Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Foreword: The Wonder of Hearing God’s Voice
Part I: Our Sovereign God
1.Taking Time to Hear
2.Are You Prepared to Wait?
3.The Importance of Christ as Our Head
4.Four Functions of the Head
Part II: Ears to Hear
5.God’s Unvarying Requirement
6.The Mark of Christ’s Sheep
7.Three Distinguishing Features
8.Hearing God’s Voice Produces Faith
Part III: Led by the Spirit
9.A Distinctive Lifestyle
10.Sons and Daughters of God
11.Hearing from the Heart
12.Requirements for Hearing
Part IV: Prepare the Way of the Lord
13.Meeting with God
14.Confession Removes Barriers to Hearing
15.Results of Corporate Confession
16.Choosing Humility
17.Preparing for God’s Glory
18.How Can We Be Sure?
19.Clear Confirmations
Afterword: Your Own Journey of Discovery
About the Author
Welcome to Our House!
Publisher’s note : This book was compiled from the extensive archive of
Derek Prince’s unpublished materials and approved by the Derek Prince
Ministries editorial team.

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Boldface type in the Scripture quotations indicates the author’s emphasis.

Personal pronouns and adjectives relating to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
in Scripture quotations from the New International Version (1984 and 2011
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Hear God’s Voice

Derek Prince Ministries

 P.O. Box 19501
Charlotte, North Carolina 28219-9501
www.derekprince.org

ISBN: 978-1-64123-493-1
eBook 978-1-64123-494-8
© 2020 by Derek Prince Ministries–International

Whitaker House
1030 Hunt Valley Circle
New Kensington, PA 15068
www.whitakerhouse.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020945183

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 FOREWORD:
The Wonder of Hearing God’s Voice

H ow important is it to hear God’s voice—beyond what we read in the

Bible? Would you say that you are able to hear God speak to you? What
price would you be willing to pay to clearly hear His voice?
Many biblical themes can be taught in a straightforward manner, but the
matter of hearing God’s voice is necessarily subjective. This is not to say
the Bible doesn’t guide us in knowing God’s will and learning to discern
His voice. But specific answers to many of our questions in life are not
always directly available in the Scriptures. For those questions, we need to
receive personal guidance from the Lord. One principle is clear: we must
take responsibility for making time not only to listen to, but also to test,
what we hear spiritually. No one else can do this for us.
Nothing is more important to our spiritual life than learning to hear God’s
voice. Derek Prince learned much about this ability through his study of the
Scriptures and through his own experiences. As he did with many other
biblical subjects, early in his ministry, Derek taught extensively and
effectively on this topic. Then, in his later years, he gained additional
wisdom and personal experience—sometimes through the tests and trials he
describes in this book. Consequently, the Lord refined and deepened his
understanding of this message.
As you read the teachings Derek shares in Hear God’s Voice , we hope
the importance of hearing the Lord’s voice for yourself will become clear
and that experiencing this wonder will become more accessible to you. As
you put these principles and skills into practice in your daily walk of faith,
we pray that your life will be transformed and your fellowship with Jesus
Christ will be revitalized.

—The International Publishing Team of

Derek Prince Ministries
 PART I:
Our Sovereign God
 1
Taking Time to Hear

I want to begin Hear God’s Voice by sharing an experience my wife Ruth

and I had some years ago. We took a “sabbatical” of six months that turned
out to be one of the most intense and challenging times of our lives.
Although the experience was very difficult, it ended up being the means by
which we eventually heard God’s voice and discovered His life-changing
direction for us.

TRIALS AND TESTING

Ruth and I had both felt the Lord was leading us to take an extended rest
from our ministry work. We planned a sabbatical in Hawaii because we
wanted to hear from God and learn what He was asking us to do next. We
felt we had come to the end of the current phase of our ministry, and,
naturally, we wanted to know God’s purposes for us.
When we arrived in Hawaii, we had great expectations of having a
wonderful respite in a warm climate surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. We
thought this six-month break would be relaxing and restful, with plenty of
time to read the Bible, pray, and walk by the ocean and on the beautiful
hills. But it didn’t turn out like that at all!
I started to feel unwell, and I became increasingly sick. At first, the
doctors couldn’t determine what was wrong with me. Eventually, I was
diagnosed with what is called subacute bacterial endocarditis, which is a
progressive infection of the lining of the heart. I ended up spending
seventeen days in the hospital and six weeks on intravenous antibiotics.
In addition to this situation, a few months earlier, Ruth had faced a life-
threatening illness. It had started when she and I were in New Zealand for
meetings with our international directors. Ruth began having intense
abdominal pain, and I didn’t know what to do. But when she began praying,
“Lord, I commit the family to you,” and then, “Lord, I commit the ministry
to you,” and then, “Lord, I commit Derek to you,” it got my attention. I
thought to myself, “I had better do something quickly!”
 I phoned the Derek Prince Ministries directors who were staying at the
same meeting place in New Zealand, and they immediately came and
prayed. Thankfully, Ruth was raised up. But I felt she really had been at
death’s door.

A NEW SEASON
In preparation for our time away in Hawaii, I had handed over the
administration of the ministry to my son-in-law. Taking six months away
from the ministry seemed like a very long time to us. Yet, we believed that
by consecrating this period to the Lord, we would receive new direction.
Our thought was, “If we give Him six months, that will be wonderful.”
Rather ironically, we heard nothing from God about our future until
almost the end of those six months. The Lord spent all that time dealing
with problems in us that were preventing us from being ready to hear and
respond to what He had to say.
Usually, if a preacher speaks about personal problems, most people tend
to conclude the issue is one of the following: immorality, alcohol abuse, or
misappropriation of funds. In our case, it was none of these! As you might
guess, there are plenty of other ways Christians can block God’s purpose for
their lives. God dealt with some of those issues during our sabbatical—
clearing them away so we could more clearly hear from Him. He used our
trials to chasten and refine us for His service.

GOD’S CHASTENING
As you may be aware, just before I start teaching in front of a
congregation or audience, Ruth and I usually make a confession or
proclamation from Scripture out loud. Speaking God’s Word has a very
powerful effect on the spiritual atmosphere; it sets the scene for the Lord to
work through the message that is given.
One of the passages I have learned by heart for this purpose is Psalm
118:13–18. God has used these verses to accelerate my thinking and
experience in regard to the way He works to purify us.

You [the psalmist’s enemy] pushed me violently, that I might fall, but
the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has
 become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the
tents of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The
right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does
valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to
death. (Psalm 118:13–18)

The Bible tells us, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens” (Hebrews
12:6). How do you regard the Lord’s chastening? By biblical standards, if I
am a person without chastening, I am not a true child of God. Rather, I am
someone who is referred to as “illegitimate.”
I have a deep concern for the vast majority of Christians because they do
not make any place for God’s chastening. Some actually resist His
correction and redirection in their lives. Consequently, they may not be
where they ought to be in their relationship with the Lord. They may not be
hearing His voice.
What about you? Do you need help to get onto the right path with the
Lord? I can assure you that my desire in writing this book is not to accuse
or condemn you but to help you.

A LIFESAVING TRIAL
After Ruth and I had come through this period of testing and struggle, a
dear brother in the Lord said to me, “Your decision to take a sabbatical
saved your life. If you had continued traveling and ministering, you
probably would not have had the opportunity to have the close medical
supervision that eventually uncovered your problem. You might have died.”
So, I want to express that if you go on being as busy as you are, with as
little time for waiting on God as you have allowed, you might jeopardize
your future. The gospel is a serious message. It is a message of life and
death—and we have to be just as serious in our response to it. We need to
take time to hear God’s voice.
 2
Are You Prepared to Wait?

A s difficult as that long sabbatical was for Ruth and me, the direction we
received after waiting to hear from the Lord was very simple and practical.
God showed us that, from then on, our ministry was to focus on
intercession, prayer, worship, and waiting upon Him. He also revealed the
place that was to be our base for this ministry: our home in Jerusalem.
If we had allotted the Lord only five months to hear from Him, we might
not have received the answer to our questions. As I previously explained,
for five and a half months, God didn’t tell us anything specific about what
we should do next. He spoke to us about other matters, but not what He
wanted us to do for Him in the future.
It was only in the last two weeks that God gave us His answers to our
question, “What do You want us to do, Lord?” We learned many lessons
during this period of waiting, but the first lesson was this: God wants our
time. If we are not prepared to give Him our time, I don’t think we can
expect to hear from Him.
I have learned by experience—and the Lord has confirmed this truth in
many ways—that He wants open-ended time with us. He doesn’t want us to
say, “Lord, I’ll give You the next half hour”—or even an hour or even half a
day. Instead, He is seeking this affirmation from us: “Lord, I’ll give You all
the time it takes until I hear from You, no matter how long.” It is
tremendously important that we open up our time to the Lord in this way. I
recognize that most people couldn’t take six months off from their job or
other responsibilities; but we can make other time available to seek God’s
voice and receive His direction. For example, we might set aside a portion
of time each day to worship Him and pray for His guidance. Or, we might
devote a certain amount of time on the weekend for this purpose.

MEETING GOD’S CONDITIONS

Would you love to hear from God? Perhaps you have been asking the
Lord to speak to you, but you haven’t heard anything from Him. The reason
may be that you are not meeting His conditions. God has wonderful plans
for you and me. His plans may be totally different from what we anticipate.
But we will never discover them unless we hear from Him. So, actively
listening for and hearing God’s voice are absolute priorities for us.

WHY THE NEED TO WAIT?

You might ask, “Why did you and Ruth have to wait five and a half
months to hear from God?” I will provide two answers to that question.
First of all, God is sovereign . This truth is hardly ever mentioned in the
church today. Here is my definition of God’s sovereignty: God does what
He wants to, when He wants to, the way He wants to, and He asks no one’s
permission . If we haven’t yet learned this truth, then we have a very
important lesson to learn. We cannot dictate a time frame to God. He alone
decides when we will hear from Him.
The second reason why we had to wait was practical; as I explained, we
needed to remove the barriers in our lives. As God revealed these barriers to
us, we discovered there were many obstacles within us that were blocking
the way. These hindrances had to be removed before the Lord could have
His way in our lives and we could hear His instruction. It took those five
and a half months for us to deal with what He had shown us.
Once more, so that you don’t get the wrong impression, please
understand I’m not talking about sins such as sexual immorality or
drunkenness. Those were not the types of sins God dealt with in Ruth and
me. In a sense, it really doesn’t matter which sin we are contending with.
Any sin can hinder us from hearing from the Lord.

SELF-HUMBLING
The way God required us to remove the barriers was by confession of the
sins He had showed us, repentance, and self-humbling. In many ways, I
really believe the key is self-humbling .
Somebody once said, “Humility is not something you are; humility is
something you do.” If you simply “try” to feel humble, you will never
achieve humility. Do what humility dictates, and the results will follow.
 Waiting on the Lord and humility are two of the requirements for hearing
from God that we will explore later in this book. But, first, we must
understand the importance of our relationship to the Head in the body of
Christ to be in a proper position to hear God’s voice.
 3
The Importance of Christ as Our Head

A s we begin to look at what the Scriptures say concerning hearing God’s

voice, I want to focus on a foundational principle I believe has been
radically displaced in the church. I am not saying it has been neglected
among every group of Christians, but it has in most groups. I am referring
to the need for a clear understanding of—and reverence toward—an
indispensable part of the body of Christ—the Head.

A MOST WONDERFUL GIFT

[God] put all things under [Jesus’s] feet, and gave Him to be head
over all things to the church, which is His body. (Ephesians 1:22–23)

In this verse, there is an interesting contrast in language. On the one hand,

“ [God] put all things under [Jesus’s] feet” —everything was subjected to
Christ. On the other hand, God positioned Jesus as “head” of the church—
the most wonderful gift He could ever give us.
This gift of Jesus’s headship was not for our subjection. It was not for our
domination. Rather, it was a precious blessing from God for His people.
And He made Jesus Head over all things. Not over a few things, and not
even over most things—over all things.
If I were to ask if Jesus’s headship is a reality in your life, could you
honestly say it is so? Could you truly say in the presence of God that Jesus
is Head over everything in your life? That there is nothing outside of His
control and determined will for you?

DEPENDENCE UPON THE HEAD

In Ephesians 4:15–16, Paul writes more about the importance of the Head
to the body:

But [we], speaking the truth in love [or being honest in love], may
grow up in all things into Him who is the Head—Christ—from whom
 the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working by which every part does its share,
causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Please notice the underlying truth of this passage: the whole body
depends on the Head. It is only through its relationship to the Head that the
body derives nourishment. It is only because of the Head that the body is
able to grow and function effectively. If the connection to the Head is
impaired, the entire life of the body is automatically impaired as well.

A LOST CONNECTION
Paul provides further instruction about the Head in Colossians 2. Let us
begin by looking at verse 18:

Let no one cheat you of your reward….

Actually, this verse would be better translated as, “Let no one disqualify
you from your reward.” In other words, don’t let anything or anyone cause
you to lose what God intends you to have. To help us know what to watch
out for, Paul goes on to describe the actions of the person who might try to
defraud us:

Taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into

those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly
mind…. (Colossians 2:18)

Paul describes a person who claims to be super-spiritual but is actually

very carnal. He warns that we should not let such a person deceive us and
cheat us out of our rightful inheritance. Still speaking about this type of
person, Paul says,

And not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished
and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase
that is from God. (Colossians 2:19)

In the New International Version, this verse begins, “They have lost
connection with the head….” As soon as we lose connection with the Head,
we make ourselves susceptible to error, deception, and all kinds of false
teachings that are out of line with God’s truth. We start listening to the
wrong voices.

BEING RIGHTLY RELATED TO THE HEAD

The only position of safety for the body collectively—and for each
believer individually—is to be rightly related to the Head. Every true
believer has a direct, divinely prepared connection with Jesus Christ. Never
let anyone interfere with your personal connection with the Head.
In the church, pastors are sometimes referred to as the head of the
congregation. Pastors are wonderful people, but they cannot take the place
of Jesus. The function of a pastor is not to be your head. His role is to help
you cultivate your relationship with the One who is your Head. Your
pastor’s obligation is not to tell you the answers to all your problems, but
rather to show you how to find the answers for yourself from Jesus.
Some people tend to be lazy, wanting another human being to solve all
their problems for them. Life is not designed to work that way. God wants
us to be rightly connected to the Head, Jesus Christ, as our ultimate Source
of everything we need.
Some leaders are despotic; they want to control other people. I have had
personal experience with such situations. I thank God that I was able to
remove myself from these circumstances. Believe me, I have no desire to be
in that type of situation ever again.
We have been designed and created to have our own personal
relationships with Jesus. Yet, in order to have an effective connection with
Him, we have to be able to hear Him speak. We have to learn to be directed
by Him. We must have the ability to discern when He is pleased and when
He is displeased with us or something in our life. For this to happen, we
continually need to be sensitive to the Head—Jesus Christ.
 4
Four Functions of the Head

A s we continue to consider the importance of being aligned with the Lord

Jesus Christ, let’s look at four specific functions of a head. This is not a
lesson in physiology. Instead, I want to present some simple, practical
perspectives to help us relate properly to our spiritual Head. In my way of
thinking, a head, or the Head, has four main functions:

1. To receive input. Every part of the body has a right to

communicate with the head. The head receives all such
communication.
2. To make decisions. The head decides what the body is to do.
3. To initiate actions. The head takes the initiative.
4. To coordinate the activity of the body. Having taken the initiative,
the head organizes the members of the body that will accomplish
the plan it has made.

THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

In the body of Christ, Jesus’s headship is effective only through the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit is the sole means by which Jesus can communicate with ,
direct , control , and preserve the body. Although our primary relationship
is with Jesus, a relationship with the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to
be our Guide and Counselor, is an essential part of that connection.
Let me give you just one of many Scripture passages that confirm the
vital role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In John 16:12–13, Jesus said to His
disciples:

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you
into all truth.
 Jesus was saying, in effect, “I cannot tell you now everything you need to
know. You are not in a condition to receive any more. In fact, you are
already overwhelmed by what I have told you so far. But that does not
matter because the Spirit of Truth—the Holy Spirit—is coming. He will
guide you. He will take over for Me in directing you.”

