Jesus is our Shepherd, and He wants us to recognize His voice. In this series on hearing God, I want to help us grow in confidence that He speaks and that we can learn to follow Him. In the previous message, we explored the fundamentals of hearing. Now we need to consider how the Holy Spirit communicates with us in everyday life and how to distinguish His leading from the many other voices competing for our attention.
Our starting point is Jesus’ promise in John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” If you belong to Christ, you are one of His sheep. His Spirit lives within you. He knows you, and you can hear and follow Him.
That promise naturally raises a question: How do I hear Him? How does He guide me so I can follow?
Learning to recognize what I call the language of the Spirit helps us answer those questions. God often communicates through a quiet flow of thoughts, impressions, words, feelings, and pictures. As we grow in fellowship with Him, we learn to recognize that flow and test what we receive against Scripture, the character of Jesus, its fruit, and wise counsel.
Scripture is our foundation
Learning to hear God begins with His Word. Deuteronomy 8:3 teaches that we “… do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Scripture reveals who God is, strengthens our faith, and instructs us on how to follow Him. We cannot neglect the Bible and expect to discern His voice.
Read the Word daily. Meditate on it, memorize it, and pray it. Some of our most powerful prayers arise as we pray and declare Scripture in agreement with what the Holy Spirit reveals. The deeper His Word takes root in us, the stronger our foundation becomes for recognizing His leading.
God speaks through Scripture by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit inspired the written Word, and that same Spirit illuminates it so we can understand and respond to what God is saying. We are learning to know the God of the Bible as we read the Bible.
Hearing God also involves communion with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s gifts. He may highlight a passage, bring a person to mind, give an impression, or communicate through a picture. Sometimes He speaks through another person, including through the gift of prophecy. None of these replaces Scripture. We weigh everything by the Word and by the character of the One who gave it.
When I was a new Christian, I kept asking, “Does God still speak today? If Jesus says His sheep hear His voice, how does that happen?” As I came to know personally that He was speaking through His Word and by His Spirit, everything changed. I gained a deeper understanding of Scripture, greater confidence in my decisions, and faith for things that had seemed impossible.
I began learning to attune my spirit to His Spirit, to wait on Him, and to pay attention with the eyes of my heart. That learning continues. Hearing God deepens within a relationship as we give Him our attention and respond to what He makes clear.
Which Direction to Go?
During a recent worship service, as we sang “The Goodness of God,” the Lord reminded me of a vision He had given me years earlier. I love that song because it reminds us of His faithfulness in every season and circumstance. I remembered that vision from a difficult time when Carolyn and I were praying about a decision. We had concerns about our direction and our finances if we made that choice.
In the vision, I was whitewater rafting down a river. At first, the water was fairly calm, but up ahead I could see an island dividing the river. To the left was a broad, sweeping route. The current was gentle, but it would take longer to bring us back into the main body of water. To the right was a much shorter passage, but the rapids were rough. The water was white and turbulent.
I wanted a quick way through our situation. Have you ever wanted that? You know there is a problem, and you would love to get to the other side as quickly as possible.
As the Lord gave me that vision, I sensed Him explaining the choice. If we took the shorter route, we would get through, but we would be banged up along the way. It would be a rough journey. If we were willing to be patient, trust Him, and take the longer route, it would be much better for us.
That picture helped me understand what He was saying. Scripture already teaches us to trust the Lord and wait for Him. The impression made those truths relevant to the decision before us. God was helping us recognize how to walk with Him in that moment.
Learning the Language of the Spirit
Can God speak audibly? Certainly. But I do not believe an audible voice is His usual way of communicating. More often, we recognize His leading through Scripture and through that inward flow of thoughts, impressions, words, pictures, and sometimes feelings.
We will not all experience this in exactly the same way. Some people are more visual and often receive pictures. Others are more attuned to an inward impression or to a passage of Scripture that the Lord makes especially clear. No formula guarantees we will hear Him. We can learn principles, but each of us must grow in recognizing His personal communication.
Feelings require particular care. Over time, I have noticed that when I sense a strong anointing for healing, my hands sometimes grow very warm. To me, that can be a sign to pay attention to what the Lord wants to do. But it does not always happen, and it does not happen that way for everyone. A personal experience should not become a rule we impose on others.
