LISTENING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
John 10:27 (NIV)
God speaks daily, but learning to hear and know His voice takes time and effort. We must train ourselves to be sensitive to His Spirit. Many would say they pray or talk to God, but prayer isn’t just talking to God. Prayer is learning to listen to His voice. The truth is we need to hear from God more than He needs to hear from us. He loves to hear from us, as our Father, but His words are life for us. Listening reminds us that God isn’t some far-off Father but that He’s with us, right beside us, even as we read these words.
This passage speaks about God being our Shepherd. A sign that we’re being rooted in the Spirit is that we’re learning to listen to His voice. In the busyness of life, it can be challenging to hear the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit. We live in a world filled with noise—the loud distractions of work, social media, news, the TV and even our racing thoughts. The good news is that the more you listen, the more you can discern His voice. It begins with a desire to hear His voice. We must see the importance of listening to God. I remind you there has never been a spiritually hungry person who God hasn’t filled up, but they had to want it. In the same way, an ability to hear from God begins first with a desire to hear from God.
So, how do we cultivate a heart sensitive to the Spirit's voice? Here are a few ways:
- Seek God’s Presence Regularly: Make it a habit to spend quiet time with God in prayer and Bible study. The more you immerse yourself in His Word, the more attuned you’ll become to His voice. When you become friends with someone, you can think and even speak like them. You learn their voice. The same is true with God.
- Practice Stillness: Just as Jesus often withdrew to isolated places to pray (Luke 5:16), we, too, need moments of solitude to connect with God.
APPLICATION: Today, practice making room for quiet moments with God so you can hear His voice.
PRAYER: Ask God to increase your longing for His voice and to give you a deep desire to spend time listening for Him to speak. Read John 10 and then ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?