Everyone wants to hear God more clearly. This is a struggle for many Christians. Some claim to hear and talk to the Holy Spirit all the time, but you don’t hear anything. You don’t know what He wants from you, or what to do in this new life with Him… Well, first you can rest assured that He does want to talk to you and He has no lack of power to do so. However, there may be something in the way, as well as a lack in understanding on your part, of how to listen to God. Here are a few guidelines to live by that will help you hear from God more clearly and understand His will for you.

The Method

First, don’t get hung up on the method. God speaks to His people in many different ways in the Bible and He still uses the same methods today. He utilized prophets (ie other people), angels, natural events, and disasters. He has spoken in an audible voice. He has provided messages through Scripture, dreams and visions, thoughts and pictures in your mind, or feelings and intuition through the Holy Spirit. He has spoken to me in nearly all of these ways. The problem with us is, unless He’s speaking in an audible voice, it can be difficult to determine if it’s really Him. Secondly, we often don’t understand the message clearly and we overanalyze or second-guess it – especially if it makes us uncomfortable. So, we’ll use the excuse that we didn’t know if it was really from Him and that may even be true. However, you can use some sound judgement and strategy to receive a message from God and to determine if a message really came from Him.

First, He will often speak to you where you are, in whatever you are currently doing, in a way that’s easily accessible and understandable to you. Meaning, if you’re a music lover, He’ll speak to you through music. If you’re a people lover, He’ll speak to you through other people. If you like watching videos or even TV, He will lead you to content that addresses your situation. If you love to read, He’ll speak to you through what you’re reading.

Scripture

Speaking of reading, I would say the Bible is usually the primary method of hearing from God, and many times it is undervalued and overlooked. Don’t forget that the Bible is God’s living word, and was provided to us as a guideline and instruction for life. It’s the easiest and clearest way for you to determine His will, even His specific instructions for you personally at any given time. All you have to do is read it! Before I was Spirit-filled, this is how God spoke to me, as well as clues in the natural. Like I said, He will meet you where you’re at. Pray about what to read and what guidance you’re needing, then just read whatever you feel led to read, and try to determine how to apply that to your situation or your questions. As you read the Scripture, the words will seem to jump off the page and have profound meaning. If you’d like more guidance on knowing what to read, check out my other article, Why is Reading the Bible so Important? The bottom line is, if you are seeking Him, He will find a way to reach you. You just need to train yourself to hear the message. And if you are not seeking Him, you likely won’t hear Him or understand. So that is step one, if you’re not familiar with God and Jesus, start reading the Bible now!

Thoughts

Before moving on, we need to spend some time on thoughts, because these are probably the most difficult to discern. We have so much going through our heads all the time, it can be difficult to separate our own thoughts from what might be a spiritual message. In my own experience, God’s voice can seem like a thought sometimes, but there are some key differences.

Often, He doesn’t speak to me this way if I’m just spacing out watching TV, distracted or just doing life. He speaks to me when I’m actively focused on Him, or speaking to Him. I think that He likes us to be the initiator. He wants to know that we want to engage with Him. So I would say a good way to get His attention is to keep talking to Him. Keep talking until you get an answer! Jesus actually tells us to be persistent in prayer (see Luke 18:1-8 and Luke 11:5-10). You can speak to Him out loud or in your mind, whichever you prefer. Though I do prefer speaking out loud and feel that it can be more effective.

I have noticed that when an answer comes via thought, it’s often literally on the heels of your prayer or question. Usually before you even finish saying or thinking the words. Even as you are forming the words, the answer will come. Normally we can’t have more than 1 thought at a time. So this can be a strong indicator. “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). He just wants you to ask! Other times, within minutes after you pray, someone or something comes forward with the answer (more on this later).

