Do you hear God? How? An audible voice? A vision? A dream? A thought in your mind? Have you ever received a word or message from God?
God is Speaking
The question is: Are humans listening? “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts … ” (Hebrews 3:15).
A Gallup 1999 analysis reportedly said 23 percent of all Americans have heard a voice or seen a vision. Religious leaders say they hear more phrases like “God told me” or “the Holy Spirit laid it on my heart” to take some action.
Scriptures on Hearing the Voice of God
Joel 2:28-29
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
Visions and Dreams from God
What is a vision? I think it is like a video or dream playing in your mind when you are wide awake. A dream would be the same except you are asleep. It is so impactful that you focus on it above anything else. It is like a video from an external source merges with your earthly living.
I had a vision once in my life about 2 weeks after becoming a Christian. I was driving to work and I “saw” Jesus sitting in my passenger seat. He showed me his hands with the nail marks. Í touched the wounds in His hands. He said nothing, but I felt Jesus was saying I needed to do His will, not just accept Him as Savior.
This was almost 30 years ago but I remember this like it happened yesterday. I don’t think I ever had another vision. I mentioned it to other Christians and they looked uncomfortable like they had never had visions themselves. Joel mentions dreams and visions but my experience is they are rare.
Thoughts from God
I have had many thoughts from God. These are foreign thoughts entering my mind from an outside source. They are good and they glorify God. I think this type of message from God is much more common.
After each of my and my wife’s parents died I prayed to God asking if they were in Heaven, and got a positive “yes” thought. In times of trouble like job loss I often perhaps oddly found myself praising God, and I got positive thoughts of comfort and to trust God.
When we started our God-directed path of leading a 5 year ministry to foster children, foster care and adoption, I got a message from God saying “yes” when I asked if we should do this ministry or accept this child. Numerous years later we fostered 6 children and adopted 3. Foster care and adoption are truly sacrificial service to God, and an awesome, lifelong in the case of adoption, experience to take.
In the last few weeks I got a 1 word message from God: “Regen”. My wife had attended the Regeneration ministry for a few months which is a Christian recovery ministry, but I thought I had few problems and I was managing them. I immediately started attending and learned I had many problems to work on. God has continued weekly giving me insights about my recovery.
I think hearing an audible voice from God is very rare. Maybe a thought from God is so loud that a person describes it as an audible voice.
Impressions from God are small thoughts or feelings. It may be approval or letting you know He is present. These are very frequent.
If it is originating from outside your own mind, it is good, it does not go against the Bible, and it glorifies God, then it is from God.
How do you know if it is from God?
How to get messages from God?
I think God frequently wants to communicate with us, but we are not listening. God is always directing us, leading us, warning us, encouraging us, promising us, comforting us .
I hear God while studying His word or worshiping. Times I am in the spirit. Get out of your flesh and in your spirit by focusing on God. Our spirits have direct communication with the Holy Spirit of God.
Get rid of sin in your life that is separating you from God and muting your prayers. Jesus is our Lord so surely He has to give us directions. Listen to God and He will speak.
Have a desire to join God’s work. God communicated with me to encourage and comfort me, to give me instructions on the path I should take, and to make changes so I become more holy and improve my marriage and other relationships.
God wants the best for you, so listen, obey and trust.
