We need to learn to hear the voice of God. Our spiritual sense will increase with maturity. We are probably all familiar with the saying "practice makes perfect." While we will never get "perfect" in our lifetime, there is some truth in that saying regarding prophecy; the more we use the gift, the more we seek to hear the Lord, the easier it will become to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

There are a variety of ways to hear God speaking as he communicates with individuals in different ways. These include:

• Dreams
• Visions
• Pictures
• Hearing
• Physical sensations
• Impressions
• Nature
• Prophetic enactment

As we mature in our spiritual walk we need to grow more attuned to God's voice and the way he speaks to us personally. Each of us will find ways in which we hear God more readily and more clearly. We need to develop an expectation that God will speak to all of us every day and must learn to make space in our lives to listen to God.

The apostle Paul experienced God speaking to him in a number of different ways:

Acts 9:4

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him...

Acts 13:2

While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul...

Acts 16:9

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man from Macedonia pleading with him and saying "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

Acts 17:9

One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent..."

Acts 19:21

Now, after these things were accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, and then go on to Jerusalem.

Acts 22:11

That night the Lord stood near him and said, "Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome."

Dreams, Visions and Pictures

"Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And he said, 'hear my words; When there are prophets amongst you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.'" Num 12:6.

We "see" in the spirit in a number of different ways. Dreams are moving and dynamic while we are asleep; visions are moving and dynamic while we are awake; pictures are static, just one image or scene.

There are a number of examples of each of these in the scriptures. We will just give an Old and a New testament example of each.

Gen 28:11-12

Jacob came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Matt 2:12

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they [the Magi] left for their own country by another road.

Gen 15:1

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

Acts 10:3

One afternoon about three o'clock he [Cornelius] had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of the Lord coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius."

Amos 8:1

This is what the Lord showed me... a basket of summer fruit.

Acts 7:56

"Look", he [Stephen] said, "I see heaven opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of God!"

Hearing God Speaking

God's voice may also be heard as plain speaking. This may be audible but is more often with our 'spiritual ears'... an inner hearing of complete words and sentences. Teresa of Avila described this after she had 'heard' God speaking to her:

"The words were very clearly formed and unmistakable, though not heard with bodily ear." (Christian Mysticism, W. R. Inge p.219)

Here are some Bible examples of people hearing God's voice:

1 Samuel 3:10

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Isaiah 6:8

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

Revelation 1:10

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet...

Physical Sensations

God will also use physical sensations to speak to us.

Isa 16:11

My heart throbs like a harp for Moab, and my very soul for Kir-heres.

Jer 4:19

My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!

Here is an example from a recent meeting:

A young woman at a renewal conference experienced this. She had a fairly painful backache, it just would not go away. It lingered over two days, then the young woman asked for prayer. It was discerned that the pain was prophetic. Another person had the interpretation... a powerful word was spoken. The pain was representing that the backbone and foundation of the church was not right. The church needed to be built on the proper foundation of the apostles and prophets. With the word being spoken and the subsequent powerful prophetic release, the back pain disappeared!

Impressions

God may speak to us using impressions. We sense something deep within and know that it is God speaking. It may be in the sensing of great joy, deep sorrow, compassion, strength, etc.

Matt 9:36

When he [Jesus] saw the crowds he had great compassion for them, because they were harassed and like sheep without a shepherd.

2 Cor 1:4

For I [Paul] wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Nature

Romans 1:20

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.

God may speak to us through nature. The whole creation bears testimony to God. He may speak to us through a variety of different means... birds, animals, wind, rain, thunder etc. We need to learn to listen for God speaking in his creation. However we need to exercise care. God may speak through a earthquake one day, another day it may just be a earthquake!

Here are some Bible examples:

Acts 2:2

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues as of fire, appeared among them...

Psalm 18:6-7

I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.

Exodus 3:2

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush

1 Kings 19:11-13

He said, "Go and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then came a voice to him...

In the first three verses above, we see clearly that at times God manifested himself as wind, earthquake and fire, however with Elijah, he wasn't in the earthquake, fire or wind. Discernment is always essential.

Prophetic Enactment (or Prophetic Mime)

We can hear God speaking through a prophetic enactment. God uses actions to speak to us. We see it in stories like the water into wine (John 2) where Jesus showed the people that it was possible for one substance (water) to be changed into another substance (wine). Immediately afterwards we read the story of Nicodemus where he was told that he needed to be born anew, to be changed from being born of flesh to be being born of spirit. The prophetic sign that this was possible had already been seen!

Hosea 1:2

The Lord said to Hosea, Go, take a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord...

Acts 21:11

He [Agabus] came to us and took Paul's belt, bound his own feet and hands with it and said, "thus says the Holy Spirit... "

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, a few words about the process of prophetic revelation. As we discern God's voice we need to know what to do with the things we are hearing.

This tends to be in three stages... number one is revelation. As we think we are hearing from God...the question we need to ask ourselves is simply: "Is this from God?" Does it feel like God, sound like God, smell like God. We need to check the revelation with the word of God, for prophecy will never conflict with the Bible. We need to share with other believers and ask them to help us discern the word. Having decided that it is a word from God, we move to the second stage... interpretation. The question we ask ourselves is: "What does it mean?" Interpretation is not always received by the same person to whom the word was revealed, nor is it necessarily received immediately. When we have a sense of what the Lord is saying to us, we move to the third stage which is application... the question we ask ourselves is: "What do we do with this word?"

Remember God's timing may not be ours! Never try to force or manipulate an interpretation or an application. Look at the story of Abraham (Genesis ch.12-21). Abraham received the prophetic word that he would have an heir (12:2). When the word had not been fulfilled and he was still childless, Abraham thought perhaps the heir would be through his servant, Eliezer. God reaffirmed the prophetic word (15:2). Then Abraham produced Ishmael with the slave-girl (16:1ff). Eventually Isaac was born (21:2). The prophetic word was fulfilled 25 years after it had first been given. On two recorded occasions Abraham had tried to fulfil the word himself... disastrous results! We need to wait for God's timing.

So how do we handle prophetic words that are not immediately interpreted or applied. A good way is to start journaling... write down the words God has given. Then every few weeks re-read them, ask God for the timing on them. (It is important to remember, also, that some words are not for us to share but are to send us to intercession. Read what Abraham did when the Lord revealed his plans to destroy Sodom. Genesis 18:16-33)

God communicates with us in a variety of ways, and we must not try to limit Him to one certain way. Rather, we must be open to allow Him to choose the method of communication and to respond to Him regardless of which manner He chooses. We can only discern the voice of God if we are willing to listen to Him speak to us in the manner that He chooses. If we only look for pictures, we will "miss it" if he decides to speak in a still small voice. Don't miss God's voice by assuming he will only speak to you in a certain manner. Instead, invite the Holy Spirit to teach you how to recognize His voice. Notice and begin to explore the method (or methods) of communication that God seems to choose most frequently to communicate with you.

Each lesson is accompanied by an activation exercise, or workshop, designed to help you more fully develop your prophetic gifting. These activations start simple, and each week's activation builds on the previous ones. To see the activation for this week's lesson, click here.