So, last time we were looking at ways in which God can speak to us through our senses; eyes, ears, mouth, nose and mind.
How have you been doing with this? Are you starting to understand how God speaks uniquely to you and that he speaks through your personality too?
Once you begin to realise that you are hearing from Him, what do you do next?
There are 3 simple steps to follow when hearing from God;
- Observation-What did I see, hear or feel?
- Interpretation-What do I think it means?
- Application-What should I do?
Applying these three stages and testing that what you heard is in line with Gods word is crucial. When you hear from God it should always be in line with scripture and Gods personality and will encourage and bring hope to the receiver. It’s also important to talk through what you feel God is saying with other believers as it can help as a confirmation or correction.
Getting around other people who hear clearly from God is so helpful, especially when you are starting out on this journey of hearing God. You may have heard the word ‘prophetic’ used in relation to people who hear from God and it is mentioned liberally throughout the bible.
Being prophetic is like being ‘God’s mouthpiece’ and communicating what God wants the person in front of you to know. It is his now word into someone’s life, and the heart of the prophetic is to encourage and build someone up.
Prophetic words are generally accompanied with God’s compassion and they truly capture God’s heart for the person. In that moment the person receiving the word feels truly connected to the Father and it draws them closer to Him and makes them feel known by Him.
2 Peter 1.19 says: “…and we have something more sure – the prophetic word to which you will do well to pay attention, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts – knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation – for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke as oracles from God.”
If you want to grow in hearing from God find someone with this ‘prophetic’ gift who can mentor you and help you to grow in confidence and courage. Having a mentor is like having a safety net where you can practise without fear of failure. Even if you get it wrong, as long as the person you are giving the ‘word’ to is encouraged and left feeling they have hope, then don’t worry.
Always ask people to weigh up whether they feel the word is for them and if not to disregard it. Know that God is celebrating your obedience in stepping out and leave the outcome to Him.
Remember prophecy is about encouraging, strengthening or comforting others and the main purpose is to build up the church.
1 Cor 14:3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
Just to encourage you I want to share a story of stepping out in the prophetic…
I was in a restaurant and asked God to give me a word for someone. My waiter came over and he had a large tattoo of what I thought might be Koi Carp. I felt God talk to me about his tattoo and say that the Koi Carp are highly prized and of great value and that He wanted me to tell the waiter that is how God saw him. I sat and thought about it and felt nervous and said to God “if he comes back over I will share the word with him”.
Koi Carp
As you can probably guess the waiter came back over so I plucked up the courage to ask Him about his tattoo and he explained they were Koi Carp and that he had been involved in a serious accident and the tattoo had a deep meaning for him!
I explained that I was a Christian and practising hearing God’s voice for people and proceeded to tell him what God had said. Bear in mind this was all in the middle of a busy restaurant and the waiter was very busy. He was very touched by the word of encouragement and I felt God was celebrating my obedience at sharing His love for the waiter.
By the way I did cry as I gave the word so don’t worry about showing emotion or compassion because that is from God too!
So what’s stopping you? Get out there and give it a go and remember we all have to start somewhere.
6 comments
Awww that was so sweet thank you so much for this article! I also read somewhere that people with the gift of mercy hear God with the heart .. Could you explain what that means? I’m a mercy that’s my dominant gift many people have confirmed it and I’ve confidently accepted it although it was hard at first and now I’m learning to develop it .. I also have another question … I read somewhere it said that people with this gift take a lot of time to heal from emotional wounds yet theyre very forgiving … How does that work?
Hi Olu,
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Some good questions and I would say if you have the Mercy gifting it means you feel things strongly in your heart and people with this gift are said to have the heart of God whilst people with the gift of the Prophetic have the mind of God, if that makes sense. So when you are reacting to situations it’s because it’s like God is deeply connected to you through your heart and you feel how he feels for people. It’s a truly wonderful gift and a blessing to the world around you. I guess when you’re this open hearted you could potentialy get hurt easily because your heart is so tender. But on the other hand people with a tender heart are probably quicker to forgive because carrying unforgiveness inside would harden your heart and limit the gifting. I hope this helps answer your questions.
Ohhhh that makes a lot more sense and that cleared up a lot of questions I had☺ Thanl you so much ❤️ I just don’t know how this to bring glory to God and I’m going to admit ive been having a tough time really praying and focusing on God 🙈….so does that mean asa word of knowledge I would get sympathetic pains because of the mercy gift … I do get sympathetic pains when people tell me about their pain … like when I was a little younger and I was being educated on pregnancy and the menstrual cycle I would physically feel a little naseous especially when they talked about pains or cramps … or if someone tells me
Their stomach hurts I get tingling in that area ..something like that
I personally think when you have the Mercy gift you feel things strongly but also you can have sympathy pains as a word of knowledge for healing. There is a post that I have written about this gift-word of knowledge. This may help answer some of your questions.
Sx
I really liked reading this post! It’s encouraged me to be much more courageous and obedient to God when he is telling me to talk to certain people. Thank you !!
That is so good to hear that you felt encouraged Daniella, that is why I write. I pray that you would start to hear God more clearly and for a new level of courage that will move you into action. Just 20 seconds of outrageous courage can bring about amazing things.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and encourage me.
Sarah xx