I heard the Lord say: "Learn to hear from Me, just as Samuel heard from Me. Ask for it, and you will receive. Let your spiritual ear be sensitized and ready to hear. For I am now awakening My people's ear to hear what I have to say. I am showing My people what they should do and what they should not do in this new season. I am refreshing My people from their weariness and purposelessness, so long as they would humble themselves to hear Me and heed Me."
Many people ask this question: "How do you hear from God?" The Bible certainly has the answer. Of course the first person you can think of when it comes to hearing from God is none other than Samuel. In fact his name 'Samuel' has to do with hearing from God. It is 'Shemuw-El' in Hebrew, meaning 'Heard of God'; from the word 'Shama' meaning 'to hear attentively, to give ear, to hear carefully, to hear in order to obey', and 'El' meaning 'God'.
I believe we are now in this time and season like Samuel, when many people in this world are spiritually blur and 'hit and miss', but you, beloved of God, are like the 'Samuels' of today. You are the people who will hear from the Lord. You will not be spiritually blur. You will continually hear from the Spirit of God, and you will know what to do in your life. I want to declare this upon you. Amen!
1 Samuel 3:1-4 says, 'Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli (the high priest those days). And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow dim that he could not see, and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!"'
At that time, in Samuel's younger days, revelation from the Lord was scarce. Even the priest was blur in the Spirit. But the Lord began to speak to Samuel, even in times when many in his days were spiritually blur. Samuel was being trained by the Lord to be clear, to hear clearly from the Lord.
Right now, the Lord is anointing your spiritual ear as well. Let the Lord touch your spiritual ear. Let the Lord open your spiritual ear and awaken your spiritual ear, so that you will hear what God has to say in this new time and season. Amen!
1 Samuel 3:5-6 says, 'So he (Samuel) ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he (Eli) said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down. Then the Lord called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Eli answered again, "I did not call, my son, lie down again."'
As you can see here, the young Samuel was still learning how to hear from God, and how to differentiate between the voice of God and the voice of man. But you see, you've got to start somewhere, just like Samuel. Samuel has got to start somewhere too. You and I know that Samuel went on to become a great man of God, who would hear from the Lord to anoint David as king.
1 Samuel 3:8-9 says, 'And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.'
See the word 'hear' here?
1 Samuel 3:10-12 says, 'Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Behold I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle (it means many will be awakened, and many will be shocked upon hearing it). In that day I will perform against Eli, all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end."'
Now over here, God was about to judge Eli's household, because his sons were corrupt and Eli did not restrain the sons.
And then 1 Samuel 3:18-19 says, 'Then Samuel told Eli everything that he heard from the Lord, and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, "It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him." So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.'
You see over here, Eli still had some godliness in him, even though he was somewhat spiritually blur. So these words of Samuel spoke to Eli. Eli was awakened about it, and he acknowledged what's been said by the Lord. Eli knew the Lord has spoken to Samuel.
Now, here lies the first key. What was the key of Samuel hearing from God, but not Eli, not Eli's sons? Samuel was innocent and pure before God. That's the difference. So that's key Number 1. Stay innocent and pure before the Lord, no matter how complex the world has become. Clear yourself from every form of deception, lies, or even corruption - in your spirit, soul, and even in everything that you put your hands on to do.
In John 10:27, Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." So, you are the sheep, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Hear Him. Pay attention to Him, to His voice. The word 'hear' is 'akouo' in Greek, meaning 'to give audience, to give ear to.' Just like Samuel was a good sheep to God, and he was obedient and faithful to what God has to say; so are you and so can you be. You will hear the voice of God, and you follow whatever He says. And that's how you are going to fulfill God's destiny for your life on this earth!
In John 10:28, Jesus said, "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." Now, this is interesting. You know what this means? No one can snatch you away from Jesus, as long as you continue to hear His voice and follow Him! Therefore, hear Him and follow Him. Because when you hear and follow Him, His voice, His way, His will, and His words for you, no evil can snatch you away from Him; and no evil can snatch you away from His plans and purposes for your life on earth! So, key Number 2 here is to stay humble and yielded before the Lord, like the sheep towards the Good Shepherd. Hear Him and follow Him. And that takes humility on your part. That takes yieldedness on your part. That takes submission on your part.