The same caution applies to dreams and their interpretation. Some books assign meanings to symbols, but no single interpretation fits all. We cannot simply assume that a feeling, a picture, or a symbol means whatever a particular book says it does. We need to wait on the Lord and ask, “What are You revealing? What are You showing me?”
Moses, Elijah, and Samuel each had to learn to recognize God’s voice and respond. Their stories remind us that sensitivity to the Spirit grows as we walk with God. We should remain teachable and avoid assuming that every thought or image must be a message from Him.
The Helper Who Lives Within Us
One of the New Testament’s great teachings is that the Holy Spirit lives in believers. Jesus promised His disciples another Helper who would remain with them. In John 14:16, He said, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.”
The word translated “Helper,” paraklētos, also conveys the sense of an advocate or comforter. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, comes alongside us to help. Just as Jesus helped His disciples, the Spirit reveals the Father and the Son, leads us into truth, guides and directs us, strengthens us, and comforts us.
At Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out, and the church was born. From that point forward, we see a people living in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Sound beliefs and the foundation of Scripture are essential, and that foundation supports a life of fellowship with the living God. We need the Spirit’s life to move us and enable our growth.
The Holy Spirit cares for you. He wants to surround you with His presence and be your closest friend. Our Christian life is meant to include ongoing fellowship with Him, both individually and together as the church. In that fellowship, we learn to recognize His voice and follow His leading.
Paul describes one of the most fundamental ways the Spirit communicates in Romans 8:14–17 (NIV):
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Notice verse 16: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” To testify is to bear witness alongside someone. Imagine seeing a car broadside another vehicle as you leave a parking lot. You stay at the scene, and when the police arrive, they ask what you saw. You describe the collision. You are bearing witness to what happened.
In a deeply personal way, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we belong to God. When I first became a believer, doubts would plague my mind. Had something really happened? Was I truly born again? Did I really know God? As I continued reading Scripture, my faith grew. Then I came across passages like this and realized that the Spirit Himself was testifying within me that I was God’s child.
What does that witness sound or look like? It may come as an impression, an inward knowing, or perhaps a picture. At times, I have experienced it as a burning in my chest, especially when God’s presence is strong in a gathering. That is one way I have recognized His witness. The important thing is to learn His communication without demanding that everyone have the same sensation.
His witness brings tremendous comfort. Scripture reveals our identity, and the Spirit bears witness within us to that truth. This is fundamental to our confidence in hearing Him.
The Spirit Gives Life For Ministry
Paul also writes in 2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV), “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Paul is not dismissing the Word of God. He is addressing the letter of the law and the life that comes through the Spirit in the new covenant. Elsewhere, he describes the law as a guardian or schoolmaster that leads us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Religious effort cannot produce the life the Holy Spirit gives.
Did you notice that God makes us ministers of the new covenant? Do you see yourself that way? You do not need a seminary degree, a title, or the position of pastor to tell someone what Jesus has done for you. If you give your life to Christ today, you can share your faith this afternoon. The Spirit who lives in you enables you to minister His grace to someone else.
The One who assures us we are God’s children also gives us life and strength for what He asks of us. Hearing Him matters because our ministry should flow from fellowship with Him.
Sometimes that ministry begins in an ordinary moment. You may be washing dishes, doing chores around the house, or driving your car when someone suddenly comes to mind. You had not been thinking about that person, and you wonder where the thought came from. The Spirit may be prompting you to pray.
That happened to me recently. Someone came to mind, and I prayed for them. Later that day, I learned the person was in the hospital. I had no idea. No one had told me. The Lord had put that person on my heart.
We should pay attention to those simple promptings. God can interrupt an ordinary activity by offering an opportunity to care for someone. His Word remains our foundation, and these moments help us see how personally He guides us in applying His love.
Building Blocks for Our Church
One of the clearest examples in my life came before we purchased our church property. The building we worship in now did not exist then; it was completed about fifteen years ago. We purchased the property nearly twenty-five years ago, when our congregation was still very small and only a couple of years old.
We had met on a dirt lot under a tent and, for a while, in a hotel. One advantage of church on the dirt was that I didn’t have to worry about someone spilling coffee or dropping a doughnut! But we were only about twenty-five or thirty people, and we didn’t have much income. Carolyn and I were drawing on our retirement savings to live and help carry the work. I had left my job because I believed the Lord had directed me to do so.
