Want to grow at hearing God’s voice? The great news is that He is always interested and available to connect with you. Communication with the Lord is a relational journey that grows and deepens over time. He is gracious to both meet us where we are and to eagerly responds to our desire to grow in connection with Him.  

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV

 Like any gift or skill, we can grow in our ability to hear God’s voice through intentional focus and practice. We can also accelerate growth by learning from the wisdom of others.  Mark and Patti Virkler have drawn 4 keys from Habakkuk 2:1-2. These 4 keys provide a helpful structure for positioning yourself to grow at hearing God’s voice. Let’s take a look!

Four Keys to Hearing God:

1) Stand on Your Guard Post

Quiet Yourself in the Lord’s Presence. Find stillness and peace in God’s presence. If distracting thoughts come, let the pass by or quickly write them down and return your focus to the Lord. If possible, set your phone aside in a location where it will not be a distraction to you.

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10 NIV

2) Look for Vision

Use the eyes of your heart. Fix your eyes on Jesus, increasing your awareness of His presence with you. Invite the Lord to speak. Keep watch vision while praying.

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Acts 2:17

3) Recognize Spontaneous Thoughts

Engage Your Godly Imagination. Visualize God’s promises and place yourself in biblical stories. Ephesians 1:17-18 prays for the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened, allowing us to receive and understand God’s visions.

4) Write the Vision

Document Your Spiritual Insights: Write down the thoughts and visions you receive from God. This practice, known as two-way journaling, helps you capture and reflect on His messages.

Experiencing the Flow of the Holy Spirit

God’s voice often manifests as spontaneous thoughts, especially during prayer, worship, or daily activities. This “Flow Experience” is described in John 7:37-39 as “rivers of living water” flowing from within us. By tuning into this flow, we align with the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Distinguishing Thoughts

It’s important to differentiate between analytical thoughts, which are our own, and flowing thoughts, which come from the spirit realm. Good thoughts are from God, while negative ones are not.

Practicing Two-Way Journaling

In Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, we are reminded to be thoughtful and deliberate with our words. This passage reminds us us the importance of slowing down and listening carefully to what God wants to say.

Two-way journaling is a practice that helps us engage with God in a more intentional and reflective way. It’s not just writing down our thoughts, but about creating a space to listen for God and respond to Him. Here’s how it works:

Two-way journaling is a powerful way to connect with God and receive His direction. It’s a process of both speaking and listening, of sharing our hearts with Him and making space for Him to respond. It fosters a deeper relationship with God and opens our hearts to hear His voice more clearly.

• Quiet ourselves –The first step is to quiet our minds and hearts, setting aside distractions so we can fully focus on hearing from God. This moment of stillness allows us to be more attuned to His voice.
• Look for vision – We then ask God to reveal His thoughts to us, whether in the form of a vision, an impression, or a specific word. This is a time to be open and receptive to what God may want to show us.
• Recognize God’s voice as spontaneous thoughts – As we sit in silence, we may begin to receive spontaneous thoughts, feelings, or impressions. These can be subtle, but they often carry the wisdom or insight we need. It’s important to recognize these as God’s voice speaking to us, rather than dismissing them as random thoughts.
• Write down what we receive – Finally, we write down what we sense God is saying. This could include a personal message, a scripture, or even a question to reflect on. Writing helps to capture conversation and allows us to revisit it later.

Conclusion

To recap, hearing God’s voice is a practice that combines stillness, vision, spontaneity, and journaling. By applying these four keys, you can experience breakthrough and deepen your relationship with God. Everything we do can be an act of ministry, serving and glorifying Him in all aspects of our lives.

 Summary of the keys: