Hearing God's Voice: The Path to Transformation
Summary
So often, we believe our problems are the real issue, but in truth, they are only symptoms of a deeper need: to hear the voice of God. When our ears are deafened to His whisper, we lose the guidance and intimacy that brings true transformation. God’s voice is not reserved for a select few; every believer has access to hear Him, and the primary way He speaks is through His living, active Word—the Bible. Immersing ourselves in Scripture, with the help of the Holy Spirit, shapes us into the likeness of Christ and aligns our desires with His.
Yet, God also speaks in secondary ways—desires, dreams, doors, people, promptings, and even pain. Each of these must be filtered through the truth of Scripture, as there is no new revelation outside of the Word. Our desires, when surrendered and transformed by God, begin to reflect His heart. Dreams can be a means of divine communication, but require discernment and confirmation by mature believers and the Word. God opens and closes doors, sometimes in ways that challenge our expectations, reminding us to trust His timing and wisdom over our own logic.
People are another channel through which God speaks, but not every voice in our lives is from Him. Discernment is needed to recognize those He has planted for our growth and those the enemy may use to distract or harm us. The Holy Spirit’s promptings often come as gentle nudges to act, encourage, or pray, and our willingness to respond can be a blessing to others. Even pain, though unwelcome, can draw us closer to God, making us more aware of His nearness and inviting us to lean into His love.
Ultimately, the goal of listening for God’s voice is not just to solve problems, but to grow in intimacy with Him. As we learn to discern His whisper, we are transformed, guided, and drawn deeper into relationship with the One who loves us most.
Key Takeaways
- True transformation begins when we recognize that our greatest need is to hear God’s voice, not just to solve our surface problems. The voice of God brings clarity, healing, and direction that no human wisdom can provide. When we posture ourselves to listen, we open the door to a thousand solutions that flow from intimacy with Him. [01:09]
- The Bible is the primary and authoritative way God speaks, and every other voice or impression must be filtered through its truth. There is no new revelation outside of Scripture; even the most powerful experiences or insights must align with the Word. This guards us from deception and keeps us rooted in the unchanging character of God. [05:29]
- God’s secondary languages—desires, dreams, doors, people, promptings, and pain—are unique to each of us, but all require discernment. Our desires are transformed as we delight in the Lord, dreams must be weighed and confirmed, and open or closed doors test our trust in God’s timing. Each method is an invitation to deeper dependence on Him, not a substitute for His Word. [08:35]
- The people in our lives can be used by God to guide, correct, and encourage us, but not every voice is from Him. Discernment is essential, as the enemy can plant relationships meant to distract or derail us. We must seek godly counsel, recognize the fruit of those who speak into our lives, and remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our relationships. [16:59]
- Pain, though difficult, is often a powerful means by which God draws us closer and speaks to our hearts. In seasons of struggle, our awareness of God’s nearness can increase, inviting us to lean in and listen more intently. Rather than resisting pain, we can allow it to become a place of encounter and transformation, trusting that God’s love is present even in our suffering. [20:41]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - The Real Problem: Hearing God’s Voice
[01:47] - The Living Word: God’s Primary Language
[02:23] - Secondary Ways God Speaks
[03:36] - The Necessity of Filtering Through Scripture
[06:07] - Desires: When God Shapes Our Hearts
[08:35] - Dreams: Discernment and Divine Communication
[11:08] - Doors: Openings, Closings, and Trust
[13:44] - People: Voices God Uses (and Doesn’t)
[16:59] - Discernment in Relationships
[18:51] - Promptings: The Spirit’s Gentle Nudges
[20:07] - Pain: God’s Voice in Suffering
[21:57] - Testimony: Healing and the Word
[28:52] - The Need for Ongoing Discernment
[29:27] - Knowing the Shepherd’s Voice
[30:48] - Closing and Community Connection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Hearing God’s Voice