SOMEONE TO HELP US
It is interesting that the above translation of John 16:13 says, “When He ,
the Spirit of truth, has come….” The original text of this verse is in Greek,
and in that language, there are three genders: masculine, feminine, and
neuter (he, she, and it). Interestingly, the word pneuma , translated “ Spirit
,” is neuter. So, the normal pronoun would be it . The rules of grammar are
broken here by the use of the pronoun He . Why? To emphasize that the
Holy Spirit is a Person. He is not just something ; He is Someone . You
can’t rightly relate to the Holy Spirit if you merely regard Him as an it . He
is a Person .
God the Father is a Person. Jesus Christ the Son is a Person. The Holy
Spirit is a Person. In John 16:12–15, Jesus was indicating, “From this time
forward, My relationship with you will be effected through the Holy Spirit
—a Person.”

SUPERNATURAL DIRECTION
Jesus continued His discourse to His disciples by saying,

For He [the Holy Spirit] will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to
come. (John 16:13)

The church needs supernatural direction concerning the future. How will
it come to us? Through the Holy Spirit. He will not provide information
regarding everything in our future, but He will tell us the things we need to
know. My personal view of the world situation is that if the church goes
into the future without the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and knowledge to guide us,
we are headed for disaster.
 I believe that, up to this point, most of us have only glimpsed the troubles
and pressures that are coming upon the whole world. We will need the Holy
Spirit to warn us of events that are going to happen so we can avoid being
in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the prayers that Ruth and I
pray regularly is that we will always be in the right place at the right time.
Only the Holy Spirit can make that possible.

GLORIFYING JESUS
In John 16:14, Jesus added this principle to His teaching on the Holy
Spirit:

He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify Me….

Please note this primary, distinctive mark of the Holy Spirit: He glorifies
Jesus. A number of activities and expressions in Christianity are said to be
the work of the Holy Spirit. However, many of these activities and
expressions lack the mark spoken of in this verse. They do not glorify Jesus.
Any activity or practice that exalts a human personality is not from the
Holy Spirit. It may be spiritual, but it is not from the Holy Spirit. Please
bear that in mind. Whatever the Holy Spirit does, His ultimate aim is
always to glorify the Son. If Jesus is not at center stage, the scenario is not
from the Holy Spirit.
So far in this book, we have seen our need to take time to wait on the
Lord. We have also noted the importance of being in the right position in
the body of Christ, with Jesus as our Head—the One who communicates,
directs, controls, and preserves the church through the Holy Spirit. Our next
step is to recognize that hearing from God is His invariable requirement for
His people—one that has remained constant throughout the ages.
 PART II:
Ears to Hear
 5
God’s Unvarying Requirement

T he Bible reveals that, throughout human history, there have been periods
when God has dealt with the human race in different ways. In some
respects, He has changed His manner of interacting with humanity in
succeeding eras. Dispensations is the theological word to describe this
variety of authority—God’s different dealings from one period to another.
In this chapter, I will point out certain facts about these dispensations—
some of the ways in which they differ, along with one important way in
which they are alike.

THREE DISPENSATIONS
The Bible depicts three main dispensations. The first is the dispensation
of the Patriarchs . This term refers to the “fathers” of families—people like
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even before these fathers, there were patriarchs
like Enoch and Noah. In the period—or dispensation—of the fathers, God
dealt primarily with individuals and with their families as they related
directly to Him.
After the Patriarchs came the dispensation that is often called the Law .
During this period, God began to deal specifically with Israel as a collective
nation of people. He placed the Israelites under a special law that did not
entirely apply to other nations. During most of the time of this dispensation,
Israel had a temple and a priesthood. So, the outstanding features of this
particular dispensation were the Law, the temple, and the priesthood.
The third dispensation is often called the Gospel . This period involves a
proclamation to the whole of humanity, irrespective of race or nationality. It
is the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it requires an
individual response from each person.
To recap what we have just covered, throughout the Bible, we can discern
three major dispensations: the Patriarchs (involving individuals and their
families), the Law (focusing on Israel as a collective nation), and the
Gospel (concerning the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ to
the whole of humanity). We are still living in the third dispensation today.
As I expressed earlier, what God required of people within the various
dispensations was somewhat different. However, in the midst of all the
differences, there remained one unvarying requirement—one response that
God has always mandated.
Can you guess the answer I have in mind? Do you know what the one
requirement is? I believe it is vital for us not only to know what this
unvarying requirement is, but also to see how it has never changed from
dispensation to dispensation. What is the requirement? To hear God’s voice
.
Undoubtedly, hearing God’s voice is what has always distinguished those
who belong to the Lord. It is the quality that has made them different from
all other people.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HEARING GOD’S VOICE

Let’s now look at some examples from the Pentateuch, the first five
books of the Bible, demonstrating the singular importance of hearing God’s
voice:

“IF YOU WILL DILIGENTLY HEED”

The first example is from Exodus 15. After being freed from slavery in
Egypt, the Israelites had come to a point in their journey through the
wilderness where they were very thirsty. In that condition, they came upon
a pool of water. However, the people could not drink from that pool because
it was bitter, so they called it Marah , or “Bitter.”
Faced with this situation, Moses prayed to the Lord, who showed him a
certain tree and revealed what action to take with it. When Moses cast the
tree into the pool, its waters were made sweet, and the people could drink
from it. In the context of this miraculous event, the Lord said to the
Israelites,

If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is
right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His
 statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought
on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.(Exodus 15:26)

What was the primary requirement? “If you diligently heed the voice of
the Lord your God.” In the Hebrew language, the phrase translated “If you
diligently heed” means “If you will listen, listening.” I interpret that to
mean that we have to listen to God’s voice with both of our ears—the right
and the left. God says to the Israelites, “If you will listen in this way, you
will never be sick. I will keep you healthy. I will be your doctor. I will
accept responsibility for your physical well-being.”
Early in my life, there was a time when I was sick in the hospital and the
doctors could not heal me. So, I had to seek God regarding how I could
receive healing from Him. As I studied the Scriptures in this context, I
discovered that in almost every place where God speaks about our being
healed, the emphasis is on what we listen to . We find the same emphasis in
this passage: “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God…, I will
put none of [these] diseases on you.”
I believe this promise is still true today. Those who learn to listen to God
with both ears—hearing His voice and obeying Him—can lead a life that is
free from sickness and many other plagues and problems. And, as I
described earlier, when we do experience sickness and trials as we seek to
hear His voice, it causes us to press in to Him even more to discover His
will and plans for us.

“IF YOU WILL INDEED OBEY”

Another example that shows us the importance of hearing God’s voice is
in Exodus 19. In this incident, the Israelites came to the foot of Mount
Sinai, and Moses went up the mountain to have an encounter with the Lord.
During that meeting, God spoke to Moses and gave him this message for
the children of Israel:

Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of
Israel: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore
you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if
you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall
be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is
 Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.” These are the words which you shall speak to the children of
Israel. (Exodus 19:3–6)

Again, please notice what the first condition is: “If you will obey My
voice, then My will shall be worked out for you. You will be a unique
people, different from all others. You will be able to live on a higher level,
experiencing a measure of provision and blessing unknown to other
people.” But here is the primary requirement: “If you will indeed obey My
voice.”
I would like to point out four phases of God’s dealings with Israel as
revealed in the passage from Exodus 19:
First, the Lord says He brought Israel to Himself. That is always the
primary purpose of redemption—for us to come to God personally.
Second, He says, “I want you to obey My voice.” Our acts of obedience
are what lead us into God’s provision.
Third, the Lord says, “If you will keep My covenant.” The way God
settles and finalizes His relationship with His people is by way of His
covenant with them, which we must recognize and honor.
Fourth, He says, “You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
God’s intention for us is to be a unique people, blessed above all other
peoples, distinct from all other peoples.
Thus, here is the order in which we are to respond to God: come to Him,
obey His voice, keep His covenant, and, thereby, become a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.

“IF YOU WILL DILIGENTLY OBEY”

Let’s us move on to the fifth book of the Pentateuch to see a different
context for the same requirement of hearing God’s voice. Deuteronomy 28
records Moses’s instructions to the Israelites just before they entered their
inheritance in the land of Canaan, the promised land. These instructions
were a recapitulation of God’s commands for the nation. Again, hearing and
obeying the Lord’s voice are strongly emphasized.
 This chapter of the Bible sets forth two different possible outcomes for
Israel: first, blessings for obedience , and second, curses for disobedience .
In each case, the outcome of either blessings or curses is determined by
whether the people obey God’s voice.
Here are the first two verses of Deuteronomy 28:

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord
your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I
command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above
all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you
and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your
God….

Did you notice how this passage begins and ends with the idea of
diligently listening to the voice of the Lord? What is the end result of this
diligent listening? “All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake
you.”
Next, let’s look at the opposite side of the picture, which is spelled out
later in the same chapter:

But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord
your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His
statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come
upon you and overtake you….” (Deuteronomy 28:15)

The implication of Deuteronomy 28 is very clear. How foolish we would

be to neglect this Scripture! The promises are plain. If we diligently heed
the voice of the Lord, blessings will come upon us. But if we do not heed
the voice of the Lord, curses will come upon us.
Are you able to see that hearing and obeying God’s voice has been His
continuing requirement for His people throughout all ages and
dispensations? Basically, it is very simple. God says, “If you want to be My
people—if you want to enjoy My blessings—then diligently heed My
words. Listen to My voice with both of your ears. But if you fail to listen—
if you refuse to listen to Me—then curses, and not blessings, will come
upon you.”
 As I pointed out from my own experience, this principle applies
especially in the matter of healing. Remember that Exodus 15 says, “If you
diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God…I am the Lord who heals
you” (verse 26). Yet this truth applies to all other provisions and blessings
of God as well. What is the key? “If you diligently heed the voice of the
Lord your God.”

THE UNCHANGING MANDATE

Over the years, through the prophets, God reminded the Israelites of this
primary requirement, which He had first placed before them through
Moses. The prophet Jeremiah succinctly and vividly sums up their mandate
in the following passage. God is reprimanding the Israelites for not
understanding what He required of them and for not obeying Him:

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that
I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, “Obey My
voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk
in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with
you.” (Jeremiah 7:22–23)

I believe these verses sum up the life of faith as simply and clearly as can
ever be stated: “Obey My voice, and I will be your God.” This is the Lord’s
unvarying requirement from age to age and from dispensation to
dispensation. The context and circumstances may change, but the mandate
remains constant.
Alas, the Israelites did not do what God required. We see this fact clearly
from what Jeremiah expresses in the next verse:

Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels
and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not
forward. (Jeremiah 7:24)

What was the Israelites’ great problem? We could cite many outward
manifestations of their condition. But the inward essence of the issue is
stated in these words: “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear.” Please
notice that it all revolves around what the Israelites listened to—or did not
listen to. They didn’t bow down their ear. They didn’t listen for the Lord’s
voice to hear what He wanted them to do. Instead, what did they listen to?
Their own hearts, and what their own instincts were telling them to do. As a
result, they missed the whole of God’s purposes and plans.
Remember that God said in Exodus 19, “If you will indeed obey My voice
and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all
people…. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”
(verses 5–6). These verses carry the same message I just cited from
Jeremiah 7:23: “Obey My voice, and I will be your God.”
I can’t emphasize this truth strongly enough. If you really want to belong
to the Lord—if you want to walk in His ways and enjoy His blessings—
here is what He is saying to you, just as He said to Israel: “Obey My voice,
and I will be your God.”
 6
The Mark of Christ’s Sheep

W e have seen that, in various periods of history, God has dealt with
mankind in different ways. In theological language, dispensations is the
term used for these different periods of God’s dealings with humanity.
Let us briefly recap the three main dispensations. First, the dispensation
of the Patriarchs—when God dealt with individuals and their families in a
personal relationship. Second, the dispensation of the Law—when God
placed the nation of Israel under a special law and dealt with them by way
of the temple and the priesthood. Third, the dispensation of the Gospel—the
one in which we are living today. The gospel is the universal proclamation
from God to all mankind regarding salvation through Jesus Christ, and it
requires an individual response from everyone who hears it.
In each of these distinct dispensations, the one common, unvarying
requirement for all of God’s people has been to hear His voice .

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

In the New Testament, Jesus’s teachings carry the same pivotal message
we noted in the Old Testament with the examples of Moses and Jeremiah. I
want you to see again that with respect to this requirement, nothing has
changed . As we discussed, there may have been a change of context and
circumstances, but this crucial mandate of hearing and obeying the Lord’s
voice has remained constant.
In this regard, I want to quote several verses from John 10, where Jesus
presents Himself as the Good Shepherd. The following is how Jesus
describes the relationship between a true shepherd and his sheep, using this
analogy to depict Himself as the Shepherd and His people as the sheep:

To him [the shepherd] the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his
voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (John
10:3)
 What is the mark of Jesus’s sheep? They hear the Shepherd’s voice .

KNOWING HIS VOICE

John 10:4 adds another important element to the picture:

And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the
sheep follow him, for they know His voice.

What is the great basis of our relationship with the Lord Jesus? We follow
Him. Why? Because we know His voice. The next verse clarifies this point:

Yet they [the sheep] will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee
from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:5)

Once again, we see that everything revolves around hearing and knowing
the voice of the Lord. God’s people recognize His voice, and they follow
Him. They will not follow deceivers. They will not follow false prophets
and errant teachers. Why? Because they recognize that the voices of these
others are not the voice of the Lord. The fact that they know the voice of the
Lord enables them to keep from being deceived by the false prophets and
teachers.
Up to this point, Jesus has been speaking about believers among the
people of Israel. But in John 10:16, He goes on to talk about people from
other nations:

I have other sheep, which are not of this fold [not of the Jewish fold];
I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will
become one flock with one shepherd. ( nasb)

What draws believers to Jesus from among all Gentile nations? How are
they able to come to Him? This verse provides the answer to these
questions: “they will hear My voice.” That is the characteristic mark of all
who come to Jesus and follow Him as their Shepherd.
What Jesus says in this context is very significant for attaining Christian
unity: “They will become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16). What
is the way to achieve unity among believers? I do not believe it will come
primarily through planning and organization. I do not think it will come
mainly through doctrinal or theological discussions. Unity will come as we
all learn to hear the voice of the Lord. “They will hear My voice,” Jesus
says, “and they will become one flock with one shepherd” (verse 16).

THREE TRAITS OF FOLLOWERS

Later in John 10, Jesus sums up this principle of hearing His voice by
saying,

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John
10:27 nasb)

Three related traits identify true followers of the Lord: (1) They hear His
voice . (2) He knows them —He recognizes them and acknowledges them.
(3) They follow Him .
Being a follower of Christ is not a question of belonging to a particular
religious group. Jesus is not talking in terms of Catholics, Protestants, or
any specific denominations. Neither is being a follower tied to a certain
form of worship or adherence to a particular doctrine. Jesus is not saying,
“My people come from one particular group that does things a certain way.”
But He is saying, “There are characteristic marks that single out My people.
These traits distinguish them from all others. They make them different, and
they make them Mine. Here are those traits: ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me.’ ”

FOLLOWING HIS VOICE

We must realize that, in biblical times, a shepherd did not drive his sheep.
He led them. How did he lead them? By the sound of His voice. The sheep
didn’t follow mainly by watching him. They followed by listening to Him
—and they always went where they heard the shepherd’s voice. If we apply
this scriptural analogy to our lives, we see that it is impossible to follow the
Lord unless we hear and recognize His voice.
As I bring this chapter to a close, let me say something to you in love and
sincerity that may be hard to receive. Jesus did not tell us, “My sheep read
the Bible.” I believe it is essential to read the Bible. But just reading the
Word is not sufficient. Many people read the Bible but do not hear the voice
of the Lord. It is not reading the Bible that enables us to follow Him. It is
hearing His voice, either through His Word or by other spiritual means. As
Jesus so clearly stated, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me” (John 10:27 nasb).
 7
Three Distinguishing Features

W e have clearly established that the ultimate requirement for an ongoing

relationship with the Lord—one that is basic and unchanging—is to hear
His voice. In chapter 5, I pointed out that this requirement is succinctly
summed up in Jeremiah, where God says through the prophet to His people
Israel,

Obey My voice, and I will be your God. (Jeremiah 7:23)

I believe this verse says it all. It represents what God requires of His
people in all ages, all dispensations, all cultures, and all backgrounds. Many
factors in the life of God’s people may change. But this one requirement
never alters. God says, “Do you want Me to be your God? Then obey My
voice.”
We have also seen that the foundational requirement Jeremiah stated in
the Old Testament is the same requirement Jesus expressed in the New
Testament: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me” (John 10:27 nasb). This verse describes three steps in the process of
following Jesus. It begins with our hearing the voice of Jesus. When we
hear His voice, He knows us—He recognizes us, takes note of us, and
acknowledges that we are His. Then, we follow Him.
According to the pattern of shepherding in biblical times, the sheep were
not driven by the shepherd. They followed him. The sheep followed because
they heard the shepherd’s voice. If they didn’t hear his voice, they couldn’t
follow him. The same pattern applies to our relationship with Jesus. If we
do not hear His voice, we cannot follow Him. We have to hear His voice
before we can follow. That is what makes us His sheep.

