The major key is knowing that God desires to speak to you. His main desire is to have a deep, intimate relationship with you. Not just a rational relationship, based on theory, knowledge, doctrines, but a heart to heart relationship.
He loves you dearly. His heart is longing to have an intimate friendship with you. Not just a rational mind-connection, but your heart connected to His heart. Like two beloved who look eachother in the eyes.
I want to go deep in you, says God. Deep in your heart. And I want you to go deep in Me, says God, deep in My heart.
I want to share my heart, my feelings, my thoughts with you. I don’t just want to have a superficial, religious relationship with you. No, I long to show you who I truly am. I want you to know me, deeply, with your heart, not only with the theories you have heard about Me.
Therefor I show you My hearts desire to communicate with you, to speak to you, to learn you to hear My voice.
But how is that possible? That is the question we all have of course. I believe there are some main keys.
The first key if course is to know Jesus Christ, the Son of God as your savior and Lord.
He came to die for you as a sacrifice for your sins that keep you away from the intimacy with God. He came to break this wall of sin away. So believe in Jesus Christ, know that He died for you, to save you from your sins.
Second: turn away from the darkness of this world, break with anything that is sinful, lust, lying, dishonest, mean, evil, etc.
Break away from the sin of yor former life without Jesus Christ. Choose to live in the light of God. This is very important. Don’t think you will be able to hear the voice of God accurately if you still live under the shadow of sin and darkness. Be holy for He is holy. Live in His light, be radical, be pure, be honest, break away sin from your heart and life. If needed, ask peope for help to break the chains of satan over your life. Jesus Christ calls you to a pure life, in His light.
The third key is: get baptized in water, as a sign of your new life with God.
Jesus let Himself be baptized, so we need it as well. This is a supernatural power, something far more powerful than what many think. It is much more than a symbolic act, it is a supernatural reality that does something radically in you.
Fourth step: be baptized in the holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands by other Spirit filled Christians.
The whole revelation of the New Testament is that God wants to dwell in us, live in us, be among us. He does not live in buildings, tempels, walls, He lives in people! He wants you to be His holy habitation, the place where He lives with His glory and presence.
The baptism in the Spirit of God makes you a dwelling place for the presence of God.
So there are four basic steps:
- Believe that Jesus Christ is the savior and Lord over your life, who sets you free from satan and sin.
- Break with every form of darkness and sin in your life. Set things right with people, where you have damaged them: ask forgiveness and give other forgiveness.
- Get baptized in water, as a sign of your new life.
- Be filled with the holy Spirit.
When you know these steps have been taken, then the key is to relax. When we try too hard to hear God’s voice, we become tense, and make it hard for us to hear His voice. He is with you and He is in you. So relax and enjoy His presence. And know that He desires to help you hear His voice, His soft whispers. He is so full of love for you…
Journalling is very helpful
What helps many people is this:
- Sit behind your computer or take a sheet of paper.
- Focus on Jesus.
- Become relaxed.
- Start to write the words that flow out of you, without thinking what you write.
This is called ‘journalling’.
What you do, is let the holy Spirit speak through you, without letting your carnal mind get in the way, that wants to analyze everything.
Just sit, rest, focus on Jesus and start to write, without thinking. You can always test it later.
When you believe in Jesus Christ and have been baptized in the Spirit, then HIS PRESENCE IS INSIDE OF YOU. So it is easy to let God speak through you. But you need to let go of your rational, carnal control. Don’t try to analyze what is happening.
Stop controlling yourself. Just surrender and let the words come as a river.
Write, let your fingers type or write on the paper, let it flow spontanuously… And when you feel it is done, start reading it.
People tend to think pretty negative about themselves. When you read words that are suddenly very positive, very loving, very uplifting, you know for sure that is God who is speaking to you.
The key is to focus on Jesus Christ and let the words come like a river. Don’t think, don’t hesitate, just let the words come like a flow.
The same goes for singing, painting, dancing… The river of the holy Spirit is inside of you, says Jesus Christ in the gospel of John. The river of living water comes forth from your belly. Just learn to let it flow spontanuously, in whatever way.
