3 Principle Means of Learning to Hear

1. Revelation

The process of hearing the voice of the Lord begins with Revelation. Unless God chooses to make Himself known, we cannot of ourselves hear His voice. Thankfully, part of His gift of grace at salvation is exactly that: when He re-created us, He revealed Himself to our spirit. The process now involves His voice being revealed from His Spirit through our spirit to our soul. If you are a believer, God has already revealed Himself to you and given you the ability to hear and recognize His voice.

2. Association

Once we realize that because we are now In Christ we are already hearing God in our spirit, we can fine-tune that ability in the soulical realm by hanging out with God. Like learning to speak a new language, the best way is to actually move to that country. How do sheep learn to recognize the voice of their Shepherd? Just by being with Him, spending time thinking, listening, acknowledging that every circumstance in our life is from Him and a way He speaks to us, will quicken our ability to hear Him in other ways as well.

3. Cultivation

If we really want to be able to recognize the Lord’s voice, we will have to make lifestyle changes, rearranging our schedule and beliefs to make room for Him first. The more time and attention we give to God, the more fine-tuned our senses become to His leading. He reveals Himself, we spend time with Him, then we begin to act on what we’ve heard. As we test what we’re hearing, His voice will likely change in character. His direction, encouragement and comfort is likely to become unspoken and subtle the more intimate our relationship with Him becomes. The more we work to know Him, and labor to enter into His rest, the fewer specific words are needed.