Isaiah 50:5 says, 'The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.' Here, Isaiah heard from the Spirit of God regarding Jesus the Messiah who was to come. This verse is actually talking about Jesus and how Jesus obeyed till the point of death, never turning away from His Father. But having said this, this verse also applies to Isaiah himself. After all, the name 'Isaiah' is 'Yesha Yah' in Hebrew. It means 'Yahweh is Salvation'. It's a typology, a 'type' of Jesus. In fact, the whole book of Isaiah is likened to a mini-Bible. 66 chapters in total represents 66 books in the Bible (39 - Old Testament, 27 - New Testament). You can see that God has spoken a lot of things to Isaiah - 66 chapters in the whole book of Isaiah!
Many people would ask this question: "How do I identify God's voice from other voices?" It is true there are three major kinds of voices - voice of God, voice of your own flesh, and voice of the evil spirit. The answer is simple. Whatever you hear must be 'screened through' the Word of God, and cannot contradict the Word of God.
Another way to be so sensitive to the voice of God is by getting yourself familiarized with the Holy Spirit. How? Pray in the Spirit often. Get yourself familiarized with the Holy Spirit. When you are so familiar with the Holy Spirit, you will know how to differentiate between His voice and the voice of your own flesh or the voice of the evil spirit.
One more question people may ask, "When is the best time to hear from the Holy Spirit?" The answer is simple. Anytime is a good time! After all, God is 24/7. He is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Your part is this: As long as you get rid of all those 'noises' of this world, or even from social media for a while, and just spend time exclusively with Him, read the Word of God, pray in the Spirit, worship Him, lock yourself in your own room (or your prayer closet), and just enjoy being in the presence of God; you are actually positioning yourself to hear from God!
So, the answer is anytime is a good time, as long as you make time for God. As far as I am concerned, practically speaking, I find between 4am and 6am is best. You know why? That's when I would wake up and feel refreshed. Now, when your spirit, soul and body - all 3 parts of you - are well rested and refreshed, you are more likely to hear from God. So sleep early and wake up early when it's still quiet, and when many people are not awake yet. First thing in the morning, come into His presence and hear Him. Now this is just my own practical advice. Different people may be different. Because some people are morning people, and some people are night people. Go with what suits you best.
Isaiah 50:4 says, 'The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning. He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.' You see here? 'He awakens Me morning by morning'! Early in the morning, when you are fresh! In fact, that's Jesus' lifestyle! Jesus woke up early and often withdrew Himself to hear from His Heavenly Father. As Jesus is, so are you!
May the Lord awaken you to hear from Him, just as Isaiah 50:4 says! Though this is about Jesus, the same can apply for you, just as the same applied to prophet Isaiah himself. God can awaken your ear! So Isaiah tells us how he received his messages from God - in the morning - when he's most rested and refreshed, and most sensitive to the promptings and voice of God. That's when you too would receive many things and revelations from God! Yes, even saying refreshing words to the weary or the purposeless. Not only it refreshes others, but it also refreshes you!
So, prepare yourself, be refreshed and be well rested - spirit, soul and body - and you are more likely to hear from God. Now, Holy Spirit can speak to you in many ways, for example, in the inside of you, through your thoughts, through the Word of God that you read, or even in an audible voice!
Proverbs 6:22 says, 'When you roam, they (the Word of God) will lead you; When you sleep, they (the Word of God) will keep you; And when you awake, they (the Word of God) will speak with you.' You see here? When you awake from your sleep, the Word of God will speak with you!
5 keys to hearing in the Spirit:
Number 1: Stay pure and innocent before the Lord, no matter how complex this world has become. Keep yourself from deception, lies, and corruption.
Number 2: Stay humble and yielded before the Lord. Like the sheep to the Good Shepherd, hear His voice and follow Him. To follow Him, you've got to humble yourself and say, "God, You are God, I am not. I will follow You because You know better than me."
Number 3: Be refreshed - spirit, soul and body. This is the practical part. You are more likely to hear correctly and precisely from the Lord when you are well rested and fresh, after a good night's sleep. So wake up fresh and spend time with the Lord!
Number 4: Read the Word of God often. No shortcut here. The more you read, the more likely He will speak to you!
Number 5: Pray in the Spirit often. Again, no shortcut here. The more you spend time praying in the Spirit, the more likely He will speak to you!
