Hearing God’s voice : evaluating some popular teachings on the subject

Abstract

Hearing the voice of God is for many Christians part of their everyday life and undoubtedly biblical. But what exactly do they mean by ‘hearing God’s voice’ and how do they distinguish between God’s voice, their own thoughts or feelings and other voices? To assess whether certain ways in which some claim to be ‘hearing God’s voice’ are scriptural, this paper presents the results of three studies conducted by researchers who have investigated the phenomenon. It then focuses on some of the things Christians are being taught about God’s voice, which are nothing less than confusing and often unbiblical. The third section comprises a response to two widely accepted claims. The first is that God’s voice is a ‘still small voice’ in a Christian’s spirit, or that God’s voice is the voice of Jesus referred to in John 10. The second claim allows for mistakes and inaccuracies when hearing ‘God’s voice’ through prophecy. The paper concludes that Christian leaders should have reason to be greatly concerned about the beliefs of some of their followers. It then offers some suggestions about how spiritual deception can be minimised.