THREE FEATURES OF HEARING

We will now look at three distinguishing features of hearing God’s voice
—features that are significantly different from much of what is traditionally
accepted as typical religious conduct or activity. Thus, in many ways, this
message is revolutionary. It may sound simple, but when we really take it to
heart and begin to apply it, we will find that it will change our standards. It
will change our values. It will change the way we live.
Here are the three features of hearing God’s voice that merit our
consideration:

1. Hearing God’s voice is personal .

2. Hearing God’s voice is intangible .
3. Hearing God’s voice is in the present . It is not in the past. It is
not in the future. It is always present.
I want you to fully grasp these three features as I take some time to
expand upon their meaning.

1. HEARING GOD’S VOICE IS PERSONAL

Hearing God’s voice is very personal. Why? No two voices are exactly
alike; every voice is individual. In fact, the voice is one of the most
distinctive features of the human personality. That is why Jesus was able to
say, “ [My sheep] will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him,
for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:5).
You see, our protection in hearing the Lord’s voice is relating to Him
individually and personally. We are not just relating to a historical figure.
We are not just relating to some movement or doctrine. Rather, we are
connecting with the Lord Himself through His voice. This involves a direct,
intimate, person-to-person relationship with Him.

Access to Our Heart

In the world around us, people are increasingly using devices that are
voice-activated. I have heard of such devices being used as a security
measure for the main safe in commercial banks. The only code for the main
safe is a specific voice—possibly that of the bank president or manager. No
other voice can cause that safe to open. This is an indication of how
absolutely distinctive one person’s voice is.
 To me, the use of these devices in banks is a parable about how we
should safeguard our hearts. A bank safe represents what the heart of every
believer should be like. Our hearts must guard the most valuable treasure
we have. Furthermore, only one voice should be able to open up our
“safe”—the voice of the Lord Himself. We will come into terrible grief and
problems if we open the door of our heart to the wrong characters. A
number of the tragedies and problems in the world today could well be
traced to people giving unscrupulous individuals access to their hearts.
Many people have learned by experience that when they open their hearts to
the wrong individuals or the wrong voices, serious troubles and problems
can result.

Spiritual Voice-Activation
From now on, I would recommend that you think of your heart as a safe
that is voice-activated. Let your heart respond primarily to the voice of the
Lord. When you open up your heart to the Lord, you will never be harmed,
you will never be deceived, and you will never be disappointed.
The “voice-activation” I have just described is the basis of the
Shepherd/sheep relationship. In Psalm 23, David discusses one of the main
benefits of this relationship:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (verse 1 niv)

On the basis of his personal relationship with the Lord, David was
assured that his every need would be supplied. How can the Lord be our
Shepherd? Only if we hear His voice. Remember, Jesus said, “My sheep
hear My voice” (John 10:27 nasb). If we hear His voice, affirming that He
is our Shepherd, then all our needs will be met. Isn’t that beautiful? This is
one of the primary reasons we need to cultivate our ability to hear the
Lord’s voice.

2. HEARING GOD’S VOICE IS INTANGIBLE

Second, hearing the Lord’s voice is an intangible process. We cannot
apprehend it with our sight, touch it with our hands, or even grasp it
through our feelings. There is only one sense that perceives a voice. What is
it? The sense of hearing.
 Many of our religious activities are associated with something tangible.
When we think about religion, we often picture objects in space and time: a
church building, a pulpit, an organ, stained-glass windows, prayer books,
hymnals, and special garments for the clergy.
In contrast, hearing God’s voice has no tangible features, and it is not
restricted to a particular place. It does not necessitate visiting a specific
building filled with odd-looking furniture or wearing a certain type of
clothing. In a way, it is very tricky because we have nothing physical to
cling on to. If we truly want to hear God’s voice, we must leave behind all
the old religious associations that we may have looked to for help in the
past—all the “crutches,” as Martin Luther called them. With all the
tangibles stripped away, we are left only with an intimate, personal
relationship with the Lord—an intangible relationship.

3. HEARING GOD’S VOICE IS IN THE PRESENT

The third feature I wish to point out about hearing God’s voice is that it is
always present, in the sense of time. Hearing God’s voice is never in the
past and never in the future. It is always now.
Only in the now can we directly hear a voice. We can pick up a book,
read it, put it down, and say, “I’ll look at it again tomorrow.” But a voice is
heard only in the moment. A voice has no past. A voice has no future. It
engages us in the present .
Thus, when we relate to God through hearing His voice, we are
responding to Him in the eternal now. God always is . There is a certain
sense in which God is in the past and in the future. But, essentially, we
always know God in the eternal present, and His voice is always in the
present.
Unfortunately, what I have noticed about religious people is that much of
their thinking is about the past or the future. Christians often talk about
what happened in the days of Moses, or in the days of Jesus, or in the days
of Peter. That is all in the past. Or their focus is on how beautiful it will be
when they get to heaven.
Even though I agree with their sentiments, we are not living in the past,
and we are not living in the future. We are living in the present. Because
they mainly focus on the past or the future, many religious people hardly
live at all. But when we realize that we have to relate to God through
hearing His voice, it forces us into a present relationship and a present
experience with Him.

“I AM HAS SENT ME”

It is interesting to note that when God appeared to Moses in the midst of
the burning bush and sent him back to deliver His people from Egypt,
Moses asked a very practical question. The Lord answered this question
with a profound revelation:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them,

‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What
is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I
am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has
sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13–14 niv)

I am is present. It is not past or future. God’s name is present . God is

living now . Our relationship with Him needs to be now. When we learn to
hear the Lord’s voice, we can enjoy a present, personal relationship with
Him.
As you’ve been reading about our need for such a relationship with God,
perhaps you’ve realized that you’ve slipped from that position. You may
have to admit that it has been a long time since you’ve heard the Lord speak
to you.
Maybe this would be a good point to renew that connection, asking the
Lord to let you hear His voice again. Would you like to do that? I invite you
to pray the following prayer:
Dear Lord, I want to hear Your voice again. I long for You to speak to
me—guiding me, comforting me, and directing my life. I want my
heart to open only to the sound of Your voice. Would You make that
happen once again, Lord? I ask that You would speak to me—and I
open my heart and my ears to hear Your voice anew. Amen.
 8
Hearing God’s Voice Produces Faith

W e turn now to a particular result of hearing God’s voice that is of

inestimable value to us: faith. There is no way we can adequately express
the importance of this result.

THE SECRET TO FAITH

Many people long for faith, so they struggle to obtain it, running to and
fro as they seek it out. However, they have not been successful using this
approach. Why not? Because they have not discovered the secret of faith,
which is this: faith comes by hearing God’s voice. This principle is stated in
the book of Romans:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by [or from] the word of
Christ. (Romans 10:17 nasb)

To understand this principle, we need to recognize that in New Testament

Greek, there are two different terms that can be translated into English as
“word”: logos and rhema . It is essential for you to know the difference
between them. Otherwise, it will be difficult to grasp the meaning of what
we cover in this chapter.

THE WORD AS LOGOS

Let’s look at the word logos first. Logos is one of the great concepts of
the Greek language. I have been studying Greek since I was ten years old,
and I know Greek well enough to be qualified to teach it at the university
level. I say this only to make it clear that I have some idea of what I am
talking about. Logos has all sorts of meanings. It is a comprehensive word,
among whose definitions are “mind,” “counsel,” or “reason.”
As used in the Bible, logos refers to the mind of God or the counsel of
God. It signifies His total purpose. For example, this is what David says
about God’s Word in Psalm 119:89 (the original term for “word” in Hebrew
is dabar , which corresponds with the Greek word logos ):
 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. ( nasb)

The New International Version translates this verse as follows:

Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

God’s Word is eternal. It is outside of time. It is in heaven. It is settled. It

never changes. From beginning to end, it is always there, all the time. Logos
represents the mind, the counsel, and the purpose of God.

LOGOS PERSONIFIED
The Bible tells us that this logos —this counsel of God—is summed up in
a Person. John 1:1–2 says,

In the beginning was the Word [ logos], and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. ( nasb)

Jesus is the personified logos . He is the embodiment of God’s total mind,

counsel, and purpose. Recall these words of Jesus: “He who has seen Me
has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus was saying that He represents
everything the Father is, everything the Father does, and everything the
Father purposes, wills, and plans.
So, let’s remember that logos is settled forever in heaven. It can’t be
changed because it is eternal.

THE WORD AS RHEMA

Rhema has a different meaning than logos , although the connotations of
these words can overlap at times. The term rhema specifically refers to a
spoken word . It is not a rhema unless it is spoken. God’s Word, God’s
counsel, is forever settled in heaven—whether it is spoken or not. It is there,
and it is eternal. But a rhema is a word of God that is spoken .
I am not saying we necessarily hear this word audibly. It may come to us
through the Scriptures or even through something another person says to us.
God often speaks to us in our spirit, and we learn to recognize when He is
specifically communicating with us.
 Please note what Jesus says using the word rhema in Matthew 4:

It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word [
rhema] that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 nasb)

Jesus is speaking about every rhema that proceeds from the mouth of
God. Every proceeding word. If you can picture it, the counsel of God is in
heaven—eternal, unchanged, complete. As humans, we don’t know the
entire counsel of God. Our finite minds are not able to comprehend His
whole counsel. So, what does God do? He measures out a portion of that
counsel to us in a rhema— in a word that is spoken to us. This word
becomes personal for us when we receive it.

NOT BY BREAD ALONE

We live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The total
counsel of God is imparted to us in portions, as we are able to receive it—
rhema by rhema by rhema . The implication is that God has a rhema for us
each day. Jesus says, in essence, “Man shall not live by bread alone; rather,
every day, man lives by the proceeding word of God.” The word of God—
the rhema that comes from the mouth of God—will be our portion for that
day.
To summarize the difference between logos and rhema , logos is the
unchanging, eternal counsel of God in heaven, while rhema is a personal
word that God speaks to us. Let’s keep these definitions in mind as we look
again at Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the
word of Christ” (nasb). The term translated “word” here is rhema . Faith
comes from hearing the rhema —the spoken word of Christ. If it weren’t
spoken , we couldn’t hear it. We can’t hear the logos ; that is the eternal
counsel of God in heaven. But we are able to hear the rhema , which brings
us the portion of God’s counsel we need at a given moment. It comes to us
personally. And that is how faith comes.

HOW FAITH DOESN’T COME

Notice that Romans 10:17 doesn’t say that faith comes from reading the
Bible. Lots of people think it does. You may ask, “Why not?” To be honest,
as I said previously, we can read the Bible but hear nothing! At such times,
all we have in front of our eyes is black marks on white paper. We might
read the Bible for an hour and yet not receive any faith.
At other times, we might simply pick up the Bible, open it, and have one
sentence leap out of the page at us. When we see it, we exclaim, “That’s it!
That is what God is saying to me.” I can’t count how many times this has
happened in my life. Sometimes, quite unexpectedly, when I open the Bible,
the Holy Spirit focuses my eyes on a verse. As I read the verse, God says,
“This is My rhema for you right now.”
When you hear that rhema , there is more happening than just your
reading the Bible. God is communicating a personal word to you. Receiving
that word first requires His voice speaking to you. Faith comes by hearing
the spoken word of God.
Can you see how faith is dependent on rhema ? It all centers around
hearing God’s voice . This principle corresponds to the following verses,
which we studied earlier: “Obey My voice, and I will be your God”
(Jeremiah 7:23), and “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your
God…, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the
Egyptians” (Exodus 15:26). It is all part of the same process of hearing
God’s voice.

HOW FAITH COMES

Let’s look once more at Romans 10:17:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word [ rhema] of

Christ. ( nasb)

To help explain how faith “comes,” I would like to give you an example
from what I have learned and experienced in my own life. I believe that
what I share will be of incalculable value to you if you can grasp it.
As I mentioned previously, when I was a young man, I suffered with an
illness for which the doctors could find no cure. This was during my
military service, shortly after I became a Christian, and I was in the hospital
for a whole year. Because the doctors were unable to heal me, I realized that
my only hope was in God. As time went on, I found myself saying, “If I had
faith, I know God would heal me.” Then, I would always say, “But I don’t
have faith.”
This went on for quite a while until, one day, as I was reading my Bible, a
rhema came to me from Romans 10:17: “Faith cometh by hearing” (kjv). I
leapt at that phrase, “Faith cometh .” Here is what I realized: if I don’t
have faith, I can get it! After looking at the rest of the verse, I pondered, I
prayed, and I sought God. Gradually, the Lord opened up the meaning of
this Scripture to me. Once He had opened up that meaning—how faith
comes—I was able to receive the faith I needed for my healing.
I thank God for the ministry of doctors and nurses, but in that instance,
they weren’t able to heal me. My healing had to come directly from the
Lord. When and how did that healing come? Only after I had heard the
rhema , the spoken word of God, which brought faith to me.
So, there is a process by which faith comes, and if you can take hold of
this process, it will change your life. As I have learned, there are three
stages to this process:

1. You look for God’s rhema in His Word, asking for His guidance.
2. You respond. You open yourself to the Word of God. This means
that you are in a posture of wanting to hear what God says to you.
3. Out of your hearing, faith comes. Often, there is an element of
time in the hearing stage. Hearing doesn’t usually happen
instantaneously. Sometimes, it can come in a moment, but it often
takes place over a period of time.

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

For faith to come, we have to position ourselves with a certain attitude or
frame of mind. We can be reading the Bible or listening to a sermon, but the
words simply fly right past us. To hear God’s voice, it is necessary for us to
settle down into a kind of inner stillness—a condition in which our mind is
at rest and our usually busy mental processes are suspended for a moment.
This is the point where we are hearing . And it is out of that hearing that
faith comes.
 I strongly encourage you to cultivate this ability to hear. Be open to what
God is saying to you personally. Remember that a rhema word will always
be in line with the Scriptures; it will never contradict the Word of God. You
will find that God’s rhema to you will be Scripture-quickened—made alive
and personal by the Holy Spirit.
That is how faith comes—by hearing the voice of God.
 PART III:
Led by the Spirit
 9
A Distinctive Lifestyle

I n the previous chapter, we discussed a specific result of hearing God’s

voice that is of inestimable value. What is that outcome? Faith. This is a
result that, if nothing else ever followed, would make it well worth our
while to hear God’s voice.
We also talked about how there are two Greek terms translated as “word”
in the New Testament. The first is logos— the divine, eternal, unchanging
counsel of God that is settled forever in heaven. We recognized that our
finite human minds cannot fully understand logos . The second word,
rhema , is part of the solution for our limited comprehension of God’s mind
and counsel. A rhema is a word that God speaks to us individually, one that
has been quickened by the Holy Spirit. Rhema brings to us the aspect of
God’s counsel that we need at a given moment. When the Lord sends us a
rhema word, He makes it vivid and personal to us.
Faith comes to us by hearing this personal, spoken word of God. It may
come to us through the Scriptures or even through something another
person says to us. But it always comes by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

PEOPLE WHO HEAR

We will now examine the distinctive lifestyle that results from hearing the
voice of God. People who learn to hear God’s voice lead a life that is
different from other people. They simply can’t be the same after hearing the
Lord’s mind and counsel.
We will begin by returning to a Scripture that I quoted in the previous
chapter. This verse is Jesus’s answer to Satan during their wilderness
confrontation when the devil tempted Him to turn stones into bread:

It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word
that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 nasb)
 The Greek term rendered “word” is rhema —“every rhema that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.” The verb “proceeds” is in the continuing present
tense, expressing the idea of “every proceeding word,” or every word as it
proceeds from the mouth of God. This meaning shows us why hearing
God’s voice involves a direct personal relationship with the Lord.
The “proceeding” characteristic of a rhema word means that, in the
instant it comes, we are in tune with God—right then, right there. Rhema is
not past, and it is not future. It is in the present, the here and now. The word
we receive is the continuing, proceeding word of God for that given
moment, for that given time, for that given situation. This is the kind of
word that we live on!

