Hearing God's Voice

In a world with so many different distractions and filled with violence, it feels like now more

than ever, believers (including myself) have a difficult time hearing the voice of God. We

become so distracted with school, work, family, social media, the president election, etc.

that we just completely miss hearing God’s voice. Often times you hear believers say “I just

want to hear God’s voice” or “How do I know that this is God speaking to me”?  Let me ask

you this, if you got lost in a crowded place, would you be able to identify the voice of a loved

one from the voice of a stranger? I know if I was to get lost from a family member or a close

friend, and they called me by name, I would instantly know that it is them because I know

them, I have a relationship with them, and because they called me by name. If you know

someone you also know their voice, and when they call you, without even looking at them

you are able to identify them because you know their voice and you spend time with them.

The same thing can be said with our relationship with God, in order to know and hear God’s

voice, we have to spend time with Him, and we have to know who He is. When God calls us

be name we are able to know it is God calling us, if we have an intimate relationship with

God our father. I know if my earthly father called me by name I would know it was him

calling me, and I would answer his voice. The same needs to be said with God who is our

heavenly Father, when He calls us we need to 1. know it is God calling us, and 2. answer

God’s voice.

Each and every moment of the day, we must choice whether we are going to become

distracted by this world and block the opportunity to hear God’s voice, or to put earthly

things aside and to get into the word of God so that we can hear God’s voice. John 10:1-5;

27 says. “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the

gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the

gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep

listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has

brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they

know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him

because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know

them, and they follow me. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I read these verses it

makes me want to shout because God is my shepherd, and He leads the way if I allow

Him to. Now, there are a couple of things these verse point out. First of all God is our

shepherd because He should be the head over our lives, taking care of us and providing for

us. Accepting God into your lives is the only way to get accepted into Heaven, and because

of this as the scripture states, only God who is our shepherd can enter the gate. The enemy

(the devil) cannot go through the gate, and so he will use whatever tactic he can to cross the

gate and to rob the shepherd of His sheep. Even though the devil tries to steal the

shepherd’s sheep, true sheep of the shepherd does not follow the voice of the robber

because they do not follow the voice of a stranger. And the ones that do follow the voice of

a stranger are in fact goats, and not sheep, because sheep do not follow the voice of the

enemy. 


get into the word! We have to read God’s word, and go to Him in prayer in order to have a

relationship with God. Like any other relationship it takes time and effort to get to know

someone, and the same can be said with our relationship with God. If we truly have a

relationship with God we can tell whether it is God, ourselves or the devil that is speaking to

us. And let me tell you knowing which of the three that is talking to you plays a major

impact on how you live your life. If you start to listen to the voice of the devil you will be off

track with God’s purpose for your life, and you will start to feel horrible about yourself. But if

you listen to the voice of God, you will be following the purpose He has for your life, you will

obey God and abide in His word. By obeying God you will have this sense of confidence in

Him, and even through the difficult times you can still find a way to feel good about yourself

and to be confident in God and His promises for your life. If you are questioning whether it is

God or the devil that you are listening to, there are key factors that can help you determine

who you are listening too. If you are listening to the devil than negative thoughts we will form

in your mind, you will feel rushed, scared, confused, condemned, stressed, discouraged,

and worried. However if you are listening to God’s voice you will feel still, reassured,

encouraged, led by God, forgiving, calm, empowered, and comforted. So you must be alert

to who you are listening to. The way you live your life and how you feel will show you

whether your listening to God or the devil. But it’s up to us to make sure that every second

we are following God’s voice and not the voice of the stranger.

Remember that it is never too late to listen to the voice of God, if you have been listening to

yourself and the devil for many years, than now is the perfect time to form a relationship

with God and to learn the sound of His voice. Just remember that the voice that you listen to

can determine where you spend eternity. You have to ask yourself is my friends and family,

job or anything else in my life blocking me from hearing God’s voice? Or are they

encouraging me and leading me to hear the voice of God. And always remember that God

longs to have a relationship with you. He wants you to hear His voice, and he wants to have

a friendship with you. God is talking, and He is waiting to have a conversation with you.   

Now it’s up to you to make sure you hear the voice of God.