Yes, God still speaks. God is NOT dead and He is VERY active. He is an active God that is intentional about what he is saying and doing. Nothing is a coincident. So, be still and know that He is God and that he wants to communicate with you CLEARLY.
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17
I want to know You and be guided by Your truth and word. Please teach me more about You so that I may better know, hear, and obey You. According to Your Word, “Your sheep will know Your voice, and we will not follow any other.” Please help me recognize Your voice and recognize the voices of deception.
Combining a fast with a time of listening prayer is a great way to get closer to God. Fasting and prayer are powerful tools for developing a deeper relationship with God. When you fast, the Holy Spirit can show you where you really stand on your spiritual journey.
God, I pray that you would grant me tranquility and ease the anxiety in my heart. A storm rages inside of me like the sea. I keep falling over and stressing because I can’t keep my footing. Grant me the fortitude and focus I’ll need to discover my calling and follow the path you’ve set before me.
How To Hear From God Directly
Help me to know Your voice and not be deceived by any other voice. Help me to guard my heart from the influences of this world and the people around me. Help me not to be deceived by the devil and his lies, but to view all thoughts and decisions through the lens of righteousness.
Let me testify to an ACTIVE God:
- God has spoken to me audibly
- I frequently hear God in dreams
- He gives me direction to pray against evil
- His still small voice helps me avoid bad situations
Prayer to Hear God’s Voice
Abba Father, I thank you for the love that you’ve displayed in my life. You are a good Father and I submit to your word, your way, and guidance. I ask that you would open my ears Abba. I desire to hear your thoughts. I desire to understand how you love us so much that you’d send your son to die for us. In our lowest moments, you see the innermost parts of our being and you still call us beautiful. Father, I desire to have love that is as deep and wide as yours. O’ Lord, show me the things that are unseen and only capable of being seen with spiritual eyes. Give me a heart that beats for the people around me. And father, would you please purify my heart, so I can hear you clearly and refrain from defiling your word.
I know that it is my divine inheritance to be close with you and be led by your voice. O’ Lord, I ask for deeper insight into the bible, so I can hear you at all times. I thank you God that you gave us your word, so that I don’t ever have to be confused about your truth, your way, and your character. You are a GOOD God that never forsakes his children. You said if we seek you then we shall find you. So, I declare your words to be true because you are the promise keeper that never goes back on your word. Abba, I ask for divine revelation and strategy to partner with you to bring your Kingdom to earth. I desire to take my place in changing the world and bringing every worldly atmosphere under your love, forgiveness, repentance, and power.
I thank you that you are imparting more spiritual treasures within me as we speak. Thank you God for an increase in faith as I hear your biblical promises. Thank you God for divine courage as I stand on your word. And thank you God for the fruits of the spirit within me that are becoming more and more mature. Thank you father that I get to be a living testimony of your goodness. Thank you for leading me with your precious voice into truth and righteousness. You never let go of me God and I love it because I desire to stay close to you all the days of my life papa. Amen.
Bible References:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3
“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:47
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. – 1 Corinthian 2:10-16
Related Article: 22 Signs God Is Speaking To You + Scriptures
Prayer to Discern God’s Voice
O’ Lord, thank you for sending your son to die for my sins and giving me the Holy Spirit to lead me into righteousness. I pray that you would help me to be more Holy each day. I want to honor you O’ God with my life, words, body, career, thoughts, and love. Please help me to be committed to the work of the Gospel and release my selfish desires for things that only please my flesh. Father please increase my discernment, so that I can know when I’m walking in the opposite direction of righteousness. Help me to discern whether I’m operating in love or hate, humility or pride, and strength or un-forgiveness. Your word said the heart is desperately wicked and only you know its depths. So cleanse me with your truth Abba. You are Jehovah M’kaddesh the God that sanctifies and I trust that you will cleanse your children of sin.
Help me to see your eternal perspective and to be zealous about bringing your lost sheep into your Kingdom. Lastly, I ask to hear your voice and direction in my life Abba. Guide me, teach me, and counsel me O’ Lord. And help me to know and discern your will and voice about everything that concerns your heart. I want to weep for what you weep for. And I want to rejoice about what you deem worthy. I desire our hearts to beat in sync God. I’m blessed to be grafted into your love and adopted into your Holy lineage. Because of the blood of Christ, it is my portion to hear all my father is doing because we are friends. I rejoice because such a holy and powerful God would consider me a friend and share his secrets with me. I am blessed. I love you Abba. Amen.
Bible References:
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Psalms 119:9
Related Article: 4 Biblical Secrets To Discern God’s Voice
Prophetic Style Quiz: How do you hear God’s voice?
Prophetic Style Quiz: How do you hear God’s voice?
