Hearing God everyday

God has not called us to simply come to church, hear a message, and leave unchanged. He has called us to carry His presence into our everyday lives—into our homes, workplaces, relationships and communities.

But to do that, we need to learn to recognise His voice.

Hearing God Is About Relationship

Hearing God is not a performance, nor is it reserved for a select few. Because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we have been given access to God.

The torn veil in the temple represented that access. Through Jesus, we can come into relationship and communion with the Father.

We don't hear God because we have earned the right to hear Him. We hear Him because Jesus made relationship with Him possible.

The starting point, therefore, is not striving harder to hear God. It is drawing closer to Jesus.

Learning to Recognise His Voice

God can speak in different ways—through Scripture, thoughts, impressions, dreams and visions. But not every thought or impression we have is from God.

This is where discernment becomes important.

There are essentially three voices we can encounter in our minds:

• The flesh—our own selfish desires and reasoning.
• The accuser—bringing guilt, shame, condemnation and discouragement.
• The Lord—drawing us towards Himself and leading us in His truth.

How do we know which voice we are hearing?

We measure what we hear against the Word of God and the character of God. The more we know Scripture and understand God's heart, the easier it becomes to recognise what sounds like Him.

God's voice will never contradict His Word or His character.

And we should not disqualify ourselves by thinking, “God wouldn't speak to someone like me.” Learning to hear God is part of growing in relationship with Him.

A Mind Governed by Love

There is another important part of learning to hear God: our hearts need to be governed by love.

Scripture tells us to follow the way of love and to desire spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy. But the order matters.

We chase Jesus, not the gift.

We don't pursue prophecy, anointing, influence or position for their own sake. We pursue Christ. As we grow closer to Him, His love begins to shape the way we hear, respond and minister to others.

Prophecy is not about impressing people or proving that we can hear God. It is about edifying, encouraging and comforting others.

That means our heart should be willing to stand in the gap for people—to ask God to show us what is on His heart and to allow our hearts to be moved by the things that move His heart.

What Do We Do With What We Hear?

Hearing God is only part of the journey. We also need to learn how to steward what He says.

A prophetic word is not something we simply receive and then assume will automatically happen exactly as we imagined. We need to bring it before God, seek His direction and allow Him to lead us in how we respond.

Sometimes we add our own interpretation to what God has said and then become disappointed when things don't unfold as we expected.

There can be a significant gap between receiving a word and seeing its fulfilment. That waiting can be difficult, but it can also be part of the process God uses to prepare us.

Our responsibility is not to force the outcome. It is to remain close to Jesus and obedient to what He is showing us.

From Hearing to Doing

As we learn to hear God and respond in obedience, our faith grows. We begin to expect God to move—not only in church, but in the ordinary places of our lives.

Imagine walking into your workplace knowing that you carry the presence of Jesus with you.

Imagine being sensitive to the person who needs encouragement, the colleague who needs prayer, or the opportunity God has placed in front of you.

This is what it means to “leak” Jesus into our everyday world.

We are not meant to keep what God has given us inside the church. We are equipped so that we can go out and serve, love, encourage and bring the refreshing presence of Jesus wherever we go.

The Goal Is Jesus

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to become better at hearing God's voice.

The goal is Jesus.

We want to be close enough to Him to recognise His voice, humble enough to respond, and surrendered enough to allow His love to flow through us.

So perhaps the question is not only, “Can I hear God?”

It is also:

Am I close enough to Jesus to recognise His heart?

Am I willing to obey when He speaks?

And am I allowing His love to govern the way I use what He gives me?

Because when hearing God is joined with a mind governed by love, we don't simply hear His voice—we become people through whom others can encounter Him in the everyday.