God uses his people in many ways. One of the ways he calls people to obedience is by speaking to them. Although some people in the Bible heard him audibly, if we believe we are hearing God's voice (whether inaudibly or audibly), it’s important that we take the leap of faith and complete the task.
But Hebrews 3:15 has a different command: “As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”’
A hardened heart is one of the things God can't change. God granted us free will. Therefore, we can do what we want through the power of choice.
However, if we want to live lives that are honoring to God, we need to step out in obedience when we hear his voice and obey what the Father is asking us to do. But in this passage, their hearts became hardened, and they were not obedient to what God was calling them.
But refusing to obey is nothing new. The Israelites (who spent 40 years in the wilderness) chose not to listen to Moses. They grumbled and complained not only when God provided manna for their daily food.
They also complained when they saw the armies surrounding them and were afraid they would die. The Israelites’ hearts became hardened toward God because they didn't believe he was doing things for their good.
God chose to test the Israelites during that 40-year period to see if they loved him with all their heart and soul or if they were simply going through the motions. Many times, Moses had to rebuke their complaints and tell them to stand firm and obey God's voice.
Christians can easily become complacent in their faith and allow complaining and arguing into their daily lives.
If they are not being held accountable by someone who can give them wise counsel, it is easy to grow roots of bitterness and resentment in their hearts if they're not careful.
When they do hear God’s voice, they often ignore it or dismiss it, causing hearts to fill with bitterness and resentment.
It may be difficult to discern whether it is God’s voice speaking to you or merely something that you have in your heart. But the more we act in obedience to what we believe we're hearing from God, the more God will speak.
God speaks to us in many ways: the Word of God, prophetic dreams and visions, a sense or a “gut feeling,” images or words that we see in our mind’s eye.
However, it is hard to discern whether or not it's from God or ourselves. We must step out in obedience and obey the voice of God. But we must first make sure our hearts don't get hardened, and we become dismissive before we hear from him.
First, seek the help of a mature Christian in the faith. It can be someone from your local church body, a friend, a relative or someone else. Be sure this person does not only read the Bible regularly but also studies it.
When we study the Word, we understand better the audience to whom it was written and the deeper meaning behind the words. A person who does this regularly will be able to figure out in their wisdom what God is saying and how they can best be obedient to it.
Second, take it to prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you regarding what you believe you have heard. Ask the Spirit to help you discern whether it is from you or from God. Ask God to confirm what you believe you were hearing.
Ask the person with wise counsel to help brainstorm action steps to complete the task. Even better, ask that person to join you in completing that task. Therefore, both of you can receive special opportunities to obey God and hear his voice.
Third, test it against Scripture. If it contradicts the Word of God, it's not from God. Sometimes God's voice can be confusing. It's difficult to understand what God is saying if we have not practiced it regularly.
Reading the Word in regular intervals and praying will help sharpen your skills to be able to hear God's voice more prominently in your life.
As you obey, you will find you get more and more opportunities to serve him. If you constantly dismiss remove what God is saying, it is unlikely he will talk to you again.
Fourth, act on it. It is one thing to simply hear what God is saying. It is quite another to act on it. Sometimes God calls us to difficult situations, requiring us to take a big leap of faith. Even if we mess up, God will be faithful to help guide us through the situation and use it for his glory.
This will be a thrilling time not only for you as you discern God's will but also enjoy a deeper, more intimate relationship with God as a result. Many people want a deep relationship with God.
However, not everyone is willing to pay the price for it. When we obey God's voice, he may call us to give up or lose things or sacrifice our lives like what he did for us on the cross.
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Christians are not strangers to hardship. But in order to obey what God is saying, we must take up our cross and follow him, no matter how hard it gets.
Fifth, enjoy the fruits of your labor. However, we may never see fully everything that God has called us to do and how we changed the world as a result. There are times when God gives us a glimpse of the ways in which he is moving.
For example, God may call us to quit our old job and find a new one because he has someone there whom he wants us to influence. Being obedient to that with such a high cost can be difficult for people.
The people who choose to trust in God and his daily provision benefit greatly from watching a person go from having no interest in God to having questions about him.
Simply being a servant and showing people the hands and feet of Christ is enough for God's glory to be done. The Lord decides what the results are; he only asks we be obedient to what he's calling us to.
Hearing God's voice is a choice. Many people in the Bible chose to be faithful to God's voice, and God blessed them abundantly. The people who ignored God's message missed out on seeing the work they could have done in advancing the Kingdom.
We can either choose to dismiss and let our hearts get hardened, or we can choose to be obedient and allow God's glory to be shown to all the people with whom we come in contact.
Then when we choose to hear God's voice, the more plainly he'll make it so that it will be easier for us to discern.
For further reading:
Why Does God Speak in a Still Small Voice?
Can We Hear God’s Voice Through Scripture?
How Can We Discern God’s Voice from Our Own?
What Does Jesus Mean ‘My Sheep Know My Voice’?
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