Listening to God’s voice with the intention of obeying is one of the most significant aspects of the Christian life. What we do in life is determined by the voice we listen to. Listening to the voice of the Lord and obeying what He says will bring blessings into your life. This is the Lord’s desire for you and every believer. When we ignore the voice of the Lord, it brings confusion and curses upon us, which is not God’s will.
You may be asking today, “How do I better hear the voice of the Lord?” Spending time with the Lord makes His voice easier to understand and recognize. Jesus tells us in John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.[1] The first step in hearing the voice of the Lord is a desire to listen and obey. The second step, I believe, is just as important, and that is praying that the Lord would give you the courage and strength to help you have an obedient heart.
The Consequences of Not Listening to God
The Israelites, in their sin, listened to the wrong voice. This resulted in their captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah 29:8Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord. [2]
Our enemy, satan, was working hard against the Israelites and is also working hard against us. He is the author of lies and confusion. The Lord warned the exiles that there would be consequences for not listening to Him. Jeremiah 29:18 Yes, I will pursue them with war, famine, and disease, and I will scatter them around the world. In every nation where I send them, I will make them an object of damnation, horror, contempt, and mockery. 19 For they refuse to listen to me, though I have spoken to them repeatedly through the prophets I sent.[3]
Growing in Hearing God’s Voice.
I have found these things helpful in hearing the Lord’s voice. Be alert and intentional to look for God to speak to you. The Lord speaks it in many ways, not always when we expect it. Mediate on the Scriptures by getting Scripture into your heart. Sometimes it is not how much we read but taking time to focus on small bits.
Take time to journal; you may be surprised how the Lord speaks through your writing. You can also worship outside of a church service. Take a walk as you think about God, meditate on a hymn, listen to Christian music or any other way which helps you focus on the Lord. The good news is the Lord wants to speak to you each day and does so as we tune into His frequency.
To learn more about listening to God’s voice, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/journey-exiled
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.