Positioning Yourself to Hear the Voice of God

by Dr. Gary Linton | Updated February 18th, 2023

Throughout Biblical history God spoke to His people. He spoke to Adam and Eve shortly after He created them and after the fall (Genesis 1-3). God spoke to Abraham on numerous occasions (Genesis 12-22). He spoke to Noah concerning the flood and building an ark (Genesis 6-9). All the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles claimed to hear from God. Is there any reason why we should not expect to hear from Him as well?

God is still speaking today. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Hearing from God is a must if we are going to pursue Him, His will and be all He has called us to be and do. God is always speaking. If we are going to hear from Him, we must simply learn to tune into His voice.

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Develop a Listening Ear

“Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, today if you will hear His voice” (Hebrews 3:7). Are you listening for His voice? We spend a lot of time talking to God in prayer, but we must also spend time listening. In your prayer time, set apart a segment of it to be still before Him and listen (Psalm 46:10).

Keep a pen and notepad with you and write down anything you hear from Him. You say, “But what if I don’t hear from Him correctly?” Practice makes perfect. You will probably not get everything right at first, but as you practice listening to His voice it will become clearer.

Stay in the Word

God has already spoken to us through His Word. If we are not going to listen to His written, revealed Word, why should we expect Him to speak further to us? If we stay in His Word, we’ll find He will begin to speak to us supernaturally through the Holy Spirit.

Go to Church

The believers of Antioch were in church when they heard from God concerning Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-2). They positioned themselves in the proper setting to hear from the Lord. We must put first things first – be faithful in the little things (Luke 16:10). Start by being in church if you want to hear from God. If we can’t start there, God probably isn’t going to speak to us in our quiet time.

Worship

When they heard from God, the Antioch believers were not only in church, but they were also actively involved in worshiping and ministering to the Lord. It was as they “ministered to the Lord and fasted” that the Holy Spirit spoke (Acts 13:2). There is something about worship that makes it a major catalyst for the Holy Spirit to speak to His people.

In 2 Kings 3 Elisha was requested to speak to the kings of Israel and Judah. He first requested a minstrel or musician. Before he could hear the Word of the Lord, there was a time of worship and praise (2 Kings 3:15). Worship is a powerful instrument in our preparation to hear from God. Never take lightly the function of worship in the house of God or your personal worship times.

Fast

The believers at Antioch were not only in church worshiping, but they were also fasting. Fasting does not make God speak but rather prepares and positions us to hear His voice. God is always speaking to His people, but we must clear out the things of this life and the flesh so we are able to tune in and hear Him clearly.

Servant-hood

Joshua was first Moses’ servant before God spoke to him (Joshua 1:1-2). Jesus said, “If you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who will give you that which is your own” (Luke 16:12). Elisha served and followed Elijah faithfully before entering into his own ministry (1 Kings 19:19-21, 2 Kings 2).

Giving

Jesus said, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (money), who will commit to your trust true riches” (Luke 16:11). Malachi challenged God’s people about tithing, and when they failed to obey, God was silent 400 years until the coming of John the Baptist (Malachi 3:6-12). We cannot purchase God’s favor, but giving definitely opens us up to being able to hear from God.

Sacrifice

Acts 13:2 – “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said…” The Antioch church was fasting, not of compulsion, but of free will. God was moved by their sacrifice and spoke to them. They sacrificed (seeking His will and heart), as a result, they heard the voice of the Lord.

Do God’s Will

Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). If we are not willing to do what God tells us to do, why should He continue to speak to us? “To everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away” (Matthew 25:29).

If we do what He says, He will give us more. If we don’t heed His Words, He will stop speaking until we are ready to follow through in obedience. If we obey step one, He will give us step two, step three and so on. If not, He will stop at step one. Let’s do whatever He tells us, no matter how great the sacrifice. We must walk in the light He gives us if we expect God to shine additional light down the path of life for us.

God desires to speak to us today just as He did in Biblical times. Let’s learn to tune into His voice by properly positioning ourselves to hear from Him.