www.unsplash.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>If you want to begin listening to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide your steps but you\u2019re not sure how to begin, here are seven tips to help you start listening to the Holy Spirit:<\/p>\n
1. Spend time with God through Bible study and prayer.<\/strong><\/p>\nGod has already spoken through His Word. The more time you spend with God through reading His Word and through prayer, the more familiar you\u2019ll become with His voice. This is important because God will never tell you to do anything that contradicts His written Word. The more time you spend time with God, the\u00a0more familiar you will become with His voice.<\/p>\n
2. Memorize Scripture.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Bible is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). It will change you, transform you, make you more receptive to hear God\u2019s voice. It\u2019s not enough to simply read the Word. You need to begin to let it saturate your heart and your mind. Many times the Holy Spirit will use the Word to guide you. This becomes so much easier if you actually have the Word in your heart.<\/p>\n
3. Cultivate a posture of listening in prayer.<\/strong><\/p>\nDon\u2019t just run into prayer with your checklist in hand and pray, \u201cDear God, please help me here, bless this, bless that, protect them, help me have a good day. Amen.\u201d Spend time listening. You may not hear anything, but it\u2019s important to remember that prayer is designed as a dialogue with God, not a monologue.<\/p>\n
4. Get still.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nLook at the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 and you\u2019ll see that God chose to speak to Elijah through a gentle whisper. God often chooses to speak through a still, small voice, not because He isn\u2019t powerful enough to shout, but because He wants us to remove all the white noise and distractions from our lives and focus on Him. Find a time and a place to get quiet before God everyday. Get still, and you\u2019ll be in a great position to hear God\u2019s gentle whisper.<\/p>\n
5. Practice discernment.<\/strong><\/p>\nPractice makes perfect. Parents practice discernment every day with their young kids. It\u2019s how they can tell when their child is \u2018fake crying\u2019 or \u2018real crying.\u2019 In the same way, we\u2019ve been given a spirit of discernment that God wants us to use to help distinguish between God\u2019s voice, the enemy, and our own thoughts. It takes discernment, and the only way to figure it out is to start practicing.<\/p>\n
6. Seek wise counsel.<\/strong><\/p>\nGod doesn\u2019t speak exclusively to you. He also speaks to those around you. The book of Proverbs talks a lot about the necessity of seeking wise counsel. When the Holy Spirit speaks to you, seek someone out (a spouse, a mentor, a parent) and get their input. Say something like, \u201cI think the Holy Spirit is telling me to do this, am I crazy?\u201d God many times affirms through the wise counsel of those around you.<\/p>\n
7. Do the last thing you know God told you to do.<\/strong><\/p>\nContinued revelation is tied to obedience. If you look in the book of Acts (the story of the early church), the Holy Spirit is all over the place. In fact, I would argue He\u2019s the main character (the word \u201cspirit\u201d appears in the book of Acts 67 different times). The reason the Spirit is still leading and\u00a0guiding the church in Acts 20 is because the church obeyed the Spirit when He led back in Acts 1-4. If God hasn\u2019t spoken to you in years, perhaps it\u2019s because you didn\u2019t obey the last thing God told you to do, waiting for another option. When the Spirit speaks, it\u2019s not meant as a suggestion, but as a command. If you want the Holy Spirit to continue to speak to you, obey Him when He does speak.<\/p>\n
QUESTION:\u00a0What other tips do you have for listening to the Holy Spirit?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you want to begin listening to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide your steps but you’re not sure how to begin, here are seven tips to help you start listening to the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2490,"featured_media":4128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8],"tags":[577,660,847],"class_list":["post-4127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mtvpastor","category-truthfromlife","tag-god","tag-holy-spirit","tag-listen"],"yoast_head":"\n
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