Don't Miss Out

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

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Recently God told me that when we are unwilling to hear in one area, it may render us unable to hear in other areas. Sometimes we choose to turn a deaf ear to what we know the Lord is clearly saying to us. We only hear what we want to hear; it's called “selective hearing.” After a while, people think they can't hear from God anymore but in reality there are lots of things they already know He wants them to respond to, and they haven't done so. I have learned that the more quickly I do whatever it is the Lord tells me to do, the more quickly He reveals the next step I am to take.

A woman once shared with me that she asked God to give her direction concerning what He wanted her to do. He clearly put in her heart that He wanted her to forgive her sister for an offense that had happened between them months earlier. Because this woman wasn't willing to do so, she pulled away from her prayer time. When she did seek the Lord again for something, He always responded, “Forgive your sister first.”

Over a period of two years, every time she asked the Lord for guidance about something new, He gently reminded her, “I want you to forgive your sister.” Finally, she realized that she would never grow spiritually if she didn't do the last thing God had told her to do.

She got on her knees and prayed, “Lord, give me the power to forgive my sister.” Instantly she understood many things from her sibling's perspective that she hadn't considered before, and within a short time their relationship was healed and made stronger than it had ever been before.

If we really want to hear from God, we can't approach Him with selective hearing, hoping to narrow the topics down to only what we want to hear. People take time to listen for God's voice when they have issues they want solved. If they have a problem or concerns about their job or need wisdom on how to have more prosperity or how to deal with a child, then they are all ears to hear what God has to say.

Don't just go to God and talk to Him when you want or need something; also spend time with Him just listening. He will open up many issues if you will be still before Him and simply listen.

For many people, listening is an ability that must be developed by practice. I have always been a talker; I never had to try to talk. But I have had to learn to listen on purpose. The Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Our flesh is full of energy and usually wants to be active doing something, so it can be difficult for us to be still.

As I said, talking has always been easy for me. I told my husband one day that we needed to talk more. It seemed to me that he never wanted to just spend time sitting and talking. He responded by saying, “Joyce, we don't talk; you talk and I listen.” He was right, and I needed to change if I expected him to want to fellowship with me. I also discovered I was doing the same thing with God; I talked and expected God to listen. I complained that I never heard from God, but the truth is I never listened.

When you do ask God something, take some time and listen. Even if He does not respond right at that moment, He will in due time. You may be doing some ordinary task when God decides to speak to you, but if you have honored Him by listening as part of your fellowship with Him, He will speak at the right time.

In the next few chapters, I will share many ways that God chooses to speak to us and guide us. I will share with you important truths I have learned that will keep your “receiver” deceiver free. First and foremost, God speaks to us through His written Word, and every other way that He communicates to us will always agree with the Bible. I will also share ways that we can create an atmosphere to hear from God and thus increase our expectancy to hear His voice.

Once we begin listening to and hearing from God, it is important to obey whatever we hear Him say to us. Obedience sharpens our fellowship with Him. We might say that practice makes perfect. In other words, we become more and more confident as we gain experience. It takes a lot of practice to get to the point of complete submission to God's leading. Even knowing that God's ways are perfect and that if we will submit to His plan, it will always work, we can still feign ignorance when it sounds like a personal sacrifice may be required of us. But there is no error in God's ways.

When face to face with God's truth, we should let it set us free to enjoy His best for our lives. I assure you that if you fight with God every time He tells you to do something, it will make you just plain miserable.

Jesus said, “Follow Me.” He did not say, “You take the lead, and I will follow you.” I have learned that we may as well just do quickly whatever God says, the way He wants it done, because in the long run, if we want to enjoy God's perfect plan for our lives, we are going to have to follow Him.

I recently told one of my children, “I will never tell you anything that I don't believe is for your benefit.” As I thought about it, I realized that God is the same way with us. He will never tell you or me anything that is not for our benefit. As I searched Scripture, I found many references that simply said in different ways, “Do all that I command you, for your good.”

Perhaps you are like I was and have wasted many years walking your own way without seeking God's guidance. The good news is that it's not too late to turn and go in a new direction?toward God's plan and purpose for your life. It is not too late to learn how to hear from God. You are interested, or you would not be reading this book. If you are sincerely willing to obey God, He will guide you on an exciting journey of learning to hear from Him every day of your life.

As I said earlier, God has a good plan for our lives. We must follow Him in order to have it manifest. A great exercise to practice listening to God is to ask Him if there is anyone He wants you to encourage or bless?then be still and listen. You will be surprised at how quickly He responds. He will fill your heart with godly thoughts and goals. He will name people who will be blessed by your attention to them, and He may tell you specific things to do to encourage them. He has ideas to present to you that you haven't even considered. Listen carefully to Him. Then follow the advice given in John 2:5; “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

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.