How to Listen to the Small Quiet Voice
There is an unbreakable union between the Word of God and the Spirit of God. The two bear witness with each other as the Father teaches us to follow Him.
Consider this: The first disciples and early believers of Jesus did not have the written Word of God as we have it today. The New Testament (canon of Scripture) did not exist. What was their source of guidance? With Jesus gone, where did their instructions come from?
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes [speaking of the Holy Spirit], He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13a, NASB 1995).
Beloved, the written Word of God is the foundation of our faith. It defines all doctrine, and there is no deviation from it. If we cannot confirm something with the Word, we need to discredit it by rejecting it. Although the written Word of God is complete and unchangeable, it is the Spirit who provides the specific details for each one of our lives, since everyone’s journey is different.
The Holy Spirit speaks to us individually according to the heart and will of Jesus. The Spirit of God can speak to us about the specifics of our lives. It may be about a particular area that the Lord desires us to change, or something new He is training us in. The Father can give us information that bears witness to our spirit through the still small voice of His Spirit. For example: who to marry, what job to take, where to live and many other practical life issues and decisions. So it is very important to have a relationship with the Lord, both through His written Word and His Spirit.
The Spirit of the Father Himself is able to guide us. He is real. He is here. He is now. The Spirit of the Lord is upon the earth revealing Jesus and His will to us. Beloved, our assurance is that the Father and Jesus want to be involved in every aspect of our lives. That is why Jesus said:
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).
A new season arrives.
“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28).
The “after this” that Joel is referring to began the day the Holy Spirit was sent. This same verse was referenced by Peter on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon the new believers. Peter explains to the crowd that had gathered, “But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16).
The Holy Spirit had fallen according to Joel’s prophecy. That is what both Joel predicted and what Peter confirmed. Some of you may have never experienced—to your knowledge—prophecy, dream or visions. This may make you curious and somewhat excited about exploring more.
Some of you already are walking in this, and I hope that God can even further develop you by His Spirit through this teaching. Others of you might even be taking a step back, erecting a wall of resistance, because it is unfamiliar to you. Beloved, I just want you to open your heart to the Word of God, to the Spirit of the Lord. It is God’s intent to lead us by His Spirit (Rom. 8:14).
The Hebrew word for prophecy is naba. It means to bubble up—that there is a bubbling up of the life of God from within us. It is a fresh bubbling up from the Spirit of the Lord that resides in each believer. This bubbling up results in a divine inspiration that is communicative, one that we can speak to somebody else. It is very important to understand when we are addressing prophecy, dreams and visions, many of the experiences we have will not necessarily be dramatic, but instead very subtle promptings. If we are not listening—if we are not paying close attention—we can miss them altogether.
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Years ago, I was meeting with a group of people to pray. Across from me a man was just taking his seat. Right when he was sitting down, I saw, in the most subtle way (I could have easily missed it), a hammer coming down on his head. It was just a picture in my mind, not a great, overwhelming experience. So I said to him, “You know, I just saw a hammer coming down on your head.”
“I just found out today that I am getting sued,” he replied.
The Lord had given me a prophetic word to show this man that He was with him. The Lord wanted him to know that He was going to see him through this trial and everything was going to be all right.
Beloved, the Lord desires to speak to you through prophecy, dreams and visions. The question is, are you paying attention to God’s subtle promptings, to that small quiet voice? I want to encourage you to begin listening and looking for prophetic communications from the Holy Spirit, and then use His words to grow in your walk and to speak life to those in need.
“He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you” (John 16:14).
I pray that this teaching has enriched your life, built you up and blessed you.{eoa}
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Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Together, their passion is to empower families to live and leave kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.