---
### Bible Reading
1. Psalm 37:4-5
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
2. John 10:27
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
3. 2 Corinthians 3:18
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
---
### Observation Questions
1. According to Psalm 37:4-5, what is the connection between delighting in the Lord and the desires of our hearts?
2. In John 10:27, what does Jesus say about His sheep and His voice?
3. What does 2 Corinthians 3:18 say happens to us as we behold the glory of the Lord?
4. The sermon mentioned that God speaks in “secondary ways” like desires, dreams, doors, people, promptings, and pain. Can you recall which of these was most emphasized or explained in detail? [[04:14]]
---
### Interpretation Questions
1. The sermon says our problems are often just symptoms of a deeper need to hear God’s voice. Why might hearing God’s voice be more important than just solving our problems? [[00:34]]
2. Why is it necessary to filter every “secondary” way God might speak (like dreams or promptings) through Scripture? What could happen if we don’t? [[03:36]]
3. How does God use people in our lives to speak to us, and why is discernment so important in these relationships? [[16:59]]
4. The sermon talks about pain as a way God speaks. How can pain increase our awareness of God’s nearness? [[20:41]]
---
### Application Questions
1. The sermon says that true transformation begins when we recognize our greatest need is to hear God’s voice, not just to fix our problems. What is one area of your life where you’ve been focused on the problem instead of seeking God’s voice? How could you shift your focus this week? [[00:34]]
2. The Bible is described as the primary and authoritative way God speaks. What is your current habit of reading Scripture? Is there a specific way you could immerse yourself more in God’s Word this week? [[01:47]]
3. God speaks through desires that are surrendered and transformed. Is there a desire in your heart right now that you need to surrender to God? What would it look like to let Him shape that desire? [[06:46]]
4. The sermon warns that not every person in our lives is placed by God. Is there a relationship in your life that you need to evaluate with discernment? How can you seek godly counsel about it? [[16:59]]
5. Have you ever sensed a prompting from the Holy Spirit to encourage, pray for, or reach out to someone? What happened? Is there someone God is putting on your heart right now? [[18:51]]
6. Think about a time when pain or disappointment made you more aware of God’s presence. How did you respond? Is there a current struggle where you need to lean in and listen for God’s voice? [[20:41]]
7. The goal of listening for God’s voice is intimacy with Him, not just answers. What is one practical step you can take this week to grow in closeness to God—whether through prayer, worship, or simply being still before Him? [[21:19]]
---
Close in prayer, asking God to help each person hear His voice more clearly and to grow in intimacy with Him.
Quotes
We all have problems and we think the problems that we have are the problems and the problems that we have are not really the problems the problems we have are really just symptoms you're like does that make sense does that grammatically make sense it does it's that's not the caffeine talking the the issue is the issue i have in my life hear me is that my ears have been deafened to the voice of god and it's the voice of god that will fix a thousand problems in my life.
[00:34:38]
Learning to hear god's voice is less about you and more about growing closer to god and this whole series you've you've heard it over and over the primary language that god is using the primary voice that god is using is the word the b ible e yes that's the book for me i stand alone on the word of god the bibl right it's it's the bible but uh what we have to realize is that it is alive and it is active.
[01:20:24]
It's not just a book of stories it's not just a book of of proverbs and of good sayings it's a book that will absolutely radically transform and shape your life as you walk away from who you used to be into the fullness of the person and character that god has called you to be you can't do it on your own it takes getting immersed inside the word amen church and the holy spirit helps us as we read it he helps us uh to understand it.
[01:47:07]
God speaks in a variety of ways yes this is the primary way but there are secondary ways that god speak to speaks to us and hear me let me come talk to the folks over here i don't think they really want to listen to me right now they're still waking up there it's there are secondary ways that god speaks to us and they are unique for everyone i i don't have a i don't have a bat phone in my office or or in my car that that's just like a hotline to heaven god speaks to you the same way he speaks to me you have access to hear his voice you have access to commune with him you have access to speak with him and meet with him face to face just as much as i do and the ways he speaks to you are unique to you.
