You are listening to episode 10, Recognizing God’s Voice
Hey you guys! This is Kelsie Millet and I am your host here on the Let Him In Podcast, where
my intent is to have these episodes full of thoughts, impressions and ways for you to easily let God into your every day.
Today’s topic is a big one. I think this topic is what most people are hesitant about when trying to start a conversation with God- A few questions that you may have already asked yourself- do we really know and believe that God can speak to us? How do we recognize God’s voice? How do we know that it’s God speaking to us and not just our own thoughts in our head? I am going to be going through my perspective and thoughts on these questions between today and tomorrow’s episode, and I hope you will feel a lot more confident in moving forward with how to hear Him in your everyday life after these two episodes.
I also want to be completely transparent with you that this specific topic and episode has been the absolute hardest one for me to put my thoughts into words. I would work on it, and then it would sit for days, and then eventually it sat for WEEKS! I had to let it just sit because I knew that inspiration would come. And it eventually did, first with this scripture John 10: 27, where it says “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
I love when I feel like scriptures are so straightforward and to the point. I feel that so much with this small scripture. We can learn so much, first, we learn that God does in fact have a voice and that His sheep can in fact hear it. I really believe this is crucial to knowing and believing when we are trying to hear Him in our everyday life. We have to actually believe that He can speak to us and from this scripture we know that He can. “My sheep hear my voice…” and then the next part says “and I know them”…
To help illustrate this point I want to remind you, I am a mom of 4 kids and have one on the way. They are all 8 and under, so I still have a lot of parenting years and experiences left in me. But, just in these last 8 years there is one thing that I have learned like the back of my hand. And that is that every single one of my kids are unique to themselves. They have different wants and needs, they express emotions differently, handle situations differently. They each come packaged with their own personalities.
When parenting 4 kids that have so many differences, it has made me have to stop and to learn the best way to communicate with each one of them. When my oldest son gets in trouble, he has to voice his mind. He has to know that he has been heard before I can say anything on my end. He needs to feel fairness in every situation. So I make sure to talk to him a lot about how things aren’t always fair, and when it applies I explain the situation in a black and white, right and wrong sort of way. Because in his mind that is what makes the most sense.
One of my other sons isn’t near as worried about fairness. And if he is ever in trouble, he really just wants to know that he is still loved and usually all he needs is a good hug and whatever the situation was about it doesn’t really matter anymore. For him not a lot of words are necessary. Except I love you, I know how you feel and a great big hug.
Then there is my daughter. When she gets in trouble. She is silent. I can say whatever I want to her and most of the time she will just look at me, and then walk away. It’s pretty hard to have a conversation with her because she literally just stares at me. Our conversation usually doesn’t happen until later when she is ready to talk.
These are all situations of how they respond in a negative environment. But I could explain differences for each of them in positive environments as well.
I am sure as a mom or really just by surrounding yourself with people in your life that you can probably relate and see how different personalities need different things in communication.
It is so much easier for me to understand God when I think about Him as an actual Father and us as His actual children. Which sounds silly, because we are his literal children. But I love putting Him in this very realistic perspective of being a parent. I know that His relationships with us can emulate similar relationships that we have here on earth.
And I think He does the same thing with us as I do with my children, and maybe you do with yours. Which is observing, and learning about each one of us enough to know how we need to be communicated too. Some of us need it shouted at us multiple times, maybe others of us resonate through action or music, or close friends.
My point is that I truly believe that God knows us, just like it says in John 10: 27 “and I know them” and because He knows us He will communicate with us in the perfect way for us individually. Whatever that may look like.
Now we need to in turn trust Him that He will speak to us in a way that we will be able to hear Him and then like the end of that scripture in John says, “ and they follow me.” Which teaches us that we can hear his voice clear enough to then be able to know how to follow Him. We are not going to be left guessing what He is saying. We do not have to guess how to follow Him. We are given the promise and capability that if we turn to Him and hear Him. We truly can be led.
So hopefully that scripture gives you a little bit more confidence in knowing that we truly can hear God. Which really is the first step. Now that we know that we can hear his voice. How do we recognize it? That is the next big question right?
Again, I love to relate this to earthy relationships we have now. How do you recognize your best friend’s voice? The most obvious answer would be because you hear it often. You hear it enough that you don’t have to question whose voice it is, when you do hear it. You probably know a lot of the time what your best friend is going to say or how she or he is going to respond. This comes from having an ACTIVE relationship with this person.
So how do we come to have an active relationship with God? One that we are so familiar with His voice, and His words that we can recognize Him instantly?
I think a great place to start is the scriptures. Diving into His word. Seeing how He spoke, and how He showed up in different instances. By reading about Him we will learn more about Him and His voice.
Along with more intentional scripture study, I believe doing anything we can in our day to have the Holy Ghost as our companion will also strengthen our relationship in knowing God more intimately. “When you read the scriptures, you are exercising faith, which prepares your heart and mind to hear the still small voice of the spirit” (reference Come Follow Me)
Elder David A. Bednar taught:
Everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Consider the reasons we pray and study the scriptures. Yes, we yearn to communicate in prayer with Heavenly Father in the name of His Son. And yes, we desire to obtain the light and knowledge available in the standard works. But please remember that these holy habits primarily are ways whereby we always remember Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son and are prerequisites to the ongoing companionship of the Holy Ghost. . . .
Russel M. Nelson said,
In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. . . . Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.
From these references, my takeaway is that as we live in a way that we are worthy of the companionship of the holy ghost, we will be blessed with receiving and hearing God’s voice through the spirit into our minds and into our hearts.
By living in a way that we can have the Holy Ghost with us more frequently we will in turn know God and recognize His voice.
Be sure to come back tomorrow morning as we will be diving into knowing when we are hearing our own voice in our head vs. God’s voice. But before we hop off today, if you enjoyed today’s podcast, I would encourage you to share it with a friend, or take a second to leave a review. Both of these things help the podcast in so many ways, especially when it comes to having others be able to find and listen to it.
I truly appreciate you spending your morning with me and I want to leave you with today’s thought.
What changes do I need to make in my day in order to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost more?
Now would be the perfect time to pull out your Hear Him journal and continue in more stillness, an open mind and a desire to connect with God.
I love you guys!
One Comment
Another great episode and I love that you are sharing the inspiration you have received to guide all your listeners.
Thank you so much.