Sometimes, the ‘thought’ will seem to come from the core of your soul. It doesn’t seem to come from your mind, but from somewhere near your heart. Secondly, it will not ‘sound’ like your own voice in your head. Sometimes the thought will include a Scripture or vocabulary that you’re not really familiar with. So, obviously it didn’t come from you. One time, I was thinking of a particular verse in Scripture, but I couldn’t remember the exact words or where it was in the Bible. So, I meditated on it for a while and the numbers just popped into my head. Another time, I was praying for an answer on something, and a couple words of a particular Scripture came to mind. I had read it once or twice, but it wasn’t one I knew well and it had never meant anything to me before. I had to look it up on Google just to find the Scripture. Then, when I read it, I understood what God was telling me. It was a profound message answering one of my questions as to why I was facing some resistance in a particular area of my life, and why God had led me down a certain path.

So, if it’s something you don’t understand at first, this is a big clue that it wasn’t your own thought. If it is something you didn’t know or weren’t familiar with before, it just didn’t make sense before, or you didn’t know how to apply it – but now you do.

It will also be in the second person point of view. You probably think in terms of “I”, “me”, and “my”. For example, “What if I did this”, “should I do that”, etc. When someone is talking to you, they address you as “you” and “your”. Also, when the thought comes and you realize it was God, you will probably feel His presence immediately. Or you will feel Him more strongly when you think about a particular decision or situation.

Other People

Ok, moving on from thoughts. How about when you think a message has come from another person? This is one that you need to use some caution with. Especially so-called ‘prophetic’ messages, or people who claim to have heard from God. A truly humble believer will not make this claim lightly. Even Spirit-filled believers can have the best of intentions, but still misinterpret or miscommunicate a message for you. There’s a great example of this in Acts 19-21, the Holy Spirit tells Paul to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21), even though the Jews there wouldn’t listen to him and he would have trial and tribulation (Acts 20:22-24). There was a purpose in this, however, that would lead him to eventually preach in Rome. So Paul knows all of this ahead of time, as the Holy Spirit has revealed it to him, and so he plans to go to Jerusalem. However, on his travels, he encountered other Christians who he had become friends with, who told him ‘through the Spirit’ that he should not go (Acts 21:4, 10-12).

So, dare we ask, did the Holy Spirit contradict Himself here? Not likely. So what happened? Well, in my opinion, these well-meaning Christians were shown a revelation through the Spirit, that those trials awaited Paul and that he would have much suffering there (Acts 21:10-12). However, the purpose of it was not to deter him from going, but simply to reveal to them what would happen there and that he would not be returning. Paul himself, had told them earlier that he would not be seeing them again, and they were greatly saddened and upset by this. So, while they had experienced visions and revelations by the Spirit, it was either their personal desire interfering with that message, as they wanted their good friend to avoid that pain and suffering – OR they simply misinterpreted the purpose of the message.

We find that Paul did go and God was with him all the way, continuously encouraging and leading Him. He told Him that while the Jews wouldn’t listen, he would testify in Rome (Acts 23:11). He told him that his life and the lives of the soldiers and other prisoners would be saved from a shipwreck if they stopped on a particular island (Acts 27:22-26). On that island many people needed healing, which Paul was able to deliver (Acts 28: 8-9). Not only this, but all along the way he was able to preach to many others, including governors and other important leaders. This story even has a happy ending where Paul eventually is released and is able to freely preach and counsel (Acts 28:30-31). There are too many coincidences here where Paul was put in strategic places to do God’s work. This trip to Jerusalem had to have been ordained by God. I share this story to make the point that even well-meaning, Spirit filled Christians can get it wrong sometimes. We are all still human after all. So, while I would value their input and advice more than others, I would still pray about it, and carefully consider how I feel about it. Secondly, you may not be entirely sure, but if you take a leap of faith in a particular direction and choose correctly, God will provide little hints and clues of encouragement that you are on the right track. If it leads you to spiritual growth, and continuing God’s ministry, chances are He is behind it.

