God speaks to us in at least three primary ways: Through his Word, through the Holy Spirit, and through our life circumstances..
Most Christians know at least a little about hearing the voice of God by studying the Bible and by listening to the Holy Spirit in prayer. The circumstances of our lives, however, is often a way God speaks that many Christians do not know as much about because the breakthrough is always in that problem, after you have succeeded in overcoming it..!
How do we take the circumstances of life, as mixed up and confusing as they can be, and ascertain what God could be saying to us?
EVALUATE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD
God will never contradict Himself; He will never speak to us through our circumstances in a way that contradicts His written Word. The Bible should be our first source of information when trying to discern the voice of God..
REMEMBER THAT GOD USES OTHER PEOPLE TO CONFIRM HIS VOICE
God often sends people into our paths to confirm His will for our lives. We will encounter people who will distract us from hearing God’s voice; but God will also use people to confirm His will. We need to distinguish between those who are seeking the heart of God and those who desire to please themselves. People who attempt to follow God with their lives can help us to hear from God..
RECOGNIZE THAT GOD OPERATES FROM A PLAN
God orchestrates His plans through the events, the decisions of life, and all the people and places we encounter..
EXAMINE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE LIGHT OF GOD’S OVERALL PLAN
When trying to hear from God through the circumstances of life, we should not try to make a decision on one event or set of circumstances because circumstances may or may not be God speaking to us. We should look at our life over a span of months or years..
DON’T ALLOW CIRCUMSTANCES TO KEEP US FROM HEARING OR OBEYING GOD
Sometimes our circumstances may look gloomy, but we haven’t heard the truth of our circumstances until we have heard from God..
ASK GOD TO SHOW US HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES
If we desire to hear from God through our circumstances, we must intently listen for the voice of God. When life becomes challenging—as it so often does—we cannot seem to understand what is happening. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for clarification. We should feel free to ask, God, what did You mean by that?..
GOD’S PRIMARY DESIRE IN SPEAKING IS FOR ETERNAL PURPOSES
We limit God to this finite world when we fail to remember He is an infinite God. When we try to discern God’s voice through the circumstances of life, we should consider how what happens around us fits into God’s eternal plan to save a lost world from destruction—and to mold His children into the image of His Son.
We must listen intently and carefully for His voice through the crowd of noises in the world in which we live. Thankfully God has not given up on us. He still speaks to His people today. Our mission is to learn how to hear His voice..
“”Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about…..”(Jeremiah 33:3)
