Oct 24, 2019
By Tyler Chroniger
By the title, you can assume one of two things. You can assume I am referring to an old Verizon commercial or you can assume that I am speaking to you directly. This works in how we listen to God our Father’s voice. I am sure that at times He is sitting on His throne asking this very question of us. Can we hear Him? What does His voice sound like? How does this all work? The only response to these questions is to try and explain how I hear God’s voice. Hearing His voice first happens in my mind.
I have come to learn that most of the time something speaks to me. This isn’t an audible voice I hear but it is thoughts that course through my mind. There are thoughts of insecurity, fear, doubt, anxiety, worry, depression, and even frustration or anger. There are thoughts to do certain things or say certain things. Thoughts of happiness, remembrance, sorrow, or empathy are present also. Where do these thoughts come from? Why do I have them? What do I even do with them? In order to understand my thoughts, I must search scriptures.
Romans 12:2 talks about the renewal of your mind. Philippians 4:6-8 talks about not being anxious about anything. Romans 8:5-6 talks about living by setting our minds on things of the flesh or the things of God. Matthew 22:37 talks about loving God with heart, soul and mind. There are more verses like these, but the reason I give them is because it sets up this idea that my mind is a battlefield. Philippians said don’t be anxious, but I get anxious. Matthew said love God with my mind but sometimes I don’t. The point is that there is a conflict taking place in my mind. I am warring against myself. If God is good, faithful, and true, then why do these thoughts overtake me at times? I have to weed out the bad thoughts. I have to make a decision not to “listen” to the thoughts of anxiousness, depression, fear, etc. I need to “listen” to thoughts that remind me I am loved by God, I am His child, and I will be taken care of. Most Christians should relate to this struggle. Let me take this a step further—when I think about what to do or what to say.
I try to use this rule when I have a thought to do something or say something. If it is good and there are no extreme consequences, go for it. I start with weeding out the good and bad thoughts. The example I like to give is having the thought to jump off a bridge. Most of us can clearly determine this isn’t good. What about a thought to compliment someone? That seems good. I speak up and try it. The more I focus on these good thoughts and step out in faith, the more God reveals Himself. The more I step out in faith, the more I understand how He “speaks” to me. This is the primary way God speaks to me.
I have thoughts in my mind that come from somewhere. It is either God, the devil and his demons, or something else. I have to weigh the good and bad thoughts against Scripture. When it comes to doing or trying something, I weigh the good versus the bad, and then act. The more I act, the more my faith grows in learning to trust what I “hear.” This isn’t the only way God communicates with me. He “speaks” to me through dreams as well as through other people.
When I have a dream that I believe is from God, I write it down. Through prayer or seeking someone who is more spiritually mature with dreams, I try seeking what it means. A lot of the time, weeks or months later, I am reminded of a dream that applies to my current situation. I have had people tell me they have dreams about me. They tell me their dreams which usually apply to a future situation I will be going through.
Finally, God “speaks” though people to me. People, whom I trust, say God told me to tell you this. I simply write these thoughts down and pray God will reveal the truth in what they are saying. This idea is from 1 John 4, which says test the spirits. I don’t trust every word as “gospel.” I take them to heart in order to weigh them against what I know about God and what I know about the person.
God “speaks” to me through my thoughts, Scripture, dreams, and other people. I test what I hear or at least write it down. I might not always respond in the proper way or I might miss something. I even might get it totally wrong. I am even sure that God is still going to ask the question, “Can you hear Me now?” as I continue to grow in my relationship with Him.