Side-note: Remember that people are led by what fills their heart. Put another way, the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:45). If they are demonized and/or unbelievers, you can guess where their guidance may be coming from. They may also have good intentions for you, but can be deceived and not even know it, resulting in a message or advice that actually derails or distracts you. Not that God can’t use these people too. He can, but I don’t think He commonly does. So, I always carefully consider advice that comes from these people. Neither do I typically solicit it, and always pray for discernment on what you hear from anyone. Bottom line, carefully consider the messenger, and remember your only true and trustworthy source of information should be God Himself.

The Test

Regardless of how the message comes in, there are a few ways that you can determine if it is from God, or in the least, is aligned with His will. You can put the message through a few tests. First, does it align with Scripture? God never wants you to do something that conflicts with His word. If it involves sin or anything that he warns against in Scripture, you can be sure it is not from Him. If it does align with Scripture, think about the outcome of the action or the impact of the message on your life. Is it good? In other words, does it bring you closer to good people, and further away from people who tempt or distract you? Does it bring you closer to God and further from temptations? Will it move you away from unhealthy habits, relationships, self-sabotage or self-harm? Will it make you healthier, free up more time for Godly activities, make you feel better about yourself, mend relationships, share the gospel, etc. So that’s the second test. If it’s generally a good thing for your life, we know that He would support it because He wants what’s best for you. Thirdly, and this is just an extra bonus, I use what I call the “3x natural” rule. This is how it works; You will see at least 3 clues, or patterns in the natural world that point you in the same direction. If this happens, you can consider it a confirmation or validation that the message was from God. Sometimes you’ll see even more than 3 clues. You’ll start seeing the same message in situational patterns, keywords, or Scripture… literally everywhere you look, until you finally get it. If it’s from Him, He won’t let you miss it. Think about all the things that are happening in your life right now. What are these situations and circumstances pointing you toward?

Is there something wrong with me?

Don’t be quick to say or think ‘I don’t (or I can’t) hear God’s voice’. First, you are speaking against yourself and what you speak can manifest. Also, there are times when God’s presence and miracles in your life can be hindered by unbelief. So, simply don’t accept this as a reality and if you have been doing this, stop immediately. Stop believing it. You can hear God’s voice and most likely you already have. Do you think God doesn’t want to speak to you or that He can’t? If so, I’m sorry but you are wrong about that. That can’t be true because it doesn’t align with Scripture. Jesus told us “my sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). He instructs His prophet Isaiah to tell a wayward people to “Listen and hear My voice; pay attention and hear what I say” (Isaiah 28:23). And in many other places, we can see God’s desire to communicate with us. You probably just aren’t giving Him the credit, or you haven’t recognized it yet. Think about all the times in your walk with the Lord that you knew you had to do something, or you somehow knew His will for you, and you obeyed. Many times, the problem is not that God isn’t talking, the problem is we aren’t listening, or we aren’t being obedient.

In Luke 6:46: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” and goes on to explain that those who are obedient will enjoy stability while those who disobey are bound for destruction. You see, you can’t pick and choose what you want to listen to. If God has spoken to you in a specific area of your life and you are dragging your feet on that, but begging for guidance in another area of your life, chances are God is waiting for you to follow his first instruction. That ‘other area’ may be the answer to your prayer today, but you can’t get there because you’re not willing to do the first thing He told you to. So, in short, you could be in denial about the message. Think long and hard about any communication from Him that you may have been rejecting. If you have been chronically disobedient and ignoring Him, it may be harder to hear Him, and your first order of business should be removing sin from your life, and getting closer to Him. Again, not a strict requirement, but it really does help. Think about what’s more important to you. Having God or having that thing in your life? The more obedient you are, and the more times you act on faith, the easier it becomes to hear Him and sense His will.

