Discerning the voice of God…

Hey Yall!

For most of my Christian walk I’ve made the claim:

“I don’t hear God” or “He doesn’t speak to me”

I would listen to the testimonies of others around me, claiming God told them to take a specific highway, or even that God showed them a clear and distinct path in a specific area of concern. I would hear these types of testimonies over and over again with different scenarios, but it all came down to the same thing; They HEARD God speak to them. I interpreted their stories to mean that there was a very audible, comprehensible voice that spoke to them in a way that was undeniable. Just like Moses and the burning bush. A voice called out from the bush and held a conversation with the unsuspecting Moses. 

If you haven’t guessed yet,

I can be a very literal person.

So, because I didn’t recognize the very audible voice of the Lord, I was convinced that He hadn’t spoken to me. God was speaking to everyone around me but me! I was so convinced that I believed I was making a liar out of God. How did I do that? Great question!

The Bible says that my sheep hear my voice… Now if you’ve read my book, Your Relationship With You, you know exactly what a lie is. Say it with me,

So, if His sheep can HEAR Him and I consider myself His sheep, then I should be able to hear Him, right? Right! So, what was happening?

Well, I wanted to get to the bottom of this question. I started by studying the writings and teachings of Priscilla Shirer. She has resources on top of resources on the topic of discerning the voice of God. It was incredibly helpful! One of the most fundamental ways to hear from God is by reading the Bible which is what I always refer to as the Word of God.

Simply put, the Word of God (the Bible) is the voice of God.

His voice and glory are waiting to be unfolded in the pages of His Holy Book. He speaks to His people in a very real way. It is a Living Word. It speaks to the precise needs of every person based on their specific situation. If there were levels to discerning His voice, the Bible would be level one. There’s no skipping to level two without starting at level one. Now please note, there are some of us that have encounters with God without ever reading the Bible; but even in those instances, the individual is often led right back to the Bible to confirm or even validate their experience. Reading and studying the Bible builds our relationship with God. It allows us to get to know Him by what is laid out before us in the pages of this incredible life resource.

I always loved reading and studying the Bible, but I saw it as more of a historical text than the actual Word of God. I loved the stories within it and always felt “connected” to God by reading His Word. I even started being able to apply His Word to situations in my life which is a clear sign of growth and maturity in our walk with the Lord. But I still wasn’t hearing the audible voice of God…. (Are you starting to see how I was missing it?)

Even in my frustration from the lack of “hearing” from God, I would talk and pour into loved ones, post my videos on social media, and mentor young people,

but I still wanted that “audible voice” experience I’d heard so much about!

A teaching I attended reminded me to hold on to the Word of God and stop cursing my life. I removed the phrases “I don’t hear God” or “He doesn’t speak to me” from my language. I started speaking those things that were not, as though they were. I started proclaiming,

“God speaks to me!”

The Bible tells us that as a man thinks so is he. So I refused to keep calling God a liar! I KNEW better, no matter how I perceived things. I did this for months and months until finally, I started recognizing how God speaks to me.

God speaks to me in the thoughts I have and in the things I say. I truly believe those earlier testimonies were also God speaking to them in their thoughts, but I didn’t catch it (palms forehead).

The Bible talks about God speaking in a still small voice. I have that still small voice all the time!

I could mention something in passing, or say “I think this, or that”, and sure enough this or that would actually be a God thought or statement. Perfect example, I’ve said for years that I don’t want to live in this country. I started traveling in my twenties, I’ve only ever traveled out of the country to Mexico, so how was I going to just move out of the country? Well, that answer I still don’t have, but it was confirmed by a prophet of the Lord that my errant thought of living out of this country was not a mere thought, but an ordained Godly plan and desire for my life. This confirmation occurred during the summer of 2021. Since that time, a number of so-called throw-away statements and errant thoughts have been confirmed to have been prophetic and Godly ordained in nature. 

I want to make this part very clear; God is Always speaking to His children.

He speaks in the form of His Word (the Bible), His prophets, and even those errant thoughts and throw-away statements I mentioned earlier. Don’t box God into a particular idea of how He should be speaking to you. We’re all unique and God is vast and unique enough to speak to you in the way that yields His greatest glory. Spend some time reading His Word, get to know His nature and personality (as much as any human can lol), and ask God to reveal His unique way of communicating with you. Additionally, if you’re anything like me, stop cursing your life and making God out to be a liar. His Word remains true, seek and you will find!

Ok yall, that’s all I have for today. Y'all be blessed and be a blessing to others. Love y’all! Bye!