Developing a Discerning Ear
Do we have a listening ear to distinguish the voice of God—His Holy Spirit speaking to us personally? Jesus strongly emphasized our need to listen. At least fifteen times He says, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
When Peter Lord was my pastor and teaching us to develop a discerning ear–to learn to hear the voice of the Lord as distinguished from so many others– he shared about a young man who came to his house to visit one day. Peering intently at the plants beside the walkway, he told the pastor, “There are eighteen different kinds of crickets in these bushes.” This graduate student in entomology had learned to distinguish numerous types of cricket calls with his natural ear to earn his doctorate. Pastor Lord then tried to teach us to hear God just as clearly.
Most of us, if we are honest, have a longing to hear God speak to us—directly and personally. We want our prayers answered and our lives touched by His hand. We desire His guidance and protection.
My friend, the late Elizabeth Alves says in her book, The Mighty Warrior that she usually heard best when sitting before Him in quietness. She suggested, “Bind the voice of the enemy in the name of Jesus, before you start to pray.” This means to restrain demonic forces from speaking. She’d often sit with a Bible and notebook to hear Him speak, sometimes writing impressions or pictures. Or He spoke as she listened to worship music. (1)
She writes: “One test to determine whether you are hearing the Holy Spirit is to ask: Is the voice gently leading, or is it commanding and harsh? God’s voice gently guides and encourages (see Psalm 18:35; Isaiah 40:11; James 3:17). God’s voice gently leads, Satan’s drives (John 10:4). God convicts, Satan condemns and brings guilt (Psalm 8:12) God woos and Satan tugs hard. When God speaks, He does not use fear to motivate. If fear overcomes you, it is the enemy speaking, not God.” (see 2 Timothy 1:7.) (2)
God can speak to us in pictures in our minds. Some people have seen messages run like ticker tape in their minds when God was speaking to them. More often, God’s Spirit speaks to us in what some call “His still small voice.” Sometimes it’s in a Bible passage, or in spontaneous heart-level thoughts, or ideas, feelings, visions, dreams, miracles, circumstances or prophecies through others. Surely, He speaks in many ways.
One night during a church service my friend, Ruthie heard an inner voice, “Your house is being robbed.” Was the Holy Spirit warning? She began to pray. “Lord, if our house is being robbed, send a warring angel to frighten the burglar off. “Then she began quoting Scriptures of protection.
Sure enough, when she and her husband arrived home, their back patio door was smashed in and everything inside was in disarray –drawers open and stuff scattered everywhere. The next day when the police officer came to get a list of things they knew were missing, all they had to report was one pillowcase. He told them that’s what a burglar usually takes to stash the valuables.
“As far as we can tell nothing is missing — not even my good gold jewelry,” Ruth told him. The policeman looked around with all the beautiful things, “I don’t understand why you weren’t robbed blind. Something obviously frightened away the intruder and he left in a hurry,” the policeman said. Two other houses in her neighborhood were robbed that night. Ruthie was sure God sent a warring angel of protection as she had asked Him to do, but it was a Holy Spirit’s quiet voice of warning that caused her to pray.
We can come to a point where we trust the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth as we listen. Yet we must stay on guard not to accept voices that contradict scriptural guidelines.
We long for God to speak to us. Yet He wants even more to talk with us—not just in our daily devotional times, but anytime, anywhere.
May we be as childlike as little Samuel, always open to say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” And we wait expectantly, anticipating His voice.
Footnotes:
- Elizabeth Alves, The Mighty Warrior (Bulverde, TX, Intercessors International, 1987), 74-75.
- Ibid. 69,70.
- Quin Sherrer , Listen, God is Speaking to You (Servant Publications, 1999), various pages.
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