We had been looking for a property for almost a year. When Carolyn and I visited this property with the real estate agent, it looked very different from the dark gray buildings and red signage we have now. It was a traditional red-brick church with a white steeple and trim. The buildings had fallen into disrepair. The denomination that owned it decided to leave the neighborhood because they didn’t believe it was an area where a church would grow.
The pastor involved in that sale was a good man, and we have stayed in contact. He later served as a pastor in Sacramento. However, their assessment of the property left us with a question: What was God asking us to do here?
While we were there with the agent, I felt an inner sense that this was the property. The next morning, before meeting with our elders and leaders, I prayed, “Lord, I really need to hear from You. This is a huge step of faith. There is a lot of risk for Carolyn and me and for anyone who gets behind this.”
As I prayed, the Lord showed me old-fashioned wooden children’s blocks, the kind with letters on them. At first, I wondered what children’s building blocks had to do with buying church property. Then I sensed Him speak: “Don’t look at the size of the sanctuary. Don’t look at how much money you have in the bank. This is the church property I have for you.”
I was concerned about that small sanctuary, which we now use as a multipurpose and youth room. I was also very aware that we had about $2,000 in the church account. It is hard to buy a property costing roughly $500,000 with only $2,000!
The Lord showed me that this property was a building block, a stepping stone toward the church and revival center He had spoken to me about. First came a picture, then a word that explained it. My heart came alive. I did not know how it would happen, but I believed God was directing us.
When we met with the leaders that day, we sat on the floor in what is now one of our nursery rooms. I invited everyone to share. Most were understandably unsure how we could do it. Finally, I shared what I believed the Lord had said and why I believed we should move forward.
Looking back, I am so glad we said yes. But obedience was costly. Carolyn and I borrowed a substantial amount against our house. We could have lost our home. Others took out short-term loans; we raised about $30,000, and eventually I secured a bank loan. The church later repaid us. We also purchased the property for almost $100,000 less than the asking price.
God provided, and practical circumstances helped confirm the direction. Yet the process required real sacrifice, discussion, and financial responsibility. I share that story to emphasize the importance of hearing clearly, especially in a major decision, and of bringing what we believe we have heard into prayer and conversation with others.
Discerning the Other Voices
There are God’s voice, our own voice, the voices of others, and the enemy’s voice. Within those categories are many influences. Public opinion can be loud. So can the voice of an authority figure from childhood, our own desires, our conscience, or words spoken over us long ago. The enemy’s accusations can take many forms, too.
I once came across estimates of 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day, roughly 35 to 48 a minute, along with claims that as many as 80 percent were negative. Those figures strikingly illustrate how busy and negative our inner conversation can become. Whatever the exact count, many of us recognize thoughts racing through our minds, processing what we hear, and repeating discouraging messages.
“I can’t.” “I’m a failure.” “No one likes me.” “I’m not loved.” If that is the conversation replaying in us, it will affect our attitudes, feelings, and actions. It can also undermine our confidence in hearing God.
Think about the building blocks story. What if, after receiving that picture and word, I had allowed my mind to rehearse every past mistake? “You failed before. Don’t you remember what happened last time? You cannot do this.” I could have been talked out of the very thing God was inviting us to do.
Some of us carry wounds from past experiences or from what others have said or done. If those wounds remain unhealed, the old messages can keep replaying in our hearts. We need to recognize them and allow God’s truth to address them. Scripture calls us to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). His Word must take precedence over the accusations and assumptions that would turn us away from His purposes.
This is why discernment matters. We should weigh what we hear or sense against Scripture and God’s character. Does it align with Jesus? What fruit does it bear? What do mature, trusted believers observe as they pray with us?
If you are married and believe God is leading you to a major decision, work through it with your spouse. If you are not married, seek counsel from people you trust. Pray together. An impression does not automatically mean, “God said this, so I must do it immediately.”
Writing things down is helpful. Record what you think you are hearing, then pray over it. Journaling helps us attend to that inward flow and gives us something to review. We can return to it and ask, “Does this agree with Scripture? Is this truly what the Lord is saying? Is this His timing?” For major decisions, seek confirmation rather than rushing ahead on the strength of a single experience.