While I do believe that living a fully submitted life to God puts you in the strong position for communication – you don’t have to be a perfect Christian to hear from Him. In my own life, the times when I should have been the furthest from Him, were when I heard Him the best. Nearly every step in my journey to get baptized and delivered was loud and clear. I think this is common because, if you are on the wrong track, He is really trying to reach you because there’s an urgency to it. He doesn’t want to lose you to Satan. So, He’s coming after you. You will begin to feel strong conviction about behaviors and habits, and a new desire to pursue the Lord. So please, listen to His call and respond quickly. It’s in your best interest, as your eternal life is likely in jeopardy. Romans 12:2, says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be changed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to prove what that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God is”. So, do not conform to the pattern of the world, meaning you shouldn’t be living according to your flesh or chasing after what the world values (such as physical pleasures, power, success, money, social status). Renew your mind by focusing on the Spirit world and your eternal salvation, by “storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). You should be living according to your Spirit, chasing after God and what He values, and doing what you know pleases Him. Then, you will be able to understand, test, prove and/or demonstrate God’s will (based upon Hebrew translation of the word “prove”).

You really have to practice child-like trust and faith. You may not know the reason why you are being prompted to do or not do something, but if you know it’s coming from Him, just do it and watch what happens. Sometimes He will only reveal the next step and not the big picture. This is an exercise in faith. When you’re obedient to the first step, He’ll show you the second. I know that’s hard for the planners and engineers out there, but you’ve got to get used to dealing with some ambiguity and trusting Him.

Later in my Christian life, as I was trying my best to live holy, by putting my old life and willful sin behind me – I found it harder to hear Him. I think that’s because we have to retrain ourselves. Most of us know what it’s like to live without God, but when you become born again, you have to learn how to live with Him. It’s like being dropped into foreign territory and learning to navigate the terrain. Or like having someone you never knew, move in with you. You are going to need to learn their likes and dislikes, their temperament and personality, so that you can get along and live in harmony. So, the best way to get to know Him is to spend more time with Him. That means staying near His presence and going where He is moving. Do whatever keeps you immersed in His presence. Get around other believers at conferences, revivals, church, Bible studies, prayer meetings, etc. Even when you are alone, continue in praise and worship, reading Scripture, prayer, fasting, and meditation. Keep asking, and keep praying for the direction or the answers you’re looking for. And stay vigilant. Look for His response and stay expectant and faithful that you will hear from Him. In my experience, faithful prayer is much more effective than doubtful or unbelieving prayer. Not that He doesn’t or won’t respond when we pray with doubt in our hearts, but I think it’s less often. What He really wants from us is faith, and He will reward us when we are faithful. By rewarding every act of faith, He teaches us be more faithful. Positive reinforcement. So, just believe in Him and His promises and expect to hear from Him.

Also, if you are actively walking in your ministry or your calling, you probably feel the Spirit strongly upon you when you are doing that. Therefore, sowing into your own ministry will bring you closer to God, and it shows Him you’re willing to be obedient. Finally, helping and counseling others, especially in your area of need, can bring you a breakthrough. For example, if you are struggling financially, try to find a way to give some of your resources to others, or to at least give someone advice on finances. If you’re having family issues, try counseling or helping other families that are having the same issues. This is one of the reasons support groups are so effective. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it works. Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you” and 2 Corinthians 9:6 says “He who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly”. So, this principle has been given to us; Give and we shall receive.

Sometimes He just wants to be with you…

There are times when, I believe, we are just meant to enjoy His presence and communion. Just like a best friend or someone you deeply care about. You don’t have to be talking all the time to enjoy their company. Nor do you need to get something from them or give something to this person every time you meet. You enjoy simply being in the same space, sharing a meal, a picture, a view, or a walk in nature. So, sometimes when the Spirit comes upon you, just welcome Him and enjoy His presence for awhile. You need to be spending quiet time with God, as often as possible. He doesn’t always want something from you, or want you to do something. He’s not only there to give you something, either. Yes, it’s fun to do things together, to partner up, and even to work together, but it’s not required every time. That’s a bonus, when you get to enjoy life together. Sometimes, He just wants to be with you. and you have to allow that and get comfortable with it. You may need to get to know Him better before you’re on speaking terms. 😊 So just say ‘hello’ and thank Him for coming and enjoy being near Him. And even if you can’t feel Him yet, you can still talk to Him, just as you would talk to anyone else, as if He is in the room with you. Because He is. He is always with you.

