Knowing the Voice of God: The Bible

God still speaks. Did you know that? He hasn’t stopped at any time, and the Bible never says that He has. In fact, the Bible tells us that those who are His should know His voice.

So, have you heard the voice of God? It doesn’t always come in the form of a thundering voice from the sky. There are many ways He speaks. Let’s learn how we can hear from God in our own lives.

Learning How to Hear from God

The truth is, God has always been trying to speak with you. There are many ways He has reached out, but often we are not listening.

The Bible is one way God speaks to us. It is the most common way people hear His voice today. What the prophets wrote are the things He gave them to write. It is His written Word.

So if you would like to hear from God, you should open the Bible. His words are always there, ready to jump off the page.

But are we listening? We have the Bible—His Word—but often it just gathers dust on a bookshelf. Imagine that: the very Word of God, never being read.

Let’s be honest though—not all of us are bookworms. And since the Bible is a collection of 66 books, it can be a little intimidating. On top of that, the KJV is not the simplest form of English. So if you find it hard to pick up, you are not alone.

The Bible tells us that it is normal to have a hard time with studying. It doesn’t pretend that it should always be easy.

I believe sometimes we are far too hard on ourselves. I have thought to myself, “How can I say I love God if I don’t read His Word every day?” But I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s about quality, not quantity.

It’s important to read the Bible. If you can do it every hour of every day, that would be wonderful. But even reading just a chapter—or a few verses a day—is better than nothing. Still, if you don’t take time to really think about what you are reading, you won’t get as much out of it.

The word meditate is often used improperly today. People think it is supposed to be about emptying your mind. But the Bible isn’t talking about this new-age spiritual nonsense.

Meditation is about thinking. It means you are deeply considering whatever you meditate on. It isn’t emptying your mind—it’s filling it up!

Sometimes we are guilty of reading through the Bible as if it were just something to get through. We don’t really think about it as we speed along. But sometimes it’s better to stop reading for a day or two and start meditating on what you have already read. That’s how you really fill your mind with His Word.

Take time to digest the Scriptures. Treat them like a good meal. You aren’t supposed to just swallow as much food as you can, as fast as you can, for as long as you can. You taste it. You chew on it. Then you go about your day with it working inside of you until you are hungry again.

These verses speak of a time when the Word of God would be hard to come by. But notice—it doesn’t say the famine is due to a lack of preaching. It is due to a lack of hearing.

We are told that people will seek the Word of God, but they will not be able to find it. Why? Because they cannot hear what they refuse to listen to. So they search for another word.

Notice that the people want to hear—but they only want to hear things that please them. They hear the truth, and rather than taking it to heart, they ignore it. They shut their ears. Then they go searching for something else. They find teachers they can agree with.

Everyone likes to hear things we already believe and agree with. There’s nothing wrong with being reminded of good things. But that doesn’t mean we should shut our ears to anything else.

Because sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks truth that doesn’t agree with what you already believe. Sometimes He corrects your false beliefs. But if you aren’t willing to consider anything else, you become unteachable.

Hearing Clearly

Sometimes we are listening, but not hearing correctly.

Have you ever tried talking with someone who couldn’t quite hear you? You ask, “Do you want some coffee?” and they answer, “No, I don’t have the car keys.”

It can be frustrating—but put yourself in their shoes. They really thought they understood you. Now they’re frustrated with you for telling them they didn’t hear you correctly.

I think this happens a lot when the world hears Christians. We say, “Repent,” but what they hear is, “I’m better than you!” We cry out, “Jesus saves,” but what they hear is, “I want you to go to hell!” We say, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life,” but they hear, “You deserve to die!”

What would you do if you were the one who couldn’t hear well? You’d lean in closer. You might cup your ear to catch the sound. If you still couldn’t understand, you’d probably ask someone to write it down for you.

Those who want to hear will lean in closer when they realize they may have gotten it wrong. Those who don’t will turn away and stop listening. This is another reason people find it hard to hear from God.

They already believe they know what He says. They already have their theology worked out. So when they hear something that challenges that, they don’t think they need to pay closer attention. They just stop listening.

There’s a reason God has sent teachers into the world. Sometimes we need a little help understanding things. Too often, we listen only long enough to argue back—trying to teach the Teacher instead of learning.

What we really need to do is listen first to understand. Then we can understand the opposing view well enough to either accept it as true or get to the heart of its error.

So let me ask you this: what should you do if you want to hear from God? Would you read the Bible? Would you spend time trying to understand it and apply it to your life? Would you seek the Word of God even if it doesn’t agree with you? Just how far are you willing to go to become able to hear the Holy Spirit?

Obviously, God doesn’t limit Himself to speaking only through Scripture. I have, however, found it to be the most common way He speaks to us. And He isn’t going to go against what He has already said in the Bible.

God still speaks in many ways—but never against His Word. And if we want to hear Him clearly, the Bible is where we must begin. We will talk about other ways God speaks to us in the next few units.

Continue To Unit 4:5 – Knowing the Voice of God: What Is a Prophet OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 4 – The Baptism of the Holy Spirit