Are You Hearing God’s Voice or Just the Noise?
In a world filled with noise—notifications, conversations, music, and endless distractions—how do we truly hear God? This question is at the heart of Pastor John’s latest message, based on James 1:19-20:
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Hearing God is not automatic. It’s a choice. Pastor John calls it a matter of tuning our hearts to God’s frequency—just as sheep would recognize their shepherd’s voice in ancient Israel.
Selective Hearing: A Spiritual Challenge
Pastor John illustrated this with a humorous yet powerful story about his grandson Marcus—a boy with “super hearing” for cookies, but complete selective hearing when asked to clean his room. We all do this. We tune in to what we want to hear while tuning out what we need to hear.
The question is: Are we tuning our ears to what we want—or to what God is saying?
God Speaks in Many Ways
The sermon reveals 9 powerful ways God speaks to us, including:
- Through the Written Word (Logos) – Meditating on Scripture to guide life (Joshua 1:8).
- Through a Revelation in the Word (Rhema) – Personal insight from Scripture (Luke 4:17–21).
- Through Dreams and Visions – A picture God shows of something not yet revealed (Acts 2:17).
- Through Desire and Inclination – God aligning our hearts to His purposes (Psalm 37:4).
- Through an Audible Voice – Hearing God speak clearly, often softly (1 Kings 19:11–12).
- Through a Subliminal Voice/Impression – Spiritual nudges we can’t fully explain (Matthew 16:17).
- Through Our Circumstances – God using life events to speak (Numbers 22:22–27).
- Through the Prophetic Realm – Words of prophecy, wisdom, or knowledge (Acts 2:18).
- Through His Son, Jesus – Jesus as the ultimate expression of God’s voice and truth.
Why Hearing Matters
Hearing God is not just about receiving guidance—it’s about growing in relationship with Him. James 1:19 reminds us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. But hearing also requires intentionality. As Pastor John said:
“Having ears to hear is not a guarantee that you have heard.”
A Call to Listen
God is speaking. But will we listen? This week, Pastor John challenges us to stop tuning out His voice and to intentionally seek His frequency.
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27