THE BREAD WE NEED

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which refers to God
providing the Israelites with manna in the wilderness. In a certain sense, by
drawing on this analogy, Jesus was comparing rhema with natural bread. In
the same way natural bread feeds our physical body, this proceeding,
personal word of God feeds our spirit. It nourishes our inner being. We
must recognize the fact that we need one type of bread just as much as we
need the other. To keep our bodies alive and healthy, we need natural bread.
To keep our spirits alive and healthy, we need spiritual bread—the
proceeding word, the personal word from God. We need to hear the voice of
the Lord as it comes to us.

RELYING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

This word that we need for feeding our spirit comes only through the
Holy Spirit—and we must hear it. Again, if we merely hold a Bible in front
of us, all we have is white sheets of paper with black marks on them. We
can’t hear those marks. That is impossible. How can they ever become a
voice—a spoken communication that we can hear? Only one power in the
universe can turn those black marks into the voice of God—and that power
is the Holy Spirit.
At the beginning of this book, I talked about how important it is that we,
as the body of Christ, remain connected to the Head. We saw that it is the
Holy Spirit through whom Jesus communicates, directs, controls, and
preserves His body. Can you see how this revelation of rhema ties in with
those truths?
We are totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the One who
brings the rhema word to us in any given situation. He brings us the word
from God we need right now. The Holy Spirit quickens that word,
imparting life to it, making it a living voice for us to hear. Through hearing
God’s word, we connect strongly with the Head, our Lord Jesus, through
the Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides and directs us all the way through that
process—every moment of every day—by the rhemas He gives us.
 10
Sons and Daughters of God

H aving a life marked by hearing the voice of God makes us different

from most others around us. Developing this lifestyle is a growing,
deepening process in our lives—one that we would do well to understand
fully. Please note what Paul says about this process in Romans 8:14:

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
( nasb)

The Greek word translated “son” in this verse does not refer to a child
but to an adult. How are we to live as adult children of God? There is only
one way: by being regularly led by His Spirit. Just as we saw in Matthew
4:4 in relation to the word “proceeds ,” the Greek word for “led” in
Romans 8:14 is in the continuing present tense. The meaning of this verse
in Romans is clear. It refers to people who are regularly or continually led
by the Spirit of God. It is such individuals who are known as the sons and
daughters of God.

AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP
Sadly, some of the people who talk the most about the Holy Spirit know
the least about being led by Him. I have been connected to the Pentecostal
denomination for many decades. I am not ashamed of my Pentecostal roots.
In fact, I thank God for Pentecostals because I owe my salvation to them.
Even so, it is troubling to me to hear some people say, in essence, “I was
baptized in the Holy Spirit fifteen years ago, and I spoke in tongues, and
that’s all I need.” Some of these people are actually far out of touch with the
Holy Spirit today. Encountering the Holy Spirit is not a one-time
experience. It is an ongoing relationship.
Ephesians 2:18–22 has much to say concerning our relationship with the
Spirit. We will look at two verses from this passage, beginning with verse
18:
 For through Him [Jesus] we both [Jews and Gentiles] have access by
one Spirit to the Father.

May I point out that this verse mentions all three persons of the Godhead?
Through Jesus, by the Spirit, to the Father. That is a healthy pattern for our
interaction with the Lord.
Next, verse 22 gives us this description of believers:

In whom [Jesus] you also are being built together for a dwelling
place [ “habitation” kjv] of God in the Spirit.

Simply put, by the Spirit, God indwells those who are in Jesus. In both
aspects and directions of that interaction—upward and downward—the link
is the Holy Spirit. If you miss out on the Holy Spirit, there is no connection.
You can have all sorts of good doctrine and religious activity, but if the
Holy Spirit isn’t there, you have no contact with God. The Spirit is the only
way by which you can access the Father.
Thus, what makes us God’s sons and daughters? Being led by His Spirit.

LED BY THE SPIRIT

There are many different ways in which the Holy Spirit works in our
lives. Let us examine two of those ways. First, we are born again of the
Holy Spirit, becoming newborn children—babies—in Christ. In his first
epistle, Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word” (1
Peter 2:2). We start as newborns, desiring the milk of God’s Word. Yet,
desiring the Word, in itself, doesn’t make us mature sons and daughters of
God. We become mature only by being led by the Holy Spirit .
All who are being led by the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God.
They are not babies, not children, but mature grown-ups. Please note again
that this aspect of being led by the Spirit is a continuing, ongoing, present
reality—all who are being continually led by God’s Spirit. This is not
something that just happens once. Neither is it something we experience
once a week at a church service. It is going on all the time in our daily lives.
It is our “daily bread.” We are led as we hear the voice of the Lord through
the Holy Spirit. As we hear His voice, we receive direction for our lives.
 THE “ORGANIZER”
Whenever my wife and I plan our day or go about our normal routines,
we pray a specific prayer. This is the same prayer I mentioned near the
beginning of this book—that we may always be in the right place at the
right time. We have discovered that praying in this fashion makes a big
difference! The right outcomes seem to occur in our lives.
We spend a good deal of our time in Jerusalem, and in that city, the
means of communication are limited. A lot of people don’t have phones.
Few people have cars. The mail system is rather ineffective. (We once
posted a letter from one address in Jerusalem to another, and it took
seventeen days to arrive.) So, how are we able to communicate with
people?
One of our solutions to this challenge is to pray this prayer to always be
in the right place at the right time. Afterward, it is amazing how often,
without planning it, we come in contact with the very person we need to
meet at the very moment we need to speak with them. Who organizes that?
The Holy Spirit. He in the One who leads us. For instance, He may tell us,
“Today is the day to go to the bank.” When we go to the bank, we see
someone we need to contact standing in front of us in the line for the
cashier. Or, the Spirit’s communication will be, “Don’t catch that bus; take
another one.” When we take the different bus, we meet up with the people
we needed to see. These are examples of rhema . It is the spoken word by
which we receive the ongoing direction of the Holy Spirit.
Our seasoned ability to hear the rhema word in this way is what makes us
mature sons and daughters of God. The first step, of course, is to be born
again by God’s Spirit. We start as little babies. Then, we become grown-ups
by learning to regularly hear the voice of the Lord.

MOMENT BY MOMENT
I now want to show you that this lifestyle I am describing—receiving
God’s word as our daily bread, having the Holy Spirit speak to us
personally—was the lifestyle of Jesus Himself. Christ not only preached
this way of life, but He also practiced it.
In Isaiah 50:4–7, there is a beautiful, prophetic picture of the earthly life
of our Lord. It describes His ministry and His ongoing, daily relationship
with God the Father. Jesus is the speaker in this passage, which begins,

The sovereign Lord has given Me an instructed tongue, to know the

word that sustains the weary. (Isaiah 50:4 niv84)

We know that Jesus was able to speak a word that would sustain the
weary. How was that made possible?

He [the Father] wakens Me morning by morning, wakens My ear to

listen like one being taught. (verse 4 niv84)

That was Jesus’s secret. God awakened His ear every morning. He heard
His Father’s voice speaking to Him, guiding Him, and giving Him
instruction and strength for the day. We read more about this process in
Isaiah 4:5:

The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been
rebellious; I have not drawn back. ( niv 84)

In the next verse, we have a very clear, prophetic picture of Jesus in His
suffering:

I offered My back to those who beat Me, My cheeks to those who

pulled out My beard; I did not hide My face from mocking and
spitting. (Isaiah 50:6 niv)

Why was Jesus willing to go through all that He endured? How did He
receive the strength for it? Here is the answer: by hearing the Father’s
voice. Every morning, Jesus heard from His Father before He
communicated with human beings.
Isaiah 50:7 goes on to speak about the outcome of this kind of mature
relationship with the Father:

Because the Sovereign Lord helps Me, I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set My face like flint, and I know I will not be put to
shame. ( niv)

EFFECTS OF HEARING THE FATHER’S VOICE

 From this passage in Isaiah, let’s summarize what Jesus experienced as a
result of listening to the Father each day:

He had words of encouragement for others.

He received personal direction for Himself.
He achieved obedience . We need to see that hearing and
executing God’s voice produces obedience.
He received strength to go through all that He had to endure . He
needed more than human strength; He needed supernatural
empowerment. How did He receive it? Through hearing the
Father’s voice.
He received determination . In His obedience, Jesus said, “I’ve
set My face like flint; I’m not turning back.”
Jesus obtained all of these results through hearing the Father’s voice.
Even more amazing for us is this truth: through hearing the Holy Spirit’s
voice, we will receive the same results Jesus received! When we cultivate
the habit of letting the Lord awaken our ear each morning, we will
experience what Jesus experienced. When we start each day hearing the
voice of the Father, we will walk as sons and daughters of God who are led
by His Spirit.
Let me ask you this: is it your desire to live every day being led by the
Holy Spirit and to experience the same results Jesus experienced? If your
answer is yes, would you pray with me now to express that desire to the
Lord?
Lord, I want to live my life hearing Your voice each step of the way.
Will You “waken my ear” every morning? Will You allow me to hear
Your voice and then help me to obey what You tell me?
This is my prayer, Lord. Please grant it by the power of the Holy Spirit
and in the name of Jesus. Amen.
 11
Hearing from the Heart

W e know that the great, unchanging, basic requirement for an ongoing

relationship with God is to hear His voice . In the Old Testament, the Lord
summed up this fact in one brief statement, conveyed by the prophet
Jeremiah:

Obey My voice, and I will be your God. (Jeremiah 7:23)

In all ages and dispensations, God says, “The one response that ultimately
matters is to obey My voice. Then, I will be your God.”

FOLLOWING JESUS
In the New Testament, Jesus states the one identifying mark of all those,
in every age, who would truly be His disciples:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John
10:27 nasb)

What Jesus describes here is not a denominational label. It is not a

particular doctrinal emphasis. Rather, He depicts those who hear His voice
and follow Him. Hearing Jesus’s voice is essential to being one of His
followers.
In chapter 8, I explained that true faith comes as the result of hearing
God’s voice:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

(Romans 10:17 nasb)

As we cultivate the practice of hearing God’s personal word to us each

day, it becomes the fresh, daily bread that nourishes us spiritually. Through
this practice, we receive daily direction and strength for our ongoing walk
with God.
 EARS TO HEAR
In the chapters that follow, I discuss the practical outworking of hearing
God’s voice. We will explore and answer the question, “How can we hear
God’s voice?”
To begin, let’s turn to Jesus’s teachings in the Gospels. Many times, He
talked about people needing “ears to hear,” particularly when He was
speaking in parables. For instance, in the gospel of Mark, after Jesus gave
the parable of the sower, He said,

He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (Mark 4:9)

A little further on in the same chapter, Jesus says,

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:23)

What does it mean to have “ears to hear” ? Obviously, Jesus was not
referring to physical ears and natural hearing. Presumably, all the people
who were listening to His teachings were in possession of two physical ears
—at least, the great majority of them were. And most of those in His
audience were not physically deaf.
Even so, Jesus said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” What was
He talking about? I am of the opinion that He was referring to an inner
condition of the heart. I believe the essence of what Jesus was saying is that
we have to hear God with our heart . How is it possible for us to have a
heart to hear God—a hearing heart?

“GIVE YOUR SERVANT A DISCERNING HEART”

To help answer this question, let us now turn to an example from the life
of Solomon. Early in Solomon’s reign as king of Israel, the Lord appeared
to him in a dream and asked him a vital question—“What do you want?”—
in the form of a statement:

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a

dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.”
(1 Kings 3:5 niv)
 I am not sure that I would be ready to face that type of situation. Imagine
if God appeared to you and said, “Ask Me for what you want, and I will
give it to you.” What would you ask for? Would you respond in the same
way Solomon did? Here is how Solomon answered the Lord:

Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my
father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to
carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have
chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. (1 Kings
3:7–8 niv)

When Solomon was confronted with a situation that was much too big for
him, he realized he couldn’t handle it on his own. In such a circumstance,
what should he ask for? This is how he responded:

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to

distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this
great people of yours? (1 Kings 3:9 niv)

After recording Solomon’s reply, the biblical writer comments,

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. (verse 10 niv)

In verse 9, where the New International Version renders the phrase “a

discerning heart ,” the original Hebrew literally says, “a hearing heart.”
That quality is what we have been specifically talking about in this chapter
—and, indeed, in this entire book. We need a heart that can hear God . As a
result of his request, Solomon received what he had asked for as a gift from
God. God gave him a discerning, hearing heart simply because he had
requested it.
Let me pause here in our discussion to inquire, “Have you ever asked
God for a hearing heart?” We know that it is with our heart—not usually
with our physical ears—that we hear the voice of God. Do you realize that
it will make all the difference in your life whether you can hear God’s voice
with your heart?

A GUARDED HEART
 In a previous chapter, to illustrate how we need to guard our hearts, I used
the example of a bank safe. Our heart is the place where we keep our
treasure, what really matters to us. In the example, the bank safe is
programmed electronically to open only at the voice of the bank manager.
The manager’s voice, like every voice, is unique. There is no way to copy
it. So, the only one who can open the safe is that manager, when he speaks
certain words with his voice. Similarly, only the voice of the Lord should be
able to open our hearts to receive His eternal purpose and direction for our
lives.
The following words of Solomon remind us of this truth:

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of
life. (Proverbs 4:23)

What you have stored in your heart will settle the course of your life.
Your heart is a safe that holds treasures much more precious than those kept
in a bank safe. Personally, I believe every child of God should have a heart
like a safe—one that is programmed to open only for the voice of the Lord.
Remember that Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me” (John 10:27 nasb). His sheep will not follow a stranger
because they do not recognize the stranger’s voice. How important it is to
have a heart that will only open to the voice of the Lord—not to an alien or
a stranger! What kind of heart does God want us to have? A hearing heart .
In our spirit, we have ears to hear. In the innermost depths of our being, we
have a heart that responds to the voice of the Lord.

SPIRITUAL DEAFNESS
If we want to have a hearing heart, it is crucial for us to avoid the
opposite condition, which is spiritual deafness. In both the Old and New
Testaments, the Bible has much to say about people’s inability to hear
God’s voice. Jesus indicated that those who could not understand His
parables were spiritually deaf. In the gospel of Matthew, He expressed it in
this way:

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not

see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is
 fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never
understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this
people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their
ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with
their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and
turn, and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:13–15 niv)

Jesus gives us a picture of people who have no heart to hear the voice of
the Lord. They have become inwardly deaf. In this depiction, Jesus uses a
very significant word, which is also very frightening: “This people’s heart
has become calloused .” What is He saying? Their heart doesn’t respond to
God anymore. It is no longer sensitive.
We see a similar idea in this Old Testament admonition to the Israelites
from Psalm 95:

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at
Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert. (verses 7–8
niv84)

God says the following about those who did harden their hearts:

For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “They are a
people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”
So I declared on oath in My anger, “They shall never enter My rest.”
(verses 10–11 niv)

I believe that a number of God’s people today never really enter into the
Lord’s rest. They always seem to be wandering in the wilderness, outside of
the promised land. What is the reason for this? Could it be that they haven’t
learned to hear God’s voice? The only way to enter God’s rest is to hear His
voice .

