We are now a couple of weeks into 2025 and people are nervous and anxious regardless of their race, gender, political stance or religious beliefs, not just here in America but around the world. There’s more out of control than we control. Our faith is challenged on all sides by those we know and those we don’t. Some of us may face financial difficulties, family strife, employment uncertainty or illness that seems to worsen no matter how we pray. I submit that your situation is not unknown to the Lord, for I can assure you that He knows all about it. If it seems like you’ve prayed with little to show for it, you’ve given up and somehow stopped trusting Him fully in your heart. If you’ve lost the hunger and thirst for righteousness and drifted to the dangerous point of not being able to discern His voice from your own emotions, then this message is for you in getting back that hunger and thirst for righteousness you once had.
Five Truths
Envision living with the peace and confidence from knowing God is speaking to you. No more wondering, “Are these my thoughts, my emotions, or is this God?” It's time to turn up the volume on God's voice and turn down the noise of the world. Hearing God isn't just for elite Christians, it's for all of us. Jesus said in John 10: 27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” His voice is already part of your relationship with Him if you are His sheep. The challenge isn't whether God is speaking. Learning to listen clearly to the Holy Spirit is your most significant advantage in life. He sees what you can't see such as the future of people's hearts and even hidden obstacles. He communicates to you daily, guiding your steps so you can reflect on Jesus in every area of your life. Someone once told me that the voice of God is friendly. No one needs to fear to listen to it unless you have already decided to resist it. So here are five principles that can help you to begin hearing His voice confidently every day in this new year. These principles make it easier to hear God.
First, always be thankful. Gratitude is foundational when hearing God. You may wonder how does being grateful help me listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit better? Gratitude is a unique way of clearing out the clutter in our minds, specifically the noise of jealousy and ambition. These voices can lead us astray, driving us to chase after things that may not be God's best for us. Gratitude quiets those voices and aligns us with God's Spirit. When we focus on what we don't have or compare our lives to others, we fill our minds with distractions, making it harder to discern God's voice. Ungodly ambition and jealousy can push us to act on emotions or desires that weren't born from the Holy Spirit. But when we practice gratitude, we position ourselves to hear God more clearly. Gratitude lowers the volume of what we lack and raises the volume of God's sufficiency. Think about this: the Holy Spirit leads, He doesn't push. Jealousy and ambition are pushy, creating a sense of urgency and fear that doesn't come from God. Gratitude brings peace. And with peace comes clarity.
The Bible reminds us of this in Hebrews 13: 5: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Be satisfied with what you have, for God has said, He will never fail you and will never abandon you. Gratitude is an act of faith, a declaration that we trust God's provision and timing. It shifts our focus from what we need to what God has already given us. Psalm 100: 4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Gratitude is how we enter God's presence. We become more attuned to His voice when we approach Him with a thankful heart. Far too many believers delay their gratitude by saying, “I'll be grateful when I get the job, when I'm debt-free, when I'm married or when I achieve my goals.” But gratitude isn't about waiting for everything to be perfect. It's about choosing to thank God in the middle of the process. It's in gratitude that we find rest and confidence, which are two things that are essential for hearing God's voice.
Please consider this truth: If you're waiting for an ideal circumstance to be thankful, you'll never find it. But if you practice gratitude now, you'll notice how much peace it brings. Gratitude declutters your mind and creates the stillness needed to hear God's voice. Gratitude brings rest. Gratitude brings confidence and confidence allows you to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit without the noise of jealousy and ambition cluttering your mind. Too many Christians put off joy and thankfulness, waiting for some distant achievement to eventually experience peace. But we as believers should be thankful NOW! When we practice gratitude, we can live in peace, hear God now and follow His voice with clarity and confidence.
Secondly, always forgive. Forgiveness is one of the most powerful practices we as believers can embrace, yet it's often one of the hardest to apply. Jesus commands us to forgive in Mark 11: 25. "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any : that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Forgiveness is not optional for those who want to hear God. Unforgiveness blocks the flow of divine forgiveness and disrupts our connection with God. It's not that the Holy Spirit leaves us immediately when we harbor unforgiveness, rather it’s us leaving Him. Our flesh hinders our ability to sense His presence and hear His voice as it becomes clouded and progressively begins to dim. “…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5: 16) Think of it like having a bank account full of money but losing your debit card. The account is still there, but you can't access it.
Unforgiveness hardens the heart, clutters the mind and distorts your perception. People who hold on to grudges often become bitter, easily offended and trapped in a cycle of replaying past hurts. This constant focus on wrongs done to them creates noise in their minds, drowning out the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. It was explained to me that this way of being a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in me. This truth is humbling. When we realize how much God has forgiven us, it becomes clear that we have no right to withhold forgiveness from others. Forgiveness isn't about excusing someone's behavior or pretending that the hurt didn't happen. It's about releasing the offense to God. Imagine if Jesus forgave us the way we often forgive others saying, “I forgive you, but I'll never forget what you did” or “I forgive you, but I'll hold it against you forever.” Thankfully, Jesus doesn't forgive like that. As it is written, He casts our sins as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. Ephesians 4: 32 commands us to “… be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
The standard for our forgiveness isn't based on what others deserve but on how Jesus forgave us. Culture often glorifies revenge and justifies holding grudges, but we are called to live counter-culturally. Forgiveness frees us from the weight of bitterness and resentment and clears the pathway to hear God's voice. “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12: 1) When you practice forgiveness and forgive faster than someone can even apologize, you release the burden of offense and open your heart to God's peace. Many of us wait for apologies or demand that someone make it right before we forgive, but that's not what God has called us to do. There's no wrong someone can do to you that justifies holding on to unforgiveness. We've been forgiven of a more significant debt by God Himself. When you let go and choose to forgive, you'll find that your heart softens, your mind clears and the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes unmistakably clear.
