• Privacy and Disclosure Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Jennifer Hayes Yates

  • Home
  • Take the Challenge
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
  • Events
  • Following Jesus
  • About

3 Ways to Discern the Voice of God

May 25, 2022 By Jennifer H. Yates

25 May
3 Ways to Discern the Voice of God

Several years ago I went to the mountains on a spiritual retreat with some friends. I was in a time of transition in my life and desperately wanted to hear from God–you know, next steps, and all that. I love quiet time outdoors, so I was really excited to get up on the first morning and have my quiet time somewhere outside, surrounded by God’s beauty in nature. I scoped out a little spot the night before, set my alarm, and went to bed, excited for what the morning would hold.

I got up early the next morning, gathered all my stuff (Bible, journal, devotion, pen, coffee), and headed out to the spot I had found the night before, except that it was still too dark there for me to see. I walked around outside until I found this little bench under a tree with a magnificent view of the mountains. I started to sit down, but the bench was wet, so I went back up the steps, inside the house, and gathered some paper towels.

Now with my bench dry, I sat down and settled in to spend some time with God. And it started to rain. So I began to gather my stuff, when I heard in my spirit, “Stay. Be still. I am your covering.” I looked up, and the tree above me had branches that extended over me and covered me. So I opened my Bible and began to read my devotion, which began with this verse:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

John 16:13, NIV 84

I continued with my quiet time, praying and reading God’s Word. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a hard rain coming from my right. I turned and saw a downpour headed my way. Once again, I began to gather my stuff to go inside, when I heard, “Stay. Be still. I am your covering. Don’t run at the first sign of trouble. Trust me to cover you. You may get a few sprinkles, but it won’t kill you.” I thought of these verses:

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge” (Psalm 91:4a).

Psalm 91:4a

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 13:33

So I stayed. And sure enough, I got a few drops; but even in the downpour, I barely got wet because of the branches over me. So, once again I continued with my quiet time. But then the rain came harder and a cold wind began to blow. I was thinking, “Okay, lesson learned, it’s time to go.”

But again I heard His voice, “I’ve already provided for you.” I looked down and remembered I had brought my sweatshirt outside with me because the temperature was cool when I got up. So, I put on the sweatshirt and stayed.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 4:19

As soon as I determined that I would just stay until I was finished with my quiet time, I heard the sound of birds singing nearby. I heard God say, “Now, worship Me.”

Before I could even think of a song I wanted to sing to Him, the song just came out of my spirit and through my lips: “Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down.” I sat there and worshiped the Lord who loves me enough to make me stay and be still in His presence, to cover me, to protect me, and to provide for me. I didn’t need to know the next steps for my life. I only needed to know that He is with me and leading me.

Three Ways to Discern the Voice of God

You may ask, “How do you know that God was speaking to you?”

Since I have committed to spend time with God every day, I have learned to know His voice. So I want to share briefly three ways to discern the voice of God.

Familiarity

The more time we spend with God in His Word, the more we will recognize His voice. God will never contradict His Word. If what we hear doesn’t line up with the Word of God, we are NOT hearing God.

“The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow the voice of a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

John 10:2-5

Position

We have to put ourselves in a position to hear from God. We have to be willing to set aside time with the Lord, to be still, to be quiet, and to listen. The more time we spend with God (not just when we’re desperate, but all the time), the more we will be in a position to recognize His voice.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27

Obedience

God will speak to those who are walking with Him and are willing to obey what they hear. If we ignore that still, small voice of the Spirit guiding us, then why should we expect Him to continue to speak? We need to have a willing heart to hear and obey the Lord.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'”

Isaiah 30:21

Knowing the way is not enough; we have to walk in it. God will speak to us and show us the way. He will speak through His Word; He will speak through His voice to us; He will speak to us through others, such as our pastor and Sunday school teachers. The question is, do we recognize when He is speaking?

God can speak whether we expect Him to or not, but I believe we are more likely to hear when we are expecting to hear. Enter your quiet time with expectation. Go to church expecting God to speak. Go to God with your questions, confusion, or decisions and trust Him to speak to You. His truth will be confirmed by His Word and by inner peace.

Before I left the retreat, I had peace that God was with me, leading and guiding me into His perfect will.

Do you need to hear from God right now? I’m praying for you, my friend. Stay. Be still. He will speak.

Want to learn more about how to hear from God? Check out my best-selling book, Seek Him First: How to Hear from God, Walk in His Will, and Change Your World.

