Hearing God- Does He Really Speak & How to Know It's Him- Episode 41

Gigi is back after taking a month-long break! Starting the new year with the importance of God’s word being impressed upon her heart.  Join her in this episode as she dives into the truth of how God communicates.   How we can learn to hear, recognize, and perceive God’s voice and why it is so important!  Truth that has the power to literally set us free!  The first step to coming into alignment and agreement with God begins with hearing His voice! 

 Resources Mentioned:

 Scriptures:

 Psalms 46:10

Hebrews 1:13-14 

Matthew 4:4

 Suggested Worship- “Word of God Speak” by Mercy Me

*Special thank you to Freedom Advance Ministries International- Hearing God 

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Transcript

Aloha ladies-  I’m BACK! 

 I had such an awesome January- a great start to what I believe is going to be a tremendous year!  It was a refreshing break to enjoy some snowy weather in Colorado and to just spend quality time with my daughter and grandchildren. Helping them to get moved in and adjusted to a new home, new schools, new everything!    My big take away from the trip was the lesson about the importance of hearing God- hearing Him speak and knowing His Word.   I got to pour into my family --why it is essential to imprint God’s word upon our hearts and minds.  That it is fundamentally the most important tool we need in this life.  Because when troubles comes (and it will), God’s word is a light and it is a weapon.   Without it we are essentially left defenseless and blind.    Struggling to make the right choices, right responses, struggling to defend ourselves, and to rise above our circumstances victoriously.  We memorized as a family – Psalms 46:10-  “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted amongst the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”    Be still.   Be silent.   Remove your distractions.  Get out of your own head!  This is the action we must take to seek the Him – being intentional.  

 Now, what’s so interesting is that when I returned home, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach on this very subject at an inner healing conference.   This time speaking to adults!  And it’s amazing to see how no matter our age- we may have missed the understanding or simply need to be reminded.  So, today, that’s what I want to share with you-   Hearing God- How we can recognize His voice and why it is so important! 

 I want to start by sharing a term-  “ATL” or “Ask the Lord” -   it’s the principal of taking everything to the Lord for consideration-   to ask God for His insight, way, plan, strategy, revelation, etc.  To rely upon Him to reveal truth, instruction, answers, and Heaven’s perspective- especially when we are seeking healing and freedom.  God is the ultimate source of truth- He is the expert therapist, the most qualified guide, and is incapable of leading His children astray!  

 Now with that said-  the first time I heard this term used--  I thought, what in the world are they talking about! 

 You see, I grew up Southern Baptist and we were pretty much taught that God communicated only through His written word and prayer was a one-side conversation.  With us humans doing all the talking!   

 Sure, we knew the Biblical examples of God speaking and interacting with his people- 

 Whether it was in a still small voice in 1 Kings 19, or His audible voice in 1 Samuel 3, or Joseph hearing God through his dreams in Genesis 37, or the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary in Luke 1, or in Acts 10 when God spoke to Peter through a trance and a vision, or Paul encountering the Lord on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, or when the Lord asked Adam “Where are you?” in Genesis 3 - YHWH has been speaking to His children from the beginning of time.

 Yet, I was essentially taught that – “that’s not for today” not for me anyway!   I don’t really “hear Him” I just know that when I pray, He will eventually answer in His timing and through circumstances.  

 Oh, so not true.   I’m so thankful- God revealed His truth to me!   It is for today and it is us!!!  

 He speaks to each one of us in all those ways above.   He is communicating with us all the time - we just have to press in to hear His voice.

 So, during the teaching, we collectively assembled a list of all the different ways that God speaks- and some of them were surprising!   

 Here’s what we came up with: 

·      His written Word;

·      Encounters- engaging with His presence using our God-given childlike imagination;

·      Impressions/images that come into our mind;

·      Visions; 

·      Art;

·      Music;

·      Movies-TV- even sport;

·      Impressions through our senses- touch, smell, sight- like colors; 

·      Dreams;

·      Positive words spoken from others- even children;

·      Audible voice;

·      Still small voice;

·      Circumstances-Coincidences;

·      Although less common- God does still speak through Angels-  Heb. 1:13-14 tells us that God uses angels to minster to us!  They are real! 

As you can see, God is NOT limited in His methods of communication.   He wants to speak to us- yet, oftentimes, we don’t seem that interested.    

But I’m here to tell you that it is crucial for us to hear, recognize, and perceive His voice! 

Why?

It’s how we develop intimacy with God.   At the end of the day, the whole point of our existence is to be in relationship with Him! 