CULTIVATING SENSITIVITY
In the previous examples of spiritual deafness—one from the New
Testament and one from the Old Testament—we noted two significant
words that describe such a condition of the heart: calloused and hardened .
Hearts with these characteristics do not hear. What is the opposite of being
calloused and hardened? I would say the significant word is sensitive . We
have to cultivate inward sensitivity toward the Lord and His voice.
Let me give you a picture of the type of sensitivity that is needed. Have
you ever seen a blind person reading braille? Have you seen their fingers
skimming over those little dots on paper? If I were to brush my fingers over
those dots, they would mean nothing to me. I would simply feel little bumps
on the surface of the paper. But to blind people who have sensitized their
fingers, those dots convey meaning. They are words. They carry a message.
I believe that is what it means to cultivate a sensitive heart toward the
voice of the Lord. It is to have our hearts so attuned to Him that when He
speaks, we hear His voice. And it means something to us. This is one of the
real keys to receiving God’s ongoing blessings and entering into our
inheritance in Him.
When I think of the people mentioned in Psalm 95 who wandered in the
wilderness for years, it grieves me tremendously. The Israelites could have
been in the promised land earlier if they had only cultivated a sensitive
heart toward the voice of the Lord. May I challenge you to do what the
Israelites did not do? May I plead with you to cultivate a sensitive heart
toward the Lord?

A PLIABLE HEART
I want to provide you with another opportunity to respond to the Holy
Spirit’s work in your life. As you have been reading this book, perhaps you
have sensed the Spirit stirring your heart. Maybe He has been reminding
you of times when He spoke to you, but you didn’t follow through with
what He asked you to do. If what I’m saying hits home, will you take a
moment now to repent? Let’s say the following prayer together to assist in
that process:

Father, thank You for Your Word and Your Spirit, which quicken my
heart to hear Your voice. Thank You for Your great love for me. Thank
You for chastening me because You love me.
I ask You to forgive me for the many times when I have been
presumptuous in taking the initiative to run my own life. Please help
me to cultivate a soft and sensitive heart that is able to hear Your voice,
and give me the courage to live the life You are leading me to live. I
ask You to give me a “hearing heart,” as You gave to Solomon, so that
I can be completely focused as I listen to You. In Jesus’s name, I pray.
Amen.
 12
Requirements for Hearing

I n my own personal walk with God, I can think of no factor that is more
important than learning to hear His voice—and hearing it correctly. Hearing
God’s voice correctly is usually the key factor in achieving true spiritual
success.

GOD DOESN’T SHOUT

In the previous chapter, we saw that people fail to hear God’s voice when
their hearts are calloused and hardened. This means that in order to hear His
voice, we must cultivate sensitivity in our hearts in much the same way that
a blind person reading braille cultivates sensitivity in their fingers.
We were also challenged by Solomon’s prayer, “Give me a hearing
heart.” We saw that the Lord was pleased with that request. I asked you a
question then, and I will ask it of you again here: have you ever asked God
for a hearing heart? If not, won’t you begin to do so today?
As we develop sensitivity, we need to understand this characteristic of
God: He doesn’t shout. Many people picture God as a big man shouting
with a loud voice. But that is not God at all. Rarely in Scripture do we see
evidence of the Lord shouting. As a matter of fact, later in this book, we
will look at an example in which God spoke in a whisper.

SIX REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPING SENSITIVITY

Let us now review six specific requirements for achieving the kind of
sensitivity of heart that can hear God’s voice—even when He speaks in a
whisper.

ATTENTION AND HUMILITY

The first two requirements are closely connected. I summarize them as
attention and humility . In the book of Proverbs, these requirements are
mentioned many times. Bear in mind that Proverbs was written by King
Solomon, the man who had asked God for a hearing heart.
 We will look at three verses where these two requirements are joined
together. I have capitalized the pronouns related to the speaker to apply
these verses to our relationship with God. The first is Proverbs 4:20:

My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings.

The two instructions here are to “give attention” and “incline your ear .”
To incline your ear means to bow your head. Bowing your head is a mark of
reverent, respectful humility. You are not arguing with God. You are not
dictating to God. You are waiting to hear from Him. Inclining your ear is an
essential part of hearing from God.
We see this idea again in the next reference, which is Proverbs 5:1:

My son, pay attention to My wisdom; lend your ear to My

understanding.

In the King James Version, “lend your ear” is rendered as “bow thine
ear.” So, in this verse, we find the same two conditions expressed in only
slightly different language: “pay attention” and “lend [bow] your ear.”
The final reference is Proverbs 22:17:

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart
to My knowledge.

The first part of this verse, “Incline your ear and hear the words of the
wise ,” has a clear implication: basically, if we don’t bow down our ear, we
won’t be able to hear. If we don’t have the right attitude toward God—an
attitude of humility, respectfulness, and reverence—we will not hear. The
verse concludes with, “Apply your heart to My knowledge.” All of the
verses I have cited emphasize the same overall truth: it is the heart that
hears the voice of God. We have to apply our heart to hearing. We have to
focus our attention on hearing.

Our Undivided Attention

Let’s sum up these requirements for hearing God’s voice. First, we must
give the Lord our undivided attention, applying our heart to hear Him. In
many ways, this concept is totally contrary to contemporary culture, where
most people are used to listening to at least two different sounds or sources
of information at the same time.
When one of my daughters was still in high school, I saw her sitting at
our kitchen counter doing her homework while watching a television
program. Frankly, my mind reeled. I have been a student, a teacher, and a
university professor—and I absolutely could never do that. If I were
watching television, I could not focus on my homework. If I were focusing
on my homework, I could not intelligently watch television. Now, I am not
saying that my daughter didn’t achieve any results. But I am sure she didn’t
achieve the maximum results that she would have if she had been giving the
task her undivided attention.
Such behavior is common in contemporary Western society. Attention is
a gift and a quality that many people just don’t possess today. People are
afraid of silence. Would you agree with that observation? Many people
always seem to want some noise going on. They want background music—
something to distract them. Here is my point: if you want to hear God’s
voice, you can’t afford to be distracted. You have to focus all of your heart
and mind on God. You have to cultivate attention.

“Bowing Down” Our Ear

Second, we understand from the Scriptures that we must “bow down” or
incline our ear. This means we must be humble and teachable. Many people
read the Bible or pray to God with their own preconceptions. They believe
they know what God should have said. They believe they know what God is
going to say. If God has said or does say something different than what they
have presupposed, they are simply unable to hear it. They are made deaf by
their own presumptions.
Most people who belong to any kind of religious denomination read the
Bible with their own denominational slant. They think, “Well, if it’s not in
my denomination’s teaching, it isn’t in the Bible.” I don’t believe there is
any denomination for which that viewpoint is completely true. There are
various truths in the Bible that we don’t hear much about in our churches
today. If we limit our hearing from God to only what we have heard in
church, we will subject ourselves to a form of spiritual deafness. We will
miss much of what God is saying to us.

TIME AND QUIETNESS

After attention and humility, I would characterize the next two
requirements as time and quietness , which are also often connected. How
removed these two concepts seem to be from our contemporary culture!
Most people today don’t take time to be quiet. Yet this practice is referred to
many times in the book of Psalms. For instance, Psalm 46:10 says,

Be still, and know that I am God.

Out of stillness, we hear God’s voice. An alternative translation of this

verse reads,

Cease striving and know that I am God. ( nasb)

In the margin of the New American Standard Bible , there is a note that
offers an additional rendering for the first part of this verse: “Let go, relax.”
If we combine the meanings presented by these two translations, we have
the following: “Be still and know…”; “cease striving and know…”; “let go,
relax, and know that I am God.” To me, Psalm 46:10 speaks of quietness
and relaxation—and that requires time. Most often, we hear from God when
we take the time to wait for Him to speak to us.
Waiting is necessary because, as we have seen, God doesn’t always speak
the instant we begin the process of listening to Him. Psalm 62:1 seems to
confirm this idea:

My soul waits in silence for God only. ( nasb)

David’s words are profound: “My soul waits in silence for God only.” We
have to wait. We have to be silent. Our attention has to be focused on one
Person alone—God.
Four verses later, David directly addresses his soul using the same words:

My soul, wait in silence for God only. (Psalm 62:5 nasb)

 Have you ever instructed your soul regarding how to wait? Have you ever
said, “My soul, wait in silence for God only”? The emphasis is on waiting
for God in silence. This means being in an attitude of attention, reverence,
quietness, and relaxation—with our hearts and minds focused on the Lord.
We will talk more about waiting in another section.

WORSHIP
Let’s now look at the fifth requirement for hearing God’s voice. In my
opinion, there is no better preparation through which we can achieve the
kind of attitude that will enable us to hear the Lord than worship . This truth
is beautifully brought out in Psalm 95, a portion of which we looked at in
chapter 11:

Come, let us worship and bow down [again, the emphasis is on

humility], let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God,
and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts….
(Psalm 95:6–8 nasb)

In this passage, we see again the warning against hardening our hearts if
we want to hear God’s voice. An excellent way to prepare our hearts is to
follow what is outlined in Psalm 95:6–8:

Let us worship God.

Let us bow down before Him.
Let us kneel before Him.
Let us come to Him with reverence.
Let us acknowledge His greatness, His majesty, His sovereignty,
and His wisdom.
Let us open our hearts to Him.
The Scriptures say, “The Lord is a great God” (Psalm 95:3 nasb). It is
necessary for us to give the Lord all the respect and reverence of which we
are capable. We need to appreciate the tremendous privilege of hearing
from Him. Imagine! The Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the
universe, is willing to speak to you and me, individually. What a privilege!
In today’s culture, there is little respect for authority. Even so, God still
demands our respect. We must come to Him with reverence. We must
approach Him with the kind of respect that is expressed in worship—
humbling ourselves before Him; kneeling before Him, if need be;
acknowledging His greatness; and opening our hearts to Him. With our
worship, we begin to open ourselves to hear from God.

WAITING
We have covered five important requirements for hearing from God:
attention, humility, time, quietness, and worship. I want to present one more
prerequisite: waiting. This requirement is closely linked with worship.
One of the most humbling responses required of us is to wait . Paul writes
how the Thessalonians “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true
God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10). I find
that statement very interesting. What does the Christian life consist of?
First, serving the living God. Most of us would accept that mandate. But did
you notice what is mentioned in the second part of the verse? Waiting for
His Son. Jesus is coming back for a church that is waiting. In the
providence of God, there will be a time when we will no longer be serving,
but we will simply be waiting . We will have finished our service. But, after
having served, we will need to wait.
What does waiting indicate? I want to suggest two significant features of
waiting. First, it is a mark of faith. We are waiting because we believe God
is going to intervene in our lives and in the world.
Picture a group of people by the side of the road. Some are idly walking
back and forth. Others are wandering aimlessly. Still others are just standing
around listlessly. None of these people has any particular goal in mind. But
one man is different from the rest of the group. He knows that the place by
the side of the road where he is standing is a bus stop, and he has arrived at
that place, at that time, because he desires to go in a specific direction. He is
waiting in faith for the bus to arrive to take him there. His brand of
purposeful waiting makes him unique compared with all the other people by
the side of the road.
 A second feature of waiting is that it signifies our dependence on God. I
believe this is one of the most important lessons we must learn in life. We
need to gladly acknowledge that we are totally dependent on the Lord. If
God doesn’t show up, our whole venture will be a failure.
Thus, waiting is an integral part of Christian discipline, demonstrating
our faith in God and our utter dependence upon Him. It is an expression of
our belief that the Lord will do what He says He will do, in His time. We
cannot dictate the time frame in which God will do it. Thus, waiting is an
acknowledgment of our reliance on Him. It is our declaration, “Lord, I can’t
do it. If You don’t do it, it won’t happen. I have to wait on You.”
How long will we have to wait before God responds to our seeking Him?
We really don’t know. Have you ever noticed that when God submits you to
a test, He very seldom tells you in advance how long it will last? We don’t
know whether we will have to hold out for six months or six years.
Unfortunately, at the end of a certain period of time, you may say, “Well,
this is not working. I may as well give up.” However, remember that if you
give up, you might miss the answer you have been waiting for. The answer
might actually be right around the corner. Can you see what the essence of
this issue is for us? Dependence on God.
Are you facing a situation right now where you are waiting and relying
upon the Lord for an answer? Are you ready to give up? I urge you to keep
waiting. Let’s conclude this chapter with a declaration that contains the six
requirements for hearing from God—just to let Him know we continue to
trust in Him:
Lord, I give You my full attention. I humble myself in Your presence.
Take all the time You need. I will stay quiet before You. I will worship
You, for You are worthy! I will wait in faith and dependence for You to
speak the answer that I need to hear. Amen.
 PART IV:
Prepare the Way of the Lord
 13
Meeting with God

A s preparation for this chapter, I want to review some foundational points

about hearing from God. First, we hear God’s voice with our hearts, not
with our physical ears. That is why we must cultivate sensitivity of heart . If
we don’t develop this sensitivity, we can become spiritually deaf. In the
Scriptures, two words that describe the hearts of those who were spiritually
deaf are calloused and hardened .
Next, there are six specific requirements for achieving the kind of
sensitivity of heart we need in order to hear from God.

1. Attention
2. Humility
3. Time
4. Quietness
5. Worship
6. Waiting
We noted that David said, “My soul waits in silence for God only”
(Psalm 62:1 nasb), and that the best preparation to begin this process is
worship, as expressed beautifully in Psalm 95:6: “Come, let us worship and
bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (nasb). Psalm 95 also
instructs us to be open before the Lord: “Today, if you would hear His
voice, do not harden your hearts” (verses 7–8 nasb). The truth that I am
going to address in this chapter follows naturally from the points we have
just reviewed. Here is that truth: God sets the time and the place to answer
us .
We need to give absolute priority to God above all of our own interests
and activities. We may have our own plan. We may have aspirations we are
excited about and goals we are eager to accomplish. But if we want to hear
God’s voice, we must be prepared to let go of our own agendas. We need to
“let go and relax,” as the psalmist said. God sets the time and place, and it
may be different from the time or place we would choose.
Let us now consider the examples of three men who met with God and
heard His voice according to the Lord’s time and place: Moses, Elijah, and
Jeremiah.

MOSES
We begin with an account from the life of Moses found in Numbers 7:89.
This verse describes Moses going into the tabernacle that had been erected
in the wilderness. Moses spoke with God, and God responded.

When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting [the tabernacle] to speak

with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the
two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony.
And He spoke with him. (Numbers 7:89 niv84)

Whenever I read this verse, a stillness always comes over my soul. In my

mind, I can see that tabernacle out in the blazing sunshine of the desert. It is
surrounded by dust and barrenness. Yet, inside, there is coolness, shade, and
quietness. That picture always challenges me to get away from the heat, the
dust, the busyness, and the activity of life. I want to come into a quiet place
where I can speak with God and hear Him speak to me.
Do you see from this passage that there was a specific place where God
spoke with Moses? It was behind the second veil of the tabernacle, from
between the two cherubim in the Holy of Holies—the Most Holy Place. The
holy nature of the location where God chose to speak with Moses shows us
how sacred it is to hear the voice of the Lord ourselves.
The cherubim mentioned here are symbols of worship and fellowship.
God spoke to Moses from a position just above the atonement cover on the
ark of the testimony. This was the place where the blood of sacrifices,
which spoke of covered and forgiven sin, had literally been sprinkled.
How significant all these points are! The Holy of Holies was a place of
worship. It was a place of fellowship. It was a place where there was the
eternal evidence of sin forgiven and covered. (This is very important
because, in the next chapter, we will see that hidden and unforgiven sin will
always keep us from hearing the voice of the Lord.) It was in this place of
worship, fellowship, and forgiveness that Moses heard the voice of the
Lord.
I am reminded of what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 6:6: “But
you, when you pray, go into your inner room…” (nasb). Why go into an
inner room? Surely, the intent would be to get away from all distractions
and to shut out the sights and sounds of the world in order to be still before
God. I believe every Christian should have some kind of inner room. A
friend of mine used to go into a broom closet under the stairs in his house.
Even though the closet was full of all types of cleaning supplies, that is the
place where he heard from God. It became a sacred place for him.

