Used by permission and excerpted from Dialogue With God by Mark Virkler
In the age in which we live, married so to rationalism and cognitive, analytical thought, it almost seems laughable to hear anyone claim that hearing God’s voice is a possible and desirable thing. Indeed, the world has stood by and mocked men of God who claimed to hear His voice, and for the most part, the Church has joined in their skepticism. How far we have come from the biblical norm, where to know God was to hear His voice! No wonder we have lost God’s perspective and are in need of the Wonderful Counselor to set us free.
I have said that in order to have a pure heart, in order to be counseled by God, you must be able to hear the voice of God, see the vision of God, and get His perspective on the situation. Even when we accept this as a worthy goal, it is often not an easy thing to do. In fact, for the first ten years of my life as a Christian, I could not recognize the Lord’s voice within my heart and I never saw one vision from Him.
As I studied Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, people could hear the voice of God. I wanted desperately to be a biblical man, but no matter how much I struggled, I could not hear an audible voice within my heart. I thought perhaps I was backslidden so I repented, fasted and read my Bible more, but still there was no voice. I studied books on the subject, questioned those who were able to hear God’s voice, tried all of the suggestions offered, and still there was no voice.
Finally the Lord revealed to me some keys which opened me up to interaction with the Holy Spirit within me. I was able to hear His voice. I was able to see His vision. The testimony of my struggle and a full explanation of what I learned are found in the book Dialogue with God.
In this chapter I will give a brief summary of the keys which have helped thousands of people enter into two-way dialogue and intimate communion with their Lord.
The keys which I use are found in Habakkuk 2:1,2
“I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run [or, That one may read it fluently].”
These then are the four major keys which I have discovered as great facilitators in learning to hear and discern the voice of God:
Key #1 – Quiet yourself;
Key #2 – Tune to spontaneity;
Key #3 – Use vision;
Key #4 – Use journaling.
Key #1 – Quiet Yourself
“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). The very first thing I must do in order to hear God’s voice is to quiet all of the other voices which are constantly vying for my attention.
Habakkuk said, “I will stand on my guard post and station myself upon the rampart.…” In other words, Habakkuk had a place where he could go to quiet his own thoughts and emotions, away from the cares and distractions of life.
I have found several easy ways in which to quiet myself, so I can more readily pick up God’s spontaneous flow. Loving God through a quiet worship song is a most effective means for many. When the prophet Elisha was called upon to hear a word from God for the kings of Israel and Judah, he said, “‘Bring me a minstrel.’ And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him” and he began to prophesy (II Kings 3:15). In the same way, songs of worship help bring us into an attitude of stillness before God and the divine flow is recognized.
If thoughts come to me of things I need to do, I write them down so they are not forgotten, and then they can be dismissed from my mind. If thoughts of guilt or unworthiness come to my mind, I repent thoroughly, receive the washing of the blood of the Lamb, and put on His robe of righteousness, seeing myself spotless before the presence of God (Is. 61:10; Col. 1:22).
As I fix my gaze upon Jesus (Heb. 12:2), becoming quiet in His presence, and sharing with Him what is on my heart, I find that two-way dialogue begins. Spontaneous thoughts flow back that are from the throne of God, and I find that I am actually conversing with the King of kings.
It is very important that we become still and properly focused if we are going to receive the pure word of God. If we are not still, we will simply be receiving our own thoughts. If we are not properly focused on Jesus, we will receive an impure flow, because the intuitive flow comes out of that which our eyes are fixed upon. If we fix our gaze upon some desire of our heart, the intuitive flow comes out of that desire. Therefore, to have a pure flow, we must first become still and then carefully “fix our eyes upon Jesus.” Again I will say, this is quite easily accomplished through quietly worshipping the King, and then receiving out of the stillness that follows.
Key #2 – Tune to Spontaneity
“The Lord answered me and said…” (Hab. 2:2). It is clear that once Habakkuk had quieted himself, he was then able to recognize the sound of the Lord’s voice.
