Pray - Gods voice

As a Christian, you want to share Jesus, but sometimes it’s difficult to know what to say. You don’t want to “preach” at people, ruin the vibe of a conversation or just seem plain weird. So, what should you do?

Let’s face it, it’s easy to get so caught up in a moment that you forget you have a helper to guide you—the Holy Spirit, God Himself! (John 14:26). The secret to knowing how to bring up Jesus in the moment is to work in tandem with Him. He wants to help you, you just have to be willing to listen and respond to what He asks.

At first, listening to the Holy Spirit is a pretty weird concept. How do you know it’s not just your own mind talking, or that the extra shot of coffee you had at lunch time isn’t making you stir crazy? Learning to discern the Holy Spirit’s voice from the noise around you is key to living an effective #LifeOnMission. So let’s set some foundations:

The Holy Spirit is God

To recognise and understand the Holy Spirit’s voice, we need to know who the Holy Spirit is. The Bible says that He is part of the God-head with the Father and Jesus. While He is a mysterious expression of God that we can’t fully understand, He is an active force and wants to guide us, just like He guided so many people in the Bible (Luke 2:27-32, 2 Peter 1:21, Acts 8:29-31). As part of the God-head, the Holy Spirit shares the same character as God and Jesus Himself, so what you hear should always line up with God’s nature—loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind and so on (Galatians 5:22).

The Holy Spirit wants to be pursued

The Bible says that if we seek God, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), and the same is true for the Holy Spirit. Spending time reading the Gospels or studying His character will help you learn to discern His voice—what He would and wouldn’t say (Romans 10:17). The Bible says that God’s word gives peace (Isaiah 32:17, John 14:27, Romans 15:13, Philippians 4:7), so if you hear something that you don’t feel peace about, you should question it. You can also pray that the voice of the Holy Spirit will become clear to you as you spend time with Him (John 10:27)—like being able to pick out a friend’s voice in a room even when you can’t see them.

The Holy Spirit wants you to be “filled” with Him

The Bible tells us to be “filled” with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). In the original Greek language, this is an ongoing and active practice. This may require some mindset shifts, like learning to be thankful to God (Psalm 100:4), repenting and apologising for the wrong things we’ve done (Psalm 66:18), or silencing the negative thoughts the devil places in our minds (James 4:7). Overcoming these mental and emotional barriers can open us up to be more receptive and willing to what He’s asked. If you struggle with this, pray to God—He will help you.

The Holy Spirit wants you to respond

The Bible encourages us to have open hearts when we hear His voice (Hebrews 3:15), and to be “doers of the word”, not just hearers (James 1:22). This requires action—we must learn to respond to the Holy Spirit. Usually, the Holy Spirit will show up as “promptings”—like suddenly recalling a Bible verse, a story or something your pastor once said. Sometimes it’s a strong feeling or urge to talk to someone, or mention a particular topic. God wants you to follow those prompts so He can show up in miraculous ways in your life, and in the lives of others.

If you still feel unsure about hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, rest assured that you have heard Him in the past. Whether you’re aware of it or not, He’s been leading you your whole life, and He’s a big part of the reason you accepted Jesus in the first place. You can do this!

All it takes is being aware during your conversations and interactions with others that the Holy Spirit might be speaking to you. Listen and follow His voice the best you can. You can be confident knowing that He is in control.

KEY POINTS

• If you struggle to know how to share Jesus in the moment, it’s helpful to have the Holy Spirit on your side.
• It can feel weird or even confusing listening to the Holy Spirit—you need to learn to discern His voice.
• To know the Holy Spirit’s voice, it’s helpful to know that He is God, He wants to be pursued, He wants to fill you, and He wants you to respond. These four aspects are key to living an effective #LifeOnMission with the Holy Spirit.

ACTION POINTS

• Recognising that He is God and reading about Him in the Bible.
• Pray that His voice will become louder and clearer to you.
• Learning to overcome mental barriers—like selfishness, negativity or sins we struggle with.
• Taking a leap of faith and responding to His promptings.