[02:34:52]
But watch for you and i regardless of the way that he speaks in these secondary ways i still have to filter it and screen it all through the word because without screening it through the word i have the opportunity to get very offc course it is dangerous to to say well god's speaking to me but never filter it through well does it li does it find alignment with the bible if there is no alignment in god said with the bible it is not god it was last night's taco bell that's called the spirit of indigestion.
[03:17:40]
We hear from god in numerous ways that and we all hear from him but watch the ways the secondary ways he speaks to us is in desires he speaks to us in dreams he speaks to us in doors he speaks to us in people he speaks to us through prompting and he speaks to us through pain and here everything in all of these have to find alignment with the word if not we can very easily find ourselves way off course and we start building separate religions.
[04:28:04]
Our lives are built on the foundations of the apostles there is no new revelation outside of the word there is revelatory understanding of the word but there is not let me talk to the the mormon church okay i'm going to call you out i don't care there is no new revelation that god has given some man through some stone that is adjacent to the bible that is heretical and that is damnable in leading people astray from the authoritative word that is infallible and is inherent it is called the word of god amen church.
[05:04:14]
When our delight is in the lord when my desire watch as he is changing me not into a better version of nathan but into a transformed version of nathan that begins to look more like jesus than it did nathan watch my desires find harmony my desires find rhythm my desires find pattern in following after god's desires my heart beats in mimicking pattern to the heart of god so that when i pray as jesus would say in john 15 that i'm abiding in him then he answers my prayers.
[06:51:16]
This is how that works it's not that i just pray for anything willy-nilly that i want it's that when my life becomes so transformed that i am being sanctified and set apart for holy works watch that i am transformed i am converted from the old carnal nature the old fleshly nature the old nasty nature that nathan was there was nothing good about nathan i bowed my knee at an old rugged cross and in that moment started the process of disciplehip and becoming converted into the likeness of christ and my heart's desires have the opportunity to mimic themselves after his heart's desires so he speaks to me in these desires that come along and i'm like "yes i want to see watch on earth as it is in heaven."
[07:35:54]
God speaks to us in dreams but not all dreams are from god some dreams are the spirit of indigestion it is that that taco bell it's that that late it's it's the it's those last three oreos you ate at like 9:37 and you knew you knew you didn't need those you you grabbed the fork and you stabbed the the the white middle cream part because you didn't want to you wanted full submersion into the whole milk and you but you didn't want to get milk on your fingers i just blessed some of you with a new way to eat oreo cookies right there may the lord bless you and keep you but you knew those last three they're like "these are not going to be good for my tummy." 44 and i still say tummy okay but he does speak through dreams uh uh sometimes to give us dreams for the sake of the kingdom how you discern if a dream is from god or not great question discernment from ask by asking someone who is mature in their faith and finding that it's in alignment with the word.
[09:34:04]
Sometimes god will open doors and man we love this we love it when god opens the door we're like when we are in the hallway and and there's that cute phrase like until god opens the door i'm going to praise him in the hallway and we just get super excited right but sometimes he doesn't open doors sometimes he closes doors there are times we don't like it because we want we want we want god to to open the door and we want god to talk to us and sometimes we're like "god i'm i'm waiting on you to answer this prayer i'm waiting on you to speak to me." and he did he closed the door he closed off the opportunity because he because he knows better than we are and we get frustrated like "god you're not answering the prayer the way i wanted to." he's like "no i answered the prayer but you you admitted to it it's not in the way that you wanted it and sometimes he opens doors and sometimes he closes doors and and what i have i have to battle the disappointment in realizing that my timing may not be in alignment with his timing isaiah 55 still rings true 558 says "my thoughts are not your thoughts and neither are my ways your ways declares the lord." and so many times i get frustrated because i'm praying that a door gets open and it's a door that he has shut and it's a door that he has closed it underscores the need that i have watch for faith and reliance on revelation from him rather than on my own human logic.
