Guard Your Gates (7 ways to hear God's voice-part 1)
Heeeeeyyyy y’all. We are back this week with another blog post and this week I feel led to share 7 ways to hear God’s voice. We are currently in a time where deception is at an all time high and if we are not discerning, vigilant and alert, we will give our ears to the wrong person, platform or social media personality. We have a responsibility to guard our gates. What exactly does that mean though? When we guard our gates, we are mindful and diligent about letting the right things in AND keeping the wrong things out. Gates in the natural are an entry point, something that things can enter through. The same applies spiritually. We have gates to our spirit, soul and body (we are triune beings) and we are commissioned to guard what we hear (or listen to), what we see and what is in our hearts.
God wants to make sure that we know His voice and that above all else that we can hear from Him and be led by the Holy Spirit. We must be intentional with creating an atmosphere to hear from Him and we must expect Him to speak (He longs to speak to us everyday). He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth that will lead us into all truth, not error.
Here are 7 ways to hear God’s voice:
He speaks through His word (His written word, the Holy Bible); we learn His voice, His ways and His nature by spending time in His word (2 Timothy 3:16)
He speaks through people (but clearly establish in your heart that you will seek God 1st; there is nothing wrong with seeking counsel or advice from people whom are filled with the Holy Spirit and whom you feel are wiser and more experienced in the particular area you are seeking clarity) (1 Corinthians 14:29)
He speaks to us out of our own mouths (sometimes you can be in a situation and sharing the circumstances with someone and He will settle in your heart a solution that you spoke of) (Hebrews 1:1, 2 Samuel 23:2)
He speaks to us through correction (whom the Lord loves He chastens…it may not feel good but it’s for our good) (Hebrews 12:6)
He speaks through conviction (conviction convinces us to ask for God’s help) (James 1:22-25)
He speaks through dreams and visions (we must steward our dreams and visions by writing them down as soon as possible and by seeking guidance from Holy Spirit to help us interpret them; ***but please note: every dream or vision may not be from God-seek Holy Spirit for clarity) (Joel 2:28, Numbers 12:6, Genesis 20:3, Acts 18:9-10, Job 33:14-15)
He speaks through prophecy (do not despise prophecy; a prophecy inspired by God will strengthen, encourage, edify and comfort the one who receives it; ***prophecy must be in line with the word of God) (Amos 3:7, 1 Corinthians 14:3, 2 Peter 1:21)
In all of God’s sovereignty, He desires for His children, His sons and daughters, to hear from Him to: guide us, correct us, lead us, love us, direct us on the right path, edify us, encourage us, warn us, rebuke us, comfort us. Guard your gates. Spend time with Him in the secret place and be intentional with listening and expecting Him to respond/speak.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for who You are and all that You have been in our lives. We ask you to open our ears and purify and sanctify them so that they can be sensitive to Your voice. Circumcise our ears so that we are not distracted by fleshly desires that could keep us from hearing Your still, small voice. We pray for the discipline and self control to be good listeners, so that we may hear from You. We bind up all distractions, any voices or anything that would stop us from hearing from You. We repent for keeping our ears to anything that is polluting our spirits, souls and bodies. We repent for ignoring Your correction and redirection. We repent for being in atmospheres that drown out Your voice. And we thank you for Your grace, mercy and favor and for saving us from ourselves. We thank you Holy Spirit for leading us in to all truth. And now and going forward we vow, with the help and power of Holy Spirit, to guard our gates and to be intentional with spending time with You so that we may hear from You. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
-Sheena M.