Hearing God in the Decisions of Life
The Bible is filled with God’s words, dreams, visions, and encounters. I have been reading Ezekiel, including passages about the temple, the east gate, and the river. Those chapters are rich in imagery through which God communicates. He still wants to comfort, inspire, warn, and guide His people.
Many decisions we face do not have a specific answer written in the Bible. Whom should I marry? Should I accept this job or buy this house? What kind of vacation should our family take? Should I serve in a particular ministry? What school should our children attend? Should we homeschool, choose a charter school, or enroll them in public school?
Scripture gives us the principles for living, and the Spirit helps us discern how to apply them to our circumstances. Our Father cares about our lives. He wants us to know His purposes and recognize His strategy amid the world’s many voices.
Of course, that does not mean every question we ask reflects His heart. “Lord, whom should I bet on in the football game this afternoon?” is hardly the same as seeking His direction for our family! That may be another voice vying for attention. We are learning to hear Him within His will and His ways.
Recognizing His voice also helps us live in the peace, joy, and abundant life He promises. That does not mean suffering or hardship will disappear. Romans 8 itself speaks of sharing in Christ’s sufferings as well as His glory. We can find rest amid difficult circumstances because we know the Shepherd who is leading us.
At times, He may guide us clearly toward something that makes us nervous. The absence of comfortable feelings does not necessarily mean the absence of His leading. We must keep learning to trust the Shepherd, weigh what we receive, and follow Him faithfully.
An Open Door to Haiti
In the early 1990s, Carolyn and I believed the Lord was leading us to Haiti as missionaries. We had already left our engineering careers, and some family members thought we were crazy. We had traveled to Haiti to see the land and explore serving with a ministry there. Our pastor was involved and praying with us as we considered going.
We were living in Florida. The Lord had led us through a series of changes: leaving good-paying jobs, starting and running a small business, and preparing to sell our house. He provided for the sale, and afterward He provided a way for us to live rent-free in an apartment. That provision is a story in itself. Every person’s path and calling will look different, but this was how He was leading us.
One day, while we were still praying about Haiti, I took a bag of trash out to the green dumpster at the apartment complex. As I was about to throw it in, I looked up. A large, white, puffy cumulus cloud split open like a doorway. I thought, “Well, that is odd.” Then I sensed the Lord speak: “I’m opening a door for you in Haiti. Now is the time to go. It’s the stepping stone to the nations, the calling and the purposes I have in your life. If you don’t step through the door now, you’ll lose your opportunity.”
Then the clouds moved, and I was left standing there with the trash. I threw the bag away, went back inside, and wrote the word on a three-by-five card. I still have that card. I shared it with Carolyn, and we kept weighing and praying over what God was saying.
That was a defining moment. Even as I tell the story, I feel its weight. I believe that if I hadn’t said yes to God then, I wouldn’t be here ministering as I am today.
God sometimes challenges us in ways that go beyond what we can fully understand. That can happen when we are young and later in life. The key is to know His voice, weigh what we receive, share it with others, pray for confirmation where needed, and then act in faith.
God Wants Your Availability!
Another encounter helped Carolyn and me recognize what God was asking of us. In 1992, we spent seven weeks in Jerusalem. The Lord inspired the trip, preparing us for future missionary work and, eventually, for planting and pastoring a church.
Before the trip, we had sold our home and our business, paid off all our debts, and had several thousand dollars in the bank to begin the work He was leading us to do. Even after all of that, we still struggled to trust Him for the finances we would need. Have you ever doubted God after seeing Him provide?
One afternoon, we were walking in Jerusalem, discussing our situation and what we should do. A woman approached from the opposite direction. She could not have overheard our conversation, yet she stopped directly in front of us and said, “God is not interested in how much money you have, but He wants to know if you are available.”
She smiled and walked on. Immediately, we knew the Lord was speaking to us through a stranger. Her words made us rethink our perspective. We had been focused on whether we had enough. God was asking whether we were available to Him.
That encounter did not relieve us of our responsibility to manage resources wisely. It brought our attention back to the One who was calling us, and to the trust He was asking us to place in Him.
A Church that Listens Before it Plans
Nothing is more fundamental to the church’s ministry than knowing what God is saying to us. One of the significant differences between the early church’s ministry and the way many churches operate today is the way direction is received. In Acts, the church heard God speak and then acted on what He said.
