Have you had someone “half-listen” to you? They heard your words but were focused on something else entirely, so you know what you were trying to communicate was not actually conveyed. Unfortunately, we do that to God all the time. And there is a difference in hearing His voice and actually listening for His voice. That means you have to set the atmosphere for Him to speak, preparing yourself to listen. And hearing from the Lord will increase your faith and your confidence in obtaining what God has promised. (Remember, Romans 10:15 tells us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.) You have to be still and quiet your spirit, expecting to hear from the Lord, which brings me to the next important question:
Do you recognize God’s voice?
John 10:27(NIV) says, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” Have you ever heard something deep inside your spirit and wondered, “Lord, is that You?” Well, does what you heard line up with the Word of God? (If it doesn’t, then you know that wasn’t from God.) I’ve had people ask, “How do you know it’s from the Lord?”
First of all, we are wired to connect with God when we diligently seek His face. When God instructs me to move, He ignites something in me, and my spirit man reacts. His Word is inside me, so His voice is confirmed by the Word that is in me, even when it’s something that makes me uncomfortable. That still voice encourages me, corrects me, pushes me, and builds me. That voice reminds me of who God is and who I am in Him.
The Manna Chef 