1) Hearing God’s voice requires you to have the belief that God loves you and wants to communicate with you.
The prophet Jeremiah, in the Old Testament of the Bible, reminds us of God's love when he tells us, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3)
2) Listening to and hearing God effectively requires consistent reading, studying, and meditating on his Word, the Bible. The prophet Isaiah reminds us of God's message to us, "My Word does not return to me empty, but accomplishes the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
3) Better hearing God requires spending time alone with Him.
Matthew 14:23 gives us an example of Christ spending time with the Father. “He went up on a mountainside alone to pray. When evening came, he was still there alone.”
4) Hearing God effectively involves opening my heart to him and desiring to hear God’s truth.
The psalmist cries out to God, “Search my heart, oh God, and know my heart. See if there be any offensive way in me and lead me to way everlasting.” It is important to note here that as the Holy Spirit convicts us of any wrongdoing, we need to confess it to God, to repent it, turn away from that sin, and then receive God’s forgiveness.
5) Another way that God may speak to us is the means of using other believers to speak His truth into each other’s lives. This is why worshipping and/or fellowshipping with other people is so important.
The apostle John reminds us (in John 14:26) that, “I am convinced that you are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” If you question what you are being told, consider seeking others’ opinions, as we are instructed, “there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors.”
6) Finally, perhaps the greatest key to hearing God’s voice is having the ability to recognize what is called that “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit.
After we believe and receive Christ as our Savior, God sends the Holy Spirit to be our comforter, advocate and guide.
Jesus explains it this way. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
I pray these tools will be helpful to you in developing a cluster walk with God!
Linda S. Plunkett, PhD, is the author of Supernatural Rescue: From Broken to Beautiful, a book written about her having undergone brain surgery after a tumor the size of a tennis ball was discovered growing in the frontal lobe of her brain. A licensed counselor, Linda offers private, one-on-one, online (video) counseling sessions at https://www.coachtheworld.com/en/lindaplunkett