His Sheep Hear His Voice

Job 33:14

For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

One night, during the writing of this book, I lay down on my bed, preparing to pray in my heart. Before I could utter a word, I heard the Lord clearly say to me, “When you call upon My Name, what do you see?”

As He spoke, He brought my attention to Jeremiah and how He trained him to trust in spiritual vision:

Jeremiah 1:11-12

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

2 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

When the Lord asked me what I saw, He was training me, just as He did Jeremiah. However, unlike Jeremiah, He wasn’t showing me a specific vision at that moment. Instead, He was making me aware that I should always remain sensitive to the fact that He speaks and reveals through visions as we pray. He was calling me to a heightened awareness of His presence and voice—even in prayer—because without this sensitivity, my seeking would be unfruitful.

He led me to several Scriptures, which I now share with you for reflection.

Isaiah 11:3

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.

Isaiah 11:2-3 lists the spiritual senses—the seven spirits of God—that abide in the Holy Ghost. These spiritual senses were first manifested in Jesus and later imparted to the sons of God. Verse 3 emphasizes that those who walk by the Spirit will not rely on natural sight or hearing to judge. Instead, they will discern truth through spiritual vision and hearing, as the Lord reveals it to them.

However, this reality is uncomfortable for many. There is often fear when one feels they must rely on spiritual senses. People tend to trust what they can see, hear, or process with natural senses or logical thinking. But this is not the way of the sons of God.

The sons of God are not natural beings—they are divine. They are spiritual beings, born of a spiritual Kingdom. Their senses are not limited to the natural; they also see and hear through the Spirit.

Though many in the Body of Christ have embraced the principle of hearing God’s voice, there are still many who struggle to trust it in a practical sense—trusting it enough to lead their lives or even their ministries. Yet the Scripture says:

Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

And again,

John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

These verses emphasize that those who are truly sons of God are led by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only leads and guides His children with a Word to their hearts or a vision, but He also causes them to know His will. For those fully submitted to Him, He even influences and controls their actions according to His purpose.

For instance, there was a time when I felt God prompting me to pray for someone, but I was overcome with doubt. I questioned whether it was truly His voice. Before long, the Holy Spirit rebuked me for my hesitation. He instructed me to focus on the soul He was leading me to and to have compassion for her.

As soon as I shifted my heart to obey and felt His compassion flood me, I found myself walking over to the individual. It was as if the compassion itself caused me to submit entirely to the Holy Spirit. What followed felt beyond my own strength or will—I was led directly to her and prayed for her as He intended, and He did a miraculous work.

This sort of leading is possible, because, if you have the Holy Spirit, you are literally a son of God. Your body is His temple, designed for His use (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:1), and your soul has been joined in oneness with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17).

So, where does this apprehension come from? Why do we struggle to trust when God speaks to us?

1 John 1:5-6

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth."

The first reason we struggle to trust God is holiness. Without holiness, there can be no true fellowship with God. Holiness goes beyond the “do’s and don’ts” of Christianity—it extends to every aspect of our daily lives. Do we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in everything, or do we follow our own plans and pencil God into them? Only when we are absolutely holy and fully submitted to His will can we experience true fellowship with Him.

If we are holy before the Lord, the second reason we may not trust the leading of the Holy Spirit is that we’ve trained ourselves to rely on our natural senses more than our spiritual senses.

Hebrews 5:14

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Just as we train our natural senses from infancy, we can also train our spiritual senses. For example, even now, you can close your eyes and begin training your natural senses—focusing more on touch, hearing, or smell. Over time, you'll become far more perceptive.

Likewise, many of us were birthed into the Body of Christ as spiritual babes, but have never exercised our spiritual senses. We can see in the Spirit, hear in the Spirit, and more, but we are unfamiliar with these abilities because we don’t consistently act on what we see or hear.

Nevertheless, the truth is this: we already see, and we already hear. All we must do now is obey. As God said to me, so He says to you:

“When you call upon My Name, what do you see? Pay attention to the voice of My Words, for I am a God who speaks. Prayer is communion—it is a conversation, not a one-way street.”

If you are His sheep, you hear His voice! He shows you things in the Spirit. You can sense spiritual activity and discern the thoughts and intents of men’s hearts. However, you must first embrace that this is your nature as a child of God. Then, train yourself to rely on these senses by acting on what you see or hear from God.

If you are truly holy before the Lord, there is no reason to doubt the things you believe He is showing you. He is in you, and He will convict you or give you a sense of unease if what you hear is not from Him. But if it is His voice, you will feel peace when you obey.

Do not be a blind and deaf Saint. As you seek God, listen to Him and pay attention to what He shows you, because without this, your seeking will be ineffective. As you pray for others, be sensitive to His voice, and remember that prayer is not meant to be a one-sided conversation. Our God speaks—and He loves to do so.