TLDR
You were created to walk in constant communion with your Father. Hearing God’s voice isn’t complicated—it’s about identity, intimacy, and truth. If you’re born again, you already have access to His voice. But if your soul isn’t lined up with your spirit, you’ll keep hearing lies from the enemy. Dive into the Word, pray in the Spirit, and stop letting shame and guilt cloud what Jesus paid for. This is about knowing who you are and Whose you are. You can hear from God—and He’s always speaking.
Knowing Your Identity Is Crucial to Hearing From God
I don’t believe God wants anyone living in a fog, especially when it comes to His voice. The Bible says in John 10:27 (NASB), “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…” and in John 10:5 (NASB) “… a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” That means hearing God’s voice isn’t for the elite—it’s for every believer.
But here’s the deal: if your mind is full of shame, guilt, and regret, it’ll be nearly impossible to tune into what He’s saying. You’ve got to be free—free in your conscience, free in your soul, and grounded in truth. God’s not playing hide-and-seek. He wants intimacy, and intimacy starts with believing what Jesus paid for.
So how do you hear God clearly? It begins with your identity. Ephesians 5:1, 2 (NASB) says to “… be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love …” You can’t imitate someone you’re not spending time with. This isn’t about religious performance—it’s about relationship. Hearing from God starts when you stop striving and start resting in who He says you are.
How to Hear God’s Voice Starts With the Word
You’ve got to love the Word. Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) tells us it’s “living and powerful… sharper than any two-edged sword …” That means the Word isn’t just ink on a page—it’s God speaking, right now. And if you’re asking, “How can I hear the voice of God?” I’ll tell you: open your Bible and ask Him to breathe on it. Say, “Holy Spirit, I need Your help to see this clearly. I need Your voice to guide me.”
Reading the Bible without the Holy Spirit is like reading someone else’s mail. You’ll never get it until it becomes personal. But when the Word hits your spirit instead of just your brain—watch out. You’ll be transformed. You’ll stop chasing approval and start walking in authority.
Hearing From God Means Union, Not Confusion
Your spirit’s been made new, but your soul—your mind, will, and emotions—has to be trained. That’s where the battle is. That’s where the devil attacks. And if you don’t renew your mind, you’ll keep listening to the wrong voice. That’s why the Word says we’ve got to take every thought captive. You can’t afford to let lies live rent-free in your head.
Getting into the secret place is how to hear from God. Talk to Him. Let Him father you. When you’re praying in the spirit, worshiping in your car, or just listening quietly—He’s speaking. And when you start hearing Him, it changes everything. You’ll recognize His voice like the sound of home. You’ll know when it’s Him, and you’ll know when it’s the stranger.
When we’re intimate with God and His Word (and therefore are intimate with the truth), we know the character of God, and our identity as beloved sons and daughters is established. When we know the truth, then we can discern the voices that are not God. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He didn’t just say “go away” to the devil—He spoke the Word. If Jesus needed the Word to know the Father’s will and fight back, why do we think it would be any different for us as co-heirs to the promises of God?
Recognizing God’s Voice
The devil wants to shut you off from ever hearing God’s voice. The first voice you need to hear is the voice of God saying that you are His son or daughter, in whom He is well pleased! If you hear and receive this, it won’t matter what the enemy tries to say because this truth never wavers and never changes. God made up His mind when Jesus was crucified—and Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world. WOW! This means you were on God’s mind and heart before you were ever born. He knew you, He thought about you, and He had plans for you—all for your welfare.
What if you thought about ten thoughts God has about you instead of the fifty lies the devil tries to tell you? I guarantee that if you meditated on just those ten thoughts every day, you would be overwhelmed by God’s love for you. There would be no room for condemnation, guilt, or shame from the enemy to rest in your heart. I encourage you today to grab hold of His
thoughts for you. His plans for you are to prosper you, not to harm you—to give you a future and a hope. This is the finished work of Christ—His nearness, His voice, His presence.
Don’t let the enemy have even a second to land in your mind with his lies. When they come, recall and thank God for what is true based on His Word. You are His son or daughter, in whom He is well pleased!
-Todd White