Prayer to Hear God’s Guidance
O’ Lord, I am in need of your guidance and direction. You said your word would be a lamp to my feet. You promised that you would show me which way to walk. And you promised that the spirit of truth would come and guide me into holiness and your divine path. So I declare your word to be true Abba. I declare that you are the promise keeper that never goes back on your word. I ask to hear your voice so clearly on the next steps and decisions that I need to make. I trust that you will speak father and when you do I wont hesitate to walk in the direction you choose. Steady my heart father, so I can remain confident in your goodness despite any disappointments or obstacles that I may encounter on this journey. I know you are good and you withhold no good thing from me. I will mediate on your words day and night Lord. I will wait on you because I know you don’t put the righteous to shame. I will trust that you will protect me from bad relationships, wolves in sheep clothings, unGodly council, and false prophets that seek to corrupt your word and cause me to stumble. O’ how I love you father. I love how you love me. And I ask for a heart that can choose you all the days of my life. Amen.
Bible References:
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23
Prayer to Hear God’s Plan for Earth
Abba father, I ask that your kingdom would come, and your will would be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I ask that the saints and myself would find it vital to consume your daily bread. I acknowledge that your words, your love, and your leading is the most potent part of the day. I ask that I wouldn’t get spiritually malnourished by forgetting to consume the meat of the word, the body of Christ, and the blood of Jesus. I want to walk in daily remembrance that Christ died and defeated the work of Satan in my life and in this world. O’ Lord, I declare a generation that is free from the shackles of Satan and that boldly embrace the work of Christ. I release forgiveness, physical healing, mercy, patience, kindness, sober minds, long suffering, perseverance, and righteous love across this globe.
I can see your army rising up to take their place on earth. I thank you Abba that every demonic stronghold is being lifted off the saints as we speak. I thank you that I can hear your plans more clearly. I thank you that the Saints are being awakened to your plans as well. O’ Lord, I thank you that I get to partner with you to drive back the enemies’ plan and declare your victory on this earth. Teach me O’ Lord, show me your plans to turn what the enemy meant for evil to good. I ask for supernatural sight to see how you will restore all that the enemy tried to steal. I believe in your mighty power God. I am confident you are God and you have given me authority to trample on spiritual darkness. Thank you father for letting me into your battle plan. I love you Abba. Amen.
Bible References:
Our Father Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13
“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” Luke 9:2
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Luke 10:19
Related Article: 6 Steps To Become An Ambassador In Christ!
Prayer Points to Hear God’s Voice
Additional Prayer Points:
Father, help me to see if this friendship or relationship is right for me. I desire to honor you with everyone I let close to my heart. O’ Lord, please remove anyone in my life that seeks to corrupt my righteousness. “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
Abba, help me to discern those that mean me harm and to know who seeks my God. I desire to protect my heart, but I need your help to steer me into the right direction. I desire to be loving, but I don’t want to go to far that I sacrifice my righteousness to love others. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Abba, help me to love the people around me well. Teach me your ways Lord and speak to me when I’m of course. I repent for the moments that I’ve let my flesh lead. I ask that you would help me to live in the spirit and constantly draw from your wisdom to love the ones around me with supernatural love, patience, forgiveness, and strength.
Hear God’s Voice About a Job
O’ Lord, I thank you that you see the end from the beginning. You know what I need in this moment and you withhold no good thing from me. I ask that you would steady my heart and trust you in my questions and confusions about this job situation. You will speak and move me in the right time. As for now, I will wait on your God because you are good! “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25
Hear God’s Voice About Finances
O’ Lord, I desire to hear your direction and thoughts about my finances. While I wait, I will rejoice because there is nothing that I need which will not be provided. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Father, please teach me and lead me as I desire to be a faithful steward of all you have given me. Teach me to be kind in the midst of hardship and show me where you would like me to sow my sees. “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
Father, give me strength and faith to tithe despite little finances. I truth that you will multiple my crumbs. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:10
Hear God’s Voice About Healing
O’ Father, I ask that you comfort me and give me a confidence that your healing power is sufficient for all that afflicts me. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
Help me to lay my burdens are your feet father. Help me to trust in you and focus on your goodness despite my pain. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
7 Ways To Hear God’s Voice
- Reading his Word. The number one way to hear God’s voice is by reading his word. …
- Through Wise Counsel. God speaks to us through our leaders and through the wise counsel of friends and family. …
- Prayer. …
- Worship Music. …
- Silence. …
- Nature. …
- Dreams.
Prayer Asking God To Speak To Me
We know that prophets throughout the ages have heard God’s voice and proclaimed his messages with confidence. And we believe our God still speaks to us today. But how do we hear God’s voice? Our lives are noisy, and our heads are filled with so many voices vying for attention and influence. So how do we receive clear guidance from God for our everyday lives?
Related: Advice for When You’re Struggling with Faith
To intentionally hear how God is speaking to us, my family and I practice an expression of prayer called “listening prayer.” This has been an important part of my prayer life ever since the day a friend introduced my family to Mary Geegh’s little book, God Guides. Mary Geegh served as a missionary in India through the Reformed Church in America from 1924 to 1962. God Guides describes how God spoke into the lives of many as she prayed with them for God’s guidance using listening prayer.
