Length: 6 minutes

A lot of people have heard the gospel from others, but so many (even Christians) feel that they just can’t hear the voice of God for themselves. Everyone has felt like this at one point or another, but those concerns are not founded. 

One verse that invalidates those concerns is:

Matthew 7:8 (NKJV) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

There has never been a person that has continued seeking the Lord that has not found the truth. It simply has never happened, and you will not be the first. If a person goes their whole life and never hears from God, it’s because they never sought God, or they stopped halfway when they got discouraged. Every person that continues seeking God with all their heart will hear. No exceptions.

Many of us need a change. If you keep doing things the way you’ve always done them, you’ll keep hearing from God the same way you always have. Nothing is going to change. Are you content with that? I’m not. So, here are some things you need to know about hearing from God (and notice, these things are straight out of scripture. These aren’t just “seven steps to hearing from God” like you may have heard before).

You Already Have The Word Of God

This is something you need to acknowledge all the time: The word of God is already in you. So, why be discouraged like you’re never going to receive a genuine, clear word from God? You already have it. It’s living inside of you. It’s part of your inheritance, as a believer.

2 John 1:2 (NKJV) because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

When someone says, “the word of God” the first thing you should think is, “I’ve got that living in me.” It takes away all discouragement, as if you’re never going to receive the word of God, when you know God already gave it to you. Of course, you want His voice to come out of you, so you can hear it in your mind, but you already have the word of God. In fact, you have the full mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and you have full knowledge living inside of you (1 John 2:20). 

Buuuuutt… the Bible says the only way to make the things inside of you effectual (working) is to acknowledge them (Philemon 1:6). So, if you want the voice of God to be active in your heart, rather than walking around discouraged because you haven’t heard God, start acknowledging that you already have the word of God. Think and speak like someone who has already been given the word of God. Then that word will become effectual in your mind.

That Word Teaches You All Things

Not only does the word of God live in you, but it was intended to teach you everything! That’s right, everything. If someone told you that only God can know certain things, they forgot to tell you that God gave you His mind (1 Corinthians 2:16), and God intends on teaching you everything. Nothing hidden (John 14:26).

1 John 2:20 says that you have an anointing (the Spirit) and you already know all things. That’s talking about all the knowledge you have within you. But then, just seven verses later he also says that this anointing teaches you all things! That means this knowledge is not just in you. It is intended to come out and teach you everything!

1 John 2:20, 27 (NKJV) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things [inside of you].
Verse 27) But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things [comes out to teach your physical mind everything]

Not only is the truth in you by the Holy Spirit, but it was given to teach your mind all things! 

Jesus Gives You Access

Now we know that through Jesus, 1) We have the truth in us and, 2) It was intended to teach us everything. Yet many people may still doubt that they can access this truth. They may agree that the truth is in them, but doubt their ability to ever receive it to their mind. 

Maybe, in your opinion, you’re just not “that type of person.” You don’t feel super spiritual right now. Good news! Your own feelings and qualifications aren’t needed here. Leave them at the door. You are, in fact, the type of person that hears from God, if you’re a believer. Why? Not because of you, but because of Jesus. Jesus’ sacrifice qualifies you.

No person is qualified in themselves. There’s no Bible school degree, no pastoral position, and no “special anointing” that qualifies people to hear from God. If you cling to that, you’ll never hear anything. There’s One that qualifies us to hear from God and that’s Jesus, by His sacrifice. Jesus became your sin (disqualified from any help from God) so that we could become righteous (qualified for all things from God – 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Colossians 1:12 (NKJV) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Notice, Jesus not only qualifies you to have this truth inside of you, but He also qualifies you to partake of it (as Colossians just mentioned). That means, He qualifies you to use the truth that’s inside of you, so that you can hear the voice of God in your daily life.

Jesus is your access to everything, including the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30). Start trusting Jesus’ sacrifice as your access, rather than your own wisdom and ability.

Romans 5:2 (NKJV) through whom [through Jesus] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…

Jesus gives you access. Jesus makes you worthy, with His own worthiness, to receive the wisdom of God. 

In Revelation 5, Jesus was found worthy to unlock seven understandings from God, that were locked up. But everything that Jesus was worthy to see and understand, the apostle John was allowed to see as well (Revelation 6:1). This is not because John was an apostle or because he was special. This is because John had received Jesus’ righteousness, like we have (Revelation 3:4, 19:8, 7:14). Therefore, if Jesus was worthy to receive something from the voice of God, John was worthy as well. All the knowledge that Jesus is worthy to unlock, you are now worthy to unlock as well, through Him!

There’s more to say, but so far, we established that through Jesus:

1. The word of God is in us
2. That word is intended to teach us ALL things
3. We are qualified to access this word

If you think on these things, considering the scriptures given, that will eliminate most of the doubt in your mind about hearing from God. Jesus is the reason you’re qualified to hear from God. No, Jesus doesn’t qualify you to just hear from God through somebody else. It’s great to hear from God through other believers, but YOU are qualified, by Jesus, to hear from the Holy Spirit yourself. 

If you only ever hear the word of God through other people, you’re putting more faith in their ability to teach you, than the cross’ ability to qualify you. Jesus died for you. Jesus made you righteous. It’s important to hear through other people, but God has qualified you to hear from Him. That’s not a privilege for special people. That’s a privilege for saved people. If you’ve believed, that’s you.

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