[Communing, or living aware of God’s presence, is an important part of our prayer life. Slowing down and taking time to listen as well as preparing our hearts to hear Him is essential to this process of 2-way communication. When people listen for God, rarely do they hear an outwardly audible voice, but instead we hear a quiet, inner, still, small voice. For me, they are more like thoughts than a voice. It is a voice you hear with your heart rather than your ears. Often in the Word the voice of God would audibly sound like thunder, but we need to remember that if we have asked for and received the gift inside us from tip 2) The Best Prayer You Can Ever Pray, He doesn’t have to speak to us audibly to get his point to us. We just need to learn and recognize that still, small inner voice. The first step is to be still.]
[Psa 46:10a NKJV] 10 Be still, and know that I [am] God…
[Psa 4:4 NKJV] 4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah [ means to praise.]
[1Ki 19:12-13 NKJV] 12 and after the earthquake a fire, [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a still, small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice [came] to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
[Psa 95:2, 6-8 NKJV] 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. ... 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 7 For He [is] our God, And we [are] the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: 8 "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As [in] the day of trial in the wilderness,
[The children of Israel harden their hearts in rebellion against God even after they had heard His voice and seen His miracles. After God had parted the Red Sea, and delivered them from the army of Egypt, they complained and turned back to worshiping the God’s of Egypt. Their hearts became hard and they didn’t seem to remember how God had miraculously delivered them out of 420 years of slavery in Egypt. They heard His trumpets and thunderous voice answer Moses at the foot of the Mt. Horeb (Sinai) but they still choose to rebel.]
[Exo 19:8, 17-19 NKJV] 8 Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. ... 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai [was] completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.
[The consequence of their generation’s rebellion was to be banished from ever entering into the promised land to rest from their wanderings. They all died, wandering in the wilderness over the next 40 years, and only their children were allowed to enter the promised land to find rest from their wanderings.
Growing up in the church I spent a lot of time ignoring God’s still, small voice. I believe my heart became hard, to hearing His voice. It probably wouldn’t have been any different had it been a thunderous voice led by trumpets like the Israelites experienced! The reason was, I didn’t spend much time in the Word even though I had absorbed quite a bit of head knowledge about the Bible in numerous church children’s programs, church camps, and later-on during 2-years of Bible college. Still I didn’t spend much time trying to listen for God’s still, small voice. I was never really taught how, and frankly the cares of life crowded out my search for His voice. However, later in life, the more I got into God’s Word daily, both from reading and powerful Bible based teaching, some passages began to stick with me almost effortlessly. I began to find myself sharing those passages with others. They tended to be ones that struck home with me, that I had a special revelation about. I could easily quote the general meaning of these passages without having memorized them. It is like the idea in the passage would just come to me while I was sharing with someone about a related topic. Many of those passages I’ve found myself sharing over the years are included in this collection of prayer tips. Even now as I write, God brings His Word to my memory, and I am able to search and find the passages and place them in this guide. I believe reading and meditating on Scriptures is one of the best ways to soften our hearts to hear God’s still, small voice.]
[Jhn 10:3-4, 16, 27 NKJV] 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ... 16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock [and] one shepherd. ... 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
[When we get still, our mind tends to think about thoughts we have focused on throughout the day. For me, these thoughts are often more about the worries of the world than the wisdom of the Word because I still struggle spending the time necessary to fully renew my mind with the Word. It’s a progressive journey. Daily we need to read God’s Word so that when we get still, He will bring those Scriptures to us and speak to us through them. Still, it is hard to know if that still, small, inner voice is from God, myself, or the lying, deceiving spirit of this world.]
[1Jo 3:19, 24 NKJV] 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ... 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
[1Jo 4:1-6 NKJV] 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the [spirit] of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak [as] of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us [John and those taught by Jesus (the Apostles) as recorded in the N.T.]; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
[2Ti 3:15-17 NKJV] 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scriptures [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, [Use God’s Word to correct your thoughts and confirm what is from God (the spirit of truth) versus, the world (the spirit of error.)] for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
[2Pe 1:16-21 NLT] 16 For we [Peter and the Apostles] were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place--until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scriptures ever came from the prophet's own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
[If you are being still and trying to listen for the still, small voice of God, you must first learn His voice. You must tune your heart, mind and soul to His voice. That means reading His Word in the morning when you rise and at night before you go to bed.]
