God is always is speaking but we cannot seem to discern his voice. The chief reason for not hearing him is due to all the other voices in the world clamoring for your attention. Whatever voice you heed will be the point of influence in your life and will determine your decorum and disposition. 1 Corinthians 14:10, 11; "There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me."
There are many voices in the world. The world is a noisy place. Have you ever been in a place where everybody was talking at the same time and you couldn't quite make out what everyone was saying? In that pandemonium, if you were having a private conversation, it would be difficult to hear your counterpart and vice versa due to all the clamor and racket. The point is that as long as there are other voices, it becomes diffcult to hear one voice clearly. Note that Paul says that if I do not discern the voice or language of the person speaking then I will look like a barbarian to the latter and in the same manner since I do not understand the person speaking, he will be like a barbarian to me. What does that mean? The word 'barbararian' here means 'foreigner'. In other words, it will be foreign to you. For many, it is a foreign idea to hear the voice of God. They have never heard him but it is not because he is not speaking. There is too much noise! One of the key to hear the voice of God is to get away from all the noise and voices clamoring for your attention. Shut the noise down!
Now there are outside voices and noises and there are inward voices and noises. It is possible to shut down the outside noises without shutting down the inner voices and noises. A busy and fretful mind
cannot tap into the frequency of the spirit man. God will speak to you in your spirit which will then well up to your mind. But if your mind is too busy then you can't pick up the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your spirit. Get away from the noise. Learn to be still! Now you would think that this would be easy but It's not so simple. You will have to learn to be still. Have you ever been sitting in a place and yet your foot is oscillating? That is how it is with so many even in a quiet place. Their mind is all over the place, thinking about multiple things.
cannot tap into the frequency of the spirit man. God will speak to you in your spirit which will then well up to your mind. But if your mind is too busy then you can't pick up the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your spirit. Get away from the noise. Learn to be still! Now you would think that this would be easy but It's not so simple. You will have to learn to be still. Have you ever been sitting in a place and yet your foot is oscillating? That is how it is with so many even in a quiet place. Their mind is all over the place, thinking about multiple things.Psalm 4:4; "…commune with your heart upon your bed, and be still."
Psalm 23:2; "…He leadeth me beside the still waters."
Psalm 46:10; "Be still and know that I am God.'
Exodus 14:13 "And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day..."
God leads when we are still. God shows us things when we are still. God speaks when we are still. When we hear the voice of God we will not be worried by the noise of circumstances, the noise of the devil or by the noise of men. Once you hear the voice of God, the noise of the enemy will no longer have a say in your life. It is those who have not met with God that are scared by men. Peter began to sink when he chose to heed the noise of the wind and waves rather than the voice of the Master that had beckoned him to come. As long as Peter drowned out the noises of the winds and the waves, he did the impossible and walked on the water. The moment he heeded the noises of the winds and the waves, he began to drown. Drown out all the other noises or they will drown you. That is why, I keep telling you - Shut the noise down! Nothing will give you stability towards your destiny like the voice of God.
Lamentations 3:26; "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."
You may ask, 'How do I shut down the noise?' I know many times in my own life that things can go at some warp speed. Phone calls, emails, deadlines, laptops, projects, children, ministry, work and church. Sometimes I don't know if I am coming or going because things get too hectic. Here are some of things that I do to be still.
1. Enter in my Holy Room. I have a room in my house which is solely dedicated for God. It is not a cluttered room. Clutter and disorder irritates me. It would be more of a distraction if the room was cluttered. I spend a lot of time in this room. Late at night or early in the morning. Nothing goes on in that room except prayer.
2. Worship. I find that worshipping God shuts down other voices - inside and outside. I can do that by my own worship or listen to soft worship music which brings God's presence. Good worship brings God's presence. I love good worship that focuses on the greatness of God. Since I travel extensively and have experienced intense worship that secures the presence of God from different parts of the world, I would play these worship songs and let the presence of God envelope my mind and thoughts.
3. Deliberately take time out and go for a walk. That may not seem as a big deal to you but it is a big deal for me. I would go for a walk with my dog and just pray in the Spirit.
4. Fasting. I have found that to take authority over my flesh and shut it down is enabled as I seek the Lord in fasting. There is something about fasting that shuts down other voices and opens one to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Paul and Barnabas experienced that in Acts 13.
5. Meditate upon the Scriptures. Read the Bible and meditate upon what I have read. Meditation is giving God time to speak to me