Nearer My God: Week 4: Hearing God's Voice

Peter,

Last email we talked about finding peace and beauty during the storms of our lives. This week we're going to talk about if and how we can actually hear God's voice speak to us.

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Week 4: Hearing God's Voice

The real question is not can we hear God's voice, but instead are we listening for it? God is speaking through everything at all times and we need only "tune in" the same way we would tune into a radio. There are three practical ways to apply this idea of "tuning in".

1) Live a life of thankfulness: Having a thankful heart for what God is doing right now in your life keeps you attuned to the goodness of God and opens your heart to hear and know His voice.

2) Live a daily lifestyle of "Speak to me Lord, I am listening".: Just as little Samuel did in 1 Samuel 3:1-10, having conversations with God is wonderful; but, it's important to keep in check if you are doing more talking than listening. God doesn't shout at us; sometimes we need only be still and be quiet to hear Him.

3) Get to know the One for whom you are listening: It's hard to recognize the voice of someone you barely spend time with or don't know. The more you get to know the nature of God and who He really is, not just who the world says He is, the more easily you will be able to hear His voice and discern it from the enemy.

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me…My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow me.”

Be patient with yourself; we are all in different places of learning in this journey of discernment and listening for our Shepherd. We encourage you to try this week and listen using the 3 practical applications we laid out above. Have a blessed week!

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Next week we'll talk about believing if God is really Good.

Do you want to dig in a little deeper? This email touches on a chapter in our study guide / spiritual journal for Episode 1: Breakthrough. For a deeper look at tuning into God's voice, grab a copy of your own and learn more about this topic and others. What will YOUR Breakthrough be?