[Jos 1:8 NKJV] 8 "This Book of the Law [God’s Word] shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
[Once you have started reading your Bible each morning and evening, try replacing the time you spend worrying throughout your day with imagining and meditating on what you read. Scriptures meditation, is not some mystical eastern practice, but could be better described as a positive form or worry. Many of us often can find ourselves doing something while worrying about something else. We do this on the way to work or school, while driving, doing dishes or other tasks. Scriptures meditation is replacing that worry with the Word you read that morning. As you read, take time to picture what must be going on in the passage you read. Ask and write down questions. Ponder that passage. Place the questions in a prominent place like on your fridge where you will see them daily, and then celebrate when He reveals the answer. Tell someone about it.
For more detailed tips on how to study and meditate on the Word see prayer tip 52) How to Renew Your Mind with the Word.]
[Jhn 6:63 NKJV] 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.
[Heb 4:12 NKJV] 12 For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
[As mentioned previously, God’s words (the Bible) are spirit and life. Thinking about His Word is listening to Him and practicing the presence of His Spirit. Also known as prayer, some consider hearing the voice of God is a form of the spiritual gift of prophecy. One definition of prophecy is “telling it like it is—past, present and future—i.e. Truth!" I’ve never heard an audible voice or trumpets from Heaven. Mostly I get thoughts that line up with what I know God’s Word says. Still Scriptures talks about hearing His still, small voice, so I pray for and try to live out listening for that inner voice or thought.
One should be very careful to always test these thoughts with God’s Word. If you’re not reading and meditating on the Word, the thoughts you are having are most likely from the world and could even be from deceptive demonic sources. Get into the Word and a good Bible teaching church. This will help you tune your ear to hear God’s still, small voice. He is a good God and would love a relationship with you based on 2-way communication, also known as prayer.]
[Mar 7:16 NKJV] 16 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"
[Rev 2:29 NKJV] 29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '
[Hear what God is saying to us through the Holy Spirit. He wants to teach us. You can hear God—He is always speaking to us. We just need to learn to recognize His still, small voice. We need to capture our thoughts and discern which are from the Holy Spirit.]
[2Co 10:5 NKJV] 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
[One way to capture your thoughts when listening for God, is to write them down, or record them with a voice recorder.]
[Hab 2:2 NKJV] 2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make [it] plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
[Writing thoughts down helps transform what is vague and cuts through the confusion. It makes the vision He is putting in your heart clearer. When there is clarity you can commit to it. Do it—see tip 5) Acting on His Still, small Voice. Write it down and put it on your fridge and date it. That piece of paper shows what God showed you was real—what the Bible calls an Ebenezer—a monument of remembrance. If we don’t write it down, we can forget what God has done. Recording your thoughts, you think may be from God, builds your relationship and momentum with God. Honestly, this is an area I need to be more diligent in. Here is another prayer: Father in Heaven, help me to be diligent and write down what You are saying to me. Thank you that You are helping me remember.
If you happen to write down a lie from the devil that contradicts the Word, it becomes clear it is not from the Lord and you can dismiss it and break the power of the lie he planted in your thoughts.
Another way to hold every thought captive is to get rid of distractions.]
[Mar 4:19 ESV] 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
[2Ch 30:12 NKJV] 12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD.
[Deu 4:24 NKJV] 24 "For the LORD your God [is] a consuming fire, a jealous God.
[God’s love for us is so great He is jealous when we are distracted with the things of this world. As we meditate and get a clearer picture of just how much He loves us, this relationship of 2-way communication becomes a consuming fire in our lives. This fire drowns all the worldly distractions the enemy tries to throw at you. Listen and pray for a realization of that all-consuming love in your life. Here is another prayer: Father in Heaven, help me to understand how much You love me. Thank you that You do!]
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