When I was trying to learn to hear God’s voice, I listened in expectation for an inner audible voice. Eventually I discovered that normally God does not speak to me that way. Usually the voice of God in my heart comes as a spontaneous thought that appears “out of nowhere” in my mind.
For example, have you ever been driving down the road when suddenly someone’s name popped into your mind? Did you take that as an indication that God wanted you to pray for that person? In other words, was that name appearing spontaneously in your thoughts God’s voice calling you to intercession? Most people would agree that this is so. It is certainly true for me. That experience helped me recognize that other spontaneous thoughts dropped into my mind were also the voice of God to me. What a revelation!
I began to experiment to see if it were really so. I wrote down the spontaneous thoughts, impressions, feelings and visions which came to me while in prayer and was amazed at the depth of wisdom and the overwhelming quality of love they revealed. Clearly they were not the product of my own mind!
The Bible confirms this in many ways. The definition of paga, the Hebrew word for intercession is “a chance encounter or an accidental intersecting.” Therefore, when God lays upon our hearts the call to intercession, He does so through paga, a “chance encounter” thought that “accidentally” intersects our minds.
Through my own experiences and the feedback of thousands of others, I now know that it is possible to tune in to those chance encounter thoughts. When my heart is quietly focused before God in prayer, He speaks to me in a gentle flow of spontaneous thoughts, feelings, impressions and visions.
Key #3 – Use Vision
We have already alluded to this principle in the previous paragraphs, but it needs to be developed more fully. Habakkuk said, “‘I will keep watch to see…’ Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘Record the vision…’” (Hab. 2:1,2). It is very interesting that when Habakkuk quieted himself to hear from the Lord, he actually looked for vision as part of the Lord’s response. He opened the eyes of his heart and looked into the spirit world to see what God wanted to show him. I found this to be an intriguing idea.
I had never thought of opening the eyes of my heart and looking for vision. In fact, I had never really considered the place vision might have in the life of a New Testament believer. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that God gave me the eyes of my heart for that very purpose. They are not to be used for lust, or visualizing failure, or even for pumping myself up for success in my own strength. They are to be used to see in the spirit world the vision and movement of Almighty God.
Theologically, I believe there is an active spirit world functioning all around me. There are angels, demons, the Holy Spirit, the omnipresent God and His Son Jesus. Only the restrictions of my rational culture prevent me from seeing the reality that surrounds me by planting doubt of its existence and neglecting to instruct me on how to become open to seeing it. It was (and still is) God’s intention that I use all of the abilities He has given me to enhance our relationship, including the gift of seeing with my heart.
The first step to seeing in the spirit is to look. Daniel was seeing a vision “in his mind” and he said, “I was looking…I kept looking…I kept looking…” (Dan. 7:2,9,13). Habakkuk kept watch to see (Hab. 2:1). John was in the Spirit and looked (Rev. 4:1). In the same way, as I pray, I look for Jesus present with me and I watch Him as He speaks to me, doing and saying the things that are on His heart.
Most Christians find that if they will only look, they will see. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). It is as simple as that. We are not inventing something that does not exist. We are merely becoming aware of what really does exist. We begin to see spontaneous inner vision in the same manner that we receive spontaneous inner thoughts. We can see Christ with us because He is with us!
Often it comes so easily that we have a tendency to reject it, believing that it is only the product of our minds. Doubt is satan’s most effective weapon against the believer. If you will persist in recording these visions, testing them as indicated in the following chapter, your doubt will soon be overcome by faith as you recognize that they could only be birthed in Almighty God.
God revealed Himself to His covenant people through dream and vision from Genesis to Revelation. He promised that since the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2, we should expect to receive a continuing flow of dreams and visions (Acts 2:1-4,17). Jesus, our perfect Example, demonstrated this ability of living out of on-going contact with Almighty God. He said that He did nothing on His own initiative, but only that which He saw the Father doing and heard the Father saying (Jn. 5:19,20,30). What an incredible way to live!
