Some Ways To Hear From God
To learn to listen, we must guard against over-activity, regularly listen, and try to frequently be aware of His loving presence. Reading books on contemplative prayer or ‘listening prayer’ is very helpful. We would do well to live in the moment and pay attention to whether the voice we are hearing is harsh and threatening or kind and firm. In hearing God’s voice (or what we think is His voice through our conscience), do we experience a sense of calm and peace or a feeling of anxiety (see Isa 26:3)?
Experimenting is important as well. If we believe the Lord has spoken to us, we should generally risk being wrong as long as what is asked is not contrary to God’s revelation in Scripture and would not be disastrous or deeply hurtful to another if we are wrong. It is through trial-and-error that even the apostle Paul better learned the Lord’s voice (Acts 16:6-8, Wuest).
Additionally, it can be valuable to have a spiritual mentor, director, or close and spiritually mature friend (Prov 13:20). They help us learn to be led by the Spirit so we can be more like Jesus, who was not led to purpose-directed activities in general but to specific activities (Jn 5:1-9 with verse 19). Hence, such individuals assist us to become increasingly aware of what God is saying to us right now about our various choices.
We are to be good stewards of the children God may give us.