Listening to God: Why it’s Important and How to Know its Him

Lately, I’ve been trying to listen to God more. Listening to God is not always easy. But it is important. Perhaps, you are where I am now, at a place where you want guidance and direction, but listening to God is a struggle. Perhaps, you need to remember, like I did, why listening to God is important.

It is important to listen to God because God is the source of all life and blessing. As such, God is able to provide blessing, guidance, and community to those who listen to Him. Listening to God helps believers grow spiritually in faith and love toward God.

Remembering the importance of listening to God has lots of implications. So, let’s discover what those beneficial implications are as we remember the importance of listening to God.

Listening to God is Important For Life

First and foremost listening to God is important for life because God is the source of all life. God creates and sustains our very existence. So, if we want to live it would be wise to listen to God. Check out these verses that discuss how God is the source of all life:

• Genesis 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
• Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
• Psalm 36:9: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
• Psalm 100:3: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
• Ezekiel 33:11: “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’”
• John 4:13-14: “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
• John 5:26: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”
• John 6:63: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”
• John 14:6: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
• Colossians 3:4: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
• 1 John 5:11-12: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.’

These verses make amply clear that God is life. True life is found in a relationship with God. There is no such thing as true life apart from God. If true life is found in a relationship with God, then how do we have a relationship with Him?

Well, the Bible makes clear that sinfulness and wrongdoing lead to death. And that’s where we are. But the good news is that God does not want to see us die. He loves us and wants us to live. So, He sent Jesus to Earth, to die on the cross, to die for our sins. So that we don’t have to die for our own.

Jesus died in our place, was buried, and three days later, rose again. So that if we turn from our wrongdoing and turn to Jesus, then we will have eternal life. Life, life abundantly (John 10:10).

So, we see that listening to God leads to life. Life in every way richer than if we choose not to listen to God. Listening to God is essential to both our spiritual life and physical life. This brings us to the next reason why it is important to listen to God.

Listening to God Leads to Experiencing Blessing

Listening to God will lead to experiencing His blessing. God is good. As such, He wants good things for us. God is not shy about sharing His riches, blessings, and even glory with others. Check out this verse from Ephesians,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

Did you catch that? Believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Every single one.

Often times when we think of blessing, we think of physical blessing and prosperity. And it is Biblical to say that God blesses people with material wealth. However, it is not Biblical to material wealth is a sign of spiritual health.

Throughout the Old Testament, especially in the first five books, we see God encourage and challenge His people to follow Him, to listen to His voice and obey Him. He promises that if they do so, then the land would be bountiful and they would have everything they need.

In the New Testament, James writes, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).” Therefore, every good thing we have, whether it’s a lot or a little, is a blessing and gift from God above.

So, we see a connection between blessing and listening to God’s voice. Those who listen to God’s voice are eligible to experience God’s blessing. As Christians, we have every spiritual blessing already set aside for us in heaven. Therefore, it is important that we listen to God’s voice.

Listening to God Provides Guidance

True guidance and wisdom in life can be hard to find. Everyone has their own opinions and motives for what advice they offer. But listening to God provides guidance in every area of life, including our spiritual well-being, our moral outlook, and our purpose in life.

Spiritual Guidance and Purpose

Listening to God is important for providing guidance in our lives. It is through prayer and listening to God, both in meditation and through His word, that God can lead us in life. The Bible gives us this familiar proverb,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

God needs to be the first place we go to seek advice. Understanding, listening to, and discerning God’s voice makes it easier to recognize the more often we do it. We become familiar with how He speaks to us and the advice He offers.

Do you want to know what God’s voice sounds like, how to listen for it, and how to know it’s Him? Then check out this article. It will help you get to the heart of God’s voice.

For example, I remember when I was looking at colleges, I swore not to go out of state or stay in a dorm. I ended up looking at two colleges. One local and the other out of state. When I was visiting the one out of state, God spoke to me.

We were going up the stairs of the academic building and I turned around to look out at the courtyard. When I did, this thought came out of nowhere into my mind, “You’ll be here again.” I knew it was from God and I knew from that moment, that that was where I was going to go to school.

Because I was listening for God’s voice I was able to receive guidance from God at a time when I needed it. That’s why it is important that we are listening for God to speak.

Moral and Ethical Framework

Not only does God’s voice provide spiritual guidance when we need it, but it also helps us build a moral and ethical framework. God is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. As such, He created and sustains the moral and ethical fiber of life.

It is God gets to decide what is right and what is wrong. It is God who establishes justice and righteousness. That is a part of His character. If you want to know more about God’s character, then this post is for you.

The point is: because God establishes right from wrong, then listening to His voice is the best way we can know right from wrong. By listening to God’s voice we grow in Christlikeness. We come to have the same character traits and mindset of God. We become holy because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).