[11:20:28]
I can figure out a situ i can i will assess the situation and look at it from 18,000 different directions and 18,000 different ways but it is not my life is not built on my logic he speaks to me in this manner but i have to cast my understanding before him and let him lead me and guide me does that make sense yes sometimes i get really frustrated cuz i'm waiting on the door to open and he's like "nathan i closed that door for your own protection." i closed that door because you didn't need it you don't know what was on the other side of that door just trust me that i am doing all things well in your life and through your life amen church.
[13:01:07]
God places leadership in my life because i need boundaries i need someone to tell me to be quiet and sit down i need people in my life to tell me i'm out of order i need people in my life to step on my toes i need people in my life to stretch my faith i need people in i can't be the only one in the room i need people in my life that will provoke me to a posture of prayer and let me know i am out of alignment i need those voices and sometimes god will use leaders lives and leaders voices to direct us where we need to go god uses people to speak to us hear me but we have to have discernment to know who god has placed in our life and who he hasn't because not everybody in my life is someone that god placed and planted not not everybody that's in your life is somebody that god has put there to bless you not everyone in your life is your friend news flash.
[14:34:52]
Sometimes it is right but the the devil who is not your friend who does not like you who is the enemy of your soul plant will plant people in your life to bring you off course to stifle the growth that god is trying to produce in your life their voices are like poison in your ears and the more i find friendship with people the enemy has planted the more i get myself into a bind when i need to hear healthy voices when i need strong shoulders to lean on when i need people to give me godly counsel they are not for me they are against me these are the bible is very clear not everybody is your friend not everyone is for you not everyone is your cheerleader not everyone is rooting for you sometimes yes they smile in your face they tell you what you think you want to hear but as soon as you turn your back they are malicious they are backbiting they are divisive the bible is very clear about a divisive person and about what will happen to them not everybody is for you but when i lean into discernment of the holy spirit he will lead me in being aware of who are the right people that he's planted in my life.
[16:54:23]
Holy spirit often prompts us to do certain things like praying for a neighbor or being there like some a lot of you will get like text random texts from me like hey just and i've got people that that do that for me they just send me a random text like "just thinking about you." and they'll pray for me or i'll send them uh if it's a couple "hey just thinking about you too i sure do love you guys i appreciate you." why why because holy spirit just puts you on my heart i i don't have an agenda i don't i'm not just hey i'm just driving down the road and because you're not supposed to text and drive i pull my vehicle off to the shoulder of the road just like you do looking at me with your judgmental eyes i know some of y'all i use my hands-free siri text so and so right why because the holy spirit is prompting me i don't know why but i just want to follow or maybe it is the spirit of indigestion who cares i just want to be a blessing in that moment to let you know i love you.
[18:35:21]
Like jesus never guaranteed that life would be easy he rather reassured us that we would find struggle in the world and oftentimes he uses pain to speak to us why because pain produces awareness of god's nearness sometimes sometimes what i need to be aware of is my proximity to him watch so i can lean in in the middle of my struggle in the middle of my hurt in the middle of my despair in the middle of my pain and lean into my heavenly father and let him talk to me about what he's wanting to do in my life and do through my life.
[20:30:52]
This is these are god's love languages this is how he speaks to us watch because he deeply loves us he speaks to us because because he wants to be near to us and sometimes you've we've heard this he whispers so that we lean in and he whispers so that we get closer the whole point of listening to god is to grow in intimacy with him amen.
[21:19:16]
We have to realize that satan mimics and counterfeits everything that god created so there is of a necessity that we discern the true the voice of the true shepherd john is uh in john 10 jesus says "my sheep hear and know my voice." we we have as his sons and daughters the availability to hear and and distinguish between his voice and not the voice of another this is why we have to study the word so we don't get caught up in false teaching and in just inspirational motivational quips and quotes but really aren't sound doctrinally this is why we have to pray for uh pray for discernment but spend time with god and this is why we have to trust and obey so that we know and learn his voice.
[29:21:40]
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