Spiritual Ears

By Capazin Thornton

Spiritual Ears to Hear God

Your spirit is the center of God’s activity in your life. Your spirit— the inner man, the hidden man of the heart, the new creation—is where God communicates with you. It is the home of the Holy Spirit. All the revelations of God and movements of the Holy Spirit take place in your spirit.

Listening intently and developing spiritual ears to hear God’s voice within is important. It is essential to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s witness, voice, wooing, leading, and constraints.

How God speaks to us

God speaks to us first and foremost through His Word. That’s how we know God’s nature, character, principles, counsel, purpose, and general will. God’s Word is the gauge for us to know whether something is or is not of God.

Secondly, God speaks to our heart, inner man, or spirit. This is often in a still, small voice, like a whisper or a gentle prompting, as He did to the prophet Elijah (1 Ki 19:12). Sometimes, an audible voice is heard, as in the case of the apostles Peter and Paul (Acts 10:13; Acts 9:4).

God’s voice

God’s voice comforts, encourages, exhorts, edifies, brings clarity, confirmation, correction, and victory. Great peace, joy, and hope result from hearing and obeying God’s voice. God’s voice will always draw you closer to Him. His presence always accompanies His voice.

Developing spiritual ears to hear God speak

Developing spiritual ears begins with expectancy. So, I am always expecting God to speak to me.

I have notebooks and pens everywhere—by the television, by the telephone, by my computer, and by my bed. And I have a notebook and pen beside me every time I pray. Why? I am expecting God to speak to me. And He does. He gives me words, ideas, impressions, directions, and Scriptures. Sometimes, He simply fills me with peace, love, and joy—the fruit of His Spirit at work.

Listen for God’s voice in His Word. He speaks before, during, and after prayer, and throughout the day. God speaks to your conscience. And He works through your intuition.

Amidst the constant noise of life, accurately hearing God’s voice becomes a challenge. Therefore, it is crucial to break away from this chaos and find a secret place where only God exists. This breakaway place, where you can praise, worship, pray, read the Scriptures, and listen to God without interruption, is a treasure to be guarded with your life.

Command your soul to be silent

Sometimes, my soul (mind, will, emotions) tries to magnify the circumstances above God. I have learned to immediately cast down those thoughts. Then I command my soul to be silent as I wait for God to speak, just as it is written in the Psalms:

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.” (Ps 62:5-6)

 “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Ps 131:2)

Once a holy hush comes over your soul, you can more clearly hear God speaking within.

As God’s children born of His Spirit, we can and should know our Heavenly Father’s voice as quickly as a natural child can recognize and know his daddy’s voice. Nothing is more important.

***

Please feel free to share your comments.