One of the most comforting promises in Scripture is that God speaks to His people. He does not leave us to wander through life blindly—but like a good shepherd, He leads, provides, and protects. Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd … He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” That is a promise you can build your life on.
Jesus assured us in John 16:5-15 that when he went to the Father, it would be better for us because He would send the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of truth—who would guide us into all truth, to speak what He hears from the Father, and to show us things to come. The Lord said that He is the Good Shepherd who:
“Sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4)
God is still speaking and leading. The real question is: Are we listening?
Hearing God’s Voice Requires Relationship and Surrender
You cannot recognize the voice of someone you are not in a relationship with. In John 1:14, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” Then he said in verse 27: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me.” In our human relationships, we learn the voice of a friend from spending time together. In the same way, Jesus’ voice is recognizable to those who are in relationship with Him.
But even in that relationship, we must surrender our will to God before we can confidently discern his voice. Romans 12:1–2 calls us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds “that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
“Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way he chooses.” (Psalm 25:12)
To fear God means to have reverential honor and respect for His will and commands. God leads those who are surrendered. Before we can confidently hear God, our hearts must be in a place where we are truly willing to do anything He tells us to do.
The Ways God Speaks
1: Through A Still, Small Voice
1 Kings 19 reminds us that God’s voice is not in the fire or the whirlwind—it is a still, small voice, saying, “this is the way, walk ye in it.” That is why it is so critical to create space to be alone with Him. You cannot hear a whisper in a crowded room. You need stillness and fellowship.
2: With His Word
God’s Word is both a boundary and a beacon. When you are committed to obeying God’s Word as your standard in everything, it becomes the guardrail on the road of your life that prevents you from taking harmful paths or wrong turns.
“The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” (Psalm 37:31)
God will never lead you to do something that violates his written Word.
God also uses his Word to confirm the direction he is giving His children. In my life, there have been many times when the Holy Spirit quickens a verse to me that will comfort, warn, or assure me at a crucial moment when I am trying to decide an important issue. I remember vividly when I was 23 years old and just starting my third year of law school at Cornell. I felt a strong sense that God was calling me into the ministry and that He wanted me to leave law school. I prayed and heard, “Philippians.” I opened my Bible to that book and began reading. As I read, four verses that “jumped off the page,” resolving my doubts and giving me the confidence I needed to take that step of faith.
3: With His Peace
Colossians 3:15 tells us to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” The word translated as “rule” actually means “umpire.” When we are considering two different directions, often the one that produces peace in our hearts is the right choice. Peace acts like an umpire, telling us what is in the strike zone and what is not. Sometimes, a course of action may appeal to your human reasoning, but when you start to move in that direction, you begin to feel unsettled. In Acts 15:28, the apostles said their decision about the instructions they gave to the churches “seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit.” They had peace from God that what they were saying was right. That alignment of holy peace with your desire is a powerful combination. If you are missing peace, pause.
4: Through Desire
Psalm 37:4 promises that when we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. Not just fulfill them—He plants them in us. Philippians 2:13 says it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. If we have made ourselves willing to do whatever he tells us (Romans 12:1-2), we have a desire to move in a certain direction and have peace about it, and that direction aligns with the principles of God’s Word, then it is usually safe to move forward.
5: With Wisdom and Insight
However, even with all these things, we can still be hindered by uncertainty. James 1:5 says if we need wisdom, ask God and He will give it generously. Psalm 32:8 promises, “I will guide you with My eye.” God sees what we cannot. He will give insight to take the next right step. That insight may come from several sources, including the following:
(a) The witness of the Spirit in us (1 John 2:27: But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and . . . teacheth you of all things…)
(b) The counsel of others (Pvb. 24:6: For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.)
(c) The gifts of the Spirit in the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:8: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;)
(d) Dreams or visions from the Lord (See Acts 2:17 and many examples in the New Testament of God leading people this way, including Acts 16, where Paul and his team were blocked twice by the Spirit from preaching in certain places, then received a vision of a man in Macedonia saying, “Come help us.”).
If you are seeking direction from God today, I want you to know He is leading you. Rest in His promise to do that ,and consider these various ways He may be speaking. I have confidence, as you trust Him and seek his will with a true heart, He will bring you to the place He wants you to be. As Paul said, I am “confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
P.S. We are currently giving away a FREE Episode of my series “The Laws of Grace” for all our subscribers. We discuss the “Law of Adoption” and the powerful truth of God’s undeniable father-like love for us! CLICK HERE FOR THE EPISODE