SHARE THIS:

740 shares
  • Facebook731
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Quiet Time Tagged With: Bible study, Christian, Christian devotional, devotional, hearing from God, How to hear from God, Jennifer H Yates, listening to God, one thing, religion vs. relationship, seeking God, the Word, Three Ways to Discern the Voice of God

« 3 Ways to Stand Firm in Your Faith
Pursuing God through Holy Habits »

Trackbacks

  1. How to Start a Small Group - Jennifer Hayes Yates says:
    August 22, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    […] First, pray. Pray specifically for God to speak to you and show you if this is something He is calling you to do. Pray that He would lead you in every aspect of starting your small group. If you don’t know how to hear from God, read this post on how to discern the voice of God. […]

Hey there, my friend

Hey there, my friend

I want you to know that you don't have to be overwhelmed, confused, or too busy to be fruitful and productive. You can be grounded in the Word and growing in your faith.

Even if you have encountered chaos, hypocrisy, legalism, or suffering. God's Word is the truth we must be grounded in to thrive and bear fruit.

I'm Jen, and I want to encourage you with practical strategies and helpful resources to grow your relationship with Jesus one intentional moment at a time. Even if all you can give right now is 15 minutes, you CAN seek Jesus and grow your faith.

Come hang out with me in my Facebook community, download some free resources, or take the FOCUSED 15 Challenge to get started.

You can get God's Word into your heart so that you can be transformed to live a life that is fruitful for the Kingdom!

Jen

Let’s Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Advertisement

Latest on Instagram

jenniferhyates

jenniferhyates
You want to study the Bible and grow your faith. I You want to study the Bible and grow your faith. I know you do. And I know you want to start each day with a habit of spending time with Jesus. I also know that even when your heart is right, life can often get in the way.

Groceries must be shopped, laundry folded, homework checked, meals prepared, work done, relationships built, ministry carried out. And even when we have the best of intentions, it’s really hard to stay consistent with an in-depth Bible study.

But when we don’t stay in the Word, we don’t grow. Relationships are harder, work suffers, real ministry is impossible, and our hearts grow discontent. That’s because apart from HIM we can do nothing. And His Word is the truth we need to walk in day by day.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to just settle for the crumbs from the Master’s table. That’s a lie from the enemy. Instead, you can sit down and feast on His Word. Even if you are super busy.

In the FOCUSED 15 Challenge, I will show you how to study the Bible in just 15 minutes a day. I’m not talking about reading a daily devotional. I’m talking about getting into the Word so you can grow your faith.

#drawingevercloser #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Celebrate the liberty of life and freedom of worsh Celebrate the liberty of life and freedom of worship many died to give you. 🎉

And remember the freedom from sin that Jesus died to give you. ✝

#independenceday #freedom #liberty #letfreedomring
Instagram post 18058625983321017 Instagram post 18058625983321017
Ever tried to read the whole Bible but got stuck s Ever tried to read the whole Bible but got stuck somewhere around Leviticus? 😩

I used to struggle with that as well. It's why for years I only read the parts of the Bible I could easily understand and apply--Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Epistles. 

And while those books certainly helped me grow, I was missing out on the biblical context that would have given much more meaning to those passages.

Without the whole Bible in its historical and cultural context, we will never grasp all God intends for us to understand.

Join me in my online study series, Anatomy of the Bible, where I teach the chronological, historical, and cultural overview of the whole Bible in 10 short sessions.

Click the linktree in my Bio for more information.
#drawingevercloser #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
If you have never put your faith in Christ, then y If you have never put your faith in Christ, then you are probably tired of searching for fulfillment and a sense of peace. The truth is that we all hunger for something that we spend our lives trying to satisfy, but it’s a longing only God can fill.

We were each created by God to know and worship Him. God loves you and desires a personal relationship with you. 

Our sin separates us from a holy and perfect God. But He made a way to reconcile us to Himself through trust in Jesus Christ.

You can’t save yourself. But you can make a decision to surrender to the Lordship of Christ and follow Him and His ways. It’s the best decision you will ever make because you will be made right with the God of all creation. And that is the only way to have true peace.

If the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart right now, respond to Him as He leads. If you have questions or want to talk with someone, you can email me at jennifer@jenniferhyates.com.

#drawingevercloser #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
🌿 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our L 🌿 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18a).

🌿 "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..." (Colossians 1:10).

🌿 "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing" (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

🌿 "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:8).
.
.
.
.
.
.
#drawingevercloser #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Momma Theologians

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT