Can we really hear from God?

I used to roll my eyes when I heard someone utter the words, “God told me.” I would think to myself sarcastically, “Right. I’m sure He just parted the clouds and spoke to you.”

The truth was that I wasn’t aware He was speaking to me, too, because I simply wasn’t listening.

I was in college when these words were eye-roll inducing, and though I knew Jesus’ love at the time, I was not playing an active role in my relationship with Him. My time was spent in the ways that make a life busy but not fulfilled. I studied, worked, and spent time with friends. Any free time I had was spent listening to secular music, watching reality television, or surfing the internet.

It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I understood I would have to spend time with Christ in order to know Him.

Not just a muttered prayer before falling asleep, but real quality time like any relationship requires. This revelation led me to change the way I filled in the gaps of my time. Time spent driving in the car was also spent listening to Christian music that nourished my soul. Surfing the internet became an opportunity to read the blogs of my favorite Christian authors. I began to notice that the secular media I had been consuming was slowly poisoning my relationship with God – without me noticing.

Can we really hear from God?

It had become easy to justify my lack of growth in Christ with the fact that I was too busy to spend time with Him.

But the truth is that I was comfortable in my ways, and habits are hard to change. When I began spending any free time with Him, I began to see the world through His eyes. Television shows and music that once held appeal because of shock value and popularity now only felt repulsive and shameful.

[clickToTweet tweet=”When we let God shape our minds, hearts, and souls, He can only leave them better.” quote=”When we let God shape our minds, hearts, and souls, He can only leave them better.”]

God is only good, and He wants only good for each of us.

This includes the way we spend our precious minutes on this earth.

God can speak above the noise in any situation. If He has to shout to get our attention, He will.

Hearing God speak is not reserved for the few but is promised to all Christ followers.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Not only do we hear Him, but He knows us. He knows our tendency to wander after the shiny things this world offers, and He sees our disappointment when we painfully realize they are dull in comparison to Him. If we are to become brighter, with a reflection of Him that continues to shine through, we must constantly battle the dullness of the world. Then we must provide windows in our lives for His light to shine in. This means time in the Word, every day. It means monitoring our intake of all forms of entertainment.

Is what we watch spiritually nourishing or draining?

What are we listening to in the car?

Whose voice is the loudest in our lives?

May the answer always be His.

I believe that God can speak above the noise in any situation. If He has to shout to get our attention, He will.

There is no silencing God when He has words to speak to His children, regardless of the time that has passed since the last conversation.

Our role in our relationship with Jesus is to be an open and willing vessel to be used for His glory. The words “God told me” no longer make my eyes roll. I hear Him speaking to me daily now, and I eagerly lean in, fix my eyes firmly on Him, and quiet my soul, because I know it’s going to be good.

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