Hearing from the Lord is not something that needs to feel mysterious and only for the super religious. Hearing the voice of the Lord is your birthright as a child of God. And if it’s something that does sound foreign to you, know that you do it all the time without realizing it. That feeling of dissonance in your chest when you’re about to make a decision, the strange dream you had last night, or the sudden thought of an old friend so sharp that you know you should call her. Those are all nudgings of the Spirit and insights from Him. When you tune into them, pay closer attention them, invite them, you will see and hear them all around you. Here are a few tips for tuning in.
- Quiet what you’re taking in before bed and when you first wake up. Give your mind some quiet space to hear the Lord.
- Get in the Bible if you’re not already reading regularly. Ask the Lord what He’d like for you to read and focus on.
- Notice what you’re thinking about when you first wake up. Are you singing something in your mind? Did you have a dream? Is there a random phrase or word or number that is on your mind? Write them down and ask the Lord to reveal what He is trying to tell you. This is a time when the Lord loves to speak.
- Ask the Lord a few questions consistently in your time with Him. The ones I have been asking, are ones I learned and adapted from Lana Vawser. They are: Lord, what’s on Your heart this morning? What are you doing in the earth today? How can I prophesy, or what can I do in response to what I’m hearing from You? When I ask these questions, one at a time, I often hear a song in my mind, or get a picture or a single word or phrase. No matter how random or ridiculous it is, I write it down. And the Lord rewards my obedience and His voice flows from there. I find the Lord speaks to me through pictures and some words. But mostly pictures. He often points me to a scripture or references scripture in the words that I hear. And when I say I hear, I mean, I get an impression or I have a thought that didn’t originate with me. I’ve found that His voice comes into our mind – and can sound very similar to our own thoughts. That’s what I mean when I say, hearing the voice of God.
Experiment with it and see what you get. I’d love to hear your experiences with this!
I’ve included some favorite resources for learning to hear and discern the voice of the Lord below:
The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind
Translating God: Hearing God’s Voice for Yourself and the World Around You
The Discerner: Hearing, Confirming, and Acting on Prophetic Revelation