell him how you feel and just keep yourself open to hearing something back.
2) You HAVE to have a context for him to speak into. A context is essentially a box built from your beliefs and feelings. That’s where he speaks. If you don’t have a full context for him to speak into, he may not be able to address your issue. Again, keep talking to him and looking for responses. Often, you will hear him asking you questions to help establish the context that he wants to speak into.
3) Check your own beliefs - are you really convinced that he does speak? If you have any belief or reason why he shouldn’t or can’t speak to you, then you’re the blockage. Talk to him about your reasons and beliefs and then be open to his response to help you understand how he wants to communicate with you.
Wow, this got so much larger than I thought it would. There’s plenty more on the subject and I’ll definitely be writing more as we go. I realize that there isn’t a lot of scripture in this post, so I’ll also be adding that in future posts so that you can better see where this info comes from.
-Shawn