I’ve had several encounters with the Almighty that left no doubt this was the divine speaking into my life. And I get asked from time to time how someone can hear from God and more importantly, know that it’s God. I understand everyone’s journey is different and God uses different vehicles to convey messages to each unique being He created. But there are some fundamental truths behind getting to a place where you can hear Him and knowing without a doubt it is the Great I Am. Sometimes there are pressing concerns that we need the Holy Spirit to speak up, and guide us through the shadows. I hope I can help you in that walk of seeking and knowing His voice.

First, there is some mighty power in fasting. Distractions are plentiful and it’s the devil’s tool to lead you away from the straight and narrow path. In the stillness of your fasting, you’ll be able to hear how loud these distractions really are. The enemy sees the threat in your focused time with Christ and will stop at nothing to steal that from you. Be very careful during this time, as fasting also has the potential to ‘weaken’ you. We end up battling the world, the devil and our own personal lust during a fast. But your prayer and focus on Christ in fasting can silence the devil, so your ears can hear the whispers of the Spirit speaking. There’s a saying ‘Satan shouts at us all day long, but our Father whispers softly and if you’re not close enough to Him, you’ll miss that sweet sound’.

That brings me to the second part of how to hear from God; you’ve got to get close! When you draw close to Him with complete abandonment, throwing off the things that hinder your time and desire for the Father, you will hear Him. This could be relationships, as demonstrated by Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 6), alone, to fast for 40 days. God has, is and will always be there. There are times God goes quiet with us, and there are several reasons outside of sin that He may choose to do this, but the point is, our Father is there! We have hundreds of years of biblical truth that testifies that God does not leave us, ever. If you’re chasing Him down in pure pursuit, I believe with all my heart that our loving Father is not going to hide His face from a child in need.

So how will you know the voice of God? As you draw near to God, there’s a general voice that the natural ear hears, the kind that your conscience relies on to discern right from wrong. But in time, when you’re committed to a walk that not only honors, but is in a full-fledged pursuit of the Father, you’ll discover the spiritual ear that hears very specific directions. Many times, they are directions you could not have known of, an example is “pick up three meals and drive down West End. There will be three men who need food. One is wearing brown boots.” God really said that to me.

Another way to know the voice of God is by spending intimate time on your knees getting to know Him. I don’t want to tell you how much time, but I will share that time flies in the stillness of His presence. It’s a very sweet moment, full of comfort and peace. In this place your mind will be captured by nothing but His love, your heart ravaged by His mighty presence. You’ll be able to feel His physical presence over and through you. It’s a place you won’t want to leave.

There are other ways God speaks to us; through unlikely people, the Word, preaching, and the Spirit. But one thing I promise is that whatever God speaks to you will be consistent with His revealed will-the Bible. As you begin to know the scriptures and put his revealed will first in your life, His voice will become more prominent during everyday life and not just in the distress or desperation.

Note: It’s important to fast and seek God with righteous motives, as Jesus warns us in Matthew there will be no reward for those who fast with evil or wrong intentions (ie: for money, power, weight loss).