Hearing the Voice of God
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
8/16/20262 min read
I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve heard a Christian say “the Lord spoke to me” or “I heard the Lord say” and you probably smiled on the outside but on the inside, you wondered how in the world they could be sure they heard the voice of God? But Jesus already told us how it works. He promised the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, would live in us and teach us ALL things (John 14:16-17, 26). That means that for believers, that inner nudge, that gentle push, that’s the Holy Spirit.
Think of Him like the GPS in your car. The GPS doesn’t grab the wheel. It doesn’t force you to turn, but it’s there, speaking in the background, continually directing you toward your destination. And if you miss a turn? It doesn’t shut down and say, “well, you blew it!” It reroutes. It recalculates. It finds another route to get you where you’re supposed to be.
This is what Holy Spirit does for us. We take detours and try shortcuts. We choose routes under construction and full of potholes. But as long as the navigation is open, meaning our hearts are surrendered, He will reroute us back towards God’s will.
So how do you know it’s really the Holy Spirit?
Scripture alignment — God’s voice never contradicts His Word.
Christlike character — His voice sounds like Jesus, not our ego.
Spiritual fruit — His leading produces love, patience, self‑control, not chaos.
Conviction not condemnation — Conviction corrects; condemnation shames.
But here’s the real issue for most of us…hearing is not the problem. It’s obeying! Beloved, most of us aren’t confused about what God said. We’re wrestling with whether we’ll actually do it.
We hesitate because:
We fear the outcome
We desire more certainty
We prefer our own plans
We’re hoping God will change His instructions
We know obedience will cost us something
The truth is God’s voice is often clear we just want it to be convenient. The Holy Spirit is speaking, guiding, and rerouting, but He won’t override our will. So the real question today isn’t, “Is God speaking?” It’s, “Will I obey what I already heard Him say?”