Hearing God's Voice: a word by Jessica O.

This is one of the key things YWAM is about. It is a basic, but deep teaching that all the students and staff encounter. It is the core behind the concept of our motto; To know God and make Him know. There is so much to this subject, so I will only go into a little. 

Many people in the body of Christ struggle with the idea that you can even “hear” His voice. They say you can only know Him through the bible. I believe if you want a personal relationship you have to be able to converse in some way with that person. To know an author, you can study their biography all you want and get to know them well, but it is not the same as sitting down and talking to the author. I also believe that we ALL can “hear” His voice. This is not something for a select group of people. He has given us all access and called us His children. When we still our mind and talk to Him we will find there is a still voice that answers. We can recognize it is not our voice, because it is not the answers we would give. It could be a moment of clarity in the middle of anxiety, or a word of wisdom or advice we would not have thought of. 

We can always confirm His voice with scripture and the fruit of the spirit. If it produces good fruit, it is His voice. A question I like to ask is will this produce love or is it in the spirit of love. He is love and you can hear that in His voice. You may have to keep checking to make sure the path you are going continues to produce good fruit, but if we genuinely want to know if it is Him, He is always faithful to correct us and guide us. Also, He always is able to confirm His voice with His word. There have often been “aha moments” for me when He confirms His voice with a scripture, and suddenly I see a new depth in the passage or verse I had not seen before.

 The last point I want to leave you with, is we are all created uniquely, and so the way we hear Him is also equally unique. When we seek Him, we will find Him. He is always faithful to be there beside us, whether we are even looking for Him or not. Have confidence when you hear Him speak whether through knowing, hearing, seeing, feeling, imaginations, through others, or so many endless ways. Trust that you can hear Him and He will direct your path. He also corrects as we misstep and He won’t let you go far when you have an open heart to want Him to guide. 

Finally, as you practice stepping out in faith hearing His voice and conversing with Him, you will find it gets easier with practice. As with all things worth pursuing it takes discipline. You will find He is always speaking and speaking through so many things and in so many creative ways.