Maybe you are hooked. Maybe even now you are feeling the tug into the quiet place. Maybe you long to hear Him for yourself. 

In this portion of the series, I will do my best to outline exactly how I was taught to hear from God. 

It is not a magic formula. It is not about “emptying yourself” and any other new age nonsense. 

It is simply a system that helps you get into a posture that tunes into the Spirit. 

I was surrounded by a group of God fearing women when I learned this system. Here is how it was laid out. 

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They began by handing each of us a piece of blank paper. We were instructed to write the words “Dear Daughter…” on the top. 

Then they explained that we would enter a time of quiet, prayer and listening. 

We would be praying for something we wished to hear God’s voice on—could be very specific or open ended. They encouraged us to pray for our voices and minds to be quieted so we could be more open to His still small voice. 

We were told not to rush, that, if it helped, we could visualize sitting with the Father watching His face for a reply, and that His answer may not come in full sentences. His reply could vary. 

It may be a Bible verse brought to mind. 

It may be a song or specific lyric. 

It may be a visual image of some kind. 

It may be one word. 

It might be several sentences.

Or, it could be a combination of any of these. 

So, I gave it a try. I scribbled “Dear Daughter….”on my page and prayed for His help as I had no cluewhat in the world I was doing. 

Can I be honest, I don’t really remember what I heard from the Lord that day. I think it was small, vague and I second guessed it a lot. 

One question raised in the group was…. “How do you know it’s from God and not your own mind?” 

There are several ways you can remove doubt on this specific point. 

First of all—faith. Do you believe that He answers you when you pray to Him? If you asked for Him to help you get out of the way so He could speak to you do you believe that He would? 

Second of all—the Word of God. Does the imagery, lyrics, or words reflect the Scripture? Does it fit within the boundaries the Word of God sets up for us? Does the voice sound like Jehovah? 

I have figured out that we have more confidence in discerning the words of the enemy than we do the words of the Father. 

If you can decipher between lies and truth and push back against the voice of Satan in your mind than surely you can  recognize truth—the voice of the Father—and accept it. 

Again, my experience in that women’s group did not rock my world. To be honest, it was odd, somewhat uncomfortable, and borderline forgettable. 

But, praise God, my mom continually brought me around groups that incorporated a similar practice and I did just that—I practiced. 

Eventually, I learned to quiet my inner voice more. 

Eventually, I learned to focus on being still and entering His throne room while fixating on only abiding—without the need for inner dialogue. 

Eventually, my faith grew. 

Eventually, I heard more. 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 10:27