6 Ways to Distinguish God’s Voice From the Circumstances of Life

As Christians, we know the importance of having a close relationship with our Heavenly Father. But sometimes we allow the circumstances of life to pull us away from God. In these moments, it’s easy to lose His voice. In these moments, we vigilantly seek God, but in return only sense His silence. And this silence can be frustrating, disheartening, even agonizing. There are times when we will seek God for answers, cry out for His help and relief and still hear nothing. Hearing God is essential to building an intimate relationship with Him and learning to clearly distinguish God’s voice is invaluable. But as easy as it is for us to speak to Him, most Christians have a hard time listening to God and hearing His voice. This is not the way God intended it to be. The truth is if we don’t hear His voice, we will get totally lost in our own circumstances and be more vulnerable to the Enemy’s attacks. If we want to have a healthy relationship with God, learning to discern His voice is vital. Here are six ways to distinguish God’s voice from the circumstances of life.

Tune Out the Commotion

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It’s important to tune out the commotion, if only for a few moments each day in order to hear His voice. How many times have you prayed today and if you haven’t prayed at all, ask yourself one simple question: why? Many of us will answer this question with a number of excuses: ‘I’m too busy right now with my family or my work to talk to God right now’, ‘I don’t get immediate gratification when I make requests to God’ or ‘God seems silent when I reach out to Him’ among others. It’s time to cut the excuses. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Our Lord wants an intimate relationship with us and prayer is the best way to communicate with God. He wants us to actively call on Him so that He can answer our prayers.

Learn How to Listen

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It’s easy to talk and present our requests to God, but it’s a lot harder to listen to what God is telling us. Truly listening to God is an art that requires training and discipline. It’s very difficult to hear God’s voice when we are listening to every other voice besides His. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can train our ears to recognize the voice of God above all the noise. “But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). When we practice, by reason of use, we are able to discern whether what we hear is of God, our flesh, or the Enemy. It’s important that we hear the Holy Spirit and recognize the ways He is speaking and working through us. Jesus said, “He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing” (Matthew 13:9). Pray that God will give you a hearing heart to listen and to obey.

Never Underestimate the Power of Prayer

If you’re having trouble hearing God’s voice, turn to Him in prayer and ask Him to open your ears to what He is saying to you. When we’re going through dark periods in our lives and don’t know where to turn, practicing prayer daily gives us the chance to share where we are with God. Prayer also gives us the chance to hear what God is saying to us. James 4:8 says “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” He wants us to be close to Him and prayer is the perfect opportunity to draw near to Him.If you’re reading this and telling yourself, ‘I’m praying to God every day, but His voice still seems silent’ you may need to change the way you’re listening.

Adjust Your Listening

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If you’re having a difficult time discerning God’s voice, you may not really be listening the way you think you are. Sometimes, when we’re going through trials or rushing through prayer, we find ourselves so far from Him that we can’t hear Him. We tune God out because we don’t like the answers He’s giving us. Other times, we simply tell ourselves that we can’t hear His voice because the enemy has pulled us to a place where we are not only doubting ourselves, but also doubting God. Be aware of the enemy’s advances. First Peter 5:8 tells us “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. The enemy is active, and always looking to pull you down in your moments of strength and weakness. It’s important in these moments of separation from God that you listen to God’s voice and not get distracted by the enemy’s voice.

Make Sure Nothing is Blocking You

It’s time to examine your life. Is there something going on in your life that is making it difficult to hear God right now? Ask yourself is there any unconfessed sin in your life that may be blocking you from hearing God’s voice? The Bible tells us, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). Doing this requires us to look deep into our own hearts and lives. Begin by asking yourself: Do I have bad motives? Is there anything or anyone that I love more than God? As these things come to light and you become more aware of what’s separating you from God, ask Him for His forgiveness. The act of repentance pleases God and restores our fellowship with Him.

Listen to Scripture

Sometimes, when we reach out to God, He gives us the answers to questions we didn’t even know we were asking. God always provides according to His purpose for us. Let’s take our reading or listening of the Bible for example. How often have you read the Bible and a particular verse, or set of verses just jumped out at you? You weren’t sure why, but it just felt like those verses were speaking to you. They were. When these moments happen, ask God what He is trying to tell you through these verses. Some people make it a practice of reading through scripture and asking at the end of each reading which verses stood out most to them. If you’re in tune with the reading, but nothing is standing out to you, maybe those particular verses aren’t speaking to you and that’s fine.