ELIJAH
The second example of a man who heard God’s voice in a particular time
and place is the prophet Elijah. Elijah experienced tremendous personal
triumph when he called down fire on the sacrifice at Mount Carmel,
demonstrating to the false prophets of Baal and the Israelites who
worshipped this idol that God alone is the true God. The prophets of Baal,
who had been humbled and humiliated, were then executed at Elijah’s
command. But where do we find the prophet after this great victory?
Running for his life from Jezebel, the queen.
Out in the wilderness to which he had fled, Elijah asked the Lord to take
his life. Instead, God sent an angel to feed and strengthen him so that he
was able to make it all the way to Mount Horeb. (See 1 Kings 18:17–39;
19:1–9.) This was the very place where God first made His covenant with
Israel. Let’s see what happened to Elijah when he arrived there:

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of
the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and
powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks
before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind
there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. (1
Kings 19:11–12 niv84)
 In this encounter, we see three tremendous demonstrations of God’s
power: wind that shattered the mountains, an earthquake, and a fire. It is
significant that the Lord’s voice wasn’t in any of those manifestations of
His might. Here are the next words in this passage:

And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:12 niv)

I previously stated that God doesn’t shout. Even so, some people picture
God as a big, loud man shouting. From the behavior I see among various
world leaders, I think that many of them may picture God as a big man
shouting. In reality, He is very different from that caricature. After all the
demonstrations of His power, God revealed Himself through a gentle
whisper—and that whisper impacted Elijah tremendously.

When Elijah heard it [not the wind, not the earthquake, and not the
fire, but the gentle whisper], he pulled his cloak over his face and
went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:13 niv)

What did pulling his cloak over his face signify? It meant worship. It
meant bowing. It indicated humbling himself and opening up his spirit to
God. When Elijah was ready to listen, God responded:

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1
Kings 19:13 niv)

Think of the careful preparation God had made for Elijah to hear His
voice. Why? Because He is concerned that we hear what He wants to say to
us. Please remember that the Lord may not be in the wind, the earthquake,
or the fire. Yet, if you have ears to hear, there will be “a gentle whisper.”
When you hear that “gentle whisper,” that “still small voice” (kjv, nkjv),
you will want to pull your cloak over your face. You will want to worship.
Your heart will want to bow down.
It is important to see what happened to Elijah when he heard God’s gentle
whisper. When he went to Horeb, he was really a beaten man. He was ready
to give up, to quit, to throw in the towel. But after he heard God’s voice, he
was a restored prophet who had received strength and a new focus and
direction for his ministry.
 Up to that time, Elijah didn’t know what to do next. But hearing God’s
voice gave him fresh instructions for his ministry. The same results can
happen for you and me. Strength and new direction can come to us from
hearing God’s voice.

JEREMIAH
A third man who heard the voice of God is Jeremiah, whom the Lord
instructed to go to a particular location:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to
the potter’s house, and there I will give you My message.” (Jeremiah
18:1 niv)

God said to Jeremiah, in effect, “If you want to hear My voice, you have
to be in a certain place. I’m going to speak to you. But you must be in the
right place at the right time.” We see from this passage that Jeremiah
obeyed God’s directions:

I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him [the potter] working
at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in
his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as
seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said,
“Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the
Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,
Israel.” (Jeremiah 18:3–6 niv)

Do you see why there was a time and a place? The potter’s house was
where God wanted Jeremiah to be so he could see what the potter was
doing with the pot on the wheel. The potter working on the clay pot was a
symbol of how God was going to deal with Israel—and how God is dealing
with Israel, for the message of Jeremiah 18 continues to be applicable
today. Please remember that Israel is still that pot in God’s hands. The Lord
is shaping Abraham’s descendants on the wheels of circumstance and
history right now.
God made an appointment with Jeremiah and said, “If you’ll go to the
potter’s house, I’ll speak to you.” Clearly, Jeremiah couldn’t receive the
message God wanted to give him until he was in the right place. He had to
obey. He had to be at the designated site.
One other point to notice from this passage is that before Jeremiah could
have a message for others, he himself had to hear from God. It has always
perplexed me that while Bible schools and seminaries seem to spend so
much time training people how to speak, seldom do these institutions train
people how to hear . This is the truth of the matter: if you have never heard
from God, you really have nothing to say. Believe me, an individual who
has heard from God is worth listening to—even if they don’t have all the
fine points of homiletics. Today, people want to listen to someone who has
heard from God.

A CLIFFTOP IN DENMARK
Some years ago, I was in Denmark, which is the native country of my
first wife, Lydia. The Lord very clearly directed me to go to a certain
clifftop overlooking what the Danes call the Western Sea, and what the
British call the North Sea. It was a fine winter afternoon, and I was there
just as the sun was going down in the western sky.
As I climbed, the rays of the setting sun were falling across the water and
shining into my face. When I got to the top of the cliff, I quieted my heart
before God while I looked out at the sea. In that time, the Lord spoke to me
for about an hour. He showed me that the conduct of the sea, the way the
sea’s waves behaved, was like the history of the church. The church had
started at high tide, but gradually the waters went out and there was low tide
—the Dark Ages. Then, the tide turned, and the waters began to come in
again. But they came in wave by wave, one great move of the Spirit after
another.
God showed me what is going to happen as the church age comes to its
climax. I have never felt free to publicly share much of what He revealed to
me. However, I was able to receive all of what God wanted to show me
because I kept an appointment with Him on a clifftop overlooking the North
Sea. God set the time and place, and I obeyed.
That was a life-changing encounter for me, and here is my advice to you
as a result: please be expectant and listen for any appointments the Lord
wants to set up with you.
 14
Confession Removes Barriers to Hearing

M ost Christians would readily admit there are various barriers that can
keep us from hearing the voice of God. In the next chapters, we will focus
on removing some of these barriers. I believe one of the greatest barriers
between God and human beings is pride . I don’t think we sufficiently
understand the nature of this hindrance. The first sin in the history of the
universe was not drunkenness, immorality, or even murder. It was pride.
What’s more, that sin did not take place on earth; it took place in heaven
when Lucifer (Satan) rebelled against God, desiring to exalt himself above
the Lord. All other sins have followed this original act of pride.
If we can deal effectively with pride, there probably will not be any other
sin we can’t deal with. But if we do not deal with pride, it will keep us from
dealing with many other sins.
I want to suggest some very simple ways to remove this barrier. The most
important principles in the spiritual life are nearly always simple. But
sometimes simple can seem to be very difficult! Sometimes, it takes a lot of
help from God to bring us to the place of simplicity.

CONFESSION TO GOD
The first step we can take to humble ourselves before God is to confess
our sins. First John 1:9 says,

If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our

sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

GOD WANTS TO FORGIVE YOU

Let me emphasize that God does not want to hold your sins against you.
Through Christ, He has made total provision for you to be completely
forgiven and cleansed. But the Lord has laid down a condition: “ If we
confess our sins….” (1 John 1:9).
 If we do not confess our sins, those transgressions continue to be
reckoned or counted against us. The only way we can escape from the
consequences and guilt of our sins is by confessing them. We simply must
acknowledge, “Yes, God, I did this. It’s true.”
In this matter of confession, I would urge you not to start a process of
self-examination. The more you examine your life, the less pleased you will
be with yourself. That is not the right way for us to approach our sins.
Instead, for this purpose, God has given us an Examiner. Do you know who
He is? The Holy Spirit.
In John 16:8, Jesus said, “And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He
will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” This
verse speaks of three eternal realities on which all true religion is based: sin,
righteousness, and judgment.
First John further says, “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). If you
know what straight is, then you also know what crooked is. Anything that is
not straight is crooked. There may be varying degrees of crookedness, but
when something is crooked, you can’t escape that fact. It is the same with
righteousness and sin. Anything that is not righteous is sinful. There are
only two categories, without a lot of different shades of gray. It is either
righteousness or sin—and the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of sin.

RELIEF FROM GUILT

Satan strives to make you feel guilty. He always leaves you wondering,
“Have I done enough to be forgiven? Should I have done more? Was that all
that was required?” But the Holy Spirit doesn’t do that. He says, “This is
what you did wrong; this is what you have to do to be cleared of it.” He is
very specific; He doesn’t leave any blurred edges. The Spirit doesn’t leave
any room for Satan to come in with unfair accusations. Please let the truth
of 1 John 1:9 soak into your spirit: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins.”
With all the power I have, I want to emphasize this point again: God
wants to forgive your sins . He does not want to hold your sins against you.
He does not want you to go around feeling guilty. By His design, there is
one step to take: You have to confess. You have to say, “Yes, I did it. I did
it.”
 If you open yourself to the Holy Spirit and give God time to reveal your
wrongdoings, believe me, He will reveal them to you. He will bring up
events you may have forgotten and behaviors you never even thought were
sinful—but He will show them to you from His perspective.
This process has sometimes been difficult for me, but not because I had
committed enormous sins. It was the fact that my sins seemed so stupid and
petty. I have found myself saying, “How could I ever have said or done
something like that?”
I believe that if we confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness, we
will never have to account for those sins again—ever . However, if we do
not confess them, one day, we are going to have to answer to God for them.
I have always found it embarrassing to privately tell God what I have done.
But think of how much more embarrassing it will be if, one day, the whole
universe hears what we have done.

CONFESSION TO ONE ANOTHER

A second remedy for removing the barrier of pride through confession is
similar to the first. It is also just as simple. We find this remedy in James
5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed” (niv). To me, it is very clear from this context that
unconfessed sin is a barrier to healing. In fact, it is probably the most
common single barrier to healing.
I don’t know whether you have ever noticed, but people who have just
received salvation are also easily able to receive healing. They come
forward as repentant sinners, believing they don’t deserve anything—yet,
they are forgiven and they are healed. Do you know why this happens so
frequently? Because these repentant sinners have no barriers left. At that
moment, every sin they have ever committed has been forgiven, and they
are fully open to whatever they can receive from the Lord.
Unfortunately, as we go on in the Christian life, unless we are very
watchful and careful, we can accumulate sins that we have not confessed.
Then, when we go to God for healing, a barrier of unforgiven sin keeps us
from receiving what we seek. This is why James says, “Confess your sins to
each other.”
 It is humbling to confess your sins to God. But, believe me, it is even
more humbling to confess your sins to another person. Even so, when
conducted in the context of a trusting relationship, it is a very healthy form
of self-humbling.

CONFESSION AMONG LEADERS

Some years ago, I was in Hull, a small city in England, to conduct a
series of meetings. At the end of these meetings, I called the leaders up on
the platform and prayed for them. Through that session, God ministered to
them, so the group urged me to come back, and I did. As a result of those
initial meetings, these leaders, representing perhaps fifteen churches, have
been meeting together for four years and waiting on God. To me, that is an
almost unbelievable phenomenon.
In a way, my second series of meetings with this group was different from
almost any other meetings where I have ministered. Not because I was
different, but because the atmosphere was different. Something had
changed in the environment as a result of the openness of these leaders.
I preached some very direct messages, emphasizing that only the sins we
confess are forgiven. God is fully ready and waiting to forgive us, but He
has laid down this one condition: if we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive them.
At the conclusion of the meetings, I issued a challenge. Without any
emotion or hype, I said to the audience, “Now, if you need to confess sins,
you can confess them to God. But the Bible also says to confess your sins to
one another so that you may be healed. One major barrier to healing is
unconfessed sin. With that understanding, I invite you to come down to the
front to pray together. You’re free to come down.”
In response to that invitation, about ten couples walked to the front and
spent about two hours confessing their sins to one another. The group
included some well-known leaders from that area. I felt this was very
significant. I regard their response as the lasting fruit produced by their
waiting on God. Barriers were broken down as a result.

CONFESSION BETWEEN HUSBANDS AND WIVES

 I believe it is especially healthy for husbands and wives to confess their
sins to each other. Some years ago, I was ministering to a Christian man
who really wanted to serve the Lord. But he was struggling with a tendency
to become unreasonably angry toward his wife and children.
“Well,” I said, “one thing I would recommend is the following practice:
every time you lose your temper in the presence of your wife and children,
you ought to specifically confess that as a sin to them. I believe the mere
thought that you are going to have to repent to them will inhibit you from
losing your temper the next time.” I think that suggestion made a big
difference to that family.
In confession between husbands and wives, one of the keys to success is
to open yourselves up to God and give Him time to reveal what you should
be repenting of. As I said previously, it is beneficial to first try to relax for a
little while and start listening. Let God speak to you, and when He does,
follow through with what He shows you to confess to each other.
I think many marriages would be healed if a husband and wife would
humble themselves before each other and confess their sins. A husband
could say to his wife, “I’m sorry I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have spoken
to you like that. I had no right to be so critical and unkind. Please forgive
me.”
Do you know what such a confession deals with? Pride and male
chauvinism. Many men would never humble themselves before their wives.
I believe this refusal has a lot to do with the male ego. It is rather common
for men to behave in a chauvinistic manner when relating to women and
dealing with other situations. But this behavior is not from God.

GOD’S LOVING PRESENCE

You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t think I have any unconfessed
sins.” That is wonderful! But my question to you is, “How close are you to
God?” If you were to spend a little time waiting in the presence of the Lord,
your perspective might change dramatically.
I am sharing these principles on confession of sin out of personal
experience, so in no way am I pointing a finger. I have never been a
“backslider,” falling away from God into a lifestyle of sin. I have faithfully
served the Lord for more than fifty years. By the grace of God, my wife and
I have seen uncounted numbers of people helped through our ministry. But
remember that, during our sabbatical, when Ruth and I got alone with God
without any premeditated plan or agenda, it took the Lord nearly six months
to clear up the debris in my life.
God showed me incidents that occurred over the past thirty years. He
would put His finger on a situation I had forgotten about, and He would say,
“You never confessed it.” As a mutual act of humility, Ruth and I would
confess our sins to one another. It might not always be necessary to confess
in that way, but the Bible does say to confess your sins one to one another.
Ruth and I practice this command, and it helps to keep us humble.
How would you feel about confessing your sins to another person within
a trusting relationship? One factor that might be preventing you from
obeying this requirement is pride. As I previously pointed out, pride is one
of the greatest barriers to hearing from God. We will talk about this topic
further in a later chapter, “Choosing Humility.”
 15
Results of Corporate Confession

W e have seen the importance of confessing our sins to one another in the
context of a trusting relationship. Let us now look at two additional results
of corporate confession.

REVIVAL AND CHURCH-PLANTING

In my ministry throughout the body of Christ, I hear a lot of prophecies
about a coming revival. I may even have given some of those prophecies
myself. But one fact is irrefutable: we don’t have revival until we have it .
Furthermore, we will not experience revival until we have met the
conditions.
We can have prophecy after prophecy predicting an awakening, but a real
barrier to revival is unconfessed sin. Until that barrier is dealt with, no
amount of preaching, singing, or publicity will bring revival. Unless we
have addressed this issue, our progress toward revival will remain
disappointing.
Many years ago, I read the journals of John Wesley. In one of his entries,
I discovered a comment he made about one of the strongest Methodist
societies known to him. He said that it had grown out of ten people who
committed themselves to meet weekly to confess their faults to one another.
That is not the modern plan for starting a church, is it? Yet the Methodist
movement ended up impacting all of Britain and most of the United States
for a century. So, maybe there is something to be said for starting a
movement that way.

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

Another beneficial result of confessing our sins is found in Isaiah 59:1–2:

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His
ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you
 from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that
He will not hear.