This naturally leads us into the next reason why it is important to listen when God speaks.

Listening to God Helps Us Grow Spiritually

Listening to God’s voice helps us grow spiritually. In fact, it’s vital. We cannot be transformed without listening to God. Spiritual growth happens when we willingly submit to and obey the Holy Spirit working in our lives. This requires listening to God’s voice.

George Barna did a study that revealed how God transforms lives today. But he concluded his research by saying,

“An individual cannot transform himself, nor can a church transform a person. That work can only be done by God, through the empowerment and direction of the Holy Spirit. But God is eager to partner with those who will cooperate with Him.

Understanding what God seeks to do in our lives is a critical step toward not becoming seduced and sidetracked by mere religious activity. The richness of the journey is found in the experience of progressing through the challenges of the process in the company of God.”

Maximum Faith, Live Like Jesus by George Barna

The Bible supports Barna’s findings. Paul writes to the Churches in Corinth,

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

God causes the spiritual growth in our lives. So, when we listen to God’s voice and cooperate with Him, then God is able and will transform our lives as we grow spiritually.

Listening to God Fosters Community

Lastly, listening to God is important because it fosters community. The Bible makes it clear that we aren’t made to exist as solo individual islands all alone. Rather, we are made for community and relationship, both with God and with others.

Community and Fellowship

Listening to God’s voice builds a relationship with Him, our Creator and Sustainer. It also brings the body of Christ together as one.

Listening to God requires spending time with Him through prayer, Bible study, and silence and solitude. As such, our fellowship with God grows stronger. It’s just like spending time with your friends. The more time you all spend together the closer you become.

Listening to God also brings the church together. Throughout the New Testament the church is called to love one another and encourage one another. Coming together to worship God and listen to His Word being preached fosters a sense of community that makes loving and encouraging one another natural.

Comfort and Support

Similarly, listening to God’s voice fosters comfort and support, especially in times of grief or personal struggle. Life is hard. The Bible doesn’t shy away from that. John 16:33 says,

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

This verse can tell us a lot about how listening to God’s voice offers comfort and support. First, Jesus freely admits that life is hard. Second, He says that listening to Him (“I have told you these things…”) brings peace and comfort (“you will have peace…take heart”).

We also see that our peace and comfort rests in the work of Jesus on the cross. So, now, as we come together in churches we can see how we can comfort and support one another in hard times, times of personal struggle, doubt, grief, with reminders of the gospel.

What Does it Mean to Listen to God?

Now that we’ve remembered the importance of listening to God and its implications, let’s take a moment to ponder what it means to listen to God in the first place.

Listening to God means more than just hearing what He has to say and doing what we want with it. It means that hear what God has to say and then do it. Listening to God means we hear and obey.

Check out this great video from the team at Bible Project for a quick look at the word Shema (“hear”) in the Bible.

As you can see listening involves an aspect of obedience. For example, if your boss asks you to do something at work, but you don’t do it, then are you really listening? No. The same is true when we listen to God’s voice. We ought to do what He says.

Are you curious to know how we can be more open to listening to God in every circumstance? Then you should check out this article. It will help you learn how to grow in discernment when listening for God to speak to you.

How To Know When God Speaks

Now that we know the importance of listening to God’s voice and seen what that really means, there is one more thing we need to consider. How do we know it’s really Him? Are we able to discern between out thoughts, God’s voice, and the lies of the devil?

Yes, we can. Here is how we can know when something is from God or not. Something is from God if…

• It aligns with the Bible.
• It aligns with God’s character.
• It glorifies God.
• It resembles the fruit of the Spirit.
• It brings peace, encouragement, or conviction without fear.
• It deepens faith and love for God.
• It encourages perseverance.
• It is confirmable through community or prayer.
• If fosters and promotes holiness.

For a more detailed look at how we can know God speaks, check out this article. It will dive deeper into the points above and reveal how we ought to respond when we hear God’s voice.

Key Takeaways

• Listening to God is vital as He is the source of life, offering a profound and meaningful existence.
• Actively listening to God leads to blessings that encompass spiritual enrichment and a deeper sense of fulfillment.
• God’s guidance provides direction in spiritual, moral, and life matters when we listen to Him through prayer.
• Listening to God helps us grow spiritually by facilitating cooperation with God’s transformative work, resulting in increased Christlikeness via the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Actively listening to God fosters deeper relationships with God and others, offering comfort and support during trials.
• Listening to God extends beyond hearing; it necessitates obedience and a responsive heart, reflecting genuine faith.
• Discerning God’s voice involves alignment with Scripture, His character, and His glory, promoting peace, encouragement, and deeper faith, confirmed through prayer and community.