The Secret to Hearing God's Voice

Chapter 3
The Process of Hearing & Responding
When God speaks, it is important to learn how to recognize God's voice and respond in obedience. It is up to us to do the hearing, to do the recognizing, to do the responding. Yet we need to rightly recognize it. In all, when God speaks to us, He does so with purpose. Although God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, His timing will be perfect (Acts 3:21). Beware when you feel a “spiritual impression” and are seeking to know what you should do. God speaks, also Satan too!
How to recognize the voice of God?
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). That means that God wants you to be able to hear His voice today just like Adam and Eve heard Him in the Garden of Eden. However, many of us rarely hear the voice of God, because God's voice is a whisper, and people are very confused in their hearts. They not only doubt that they are hearing the Lord speaks to them, but they also ignore His voice.
A. Hear Wrong & Respond Wrong
There is no other way to respond to God's gift of the knowledge of himself than through hearing and responding.
Hearing Three Voices!
Unfortunately, not all thoughts, feelings, visions or advice is from God. Some come from the devil or from your will. Thus, there are at least three voices that we hear during the course of our lives: God’s, Satan’s, and our own.
So is there any reasonable way to distinguish between them all? Not if you are ignorant and confused in your defiled heart. For example, it was in the news (August 28, 2009/Stltoday.com) that this man in California named Phillip Garrido was accused of kidnapping a girl and sexually assaulting her in his backyard for 18 years and having two children by her. Jaycee Lee Dugard was snatched outside her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991 when she was 11 years old, and she was forced to live and forced to have sex with Philip Garrido in captivity for 18 years. According to a news reporter, Garrido claimed that “he can channel the voice of God through a makeshift box.” From this news story, we can see that he was a double-dealer. Some do not belong to the Spirit of God, they can’t hear God’s voice even though they claim they hear the voice of God; instead they hear the wrong spirit. Actually, it is amazing how many people murder and do other bad things when they hear the wrong voice and say God told them to do it. People get very confused by the darkness that deadens the soul and freezes the heart. These people walk in the ways of their own heart (ref. Ecclesiastes 11:9 -10). Thus also lacking the wisdom of God (James 1:5), they cannot possibly discern rightly in their hearing of voices.
Do not claim God tells you to do wrong! “Not I killed but the Voice told me to Murder.” It is the power of Satan inside you. For examples, we had news a few months ago, a Texas mother accused of decapitating her baby was heard screaming, “I didn’t mean to do it” in a 911 call- SAN ANTONIO (Reported by Paul J. Weber July 29th, 2009/ taragana.com) — A Texas mother Sanchez suffered from postpartum depression accused of decapitating her 3-week-old son “Baby Scotty” and screams “I didn’t mean to do it. He told me to!” She was slaying her baby because a voice told her to do it. She is right. She really did not mean to do it but the devil who told her forced her to do it.
Satan speaks to people to force them to do wrong! I am confirming that is how Satan works in people. Satan also forces people to commit suicide! We read the bible story of Judas who killed himself. Remember, people decide to commit suicide not only with their own mind but also because the devil tells them to do it or forces them to do it. Don’t think the devil spoke only to Eve. He still speaks to us until the day of Jesus’ coming again. The devil will hurt you as much as he can. A sinner cannot hear the voice of God unless God has a special purpose for them. If you are not a born again Christian do not confuse the devil with God. Even if you are a Christian, you should stand in faith otherwise you are in danger as St. Peter advised: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”(1 Peter 5:8) Remember, when Jesus ministered to this world He mostly delivered people from Satanic power.
Do you think Satan is less in his activity? No, never, he is worse now this day. One thing is sure, that he only has a short time. Jesus will come soon. Now you stand fast in the Lord. You are expecting Him and you must prepare well; be not sleepy in your spiritual soul, but awaken! Otherwise the devil will make you confused and pull your heart and eyes away from God. Therefore stay awake! Maybe you do not know the hour but it is at the door!
What do you learn here? If Jesus will come soon then Satan’s time is short, that is why he makes people crazy. He will not only hinder you from hearing the voice of God but he will also ruin your life. Only God's true, born-again children hear the voice of Jesus. They will not follow the devil's voice. They will not follow wrong thinking, but they will flee from the devil’s voice. You are filled with the wisdom of the Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2).