Is it actually possible for us to live out of the divine initiative as Jesus did? I believe so. One of the reasons for Jesus’ death and resurrection was that the veil might be torn from top to bottom and now we all have access into the immediate presence of God (Lk. 23:45). He has commanded us to draw near (Heb. 10:19-22). Therefore, even though what I am describing seems a bit unusual to a rational twenty-first century culture, it is demonstrated and described as being a central biblical teaching and experience. It is time to restore to the Church that which is rightfully Hers.
Key #4 – Use Journaling
God told Habakkuk to “record the vision and inscribe it on tablets…” (Hab. 2:2). It had never crossed my mind to write out my prayers and God’s answers as Habakkuk did. Yet it is a very Scriptural concept. Literally hundreds of chapters of the Bible are demonstrations of journaling; for example, many of the Psalms and prophets and the entire book of Revelation. Why then had I never thought of it? Why had I never even heard one sermon on it?
I called the process journaling and began experimenting with it. I discovered in it a fabulous tool for clearly discerning God’s inner spontaneous flow, because as I journaled I was free to write in faith for long periods of time, simply believing it was from God. I did not have to test it as I received it because I knew that when the flow ceased I could go back and test and examine it carefully, making sure that it lined up with Scripture.
You will be amazed as you try journaling. Doubt may hinder you at first, but throw it off, reminding yourself that it is a biblical concept, and that God is present speaking to His children. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Play it like a game. When we take ourselves too seriously, we become tense and block the movement of the Spirit. It is when we cease from our own labors and enter His rest that God is free to move and flow (Heb. 4:10). So relax, get comfortable, take out your pen and paper, and turn your attention toward God in praise and worship, seeking His face. As you write out your question to God and become still, fixing your gaze on Jesus Who is present there with you, you will suddenly have a very good thought in response to your question. Don’t question or doubt it at this time; write it down in faith. Later, as you read over your journaling, you, too, will be amazed to discover that you are dialoguing with God.
If it is big or important decision, I then test it, ensuring it lines up with Scripture (Ps. 1:2; Jn. 10:35; 1 Thess. 5:2) and is affirmed in the hearts of my three spiritual advisors (2 Cor. 13:1; Prov. 11:14). See this link.
A Word of Exhortation
I do not encourage anyone to attempt the steps outlined above who has not read at least the entire New Testament and preferably the whole Bible.
Further, a working submission relationship to solid spiritual leadership in one’s life is essential. We need not fear the spiritual realm, but we must recognize that the Holy Spirit is not the only one who will seek to inject his spontaneous thoughts into our minds. Therefore, all journaling is always open to judgment and testing.
First and foremost, it must be totally in harmony with the spirit and the letter of the Word. At no time does personal journaling override the clear commands of God in Scripture. Also, all major directional moves that come through journaling should be submitted to the one(s) over you in the Lord before being acted upon.
Summary
You can learn to hear God’s voice and see His vision! No matter what type of personality you have, if you are willing to commit yourself to the task and submit yourself to spiritual guidance with the Body of Christ, a life of intimate communion with God can be yours.
Response
Why not put into practice the principles you have just learned? Write a letter to Jesus, expressing your love for Him, any needs or questions which are upon your heart, whatever prayer you want to offer. When you have finished saying what you want to say, quiet yourself, focus on Jesus, and begin writing the spontaneous thoughts and impressions which bubble up from within you. Praise God that you, too, can dialogue with Him.
Endnotes
- It is strongly recommended that Dialogue With God by Mark Virkler or 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice by Mark and Patti Virkler be studied by anyone interested in pursuing the techniques described in this chapter. These books are available from Communion With God Ministries at www.cwgministries.org. Ten hours of both audio and video of Mark teaching through the 4 Keys to Hearing God’s voice is also available from www.cwgministries.org.
