hearing god / by stephanie adele

The topic of hearing God and following the Holy Spirit has been surfacing around me. It has made me question how many people have yet to experience the voice of God, especially those who are in the church now, as well as those yet to set their hope in Jesus. I have been praying about what do to with this knowledge to bring about the awareness and beautiful intimacy that hearing God has on us and God lead me to some wonderful ladies I met through the Allume Conference, who are brave and bold and willing to share their story of how they have come to hear the voice of God through this series. It is not a list of "how tos" or of verses on hearing God or things of the sort. Just an honest, open discussion of the telling of their story. Of their journey to the place where God's voice is the one they listen to. You can find the entire series here. 

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I was around age fourteen when I can first remember knowing God was speaking to me. I attended a small church with a very close-knit youth group. Several of the kids were struggling with knowing their salvation was real, and it caused me to have doubts. I finally sat down with my Bible and so, "OK God, I need your help with this. I know what I believe, and I don’t want to struggle with this anymore."

I opened my Bible and read Mark 9:29. A man has brought his son to Jesus to be healed. The man asks Jesus to have compassion and help the boy if he is able. In verse 23, Jesus responds, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." And then, in verse 24, the man responds, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

"I believe; help my unbelief!"

I felt just like this father. I knew I believed, but the doubts of others had caused me to question myself. That day, I gained such a strong assurance and knew I never needed to question the sincerity of my faith again.

For me, hearing the voice of God has always come through my involvement with Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, "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 complete, equipped for every good work."

I have absolutely found this to be true. God has provided His timeless Word to speak to us. The Holy Spirit identifies how it needs to affect our lives. At times, I personally identify with characters in the Bible. Their struggles reflect mine, and I gain a better understanding through their experiences. Other times, a verse may strike me in completely unexpected ways, leading me to examine how I behave or think and fostering within me a desire to change in ways that I know are inspired by God.

I have always struggled with making Bible-reading a daily habit, but as I have committed more of my time to it, I am amazed at how it has affected my life and how the words have truly come alive. The Bible provides endless conversation with God, because even when I read the same passage twice, I can feel led to identify different personal applications. While the Truth never changes, my understanding can certainly grow.

I am so grateful that God did not leave us to figure out the path of faith all by ourselves. His Word guides us and the Holy Spirit directs our understanding so that we can have a close relationship with God.

Stephanie is a wife and stepmama of two. The goal of her blog is to
encourage women as they seek to grow in their faith while balancing the struggles of home, life, family, work, and the myriad of demands of our time and attention. She and her family live in North Carolina and enjoy all the state has to offer from the mountains to the beach.You can find her on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.