How To Hear God’s Voice For Your Purpose In Life
Have you ever wondered what God wants you to do with your life? I certainly did.
For so long, I lived a good life. I had a beautiful home, a thriving business, a great daughter; life couldn’t have been better.
…Or so I kept telling myself.
To Be Completely Candid…
I was thankful for all that God had done for me, but I felt so ungrateful. I believed His promise of a bright future, but I struggled to see the possibilities.
This constant torment eventually brought me face down in the middle of a gym floor on my honeymoon.
If her life was so perfect, why was she on knees in the middle of the gym floor on her honeymoon with tears streaming down her face? #CandidlyChristian Click To TweetThe morning started out like every other. I grabbed my hot pink iPod and began my workout. The first song on my playlist was lively and its beat got me going. Then the words came into focus.
Pack my bags and my regrets
Every moment that I’ve wasted chasing after
My pursuit of happiness
Has only left me searching, there must be more
My run slowed to a walk as I listened carefully to this vocalist summarize the cry of my heart in a few short minutes.
Take my life and lift me up to the skies
Take my dreams and help me to fly
On the wings of possibility
Come rewrite my history
Till it’s only you I’m chasing after
Take this life and make it matter.
By this point I was on the floor sobbing. Here was the cry of my heart, streaming out of my earbuds!
I knew then what I had been unable to acknowledge or express: I wanted my life to matter. I was done living for the superficial things. I wanted to live for God and serve His purpose for my life.
Maybe you too have the same ache. Many women I work with report feeling stuck and lost in life. They desperately want to hear God’s voice, but feel all they get is radio silence.
God is not playing hard to get, but He does want you to seek Him. (Proverbs 25:2)
The Voices Inside Of You
God’s voice can be difficult to detect sometimes because it speaks so quietly that you can easily miss it. In fact, there are three voices that you can hear at any given moment. Learn to decipher those voices and you’ll be well on your way to tuning into God’s voice.
- The peaceful voice. God’s voice speaks with peace and confidence. Even if it’s something you don’t want to hear, you have peace in knowing it’s the right thing to do. God’s voice always lines up with His Word.
- The confusing voice. Satan is the author of confusion. You can recognize this by the torment, guilt, and constant vacillation it brings. He knows that if he can keep you trapped in confusion, you will not fulfill your God-given purpose.
- The critical/entitled voice. The voices of others can be powerful, and can dictate your behavior often leading to limited potential and/or entitlement, both of which keep you stuck.
So now that you difference between the voices, here are three steps you can begin to take to hear God’s voice for your purpose.
How To Hear God’s Voice In 3 Easy Steps
Step 1.) Identify The Voice You Most Often Listen To
I’m terrible with directions. Seriously, spin me around three times and I will completely lose my bearings, so I’ve learned not to trust my instincts when it comes to directions. If you are the type to always listen to the confusing or critical voice, then recognize that and don’t trust it. Awareness is an amazing change agent.
Step 2.) Take The Next Step
Believe me, God is speaking to you. But it’s not often in the detailed way we desire. God won’t reveal the big picture, especially if you’re stubbornly refusing to take the step He’s already laid out. Just take a step, even if it’s the wrong one. If you do it in faith, God will honor it—even if he has to course-correct you.
Step 3.) Name Your ‘But’
When God does speak, He often brings more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). It’s so big sometimes that we find it hard to believe. That’s inevitably when the biggest faith-killer of them all comes pouring out of our mouth: But. If God told you to go back to school and you got excited for a moment before you followed it up with, “But I don’t have money or time,” you just squashed the very voice you were longing to hear. If there’s something you truly desire, He’ll make a way. God is bigger than your ‘but.’
Do You Know God’s Purpose For Your Life?
Just like people in the Bible, you have been created for a very unique purpose.
Want to know which Bible character resembles how you approach your purpose?
Take our FREE Quiz to see which Bible character you are. https://krisreece.com/DiscoverYourPurpose
If you want more on how to hear from God to discover His purpose for your life, I want to invite you to check out my new book, Make it Matter – A Roadmap to Living a Life of Purpose.
In it, you will discover your purpose, develop your gifts and design the life you’ve always wanted.
Many blessings on your journey, my friend.
Kris
About the Author
Kris Reece is a Christian Life Coach, Counselor, Author and practical Bible Teacher. Her passion is in helping women who feel stuck in life a plan to discover their purpose, defeat their devils and become everything God created them to be.
Interesting that you post about hearing God’s voice when I have been praying to hear God’s voice more! I do hear His voice occasionally, and I think I listen for it as much as I can, but I so want to hear Him all the time! I do have a hard time when I hear Him telling me to do something, but I am afraid to take that step of trust, but I am praying to trust Him more everyday. God Bless you!
Thank you for sharing Janene. You’re right, hearing from God is one thing, trusting him is another! I’ve learned that God will not continue to speak on something if we don’t fo.low his last marching orders. I pray your faith grows in leaps and bounds and He has amazing plans for you. Blessings! Kris
Thanks so much for this post, Kris! Like Janene, hearing from God has been on my mind lately. God must be speaking!
You’re right Jaime, God IS speaking! Thanks for joining us! Many blessings to you.
I too want to be sure that I am hearing HIs voice clearly all the time – every day. I pray about my day during my quiet time in the morning and that helps me to embrace interruptions that he allows in my day. Hearing His voice is paramount. Thanks for sharing. Blessings, Amy
What a beautiful post! I remember being told – years ago – that I wasn’t hearing God because I had too many Buts. I wanted God’s way but… I longed for God to speak But… It wasn’t until I said “God whatever You say I’ll do. Period”. That things changed.
Sounds like you’re in a great place Amy. Quiet time is so important to hear His voice. Blessings to you!
Thank you Tiffany. Well said “God, whatever you say I’ll do”
Hard place to get to but so rewarding when we do. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad you addressed the “voice of confusion.” We can often feel directionless or that God is throwing too many things at us when, I’m actuality, satan is the orchestrator of mass confusion. Thank you for reminding us all that God still speaks today.
You’re so right Erin. We often feel like God isn’t speaking but it’s the voice of confusion (the enemy) trying to muddle the message. Thanks for sharing!
Love these practical tips on hearing God’s voice. So good!
Thank you for joining us Nicki!
This is such a great topic. I’ve been a Christian for my entire life, and I still struggle with knowing God’s will in the big decisions. Even when I think I’ve got it right and step out in faith, things can seem to be going so rough I doubt myself. This article is very helpful with the practical ways you suggest determining when God is speaking to us. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing Nicole. You’re right, it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been walking with the Lord, we can still fall into the doubt trap. Blessings!