What am I supposed to do though?

Other times He does show up for a reason. Recognizing these times and acting on them can take some practice. Sometimes it is helping someone, praying for someone, or just talking to someone. It could also mean sowing into your own ministry. Or it could be getting involved with someone or something. You should have an idea of what the thing is. It’s usually a recurring thought or idea and it will be something that builds His kingdom in some way. It will keep coming back and won’t go away until you act on it. Sometimes it’s just a soft prompting, and if you immediately pray about it, God may give you a feeling of peace about it. You can even do something if you’re not entirely sure, as long as it passes the previously mentioned tests. Sometimes this is easier than postponing it. Just get it out of the way and at least you can stop worrying about it! Or wondering ‘what if’ you had done it.

You will likely have a better idea afterward because you will really feel good about it, or you will see how it creates ‘good fruit’ in your life and in the lives of others. Then you can think about how God communicated with you in these moments and use that as a baseline going forward. Following your intuition (which I think is an extension of the Spirit) in these little ways, can help you strengthen that intuition.

Other times, you will feel a strong desire to do something. Most of our strongest, fulfilling passions, are ones that He created in our hearts anyway. If you are Spirit filled, you will feel His presence strongly when these situations arise. As you become more sensitive to His promptings, you will literally feel as though you will explode if you don’t do the thing. Then, when you do it, you will feel some relief as the feeling lessens, letting you know that you did what He asked. It’s like when that woman touched the garment of Jesus for healing and he said he “felt the power go out of Him” (Luke 8:46). You can actually feel this too. You won’t miss it. Otherwise, if you decide not to do the thing or you wait long enough, the feeling will pass. Don’t worry though, if you realize you missed something. He won’t hold it against you and He’ll give you many more chances to get it right. You do always have a choice, after all. Just try to be better prepared when a similar situation arises.

The Silent Treatment

All of that said, there are times when God will be intentionally silent, even though you are doing all of these things. At these times, I think, He just wants us to figure it out ourselves. Just as with our own children, we don’t want to have to tell them everything in life. At times, we might even foresee the outcome of a situation or a trial, but we want them to learn something on their own, by giving them the gift of the experience. You don’t want to just give them all the answers. That takes the fun out of it. It ruins the surprise. If they insist, sometimes you just gently point them in a direction and let them find the way. Let them test and troubleshoot and come to a fuller understanding of why something works, or doesn’t work, and why… Then you get to see the light bulb come on. Watch the thrill of discovery on their face. Not to mention, it gives them more of a sense of accomplishment. Isn’t it more fulfilling (at least sometimes) to figure out something on your own than to be told what to do? Sometimes it’s not about the outcome, it’s about the journey. We don’t want to explain every single step or dictate all of their choices. We want to give them the pleasure and freedom of making their own choices. Whether they succeed or fail doesn’t always matter in the long run, as long as they know that we’re here for them and will support them either way. In the same way, God did not make us free-thinking beings because He wants to make all our decisions for us. 

