God Offers a Lifetime Partnership

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

(Page 3 of 4)

Psalm 48:14 cheered my heart one day. It says that God will be our guide even unto death! How wonderful to know that we have a guide to get us from one destination in life to the next. Sometimes when my husband, Dave, and I travel, we hire a guide to show us the best and most important sites to see.

Once we had the opinion that we would explore by ourselves; that way we could do what we wanted to and when we wanted to. However, we quickly found that our independent trips were nearly wasted. We often spent a large part of the day getting lost and then trying to find our way again. We have found it to be the best use of our time to follow a guide rather than wandering aimlessly to find places ourselves.

I believe this example relates to how we are in life. We want to go our own way so we can do what we want to do, when we want to do it, but we end up getting lost and wasting our life. We need the Holy Spirit guiding us through every day of our time on this earth. God is committed to guide us even until we leave this life, so it seems important to learn how to hear what He is telling us.

One of the many benefits of hearing from God is that He helps us prepare for the future. The Holy Spirit gives the message to us that has been given to Him from the Father. He announces and declares to us things that will happen in the future (see again John 16:13).

We see many instances in the Bible when God gave people information about the future. Noah was told to prepare for a flood that would come to destroy the people of the earth (see Genesis 6:13-17). Moses was told to go to Pharaoh and ask for the release of the Israelites, but he was also told that Pharaoh would not let them go (see Exodus 7). Obviously, God does not tell us everything that will happen in the future, but the Bible says He will tell us of things to come.

There are times when I can sense inside my spirit that something good, or at times, something challenging, is going to happen. Of course, when I sense something challenging is about to happen, I always hope I am wrong and that it is just my imagination. But if I am right then having the knowledge ahead of time acts as a shock absorber in my life. If an automobile with good shock absorbers hits a hole in the road, the absorbers cushion the impact for the passengers so no one gets hurt. God's giving us information ahead of time works the same way.

I remember many times when God informed me of things in the future. One time in particular was when I felt strongly inside my heart that one of my children was really struggling with something major. When I asked my child about it, I was told that everything was just fine, but by the Spirit I knew something was wrong. Several days later I received some news that was painful and discouraging?but it would have been a lot more difficult had I not had a previous warning.

First Corinthians 2:5 teaches us not to put our faith in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God. Verse 11 says that no one discerns the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Since the Holy Spirit knows the secret counsels of God, it is a vital necessity for us to know how to hear what He wants to say to us. The Holy Spirit will help us realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessing that God has bestowed on us. Human wisdom doesn't teach us this truth; it comes fromthe Holy Spirit who gives us the mind of Christ (see vv. 12-13).

The Holy Spirit knows both the mind of God and God's individual plan for you. His road map for you is not neces- sarily like anybody else's, so it doesn't work to try to pattern your life after someone else or what he or she has heard from God. God has a unique plan for you, and the Holy Spirit knows what it is and will reveal it to you.

The Spirit of God will lead us, and God Himself will be our Shepherd (see Ezekiel 34:1-16). First John 2:27 teaches that as believers in Jesus Christ we have received an anointing from the Lord that remains in us to teach us about all things, so we don't need anyone else to teach us.

I am not saying that we shouldn't assemble and study God's Word together. I will discuss in a later chapter how to know when God is speaking to us through someone else, but it is important to know that we can find out what God is saying to us personally and be led by His Spirit without running to someone else all the time.

I had been a believer for many years before I learned that God wanted to talk directly to me on a daily basis so I could confidently walk in the fullness of His plan for my life. In those early days of faith, I never knew that I could hear God's voice and not be deceived. But now I know my Father's voice, and the voice of a stranger I will not follow (see John 10:4-5).

The Bible is full of great promises for our individual walk with God. It says, “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him” (Psalm 37:23, 24).

God will tell us the way to go, but then we have to do the walking. A walk with God takes place through one step of obedience at a time. Some people want the entire blueprint for their life before they will make one decision. God does not usually operate that way; He leads us one step at a time.

By faith, we take the step God has shown us, and then He gives us the next one. At times we may fall down and must get back up; we may stumble, but He always helps us. We continue on by His strength and His grace, knowing that every time we face a fork in the road, God will guide us.

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.