One of the greatest benefits of our salvation is the ability to hear from God. When we get saved, we come into a relationship with God and, as with any relationship, communication is essential. There can be no intimate relationship with our Savior without it.
When we are born from above, we begin to hear the voice of God. Yes, God speaks and his voice is powerful! The worst problem we could possibly have is just one word from God away from a complete turnaround. God can speak one word that will set us free.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
It’s important to understand the way we communicate with God isn’t how we communicate in the physical realm. His spirit communicates with our spirit and it’s in the stillness that we hear his voice. 1 Kings 19:12 tells us God speaks in a “still, small voice,” but it’s often drowned out by all of the noise in our daily lives. If we’re not tuned into God’s voice, we’ll miss it.
When the spirit of God comes upon us, we receive the gift of discernment. We’re able to discern if something is from God or not. He speaks into our hearts; He tells us which direction to go in and corrects us when He needs to. He encourages us, He tells us when we’re wrong, He tells us when to pray, He tells us when to wait and when to move. He’s not a distant, impersonal God. He’s close to us and he never steers us wrong. Whenever I’m trying to discern the will of God, I look for a sense of internal peace to confirm whether or not something is from God. If I don’t feel at peace, I know it’s not from God because God is the author of peace, not confusion.
“Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.” Colossians 3:15
In order to hear from God, you have to talk to him. When you’re facing an important decision, Go to God in prayer. Then you must listen for him. Many Christians have no problem talking to God, but afterwards, we often forget to be still and quiet ourselves so we can hear clearly from him. The problem isn’t that God doesn’t speak; the problem is that we’re not tuned in. If you feel your prayers are a one-way conversation, make sure you’re giving him the opportunity to speak. Learn to be still before God. Lean in; seek him with your whole heart and He will respond.