I don’t mean by living in sin or doing something that is detrimental to our health or well-being. We can’t just do whatever we want, because we tend to have sinful desires, too. And indulging in these separates us from God. But if you are giving it your all, to live within the parameters that God has given us, seeking His guidance continually, actively trying to better your relationship with Him, and your decisions are aligned with His commandments and His word – how can you go wrong? He will certainly reward you and bless your choices. If He was there for you in your sinful state, how much more will He be there now that you are submitted to Him? He has given us talents and passions that fulfill us, and wants to see us enjoy them. Some Scripture that supports this are: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6), “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4), and “The steps of a man are ordered by the Lord, who delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

The key here is that you seek His guidance first. You might tell Him your desires and wishes, but always be open to sacrifice or redirection. Yes, even be willing to sacrifice your strongest desires in place for His. For example, you might pray “God, this is what I want, but I’m seeking Your will, and I will follow it above mine”. If you’ve done this and you’re not getting any strong feedback one way or another – I would say you’re probably on the right track. Just stay with Him and do what you think is best with the information you have. However, do be expectant that God will reach you when the time is right.

Those of us who consider ourselves fully submitted can get into a kind of Christian paralysis, where we refuse to make any move without his direction. But this isn’t the right attitude to have either. Your ministry will become stagnated and this isn’t what He wants for you. This can set you up for failure because you won’t take risks or try anything on your own. You can’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s kind of a lack of faith, isn’t it? If you’re failing to act on something, is it because you don’t believe He will bless you in it? Or you don’t believe He has your back if you fall? Failure can be a great teacher. It’s just a part of the process. Stress creates growth. Sometimes He wants to use a situation to teach you something, build your character, or to see what you will do with it. Maybe He wants to see how you’ll behave when (you think) He’s not around. He wants to see if you will live and operate as a child of God. Will you act in faith? What would you do if you knew He had your back and you were not afraid of failing? So, ask for His guidance first. But then, instead of asking for the way out or the solution, you may want to ask for Him to just be with you and help you through it. Ask Him what you are meant to learn. Ask Him to help you grow.

And He won’t be forced either. There’s absolutely no way you can make God tell you something. You can’t manipulate Him, you can’t make Him feel sorry for you. Again, you just have to trust Him and trust Him timing.

At one point in my life, I had just enrolled my son in a new Christian school. It was the 2nd traditional school we were going to try. My son had been bullied in another school and the administration didn’t handle it appropriately. So, we were trying another one. Being a private school, we thought smaller classes, and better behaved kids might give him the confidence he needed to recover from his prior experience. He had gotten a little gun shy and was afraid to even try to make friends at this point. It was difficult to get into this school. There was a lengthy application process which required personal references, placement testing, and all these other things. Well, we passed every test, and then there was a wait list. It seemed miraculously, that they suddenly had an opening shortly after the school year started. I thought this had to be God’s will.

It seemed ok at first, but soon my son was getting bullied again. Only this time it wasn’t just 1 or 2 kids, it seemed to be the entire school. Even the teachers weren’t sympathetic or even competent enough to address the problem. As time went on my son changed from a happy go lucky, A+ student, who loved school and had tons of friends, to an intimidated, fearful child who couldn’t keep up with the workload, barely passed the courses, and hated school. He would even have crying and panic attacks on the way to school nearly every day, and had trouble sleeping at night worrying about school the next day. I kept trying to work with the administration, to get him counseling, or counsel him myself on how to deal with and cope with what was happening, but it seemed everything was against us and nothing was working.  

At first, I thought it was spiritual warfare. If this was God’s plan for us, then the devil must be trying to derail it, right? So I kept pushing it and pressing in harder. Besides trying to work with the school and my son, I really went to God with it. We started family prayers. I fasted. I declared and decreed whatever I could think of, but no matter what we did it just was not working out. We only ran into more and more resistance. And God, it seemed, was irritatingly silent through all of this.

Finally, I attempted a full fast. I was desperate for an answer. Do we keep trying or just give up and take him out of school again? I was angry, bitter, and depressed. I thought this was His will, but if that were true, how could I be running into roadblock after roadblock, with my family and home life in turmoil because of it? I basically told God, that I was going to fast until He did or said something. I was so desperate, I didn’t care if this fast killed me. I was prepared to do whatever it took, fast as long as needed. And I spent the whole time I was fasting in a sort of depression, feeling sorry for myself (which is not the proper way to fast anyway!)… Well, it took 3 ½ days and do you know what He told me on the 4^th day? To “stop fasting”. I mean, it’s almost comical thinking about it now.

