Hearing God

Written by Doug Addison - Monday, 18 October 2004

Used on this Blog with permission of Doug Addison

Learning to hear God is a lifelong process, but getting started is really quite simple. Without realizing it we can limit the ways that God can speak to us. Learning to hear God is a lifelong process, but getting started is really quite simple. Without realizing it we can limit the ways that God can speak to us. Most Christians can hear God speaking through the Bible, or through prayer. You may hear people say that they felt led or prompted by God to do something. These are the most common ways that people hear God. In the Bible, God communicated with people in a variety of creative ways. There is no limit in what He can do and how He can speak. Many Christians are aware of at least a few of the ways God spoke to people in the Bible. God spoke to Joseph and Daniel through dreams. Others were sent messages by prophets, angels, and even handwriting on a wall. In the New Testament, there are an assortment of spiritual gifts described that enable a Christian to hear and interact with God and other people. Some popular references are 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and Romans 12. When God speaks or reveals something to a Christian, it is called a revelatory gift. Just to be clear, let me give a brief outline some of main revelatory gifts. Word of knowledge: This is something that God tells you that you couldn’t have otherwise known about a person or situation. It’s usually something about the past or present. Word of wisdom: This is a much higher form of wisdom, advice, or resolution than what you could come up with on your own. You might call it “inspired” and it often cuts to the root issues of a situation. Prophecy: This is a message from God about a future situation. Dreams & visions: These are more unusual and not easily understood but over a third of the Bible relates to God speaking in this way. There are many misconceptions about the purpose and use of these gifts in the church. In 1 Corinthians 14:3 we see that “…everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.” Notice this verse speaks about building people up, not pronouncing judgment or correction. We would do well to stay within these parameters when hearing God for other people. I believe that we must practice hearing God. When I first heard the idea of practicing I wondered if we were actually okay to do, or if it would be like trying to predict the future or something. But the fact is that practice is necessary to grow and mature in our spiritual lives. Here are some of the highlights of how to remove roadblocks and hear God for yourself and others. Believe that God is still speaking and wants to communicate with you. With this mindset, you’ll likely discover that God is speaking to you more than you ever guessed. Be less busy. Taking time out to regularly sit and be quiet and focus yourself on God can really open the lines of communication. You’ll find that your productivity will go up and your stress levels will go down also. Consider doing less of anything that you use in place of spending time with God. Read the Bible regularly. It’s a good way to get to know God’s character and what He’s like. Often God will impress a certain verse to you that will mean something significant. God will never say something to you that is contrary to what He says in the Bible. Respond to what He says to you. Write it down. Apply it to your life. If it seems appropriate, tell it to others who might benefit. Value God’s words to you, treat them like treasure. Learning to hear God in everyday life for ourselves and for others is one of the most exciting aspects of being a Christian. By practicing listening, we become more receptive to the Holy Spirit and more in tune with what God is saying. Keep in mind that often God will tell you something about someone or their situation and it’s just so you can pray for them. At other times, it’s to bring lasting change and draw them closer to a relationship with Him. There are number of ways we can use the revelatory gifts to reach people with the love of God. I do a workshop on how to get “Encouraging Words” for people and share them in everyday language. Encouraging Words are really words of knowledge or prophecy in non-religious terms. We find that most people really are open to hearing from God in this way, and that most Christians are surprised at how effective and uncomplicated it is to get encouraging words to share with others. Learning to listen for His voice is a good way to start. Doug Addison is the founder of InLight Connection in Los Angeles where he teaches courses on hearing God, dreams and visions, and the supernatural. Doug was a pastor, church planter, and the author of the book, Prophecy, Dreams, and Evangelism: Revealing God’s Love Through Divine Encounters. Doug trains and leads Dream Teams and Prophetic/Power Evangelism outreaches throughout the United States and around the world. Visit www.dougaddison.com for more information.