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How I Hear the Father Speak

I’ve had different people tell me recently, “I can’t hear God the way you hear God”. While I know I’m the Father’s favorite… I know all of His children are His favorites so to hear Him speak is something that we should all expect.

So let’s start with the basics. First, the Father spoke, and the visible and invisible came into being. When He sent His Son, a title He accepted was “the Word”. Yes, there are seasons when the test is on and the teacher is silent, but the normal experience for a follower of Christ is to hear the Father’s voice.

You see, if you’re on a wireless network, as you read this blog on your laptop, those network waves are passing through you with little or no effect. The only way your laptop can connect to the Internet is because you’ve found an open network or put in the proper password to overcome the encryption. You need the laptop to pick up the network and you need the software to be properly configured.

The Father is almost always speaking to you. As His child, you’re the laptop. All you need to know is how to properly configure the software.

And it’s important that the software is properly configured because you need to hear the voice of the Father. His voice protects you from mistakes:

“In a dream, for instance, a vision at night,
when men and women are deep in sleep,
fast asleep in their beds—
God opens their ears
and impresses them with warnings
To turn them back from something bad they’re planning,
from some reckless choice,
And keep them from an early grave,
from the river of no return.
Job 33:17-18 (The Message)

And His voice is the secret of a full life:

I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.
John 15:5 (The Message)

So understand you can hear His voice because Jesus said:

I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice.
John 10:14-16 (The Message)

So how can you hear His voice if you’re not hearing Him now? How can you properly configure the software on your laptop?

Well we’re going to switch metaphors to something more biblical, because Jesus addresses how we prepare our hearts in a parable recorded in Luke 8:4-15:

4-8As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

9His disciples asked, “Why did you tell this story?”

10He said, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren’t going to get it:

Their eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Their ears are open but don’t hear a thing.

11-12″This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won’t believe and be saved.

13″The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t go very deep. It’s only another fad, and the moment there’s trouble it’s gone.

14″And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.

15″But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest.
Luke 8:4-15 (The Message)

The seed that is sown is the Word of God. Too often it’s been preached that this parable applies to when a person first hears the Good News about Jesus and how they respond.

Jesus didn’t preach a gospel of salvation, He taught the Good News of the Kingdom. This of course, includes what we generally consider the “Good News” – that Jesus died, rose again, ascended to heaven and will return so repent.

But the good news of the Kingdom is God’s will being done on earth as it is in Heaven and that means every time His Word comes to us, we are responsible for the condition of our heart.

Let’s take a few moments to see what that means if we have a hard heart that the seeds just bounce off of. This is the heart that is not hearing the voice of God, even though the Word is all around.

What are some of the causes of a hard heart?

Pride… “I don’t need God”

Fear… “What if God tells me to do something I can’t do?”

Bitterness… “God, why did you allow this to happen?”

If you cannot hear the voice of the Father, allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Ask Him to show you if you need to repent and turn away from pride, or if you need to experience the Father’s love that casts out all fear, or if you need to forgive someone who’s hurt you or even to choose to live un-offended at God.

There may be something else that hardens your heart, whatever it is, know the Father desires an intimate relationship with you. The Holy Spirit will not allow any blockage to remain hidden. Whatever He shows you, agree with the Father that it is sin, ask for forgiveness and know that your confessed sin has been forgiven.

Once the way is cleared out, you’ll need to make time to listen.

13″The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t go very deep. It’s only another fad, and the moment there’s trouble it’s gone.

The hard path represents a heart too hard to hear. The shallow soil – the seed in the gravel – represents a heart set on superficial things. The seed sprouts, but it has no roots and it falls away.

How do you stop this from happening? You need a time and place to hear from God as well as a way to remember what He says.

He won’t be fit into a busy schedule. Your schedule needs to change. He’s worth more than the time you have leftover. You need to make time to listen.

When you make time to listen, He’s going to speak. He’s the Word. He spoke everything into being. Understand this and make time to remember and record something to remember.

Do you take notes in a sermon?
Do you journal your dreams?
Do you write down or keep a record of the prophetic words people share with you?

When the Father speaks, and He will, write it down. Think about it. Pray it through. Share it with others who journey with you.

When you hear the voice of the Father you are going to get excited. If you don’t give the Word soil to grow deep roots, what should spring up will simply die.

But before you hear the voice of the Father, you may need to get rid of distractions.

When your mind is full and always thinking you never give God a chance in silence to speak to you. We won’t hear His voice.

14″And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.

The soil with weeds represents a pre-occupied mind.

We need to have the mind of Christ who only did what he saw the Father do. We can’t be distracted by the worries of this life, making money and having fun.

To start occupying our minds with the thoughts of the Father, we need to take time to soak in silence, focusing on His goodness and love. We are making time for two-way communication with the lover of our souls.

Jesus said worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun could distract us.

The Greek word for worry means, “to be pulled in different directions”. We’ve all been there. We can’t be there if we’re going to hear the voice of the Father. Pausing to rest in the presence of the Father stops the pulling in different directions.

When our focus can’t be on making money, because when we seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, everything else is given to us as well. When we take time to seek Him, we take time to bring His Kingdom from heaven to earth.

When our focus is on is on the pleasures of this life – on having fun – we are distracted from hearing the Father. He gave you the ability to enjoy life, but do even the good things keep you at times from the best?

How much effort does it take for weeds to grow? None. Weeds are a sign of neglect.

Are distractions choking out your relationship with the Father? They come from neglect.

Here’s what you do:

1. Repent
2. Do the things you did at first
3. Return to your first love

When you do this you’ll be able to see the increase that comes whenever the Father speaks and you respond.

15″But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest.

I just can’t write about how to hear the voice of the Father without mentioning why He speaks.

Yes, it’s to keep us from mistakes and allow us to live full and amazing lives, but those things only come about when we apply James 1:22 to our understanding of why the Father speaks:

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! James 1:22 (The Message)

When God speaks to you, obey Him.

Are you looking for more information on How the Father Talks to Us? I’ll keep posting on this topic as it’s something He’s leading me and many others through. I’d love to hear you comments.

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Comments

  1. Thank you for explaining to us about how to listen for the Lord because I know I can certainly relate, the last few years I’ve had a crash course on Jesus how exciting. Our individual experiences should be documented if the Lord would like us too. Teaching and experincing his love. Often walking my dog or alone I get letters bible quotes from him even money. I meet interesting people some know the Lord and some are trying to know him. I put a lot of people in my prayers even people I may not know because we are really brother’s and sisters. Amen Amen Joan M

    Reply

  2. Some people write down all of the things that might be getting in the way of hearing the Father’s voice on a piece of paper … then they put away the paper and deal with those things later.

    Also, for some people, keeping a journal (or a listening prayer journal) helps them “pull-the-weeds…” And, it helps them remember … since, we as sheep, tend to forget the incredible, marvelous things that the Father has done for us…

    Reply

  3. This was a powerful message and very helpful. I have great difficulty hearing God speak to me and I relate to a lot of your message, but most particularly to the part about distractions. It is very difficult for me to get away and find real silence and if I do there are so many thoughts swirling in my head they become (or take the place of) the distractions I may have managed to avoid by physically relocating myself (finding some solitude). I find that only by staying up late into the night by myself (and thereby fatiguing myself for work the next day) might I find this solitude or silence, or have trouble even coming up with the most important questions I feel I should ask, i.e. How can I best serve you?; What are you calling me to do?…

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