Thirdly, always trust God to speak! God does not depend solely on our ability to listen. It depends on God's ability to communicate. Consider Jonah the prophet who was running from God, deliberately disobeying Him, yet God still got through to him with a storm and a giant fish. Consider Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul wasn't seeking Jesus, he was persecuting Christians, yet Jesus spoke to him so clearly that Saul couldn't deny His voice. What do these examples teach us? God knows how to get our attention. Even when we are distracted or not actively listening, He can and will speak to us whenever and however He desires.
The pastor said, “We must pray with our eyes on God, not on our difficulties.” This quote reminds us that our focus should be on God, not our fear of missing Him. God is more than capable of reaching you even when you're unsure. Some of us Christians become so paralyzed by the fear of missing God's voice that we overanalyze every prophetic word, every dream, every fleeting thought, creating anxiety instead of peace. But the Holy Spirit doesn't lead through confusion or fear. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…” (1 Corinthians 14: 33) “…God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1: 7) He leads with clarity, peace and persistence, so trust and obey, and you will not miss Him. You cannot miss Him because it depends on Him. Trust not in your ability to hear the Holy Spirit's voice but in the Holy Spirit's ability to get through to you. He's gracious and you are accountable for what you know when He speaks. Seek the voice of God, seek the face of God, seek the presence of God, but don't let the tension of “what if I miss Him” cloud your peace. God knows how to reach you. His voice is persistent and He will guide you so let go of striving to hear Him. Trust Him, walk in peace knowing that His ability to lead you is far greater than your ability to listen. Trusting Him will clear the way for you to hear Him with clarity and confidence in every season of your life.
Fourth, always ground your thoughts. Ground your thoughts by grounding your emotions. By grounding your feelings, you are clearing the clutter of self. Consider this: your thoughts will eventually become feelings and progress into actions. As thoughts become feelings and actions, those thought patterns become a way of processing information. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ...” To destroy false arguments, we must destroy every proud obstacle that keeps us from truly knowing God. We must capture those rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. This passage reminds us that our battle is spiritual and begins in our minds. The strongholds Paul mentions are thought patterns and thinking habits that become barriers to knowing God.
There is an old saying which states, “Your thoughts will become words so watch your words as they will become actions. Watch your actions as they will become habits. Watch your habits as they will become your character. Watch your character or it will become your destiny!" The Apostle Paul gives us a clear blueprint in Philippians 4: 8 where he says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” When you focus on God's truth, you replace the world's clutter with His peace. Colossians 3: 1-2 directs us, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Many of us Christians believe the lie that we cannot control our thoughts. Some of us think we're powerless to stop ungodly or anxious thinking. But we can choose what to think about. We can take authority over our thought life through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8: 5-9 reminds us, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Focusing on God or hearing His voice becomes challenging when our mind is filled with ungodly thoughts. But when our mind is filled with godly thoughts, we can concentrate on Him. We create an open pathway to listen to Him without distraction by grounding our thoughts in His truth. A mind filled with ungodly thoughts struggles to focus on God. A mind filled with godly thoughts is free to hear Him.
Finally, number five. Always prioritize Christian devotions, ground yourself in the Word and ground yourself in the foundation of God speaking to you through the scriptures. In Matthew 4: 2-4 we read, “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungry. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Jesus affirms the truth that we are sustained daily by the Word. Colossians 3: 16 says, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
We need to be in prayer daily. Colossians 4: 2 says to “…continue in prayer and to watch in the same way with thanksgiving.” John 5: 19 says, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Jesus chose to demonstrate reliance upon the Father and had a lifestyle of prayer. Matthew 14: 23, “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone.” In Matthew 6: 5-6 Jesus instructs, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Mark 1: 35 shows another demonstration of Jesus’ prayer life. “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
We have to devote ourselves to the Word and prayer daily. Commit to daily prayer and studying the Word if you are serious about hearing God this year. Don't compromise in this area but apply these different truths of being thankful, forgiving others, trusting God to speak, grounding your thoughts, and being devoted to spiritual disciplines. You will find that in 2025, you will not miss the voice of God. You will not forget your destiny, you are going to walk by faith, you are going to make it and you are going to become who God has predestined you to be. These disciplines will align your heart with His will, clear out the distractions of life, and draw you closer to Him. You don't have to struggle or fear missing the voice of the Holy Spirit. He is faithful to guide you, and if we implement these principles we will walk by faith and fulfill His purpose for us. God's voice is for every believer, not just for a select few. When we trust Him and live in obedience, we'll find peace and assurance that we are walking in His calling.
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