It is encouraging to know that God still has excellent hearing and His arm
is still powerful! It is also encouraging to know that the Lord does not show
partiality. Each and every one of us has the right to access God through the
cleansing blood of Jesus. But we often overlook this crucial truth: the blood
doesn’t cleanse those who don’t confess.
The importance of meeting God’s conditions for forgiveness can be seen
clearly in the following passage:

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we

lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6–7)

In verse 7, there are three verbs in the continuing present tense. If we

continually walk in the light, we continually have fellowship with one
another, and the blood continually cleanses us. Note that these results are
conditional. The first word is if :
“ If we walk in the light….”
Here is my comment on the necessity of meeting that condition: if we are
out of fellowship, we are out of the light . If we are out of fellowship, the
blood is not cleansing us. The blood does not cleanse in the dark; it only
cleanses in the light. Thus, if we are in the dark but want to be cleansed, we
must come to the light. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses
us from all sin.”
The lesson is clear: as we remove the barriers of sin and pride from our
lives, we open the way to hear from the Lord. This happens both when we
seek the Lord individually and when we seek Him corporately.
It is very important to remember, however, that our primary reason for
coming to the Lord should not be to receive all His blessings and benefits.
Our primary motivation for coming must be because of who He is. First and
foremost, hearing from God is about relationship. Any blessing or benefit
that follows is as a result of our relationship and connection to the Head,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
 16
Choosing Humility

T o effectively deal with pride, I have suggested not only confessing our
sins to God, but also confessing our sins to one another. We looked at the
examples of confession among leaders, confession between husbands and
wives, corporate confession, and confession in other trustworthy
relationships. Such confession requires humility.
Another way to humble ourselves is to submit to God when He deals with
a particular issue in our lives, trusting in His faithfulness and righteousness.
Moses proclaimed,

Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, for all
His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice,
righteous and upright is He. (Deuteronomy 32:3–4 nasb)

When we are under pressure, it is easy to begin to blame the Lord, saying,
for example, “God, You haven’t treated me right. You haven’t answered my
prayers. I should have been married by now. Why didn’t You send me a
spouse?” It is not God’s fault. He has plans for us that are different from our
own. If He has a spouse for you, He will work it out in His own timing. It is
very important to understand that God is totally just and trustworthy.
Please do not entertain the thought that God has ever been unjust or
unfair. He never is. We need to set aside the idea that the Lord owes us
something that He has yet to give. It will make all the difference in our
approach to Him. “His work is perfect.” He never makes a mistake. “All
His ways are just.” He is “a God of faithfulness and without injustice.” Can
you say “Amen” to that?

HUMBLE YOURSELF
It may encourage you to know that, as we progress in the Christian life,
all of us will experience periods when everything seems to be going wrong.
We will endure situations that don’t work out the way we feel they should.
Our finances might become tight, our expectations might not be met, or our
friends might let us down. What do we do during these times? How should
we respond? The apostle Peter says it best:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He

may exalt you in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)

When life is not going the way you expect, you must humble yourself.
You need to release the situation to the Lord, saying, “God, I don’t
understand what’s going on, but I know You are perfectly just. You never
make a mistake. What You are doing is right. I submit to Your dealings.
Teach me what I don’t know. Help me to learn what I need to understand. I
am willing to learn.”

UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES
When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He dealt with them by
allowing them to experience an outbreak of unexpected challenges. He
permitted them to go through circumstances that were designed to humble
them. Looking at just two verses from Deuteronomy 8 will help us to better
understand God’s purposes in this process. Moses is speaking to the
Israelites after they had finished their journey through the wilderness:

You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these
forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know
what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments
or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with
manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know.
(Deuteronomy 8:2–3)

How did the Lord humble the Israelites? By allowing them to go through
times of need and insufficiency—times when their main desires were not
being satisfied.
Why did God do this? What was His purpose? To humble them.
Did He succeed? No, not really. The generation that perished in the
wilderness didn’t learn to humble themselves. They complained, they
murmured, they rebelled, they blamed God—and, as a result, they were
refused entry into the promised land.
 Please allow me to give you this helpful piece of advice: when you are
going through a hard time, don’t complain and don’t murmur. Don’t say,
“God, I can’t take this. You’re not treating me right.” Why should you
avoid such complaining? Because it can cause you to miss the purpose of
God. God’s purpose in the trials you face is to humble you. If you will
humble yourself, then God’s purpose will be fulfilled.

HUMILITY IS A CHOICE
I remember the first time God specifically spoke to my first wife, Lydia,
and me about this matter of humbling ourselves in difficult circumstances.
In 1948, we had to leave Israel with our eight girls on one of the last
convoys out of the region during the Israeli War of Independence. We
arrived in Britain, my native country, as refugees.
Our family did not yet have a home, so we had to split up our family,
sending our girls to live with other families for a period of time. We were
miserable! Yet, in the midst of this trying time, the Lord prophetically spoke
to us and said, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” I have
to admit, it took a long while for me to be able to do this, but it was a
necessary step. When everything is going wrong, when it seems as if your
prayers are not being answered, then humble yourself before the Lord,
asking Him to show you where you need to change and what you need to
know and do.

JOB’S EXAMPLE
The following is another passage of Scripture that has been impressed
upon me regarding our proper response to God during difficulties. In this
passage, Job asks the Lord an amazing question:

What is man that You magnify him, and that You are concerned about
him? (Job 7:17 nasb)

Do you realize that God has a magnifying glass—and He scrutinizes us

through this glass? He doesn’t just look at us the way we are. He brings
everything into magnification. Job continues,
 What is man…that You should visit him every morning, and test him
every moment? (Job 7:17–18)

Were you aware that God visits you every morning? And were you aware
that God tests you every moment? Are you prepared for His daily
visitations and tests?
God is continually testing us to see whether we will be faithful and
obedient or rebellious and disobedient. You and I have no choice about this
process. God doesn’t say, “Well, if you’ll permit Me, I’ll test you.” No, God
just tests us.
I know God visits me every morning, and I try to be ready for His
visitation. I try to keep myself in a frame of mind where I will pass His
tests. Whatever He has to say, whatever He wants to change in me—
whatever correction or new direction He wants to give me—I want to be
ready to receive it.

STRAIGHT AND TRUE

In the Lord’s dealings with me, He has clearly demonstrated this
characteristic: He means exactly what He says. He doesn’t exaggerate.
Everything He states is absolutely correct. Some Christians haven’t studied
the fine print in the contract they have made with God. They may be
looking for an exemption to His words, not realizing God doesn’t work that
way.
Suppose, for example, you were in a car accident. You go to see the
claims agent at your insurance company, and they ask, “Well, who was
driving?”
“Our daughter was driving.”
“How old is she?”
“Well, she was twenty-four at the time.”
They say, “Our conditions specifically state that no driver of this car can
be under the age of twenty-five.”
“So, what does that mean for this accident?”
“We’re not going to pay your claim.”
 “You mean, just because of the difference of one year, you won’t pay?”
“That’s right. That’s exactly the way it is.”
In many ways, that is how it is with God. He means exactly what He
says. When He lays down conditions, they are not approximations. They are
not generalities. He is absolutely specific as to what He requires. When they
face a difficulty, many people tend to say, “Well, God didn’t deliver.” But
His response is, “You didn’t meet the conditions. You didn’t read the fine
print.”
Is God is dealing with you right now? Do you feel as if He has visited
you this morning and is testing You every moment? I encourage you to
respond to Him with the following prayer of humility:

Lord, in all of these tests I’m facing, I humble myself before You.
Show me where I am wrong and what condition I need to meet. Help
me to learn what I need to know and do. I want to be obedient and
submissive. In this moment, I choose humility. In Jesus’s name, amen.
 17
Preparing for God’s Glory

P reviously, we talked about prophecies of a coming revival and how a

significant barrier to awakening is unconfessed sin. I believe God is asking
us to prepare the way for Him to visit us. I have confidence that God will
visit the church in our nations. I am not saying He will visit the nations —
but I believe He will visit the church in each nation . We don’t know when
He will do this. The timing for His visitation is totally a matter of His
sovereignty. However, the Scriptures make it very clear that we have to get
ready for His coming. We have to prepare the way of the Lord.

PREPARING THE WAY

The following verses from Isaiah 40 give us instructions for that
preparation. The words recorded in this passage were later applied to John
the Baptist as he prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus. (See Matthew
3:1–3.)

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the
Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every
valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the
crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth;
the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3–5)

What is the result of this promise? “The glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” But what are the steps of
preparation? How do we prepare the way of the Lord? Again, we must
remove the hindrances that keep God from accomplishing what He wants to
in our lives. The indication from Isaiah 40 is that as we remove these
hindrances, we will experience four changes:

1. “Every valley shall be exalted,” or lifted up. I believe this may

refer to the “low” qualities that many people despise today, like
modesty, chastity, self-effacement, a willingness to serve, and a
 willingness to be in the background. It is those “valley concepts”
that have to be lifted up in our day.
2. “Every mountain and hill [shall be] brought low.” Just as the
“low concepts” must be raised up, the “high beliefs” have to be
brought down. All of our hype, exaggeration, and boasting has to
be brought low. Our tendency toward self-glorification, self-
exaltation, self-promotion—even, in religious circles, our
tendency toward wanting to appear super-spiritual—has to come
down. God will not push His way through those mountains. They
must be brought low to make a way for Him.
3. “The crooked places shall be made straight.” Let me just bluntly
ask you: are there crooked areas in your life? How do you deal
with money? What about when you fill out your income tax
return? It is not difficult to cheat on a tax return—but to do so is
crooked. God says, “If you want Me to visit you, you will have to
straighten out that crookedness.”
4. “The rough places [shall be made] smooth.” Do you have rough
places in your life? Do you react angrily when things don’t go the
way you want, or when you’re challenged, or when somebody
disagrees with you? Do you engage in self-justification or
argumentativeness, where you say, “Well, it’s not my fault. He
did the wrong thing,” or “Our church is perfect. It’s the other
churches that need to be straightened out”? In God’s sight, to
bring forth revival, all of those rough places have to be smoothed
out.

THE GLORY REVEALED

The glory of the Lord will be revealed. Do you believe that? I certainly
do, because I know that God keeps His Word. He is faithful. But His glory
will only be revealed through those who have met His conditions:

The valleys have to be exalted.

The mountains have to be brought low.
The crooked places have to be made straight.
 The rough places have to be made smooth.
I believe the Lord is in the process of transforming us to fulfill the words
of Isaiah 40. The above activities are on His agenda for the church in every
nation in these pivotal days. Because God is in this process, we need to
expect trials and tribulations. For some people, the tests and trials have
already begun. For others, they are just ahead. We must recognize that if we
don’t pass the tests, we won’t be ready to receive the revelation of God’s
glory.
In many ways, it is up to us: we need to determine whether we will be
channels for the Lord’s glory or whether we will allow the mountains to
hold it back. If and when we meet God’s conditions, His glory will be
revealed. But where we refuse, He will withhold His glory.

PASSING THE TESTS

Let me simply say that testing doesn’t end after the first few years of your
Christian experience. Even after I had completed fifty years of Christian
living, the tests continued. In some ways, these later tests have been harder
than any others in my life. But by the grace of God—and I want to say this
carefully—I believe I have passed the tests up to this time. That doesn’t
mean I have arrived. It simply means I am in line for the next test,
presenting myself to be a useful tool in God’s hands.
The promise of Job 7:18, which we looked at in the previous chapter, is
true: God visits us every morning and tests us every moment. The Lord will
never use anyone or anything that is untested. So, if you want to be used by
God, you have to be tested. If you pass the test, He will use you for His
glory.
This whole process is closely related to hearing God’s voice of direction
for us. Why? So we may move forward confidently and surely in His
purposes for our lives. That will be the theme of our next chapter.
 18
How Can We Be Sure?

A s I have stated throughout this book, in my own experience, hearing

God’s voice correctly has been the key factor in achieving true spiritual
success. I now want to explore an extremely important, practical question
that is directly related to this topic: How can we be sure we have really
heard God’s voice?
There are four kinds of confirmation that we should always look for to
verify we have correctly heard from God. In this chapter, we will discuss
the first three types of confirmation, and in chapter 19, we will look at the
fourth form of corroboration.

AGREEMENT WITH SCRIPTURE

The first confirmation is agreement with Scripture. Does what we have
heard align with the Spirit and the tenor of Scripture? Such affirmations are
of supreme importance.
In this regard, let me present two interrelated facts. Number one: it is the
Holy Spirit who brings God’s voice to us. Number two: the Holy Spirit is
the Author of all Scripture. This truth is stated in many passages of the
Bible, but I will just quote one here:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for

reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16
nasb)

“Inspired by God” carries with it the implication that it was the Holy
Spirit who motivated and directed the writers of Scripture. This helps us to
understand that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate Author of all Scripture.
Behind the human writers, there is one divine Person responsible for the
accuracy and authority of Scripture. That divine Person is the Holy Spirit.
Now, let’s put those two facts together. It is the Holy Spirit who brings
God’s voice to us, and it is the Holy Spirit who is the Author of all
Scripture. We know that the Spirit never contradicts Himself, so He will
never bring us a rhema word that does not agree with Scripture.
Having this understanding clearly in mind, the first way to be sure you
have heard the voice of the Lord is to check what you believe you have
received from God against the Scriptures. Does it agree with the words,
with the Spirit, and with the principles of the Bible? If not, you can be sure
it was not God’s voice that you heard. It stands to reason that we can only
test what we hear against Scripture if we know what the Scriptures say. So,
knowing the Word of God must become a priority for us—we must read
and study the Bible.

REJECTING THE COUNTERFEITS

One reason we need to be very careful to test what we hear is that Satan
has many counterfeits for the voice of the Lord. In the midst of today’s
culture and circumstances, it is necessary to know Satan’s counterfeits and
how to reject them. A passage in Isaiah states this fact very clearly:

When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who

whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why
consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction
and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to
this word, they have no light of dawn. (Isaiah 8:19–20 niv)

According to this passage, the consultants listed at the beginning of verse

19 are in the dark. God is warning us not to seek guidance from such
advisors. Not only that, but He also lets us know what form of judgment is
placed on those who bring messages, or listen to messages, that are not
from Him:

Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they
are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will
curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth
and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will
be thrust into utter darkness. (Isaiah 8:21–22 niv)

What a terrible list of results we find at the end of this verse: “distress,”
“darkness,” “fearful gloom,” “utter darkness.” These are the outcomes of
listening to Satan’s counterfeits and being deceived. I believe the world is
filled with these counterfeits.

AVOIDING DECEPTION
It would take a long time to list all the types of deception that Satan uses,
so I will mention only a few of them. First on the list are mediums and
spiritists (as mentioned in Isaiah 8), as well as fortune-tellers. Then there
are horoscopes, Ouija boards, tarot cards, teacup readings, and various
forms of so-called “mental science.”
Believe me, when I warn against being deceived, I am speaking from
experience. Before I came to know the Lord Jesus, I was deeply involved in
yoga. I know the darkness I was in during that time. Because of my
involvement in this philosophy, I went through quite a struggle when I
turned from that darkness to the light of Jesus Christ and the truth of
Scripture.
What is the end for those who follow such counterfeits? Let me quote
again these words from Isaiah: “They will…see only distress and darkness
and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness” (Isaiah 8:22
niv).
In contrast to those fearful ends, if we walk according to the Scriptures,
we will have light. This truth is expressed in Psalm 119:105:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

We never walk in the dark when we walk according to Scripture. We may

not be able to see very far ahead, but we will always have enough light for
our path and for the next step to take. This is what we need to remember as
the first and most vital confirmation of what we believe to be God’s voice:
what we have heard must be in total agreement with Scripture.

CIRCUMSTANCES LINING UP
The second form of confirmation is when circumstances line up with the
message. Sometimes, God asks us to do something strange or unexpected.
We are wondering whether it really was the Lord, but then circumstances
confirm it. The situation works out in such a way that we know God
foresaw it and had it all prepared.

“THIS WAS THE WORD OF THE LORD”

For further insight on this topic, let’s look at an example from the life of
the prophet Jeremiah when he was in prison and the city of Jerusalem was
being besieged. Jeremiah had prophesied that the city would be taken and
the land would be ravaged by the Babylonian army. He had predicted there
would be destruction and distress everywhere. Yet, having actually
prophesied these events himself, while he was in prison, he heard a most
amazing word from God:

The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your
uncle is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field at Anathoth,
because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.”
(Jeremiah 32:6–7 niv)

At that moment, the field was worth nothing. It would have had no real
estate value in besieged Israel. There was no reason to buy a field that was
inevitably going to be overrun and ravaged by the Babylonians. So, this was
a surprising instruction from God. Jeremiah continues:

Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in

the courtyard of the guard and said, “Buy my field at Anathoth in the
territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess
it, buy it for yourself.” (Jeremiah 32:8 niv)

Please take note of what Jeremiah says in response:

I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at
Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. (Jeremiah 32:9 niv)

Let me repeat Jeremiah’s statement of conviction: “I knew that this was

the word of the Lord.” God had spoken something astonishing and
improbable to His prophet. Jeremiah wasn’t quite sure about this word, but
he kept it in his pending file, so to speak. Shortly after hearing the message,
something happened that let Jeremiah know he had indeed heard the word
of the Lord. Just as God had said, Jeremiah’s relative did come to the
prison, and he did ask Jeremiah to buy the very field the Lord had spoken
about. That is what I call the confirmation of circumstance .