So, I gave up the fast and reassessed the situation logically (or without His guidance). I decided if God wasn’t going to tell me what to do, I would just do what I felt was the right thing for my family, and hope that it was for the best. It just so happens, that this decision did work out in my favor, and relieved a lot of stress and heartache for the whole family. So, a couple of lessons learned here. First, no matter what you do, God won’t be forced to tell you what you want. He reveals all things in His own perfect timing. And sometimes you just have to figure things out on your own, by seeking His guidance first (of course), but then making decisions logically in the natural. Do your best with the information you have presently, and what He has taught you already. Acting as a child of God (not breaking any commandments), and out of love, faith, and trust, what is the best possible solution? Do your best to deal with it logically and Biblically, on the natural level. Ask yourself, what would Jesus do?

The second lesson learned was that if God has pre-ordained something for your life, there’s nothing you could do to stop it or change it. On the other hand, if you want something to happen and it isn’t working, despite your best efforts to seek God and do all of the above, it probably is not aligned with His will. This was an example of the natural pointing me in a particular direction. The second school with a similar outcome. Constant resistance, failure, and emotional turmoil. My son was not getting the education or the social outlet that we were looking for. What made the most sense was to switch to homeschool, a decision that had been on our minds for some time. And when we did, it was a huge relief for everyone and it paved the way for an upcoming move that we weren’t even aware of at the time. Sometimes, you just have to look around you and do what makes the most sense. And remember that God does not want us to continually suffer, He does not want our relationships to be in turmoil or to put us in situations that make us unhappy, or distract us from Him and His calling. This is what Satan wants for us – and he will even try to get us to blame the Lord for it.

God may allow or even orchestrate trials and tribulations that can hurt or be uncomfortable for a short time. We may not fully understand it while we’re in it, but we can usually see that there is some purpose behind it. Or, perhaps we need to learn something to come out of it. It isn’t usually a prolonged suffering with no guidance. We aren’t immune from life’s challenges because we follow God, but they are much easier to endure, when we know that He is there to support us and help us through them no matter what. And He will always work difficult situations around for our good. Many of God’s people suffered for a time, but time of suffering was always followed by a victory beyond their imagination. Difficult seasons are followed by seasons of success and victory. If you’re going through a tough time right now, just know that you can depend on Him to get you through it, and believe that your breakthrough and your next season are just around the corner. Just stay strong, patient, and faithful. God may allow or even orchestrate trials and tribulations that can hurt or be uncomfortable for a short time. We may not fully understand it while we’re in it, but we can usually see that there is some purpose behind it. Or, perhaps we need to learn something to come out of it. It isn’t usually a prolonged suffering with no guidance. We aren’t immune from life’s challenges because we follow God, but they are much easier to endure, when we know that He is there to support us and help us through them no matter what. And He will always work difficult situations around for our good. Many of God’s people suffered for a time, but time of suffering was always followed by a victory beyond their imagination. Difficult seasons are followed by seasons of success and victory. If you’re going through a tough time right now, just know that you can depend on Him to get you through it, and believe that your breakthrough and your next season are just around the corner. Just stay strong, patient, and faithful.

Finally, you should have a sense of peace (sometimes overwhelming) when you consider a particular path or decision. You can just feel it in your bones that it’s the right move – and if you have put this decision through the previously mentioned tests, I would say you can confidently move forward. You may not know anything beyond the first step, but if it feels right and you feel that God is leading you, we don’t necessarily need to know every step or even the outcome. You can just trust Him and continue on your way. However, be open for Him to communicate, redirect, or correct you along the way.

I hope this article has blessed you and helped you understand different ways that you can hear from God, and ways that you can position yourself to hear from God. Please let me know if you liked this article, or share your own experiences and strategies in the Comments.