When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, you became the dwelling place for God. That is the basic revelation of the New Testament: God lives in you. So it is not hard at all to let Him speak.
Did God stop speaking?
Some Christian say God stopped speaking when the Bible was written. That is a serious deception, because the voice of God has been released more then ever before, since the holy Spirit was poured out.
What is the New Testament hallmark of the holy Spirit? Praying in tongues and prophecy.
Whenever people in the New Testament were filled with the Spirit, they eighter prophecied or prayed in tongues. Both are the same thing: GOD IS SPEAKING THROUGH US. The voice of God exploded among man, since Pentecost!
The Bible says:
‘If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.’ (1 Peter 4:11)
Jesus also said:
‘But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.’ (Marc 13:11)
God clearly says in His Word: LET ME SPEAK THROUGH YOU! Don’t try to make it up, but let Me speak!
This is a basic truth of the New Testament. The voice of God is so crucially important in the Kingdom of God in this time, that the Bibe even says that the gift of prophecy is more important than any other spiritual:
‘Earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.’ (1 Corinthians 14:1)
So the idea that God does not speak anymore, goes against some of the most basic and most important truths of the New Testament: if you speak, let God speak through you (1 Peter 4:11), and earnestly desire the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1). God is a person, not a statue. He wants to be heard today.
Find the true prophets
Jesus Christ also gave the ministry of the prophet to the Church, to build her up and make her mature. This ministry works alongside the other ministries that Jesus gives to His Church: apostels, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers.
I encourage you to make knowing the heart of God and hearing His voice the focus of your life.
Learn about the voice of God, seek Him with everything you have and know that He is pursuing you as well!
Go to pure prophetic meetings, where you sense the truth. How can you know that a prophet is pure? Ask yourself this question: Does he prophecy only what people love to hear? Always flattering things? Or does he also unmask sin? Does he also say things that cause people to be mad at him? Is he saying things that confront the flesh, so that people can come into the freedom of Jesus Christ when they repent?
This is the hallmark of a true prophet: he says what God says, not what people want to hear.
There is always a form of persecution for a true prophet. He brings the two edged sword that divides soul and spirit, he has a call to purity, truth, repentance.
When a prophet always only prophecies succes, victory, etc. then it is good to be on your guard. He may still be a true prophet, but listen carefully… Is God also speaking the keys of repentance through him, that bring people to the victory? Or is it just blabla in order to be accepted and applauded by the crowd? False prophets look for acceptance and success.
True prophets dare to speak the heart of the Father, to heal His precious children.
The second hallmark of a true prophet is true love and humility. This is the nature of Jesus Christ. When you see pride, self-exaltation and a cold heart, you know something is very wrong. Look for the true heart of Jesus Christ, the character of God. A prophet may be very sharp, powerful, with the voice of thunder and fire, but the heart is always tender and full of compassion.
Be careful for prophets who are always angry, mad, vicious, condemning and who only shout ‘REPENT, DOOM IS AT HAND!!!’ They simply ventilate their own frustration with the immature state of the Church and call this God. No, God is patient and He loves His bride. People who prophecy that God is so angry that He will destroy us all, are not speaking the word of the Lord, they are speaking their own anger (or worse, the anger of a religious spirit).
Yes, God is bringing judgement, but His heart is FULL of compassion for His beloved bride, His people, for whom Jesus Christ died to make them spotless.
Yes, God brings His cleansing fire and He will shake everything, but only to bring His Church more into His glory and freedom, not to destroy them.
The anger of God is mainly against RELIGION. Remember this. Jesus was only angry towards the HYPOCRITS, the religious leaders who used the people for their own profit.
There is much more to say. But it is important that find the places where true prophets are, who truly speak the heart of the Father that is both the tender, comforting heart of the Lamb as the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who wages war against deception and falsehood in the Church.
Seek them, ask God to lead you to the right people.
And if you feel a desire to prophecy yourself, do it!
God is busy releasing His warriors in this time, He is raising up sons and daughters who will prophesy.
Lots of blessings,
David Sorensen
iHearGod.com
