Praying Every Day for Hearing the Voice of God: Practical Steps for a Christian

There I was in a business meeting with God, needing to make some decisions, but I wasn’t hearing the voice of God. If you’re confused, God is the owner of One Exceptional Life, and I am His CEO. As His business partner, I wanted some clarity on which path I should take this year. But if I was to get better at listening to God’s voice, I needed some practical steps. Seriously, How do you know when God is speaking to you?

Thankfully, Lisa Marie, a fellow “Jesus Girl” and writer for Daily Effective Prayer, an online prayer ministry, has some great thoughts on the subject. Please join me in welcoming her as our guest contributor today.

As Christians, it is essential that we learn how to hear God’s voice. This skill will help guide us in our daily lives and keep us at the center of His will.

But, hearing God’s voice isn’t always easy. It always requires discernment between what the world tells us and what His Holy Spirit says.

Let’s explore practical steps for staying spiritually connected, developing our ability to hear the voice of God, and tips on responding when He has spoken to us.

Establishing a Spiritual Connection

Being connected to God spiritually is the only way to hear His voice and recognize His direction. Aside from giving our lives to Jesus, which is the first and foremost step toward connection, we strengthen our union with God through daily prayer, Bible study, and fellowship in His presence. 

Daily prayer allows us to come before the Lord and express our desires, thoughts, and petitions. It’s a conversation, and that means we also need to be quiet so that He can speak to us too.

Bible study helps us gain wisdom and understanding of walking with the Lord. By reading His Word, we can learn more about His character, promises, and how He speaks.

Fellowship with God encourages us to take time away from the hustle and bustle of life in order to be still before Him. It involves thinking about His promises and seeking His will in all aspects of life. This improves our capacity to pick out and discern His voice because the more time we spend with Him, the easier it becomes.

We increase and grow in discernment by asking for more of it and being obedient when God gives it to us.

Being connected to God spiritually is the only way to hear His voice and recognize His direction. #hearingGodsvoice #listeningtoGod #Christianliving #prayerworks Share on X

Practical Steps To Hearing the Voice of God

It can be challenging to hear God’s voice, as He doesn’t speak audibly. The Bible tells us that He whispers in our hearts and speaks through His Word and His Holy Spirit.

Here are some practical tips for effective discernment:

Daily Prayer

When endeavoring to hear the voice of God, daily prayer is essential. Prayer helps us create a time during our day when we can clear away distractions and focus on getting clarity about issues in our hearts. 

Prayer is a two-way street. We should keep our prayers open-ended in that we express ourselves before God without expecting or demanding a specific answer or outcome. 

When we pray, we must also take time to be quiet and let God speak. As we do this, we begin to learn to recognize His voice and keep ourselves open to His will concerning what we are praying about.

Fellowship

Fellowshipping with the Lord is spending time with Him. It is important to practice being still in His presence. This can be done literally, but at the very least, we should determine to calm our thoughts.

It is vital to focus on God because the world is a noisy place. There are many voices that try to get our attention, but the most important is recognizing the Holy Spirit’s voice above the rest. This becomes easier the more often that we fellowship with Him.

Reading the Bible

Spending time in the Word of God every day is also necessary if we are going to know God better and learn to hear His voice more clearly. 

As we read Bible passages slowly so that they seep into our minds and hearts with understanding, clarity about His will for our lives will gradually emerge. He’ll also show us action steps to take about why we’re seeking Him.

We meditate on scriptures by asking questions like:

“What does what I just read mean?” 

“How does this apply to my life?” 

“What does God want me to do?” 

“What does God think about this?” 

Answering these questions through quiet reflection allows us to gain insight into God’s character. This makes it easier to recognize His guiding hand and the way in which He speaks.

By consistently praying, fellowshipping in His presence, and reading the Bible daily, we make ourselves increasingly receptive, not just hearing from Him, but responding positively whenever God speaks into our lives.

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Responding When We Hear God’s Voice

Hearing from God can be an amazing experience. We are filled with joy and wonder at the knowledge that the One True God communicates directly with us. But what should we do next once He speaks?

The first way to respond is to consult the Bible for confirmation. We should ask ourselves if what we heard lines up with Scripture. If not, then it’s not God talking.

Additionally, we should pray about what we hear and faithfully seek assurance from trusted Christian friends or mentors who can help provide godly counsel in order to keep us on the right path.

On the other hand, some things should not be done after hearing from God or sensing His Spirit’s direction in our lives. 

Firstly, acting on impulse without checking the Bible or receiving input from others is never wise, as this could lead to poor choices and/or irreparable damage down the road. 

Secondly, never allow prideful thoughts to enter. Refuse to believe that only we can hear the voice of God and that we instantly know what He fully meant by what He said to us.

Pride can, and often does, hinder and slow our spiritual progress because we must never forget that He gives grace to the humble, and His ways are always higher than ours.

Hearing from God is an incredible privilege and should be approached with both reverence and humility. 

This includes being willing to obey even when His instructions aren’t what we were expecting or hoping for. 

In other words, we should let God lead us. We should not try to take the wheel away from Him. Instead, we go slow and let Him show us how to walk out what He said to us.

One Step At a Time

We all have the capacity for hearing God’s voice when He speaks if we are willing to take the time to be still. Our spiritual walk with the Lord is one step at a time. It takes practice, patience, trust, and faith in order for us to experience His divine guidance. 

By studying Bible scriptures, praying regularly, and attentively spending time in His presence, we can develop an intimate relationship with Him that enables us to recognize His voice much more quickly, so we no longer have to wonder, about how do you know when God is speaking to you?

Regardless of how we interpret what He says or what we do when He speaks, we must ensure our response reflects love and respect towards Him.

Hearing the voice of God requires an ongoing effort, so we shouldn’t lose heart. As we continue to seek Him every day through prayerful meditation, we will learn to recognize God’s voice more easily, even if it’s just a whisper.

About the Author:

Lisa Marie is passionate about Jesus and sharing Him with all those she meets. She is blessed to be a writer, a mom to 2 amazing children, and a wife to her wonderful husband. She is a regular contributor to Daily Effective Prayer, an online prayer ministry.

Following these principles for hearing the voice of God in my prayers has made it so much easier to know which direction to take in my business meetings with the Lord. I have been able to hear Him so much better, and One Exceptional Life has got some great plans for the future.

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