How listening prayer helps us hear God
Most of us picture prayer sort of like a monologue: We talk to God, sharing our heartfelt thanks and offering up our petitions and requests. But prayer is really more like a dialogue, where we speak with God and the Lord speaks to us.
Listening prayer centers around a clear request for God’s guidance. In making our request, we give God’s guidance authority over the other voices we hear throughout our daily lives. Then we hit the pause button. We wait on God in a time of silence, giving the Lord opportunity to speak to us. We focus our time of prayer on intentional, purposeful listening and let God do the talking.
This is really important because as followers of Jesus, we all desire to do the right thing and make the wisest choices. Yet we are constantly being bombarded with the noise of the world all around us. There are lots of voices telling us very different messages, and too often we find ourselves challenged and confused about what we should do in a given situation or what is really the best way ahead. These are times when we can seek God’s guidance through listening prayer.
How To Hear God’s Voice Scripture
What the Bible says about listening to God in prayer
God is the source of all wisdom
The Book of James invites us to make a request to God for the wisdom we need. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5, NIV). God wants us to ask for his wisdom and will generously give it to us.
In Psalm 100, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord himself is our shepherd and that we are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3). In the New Testament, Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for the sheep (John 10:11).
Related: What Does the Bible Say about Your Purpose?
God’s sheep recognize God’s voice
According to Jesus, we are his sheep, the flock of his pasture. John 10 expands on this wonderful theme. As Jesus’s sheep, we should be able to listen to his voice and follow him because we clearly recognize his voice. Jesus is able to lead us precisely because we hear his voice and follow after him. “The gatekeeper opens the gate for [Jesus], and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4, emphasis mine).
In the next verse, Jesus makes the point that we should not follow any other voice. “But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (John 10:5). Later Jesus alludes to the gentiles who will also hear his voice and follow him. “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16, emphasis mine).
Our Lord Jesus is very happy to lead us as his disciples and those who follow him should be able to hear his voice and receive the guidance we need. It is part of our birthright when we are born again by the Holy Spirit and become followers of Jesus. But what about those other voices? How can we be sure we are hearing only from our Lord?
Tuning out the other voices around us
In the book Daring to Live on the Edge, Youth With a Mission (YWAM) founder Loren Cunningham points out that impressions on our spirit will come from one of four sources: (1) your own mind; (2) the mind of others (e.g., the world); (3) the mind of Satan (e.g., demons); and (4) the mind of God.
God has given us authority in Christ to silence the other sources and clear the way to hear God’s voice and be confident that it is God speaking.
Just before ascending into heaven, the Risen Lord Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19). Earlier, when Jesus commissioned his disciples, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, sending them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2).
After this Jesus sent out 72 others to do the same (Luke 10:1). They returned with joy and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20). We know that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. And Jesus gives us his authority to silence the enemy.
Submitting our own thoughts to God
But what about our voices? How can we be sure we are not hearing our own thoughts? In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul suggests that we can also take authority over our own thoughts to make them obedient to Christ.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, emphasis mine).
Listening To God In Prayer Scripture
How to practice listening prayer
I have personally found that the best way to do listening prayer is with a small group of people, as opposed to trying it alone. This is especially so if we are new to it. Later, as we gain confidence in the process and become more sensitive to hearing God’s voice, we can also do listening prayer on our own.
Here’s an outline you can follow as you join together with your prayer partners in a listening prayer.
- Come to God with your request for guidance
Share with God your specific request for guidance in prayer. And by the power of Christ, give God’s voice authority over the voices of others and our own voices.
Listening prayer template
“Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, your son, and according to James 1:5. I am seeking wisdom for _(your request).
In the name of Jesus, according to Matthew 28:18 and Luke 10:19-20, I take authority over Satan and his fallen angels and command that they be rendered deaf, mute, and blind to my prayers, and removed from my presence.
I submit my own voice to the shed blood of Jesus and command that my own thoughts be taken captive to the obedience of Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 10:5.
I ask, Father, that only your Holy Spirit will speak to me now as I wait on you for wisdom, insight, and direction. And whatever you show me or direct me to do, I pray that I will quickly obey.
In Jesus’s mighty name, amen.”
- Wait in silence for God to speak for 10-12 minutes
Listen to what God is saying to you. What themes emerge? What becomes clear about God’s plan for you as you listen? - Jot down any Scripture, songs, impressions, or pictures God gives you
My wife and I have done listening prayer with our children, and it’s wonderful to see how the Lord chooses to speak. One may receive a verse from Scripture, another a song. Sometimes a member of our family gets one word, or a particular phrase. Another sees a picture. Often the Lord gives us one piece of the message, and it only seems to make sense after everyone has had the chance to share what they received. - Share how God spoke to you with your prayer partners and follow God’s will
Whatever the Lord speaks to us, the most important thing is that we obey his voice. If you are unsure or need more confirmation, then ask the Lord for this. But if you hear and receive clear direction from God, strive to respond with full obedience, being confident that God is the one guiding you by the Holy Spirit. There is great comfort and security when we hear and obey.
