Could you use some tips for more effectively hearing God’s voice?
This week I asked Author Leighann McCoy to share her insights on how you can develop your listening skills when it comes to hearing God’s voice. You can also win one of ten books she is giving away at the end of the blog so stay tuned:
Leighann, author of A Woman’s Guide to Hearing God’s Voice, says:
Like Cindi, I too have been a follower of Christ since I was a girl. And even though I’ve written a book on the subject, I still find it difficult to hear God’s voice.
Sometimes I strain my ears and hear nothing at all.
And sometimes I can’t distinguish the voice of God from the other voices I hear in my head.
One time I “heard” God tell me that I was pregnant and I was having a baby boy. A few weeks later I discovered that I was indeed pregnant! But a few weeks after that I found out my baby was a girl. I was partly hearing God’s voice and partly hearing my own wishful thinking.
It’s not that hard to hear God’s voice, but it’s not that easy either. Cindi encouraged us to listen to God’s whispers. I call those whispers His “still small voice.”
(I’ve put together a bonus resource at the end of this post that includes a link to a message on hearing God’s still small voice and 4 reliable tests to distinguish His voice from others.)
The key to hearing God’s “still small voice” is learning how to listen. Here are four tips for effective listening.
- Pay attention.
It kind of goes without saying, and yet we rush into our quiet times, read our Bibles, talk to God about what we want Him to do for us then off we go.
What if you…
- Read your Bible
- Asked God to speak to you
- And then sat still?
Try it! Start small.
I began with 2 minutes. My mind wandered and I considered the “nothingness” a possible “waste” of precious time. But, after a few days I realized that I was beginning to hear God “whisper.”
- Shut out distractions.
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