Expect Him to Speak To You

How to Hear From God: Learn to Know His Voice and Make the Right Decisions
by Joyce Meyer

(Page 2 of 4)

Jesus told His disciples, “I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth)” (John 16:12-13). He also said that the Holy Spirit would continue to teach us all things and bring to our remembrance all that God has said through His Word (see John 14:26).

When Jesus spoke these words, He was talking to men with whom He had spent the previous three years. They had been with Him day and night, yet He indicated that He had more to teach them. We would think that if Jesus was with us personally for three years, day and night, we would have learned all there is to know. I think that if I had one uninterrupted month with people, I could tell them everything I know. But Jesus said to expect more because He will always have something to say to us about new situations we are facing.

Jesus always knew what was the right thing to do because He only did what He saw His Father do. As our Lord, we can trust Him to lead us to the right path every day. He is the only begotten Son of God, but we are also adopted sons and daughters of God, and we are to imitate Him in all we do. He became flesh and experienced all of the things we experience, so He understands our needs. He was baptized in the Holy Ghost, just as we are to be baptized in the Holy Ghost (see John 1:32-33). And He was led by the Spirit, just as we can be led by the Spirit, because He ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

In John 16:13 Jesus continued to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, saying, “For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].”

The book of John offers an extensive study of God's promise to intimately guide us. In chapter 6, Jesus said, “It is written in [the book of] the Prophets, And they shall all be taught of God [have Him in person for their Teacher]. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to Me” (v. 45).

God knew we would need help in understanding His plan for us, so He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell on the inside of every Christian. He is our Guide, our Teacher of truth, our Counselor, and our Helper. He is also our Comforter, or the parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos), which is explained in Vine's Expository Dictionary as one who is “called to one's side.” 1 The term “was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, an advocate...who pleads another's cause, an intercessor.” 2 The Holy Spirt promises never to leave us or forsake us. We can live the abundant life if we learn to listen to him. Jesus said it was better for us that He went away, because if He didn't go, the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) would not come to us (see John 16:7). Jesus was confined to a body just as we are and could be only at one place at a time. But the Holy Spirit can be in every single one of us everywhere we go, all the time, individually leading and guiding each one of us. In John 14:15-20 Jesus explained:

If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever?The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you. Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you.

Jesus said that He Himself would come to us and that we would realize He is in us.

Expect To Hear Him

Through Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit, God wants to speak to you on a One-to-one basis, every day. He wants to lead you step by step to the good things He has in store for you. He cares about the tiniest details of your life. He even keeps track of how many hairs you have on your head (see Matthew 10:30). He cares about the desires of your heart. And He wants to reveal truth to you that will set you free from worry and fear.

His plan to share an intimate relationship with you existed before you were even born. The psalmist said of God, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before they took shape, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16).

In the book of Acts the apostle Paul said of God, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:26-27 NIV).

Doesn't it stand to reason that, if God knows all of our days and where we are going to live before we are even born, it is important to learn how to hear from Him? Hearing God's voice is not only exciting, it also keeps us on the right track.

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus spoke of a narrow path that leads to life and a broad path that leads to destruction, and He told us to stay on the narrow one. If we can discern God's voice, we can know if we are veering off onto the wrong track, and we can make an adjustment before we reap bad results from a bad decision.

Hearing God's voice throughout the day has become a natural way of life for me since I received the fullness of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send us. The Father will give the gift of His Spirit to all who ask for Him (see Luke 11:13), and the Holy Spirit will help us understand the Bible so that we will know how to apply its wisdom to our lives (see John 14:26). I want to say again emphatically that each of us can hear from God and be led by the Holy Spirit daily.

It seems incomprehensible that God could have a plan for every person on earth, but it also brings great peace to know that He can take our chaos and turn it into something meaningful and worthwhile. God's plan is unveiled through an intimate relationship with Him.

If you desire to know God in a deeper way, I recommend that you read my book titled Knowing God Intimately. In that book, I share in great detail how you can be as close to God as you want to be.

Copyright © 2003 by Joyce Meye

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.