Just like with any other relationship-  if you never converse with one another- never share your heart and be vulnerable- to really get to know each other- you aren’t really in a relationship.    No, that’s just a superficial “acquittance.” 

In fact, coming into alignment and agreement with Him begins with hearing His voice- It is so important so much so, that  Matt 4:4 says, "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

How can we know what we are hearing is from God?

• It lines up with scripture and God’s heart for you- God will never speak something contrary to His word! 

• It draws you closer to God- remember it’s about relationship with Him. 

• It produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Especially peace! 

This is how we can test what we are hearing!  

OK-  Now that we’ve covered How God speaks to us, let’s look at some other voices that love to speak and can sometimes compete or drown out God’s voice…..  

Others ~ Outside voices and influences speak to us all the time. Which can be positive or negative!  From family, friends, social media, entertainment, news, work, school, government. 

Ourselves ~ Our own thoughts from our mind. And many times, we are our own worst enemy- especially when our thoughts come from lies or negative influences. 

Ungodly Spirits ~ These spirits can speak to us from the spiritual realm just as they did to Jesus in the desert.  Satan is real and His army is relentless! 

The best way to know if an ungodly or evil spirit is speaking is if what is being said or the message you are getting can be classified as a:

1.    lie (deception), 2. seduction (temptation), 3. an offense, strife, or contention, 4. Fear or intimidation, or 5. accusation or condemnation.

THESE ARE NOT FROM THE LORD!!!! 

**It is so important to learn to distinguish between these voices and to respond to them accordingly. Especially the voices that condemn us, tell us we’re not good enough or lead us down a path of fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, and unbelief. 

As we engage more with Holy Spirit, we will get to know how He speaks, His character, how he prompts us - it is just like being able to pick out your parent or spouse or child’s voice in a crowd. You will be tuned in and connected to His heart and voice.  Jesus himself tells us in Heb. 1:3- “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.”   

His tone is always loving and His heart is always for us, even when He corrects us.

 What voice are you listing to today?  I pray that is will always be the Lord’s! 

If I may, I’d like to share with you a testimony on how God used nature to speak to me and how I knew it was from Him.   

This was back in 2022-  I was leading a women’s Bible study at church and I invited a dear friend who is quite skilled in leading people in “encounters” with Jesus to participate.  Now, this is back when I was still skeptical about using my imagination and God really speaking through it.    In this encounter, she asked us all to close our eyes, and see that Jesus had a gift for each one of us.   That it's right in front us -  to picture it and then unwrap and open it.   So, I saw this beautiful gift wrapped in glitter paper with a gold ribbon and when I pulled the ribbon and opened the box (much to my surprise) hundreds of orange butterflies flew out.    I thought Ok-butterflies- but when I asked the Lord what this gift meant He responded- “Noelle- you are my butterfly- my beautiful butterfly, you have been transformed- you are not the same- you are free to fly.”    Now, what’s amazing is the very next day- I started seeing real orange butterflies in nature- EVERY SINGLE DAY WITHOUT FAIL FOR SIX MONTHS!    It was so crazy that a few times, I wondered if I’m losing my mind that I  had to ask my husband if he could see them too.   And then, you might say – not’s not really a big deal you live in Hawaii where butterflies are all year long. But, yet during those six months we traveled to the mainland, and I still saw the butterflies.   Looking out the windows at the airports and even in Louisiana during the fall/winter months.  When there shouldn’t have been butterflies!   Yet, each time I saw the orange butterfly it was like God was reminding me again that I am transformed!!  It is a word from the Lord because it speaks to my identity, it speaks to what He says about me!   

You see with God, it’s always about the issues of our heart.  He knows what we need.  He knows the best way to communicate with us and His heart’s desire is to clean us all up, remove the things the lies and the things that distract and compete for our attention and affection.     

That’s why spiritual discernment is important- being sensitive to His voice, acknowledging Him first, and seeking Him daily!    

We truly can discern spiritual things--  

·      Through our spiritual senses (seeing, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, and knowing)

·      Through the mind of Christ and Holy Spirit dwelling in us;

·      By listening closely. Not just with our ears, but with our eyes AND HEARTS!

It’s about asking yourself:

What is God Seeing?  (The Revelation) 

What is God saying? (The Interpretation)

 What is God Doing?  (The Activation)  

Ladies, God tells us to not lean on our own understanding or human reasoning.  He isn’t looking for perfection.  He’s simply looking for hearts that are surrendered and hungry for Him, ones that are leaning in close to hear Him, knowing that what He has to say is truth, and important, and knowing that He wants us to know His Heart.  

He is a good father- are you listening to Him?