DIVINE PROMPTINGS
Let me give a couple of illustrations to show what you might encounter in
your own life along these lines. Let’s say you sense a prompting to buy a
house in your area. The house isn’t even up for sale, but you go and knock
on the door to inquire about it. You introduce yourself to the woman who
answers and politely say to her, “I live nearby, and if you should ever put
your house up for sale, I would be interested in buying it from you.”
The woman’s response might be, “Isn’t that amazing! My husband and I
have just decided to sell our house, but we haven’t yet had time to put it on
the market.” The prompting you had was the word of the Lord to you. The
response you received from the woman was the confirmation of
circumstances.
Or, suppose you are a business executive in a certain city with a good
home and an excellent position. One day, the Lord speaks to you about
moving to a different city, and you can’t comprehend why He would want
you to make such a change. You pray, “Lord, I don’t understand this, but if
it is Your word for me and my family, please make it clear to me.” The next
day, your boss calls you into his office and offers you a transfer to the very
city where you felt God wanted you to move—plus a raise in salary.
What are you going to make of this situation? Like Jeremiah, you will
say, “I knew that this was the word of the Lord.”

PEACE IN OUR HEART

What is the third important confirmation we should look for when we
believe we have heard God’s voice? We should expect and experience a
peace in our heart. God’s voice will always produce God’s peace.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly
dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
 another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:15–16 nasb)

AN INWARD UMPIRE
The key phrase in this passage comes at the beginning of verse 15: “Let
the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” The Greek word translated “rule”
means to act as an arbiter or an umpire—making certain decisions and
judgments, determining whether something is right or wrong. The Amplified
Bible has a very good translation of this verse:

Let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as
umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality
all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state]
(Colossians 3:15 ampc)

Do you see the principle here? We have an inward umpire, an arbiter,

who decides questions that we cannot decide. That umpire and arbiter is the
peace of God. When the peace of God says yes, it is right. But when the
peace of God is absent, we have to be cautious. We need to say, “Well, God,
if this is from You, please let there be peace in my heart.”
If there is unrest and struggling within you, and particularly if you feel
pressured to act hastily, then be on your guard. Caution is needed when it is
apparent that God’s peace has been withdrawn. Usually, when peace is
absent, God is trying to say to us, “You didn’t hear Me right,” or “You’re
not applying what I said correctly.”

THREE COMBINED FACTORS

The following three factors from the passage in Colossians 3 work
together to confirm you have heard God’s voice: the peace of Christ,
thankfulness, and God’s Word in your heart. The voice of God will be
accompanied by peace, and you will be filled with thankfulness.
If it becomes a challenge or struggle to thank God in regard to what you
have heard, that is a clear warning sign. If your praise dries up, then it is
probably not the Holy Spirit who is moving in you. Remember that you are
to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Colossians 3:16 nasb).
Whatever the situation, make sure you are continually checking against
Scripture what you think may be God’s direction and purpose.
Let’s conclude by reviewing the three ways we should look for
confirmation if we really think we have heard the voice of God:

1. Agreement with Scripture . The Holy Spirit, who is the Author of

Scripture, brings God’s voice to us. He will never contradict
Himself. The Spirit will never say something to us that disagrees
with what He has already said in Scripture.
2. Circumstances lining up . In one way or another, the situation
will work out so that we will know God is in it.
3. Peace in our heart . We will sense God’s peace as an umpire and
arbiter, saying, “Yes, this is right. No, that is wrong.”
In our final chapter, we will look at one further way of confirming we
have heard God’s voice: corroboration through our fellow believers.
 19
Clear Confirmations

W e see God demonstrating His initiative and guidance in believers’ lives

when the church at Antioch sent out Barnabas and Saul (who later became
known as Paul) for apostolic ministry:

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,

Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been
brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were
worshiping the Lord and fasting…. (Acts 13:1–2 niv)

Earlier, we talked about how worship is the best preparation for hearing
the Lord’s voice. These leaders from the church at Antioch were
“worshiping the Lord and fasting” —they were really seeking God with all
their hearts.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit
said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them.” (Acts 13:2 niv)

Please note these words: “The Holy Spirit said….” We have seen that it is
the Holy Spirit who brings the voice of God to us.

So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them
and sent them off. (Acts 13:3 niv)

We need to pay attention to the words the Holy Spirit spoke because they
are very significant for our discussion on confirming God’s voice. The
Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them.” Bear in mind that the Holy Spirit had already called
Barnabas and Saul. It was not the first time they had heard about their
commission. But this occasion was public confirmation through their
brothers, in the assembly, that their call was from God. That was very
important for them. They needed that public confirmation.
 CALLED BY GOD
To gain further insight, let’s go back a little ways into the history of God’s
dealings with Paul. From the time Jesus first appeared to him, Paul knew
that he was to be an apostle. Paul said this himself. In various places in his
writings, he emphasizes his divine call, thankful that his apostleship was not
of human origin. In Galatians 1:1, he describes himself in this way:

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ
and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. ( niv84)

Paul knew he was not sent “from man nor by man, but by Jesus Christ
and God the Father.” It is very clear that his apostolic calling came directly
from God. Nevertheless, the Lord confirmed this commission through
leaders in the church at Antioch when the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for
me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2
niv). Barnabas and Saul had already received their individual calls, but this
was public affirmation of them. This account shows the importance God
Himself attaches to our receiving confirmation that we have correctly heard
His voice.

THREE PURPOSES
I believe the public confirmation of Paul’s calling served at least three
purposes. First, it strengthened Paul’s own faith. I think you will agree that
there are times when we need confirmation from others. Many of us are
walking a rather lonely road, wondering if we really heard God correctly
because conditions appear to be so impossible. The guidance that the Lord
has so clearly spoken to us can sometimes seem so far away. But then, in
His grace, God gives us confirmation through the body of Christ.
Second, this incident at Antioch validated Paul’s call to his fellow
believers. It wasn’t enough that he knew he was called. They had to know
he was called, as well—so they could confidently send him out and support
him.
Third, the event emphasized the interdependence of the members of
Christ’s body. This interdependence is something to which God attaches
tremendous importance. We are not to act unilaterally, going out on our
own. We shouldn’t say, “It doesn’t matter what the others do. I know I’m
right.” That attitude is almost invariably wrong. God wants us to realize that
we are members of a body, and we need to depend on one other.

RELIABLE COWORKERS
I want you to notice two significant points about this incident at Antioch.
The confirmation to Paul and Barnabas came through fellow believers of
proven integrity and maturity. That was very important because it matters
whom God uses to speak to us. If it is a believer whose maturity,
faithfulness, and integrity is known to us, it makes a big difference.
Confirmation from a reliable coworker is much more significant than a
word that comes from somebody who may be rather unstable or immature
in the faith. Affirmation through such a person is worth relatively little. But
when it comes through Christians of proven character and wisdom, it means
a lot.
Thus, truly spiritual men do not go ahead unilaterally, without regard to
their fellow believers. I respect that in Paul’s character. He knew God had
called him, but he didn’t just move forward, saying, “Well, I’m going.
Goodbye.” He waited on God with his fellow leaders until the call was
validated and confirmed. Then, Paul went out with their support and
prayers. Believe me, all of us need to do this when we are stepping out to
follow the voice of the Lord.

THREE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS

We must recognize that our ability to hear God through others depends, to
a large extent, on the nature of our relationship with them. The better our
relationship with others, the better we can either hear God’s voice or receive
confirmation of His will through them.
Right relationships are, therefore, essential for being able to hear God’s
voice. There are three special relationships through which we should expect
to hear from the Lord—three relationships to which the New Testament
attaches a message of special importance and sanctity:

The relationship between pastors and their congregations

The relationship between husbands and wives
 The relationship between parents and children
Let’s briefly look at what the Scriptures say about each of these
relationships and what this means for our hearing God’s voice.

CONFIRMATION THROUGH ONE’S SPIRITUAL LEADERS

Hebrews 13:7 says this about our relationship with our spiritual leaders:

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider
the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ( niv84)

The word “remember” here indicates respectful consideration. The

biblical writer is saying, “Your leaders spoke the Word of God to you, so
have respect for them.” Consequently, if God speaks to you independently,
in a direct and personal way, it should be very important to you that your
spiritual leaders, who have already spoken the Word of God to you, should
confirm what God has said.
In vibrant Christian fellowship, it is normal and right for God’s people to
hear confirmation through their leaders. If I were a member of a
congregation with godly leadership, and I felt I had heard from God, I
would check with them. If I were to go to these leaders, and they waited on
God and prayed, and then came back with a reservation about what I heard,
I would take note of it. If their answer to me was, “We don’t feel that what
you have heard is God’s voice,” believe me, I would be tremendously
cautious about going ahead with that word.

CONFIRMATION THROUGH ONE’S SPOUSE

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of
the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church
submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in
everything. (Ephesians 5:22–24 niv)

Another sacred association in the eyes of God is that of husbands and

wives. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord has made the husband the head of
the wife—responsible for caring for her and her spiritual condition. I realize
that many husbands do not really accept this responsibility, but they are
responsible nonetheless. If a married woman believes she has heard the
voice of God, it would not be prudent for her to go ahead if her husband
disagrees. It would be best for her to have her husband’s approval and
blessing.
I have known many cases in which women went ahead in spite of their
husbands’ misgivings. Almost always, the result was some kind of spiritual
disaster. This is because such behavior is contrary to God’s divine order. A
woman can have an attitude of, “Well, no matter what my husband says,
I’m going to do it!” That type of attitude is not sensitive to hearing from
God. Rather, it is a hard, rebellious mindset—and rebellious people rarely
hear the voice of God accurately.

CONFIRMATION THROUGH ONE’S PARENTS

The relationship between parents and children is also sacred and can
provide confirmation of hearing God’s voice. In Ephesians 6:1 we read,

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Please note the safeguard “in the Lord.” If parents demand that their
children do something morally wrong or totally unscriptural, the children
are not obligated to obey. But otherwise, children are directed to obey their
parents. We must remember that if God speaks to a child, He can also speak
to the parents concerning what He has said to their child. If they are in
disagreement with the idea, He can also change their hearts, causing them
to accept His will for their son or daughter.
There is a twofold application for all of these sacred relationships. On the
positive side, we should expect to receive confirmation of God’s voice
through the relationships. But on the negative side, we should be doubly
cautious if what we believe God has spoken to us causes those with whom
we are in a relationship to have concerns or reservations.
Our desire to confirm what we believe God has said needs to be sincere.
We can affirm His voice through the several types of confirmation we have
discussed in the last two chapters: agreement with Scripture, circumstances
lining up, peace in our hearts, and corroboration through special, sacred
relationships. When all of these line up, we can have confidence that we are
accurately hearing the voice of the Lord.
 AFTERWORD:
Your Own Journey of Discovery

T hroughout this book, we have taken a journey using both Scripture and
personal examples to give you a better understanding of how you can hear
God’s voice. Yet, as with so many aspects of the life of faith, someone
else’s wisdom and instruction can only take you so far in your walk with the
Lord. There comes a time when you must put your hand into the hand of the
Holy Spirit and let Him lead you on your own journey of discovery.
We have learned that the one unvarying requirement the Lord expects of
His people is to hear His voice. Even though, over the millennia, God has
dealt with the human race in different ways, this one requirement and
expectation has never changed.
We have also learned that hearing from God enables us to follow Him,
and that His voice is personal, intangible, and always in the present.
Through hearing specific words (rhemas ) from Him in the now, faith
comes, and we are nourished spiritually.
The Lord wants us to hear—and obey—His voice. This ability is an
identifying characteristic of mature children of God. It produces a
distinctive lifestyle in believers as they cultivate the sensitivity and humility
of a “hearing heart.” Part of the process of humbling ourselves comes
through confession—to God and to other people within the context of
trusting relationships, as Scripture encourages us to do.
When we begin to hear the voice of God, the critical question becomes
whether we are truly hearing from Him at any given time. We focused on
four ways that allow us to test what we are hearing, which we can
summarize in these questions:

Does it agree with Scripture?

Is it confirmed through other circumstances?
Do we have peace in our hearts?
Is it confirmed through other believers?
 Above all, we have learned that to hear God’s voice, we must devote time
to worshipping and waiting on the Lord. If we consistently reserve time to
hear His voice, and if we come to Him in worship and humility, our hearts
will be made ready to receive what He wants to tell us.
Therefore, far from being the end of the journey, this is the beginning of a
new lifestyle for you that will yield untold blessings as you watch your
relationship with the Lord grow. The outcome will be the fruit you produce
—fruit that will last for all eternity. (See John 15:16.) All these results will
come from this vital aspect of your relationship with Jesus Christ: hearing
God’s voice.
 About the Author

D erek Prince (1915–2003) was born in India of British parents. He was

educated as a scholar of Greek and Latin at Eton College and King’s
College, Cambridge, in England. Upon graduation, he held a fellowship
(equivalent to a professorship) in Ancient and Modern Philosophy at King’s
College. Prince also studied Hebrew, Aramaic, and modern languages at
Cambridge and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. As a student, he was a
philosopher and a self-proclaimed agnostic.
While serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) during World
War II, Prince began to study the Bible as a philosophical work. Converted
through a powerful encounter with Jesus Christ, he was baptized in the
Holy Spirit a few days later. Out of this encounter, he formed two
conclusions: first, that Jesus Christ is alive; second, that the Bible is a true,
relevant, up-to-date book. These conclusions altered the whole course of his
life, which he then devoted to studying and teaching the Bible as the Word
of God.
Discharged from the army in Jerusalem in 1945, he married Lydia
Christensen, founder of a children’s home there. Upon their marriage, he
immediately became father to Lydia’s eight adopted daughters—six Jewish,
one Palestinian Arab, and one English. Together, the family saw the rebirth
of the state of Israel in 1948. In the late 1950s, they adopted another
daughter while Prince was serving as principal of a teachers’ training
college in Kenya.
In 1963, the Princes immigrated to the United States and pastored a
church in Seattle. In 1973, Prince became one of the founders of
Intercessors for America. His book Shaping History through Prayer and
Fasting has awakened Christians around the world to their responsibility to
pray for their governments. Many consider underground translations of the
book as instrumental in the fall of communist regimes in the USSR, East
Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Lydia Prince died in 1975, and Prince married Ruth Baker (a single
mother to three adopted children) in 1978. He met his second wife, like his
first wife, while she was serving the Lord in Jerusalem. Ruth died in
December 1998 in Jerusalem, where they had lived since 1981.
Until a few years before his own death in 2003 at the age of eighty-eight,
Prince persisted in the ministry God had called him to as he traveled the
world, imparting God’s revealed truth, praying for the sick and afflicted,
and sharing his prophetic insights into world events in the light of Scripture.
Internationally recognized as a Bible scholar and spiritual patriarch, Derek
Prince established a teaching ministry that spanned six continents and more
than sixty years. He is the author of more than eighty books, six hundred
audio teachings, and one hundred video teachings, many of which have
been translated and published in more than one hundred languages. He
pioneered teaching on such groundbreaking themes as generational curses,
the biblical significance of Israel, and demonology.
Prince’s radio program, which began in 1979, has been translated into
more than a dozen languages and continues to touch lives. Derek Prince’s
main gift of explaining the Bible and its teachings in a clear and simple way
has helped build a foundation of faith in millions of lives. His
nondenominational, nonsectarian approach has made his teaching equally
relevant and helpful to people from all racial and religious backgrounds,
and his messages are estimated to have reached more than half the globe.
In 2002, he said, “It is my desire—and I believe the Lord’s desire—that
this ministry continue the work, which God began through me over sixty
years ago, until Jesus returns.”
Derek Prince Ministries continues to reach out to believers in over 140
countries with Derek’s teaching, fulfilling the mandate to keep on “until
Jesus returns.” This is accomplished through the outreaches of more than
forty-five Derek Prince offices around the world, including primary work in
Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the
United States. For current information about these and other worldwide
locations, visit www.derekprince.org.

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