Acts 13:2 (NIV) offers us a beautiful example: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
The setting was Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. Acts 13:1–3 describes prophets and teachers gathered there, including Barnabas and Saul, whom we know as Paul. They were worshiping and fasting when the Holy Spirit spoke. Afterward, they fasted and prayed, laid hands on the two men, and sent them out. This marked the start of a new phase in their apostolic ministry.
“The Holy Spirit said.” I love those words. They describe the kind of church life we need today: people seeking God together, hearing Him, and responding to His direction.
Were Paul and Barnabas afraid as they prepared to venture into the unknown? Were they unsure, confident, or a mix of both? Scripture does not tell us everything that was going on inside them. We can imagine the questions: What would happen on the journey? What dangers would they face? Would they encounter lions, be shipwrecked, or face some other threat?
I know I was nervous about going to Haiti. I was also nervous when the Lord first asked me to leave my job for ministry. It sounds wonderful to say, “The Holy Spirit said,” until He asks us to do something that requires a costly yes. Then we discover how much we need to trust Him.
As I recently challenged some of our younger men, I said that if we want a vibrant New Testament church in our generation, the pattern still matters. We need worship, prayer, fasting, evangelism, and a heart burning with passion for Christ. There is no shortcut to life with God.
I appreciate good lighting, and our church’s worship team has done excellent work. I value a strong worship team and the Spirit’s anointing on both the team and the congregation. Programs for children and older adults matter, and people rightly need community. But none of these things can replace a praying people who seek God with zeal. Prayer and fellowship with the Spirit are essential to the birth, rebuilding, and sustaining of churches.
If we want to see churches revitalized across our nation, we must seek Him again. We need to hear Him say, “This is where I am leading. This is what I want.”
Too often, we hold a business meeting, devise a strategy, and then ask God to bless what we have already decided. Ideas have their place, especially when they arise from prayer and obedience. But if we simply exchange ideas without seeking Him, we may miss His direction. We can ask Him to bless something He has never called us to do and that He cannot endorse.
Our own church is in a season of asking where God is moving and what He wants. That requires prayer. We need to wait on Him for His direction and strategy.
The same principle applies to our lives and families. We bring our plans, relationships, purchases, and ministries before the Lord. Rather than letting human reasoning alone determine our major decisions, we seek Him and wait for His leading. Then we use the wisdom and resources He gives us to carry out what He has made clear.
Responding to His Leading this Week
Let me leave you with two questions. Where are you asking God to bless a decision you have not yet surrendered to Him? What next faithful step has He already made clear?
Perhaps you are still waiting for direction. Or perhaps He has already shown you something, and you have hesitated to respond. Bring that honestly before Him.
Begin each day this week by asking, “Father, what are You doing, and how may I join You?” Record one ordinary prompting. If it is biblical, loving, and responsible, act on it. For major decisions, wait for Scripture, wise counsel, confirmation, and the right timing.
If you feel prompted to call Joe, call Joe. Ask how he is doing and whether there is anything you can pray about. If Mary comes to mind, call Mary. You may discover that she needs encouragement and prayer. We do not know what someone may be facing, but we can make ourselves available to care.
The Shepherd knows His people and the way ahead. As we remain in His Word and in fellowship with His Spirit, we can grow in recognizing His voice and in following where He leads.
A Prayer for Attentive Hearts
Father, thank You for loving us and speaking to us. Make us attentive in our everyday lives. Lord Jesus, You said Your sheep hear Your voice, know You, and follow You. Help us recognize Your leading and trust You enough to respond.
Holy Spirit, guide our decisions, prayers, work, and ministry. Grant us the courage to follow small promptings, the humility to test what we receive, and the love to care for the person before us.
Strengthen this church and the body of Christ around the world to hear Your voice and understand Your heart. Amid a chaotic world, help us recognize what You are doing in our generation. Teach us to respond in faith and love and to carry Your heart to the desperate places of the world.
Let churches throughout our city, our nation, and the world come alive by the power of Your presence and love. Let families be saved, lives restored, and hope renewed. Let the glory of Christ shine upon Your church and upon the faces of Your people.
For everyone facing a decision, speak clearly. Grant them discernment to recognize Your voice and the courage to act with confidence and faith. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
