If You’ve Never Heard The Holy Spirit Clearly… Here's How

I want to give you my process for how I position myself to more clearly hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. First thing you're going to do, and this isn't going to sound very spiritual, but it's actually deeply spiritual. And that is, number one, you're going to relax. So many times our minds become filled with fears and questions and doubts, and this makes it difficult for us to pay attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit. In fact, some Christians develop what I call religious OCD. And maybe you've experienced something like this, where you get a thought that comes to your mind, and then you obsess over that thought thinking, is this God telling me this? Is the Lord instructing me to do that or say that or go there? And so then we get all worked up with ourselves, we get all worked up emotionally, and in that tension, it's actually pretty difficult to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. Take a look at this in 1 Samuel chapter 3. This is really interesting. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now, in those days, messages from the Lord were very rare and visions were quite uncommon. So people aren't often hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit in these days. Verse 2 says, one night, Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. And that physical ailment was a reflection of a spiritual state. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, Samuel. Yes, Samuel replied, what is it? He got up and ran to Eli. Here I am. Did you call me? I didn't call you, Eli replied. Go back to bed. So he did. So here the prophet Samuel is hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, but he thinks it's Eli's voice. Verse 6 says, then the Lord called out again, Samuel. Again, Samuel got up and went to Eli. Here I am. Did you call me? I didn't call you, my son, Eli said. Go back to bed. Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a 3rd time. And once more, Samuel got up and went to Eli. Here I am. Did you call me? Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, go and lie down again. And if someone calls you again, say, speak, Lord, your servant is listening. So Samuel went back to bed, and the Lord came and called as before, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel replied, speak, your servant is listening. Here we see that Samuel was hearing the voice of the Lord. He was hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, but he did not recognize that he was hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. So here's the takeaway point. God is speaking to you, The Holy Spirit is speaking to you. The issue for Christians, born-again believers, isn't, can I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? The issue is, can I recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit when He speaks? You're already hearing Him in your spirit, but you've got to learn to quiet your mind, your emotions, put away distractions so that you can focus on what the Lord is saying to you. And here's what you can rest in. This is another takeaway point that's really gonna help you. Especially if you're someone like, as I mentioned before, whose mind is constantly worked up, you're wondering, are those my thoughts or is that the voice of the Holy Spirit? Are those my emotions or is that the nudging of the Holy Spirit? And that is this, and you're gonna take great comfort in this. God can get through to you. God knows how to get through to his children. And so when we have faith, we are relaxed. When we live in fear, we have tension. So do away with the fear that produces tension that makes it difficult to pay attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and instead breathe a sigh of relief. Trust in God. Trust not in your ability to hear the Holy Spirit, trust in the Holy Spirit's ability to get through to you. So number 1, you gotta relax. You have to begin in faith. You approach with childlike trust in God. Number 2, You need to read. That is, read the Word, the Scripture. This is the foundation for living. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read, All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. So there's no good work that cannot be done if you're in the Word. The Word of God prepares you for every good work. You wanna operate in your spiritual gifts? The Word of God prepares you. You wanna clearly listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit? The Word of God prepares you. You wanna become more like Jesus? The Word of God prepares you. You wanna find your calling? and clearly see the path ahead for your life that God's laid out for you? You gotta get into the Word. So the Word of God prepares you for every good work, nothing lacking. That's your foundation. In Psalm 119:98-99, we read, your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. The Word of God makes you more familiar with the voice of the Holy Spirit. As you become more familiar with the Word and grow in wisdom, you begin to more easily recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit because the nature of the Word of God is the very same as the nature of the voice of the Holy Spirit. So if you're in the Word daily, you're in the Scripture, you're building that spiritual foundation for your life, and then when the Holy Spirit speaks, you're gonna go, that sounds familiar. I've been receiving of that daily. I know that voice. I recognize that voice. Because the truth of the Word of God is becoming familiar to you. And the Word of God will solve 99% of your problems. Now, I know you might be wondering, what do you mean 99%? Doesn't the Word solve 100%? Well, here's what I mean by that. I mean that there are questions that we have about our lives, questions that we have about ministry, questions about the future, and the Word of God, the wisdom that is applied from the Word of God is gonna answer 99% of those issues. That other 1% has to do with those very specific instructions that you need from the Holy Spirit directly. And the Holy Spirit does speak directly to your heart. So often we're chasing after that voice to speak directly to us, and that's good. You wanna hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, but here in the Word, He speaks the clearest. Here is the more sure Word. Here is the foundation for living. And then all of the other spaces can be filled in as the Holy Spirit speaks specific instructions to your heart that you're gonna need. Number 3, now this is the third thing. You can do, meditate on the word. Think about how often people will pick up the scripture, they'll read a few verses, and then they'll put the word of God down and they'll go right to Instagram, or they'll go right to replying to texts, or they'll go right to scrolling through TikTok, or maybe they enter right away into a conversation, or they just read the word, get it done, check it off the list, and then they're out the door and off with their busy schedule. But this is where we need to take the time to pause. To recognize that there needs to be a moment of meditation, because we rush through these things and we don't give the word of God time to settle in our minds. It settles in the mind. And as you meditate on it in the mind, that's like the soil. And the word of God then can begin to grow as a root in your heart, but there has to be that meditation. If reading the word is like eating the word, Then meditation is digestion. This is repetition in thought, thinking on the Word of God, thinking about the truths you've received, and even saying out loud again, the truth of the Scripture, and then praying according to the Scripture. So if I see something in the Word of God, like, I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee, okay, I'll repeat that in my mind. He'll never leave me nor forsake me. He'll never leave me nor forsake me. I'll say it out loud. I'm never alone. God is with me. He's not abandoned me. He's not rejected me. I begin to speak that out as I'm continuing to think on it. And then I begin to pray. Lord, I thank you that your presence is with me. I thank you that you're in the room with me. I thank you that you're looking at me and listening to me. I thank you that I've been accepted. So you meditate on the word by repeating the truth in your thoughts, speaking out loud the scripture, And then praying according to the truth of the word. Don't just go past it quickly, but instead let the word have a moment to settle. In Proverbs 4:20-22, we read, My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, And healing to their whole body. Contemplation and reflection, rehearse the Word. So often we can quote the lyrics to a song we listen to, or the lines in a movie that we like, or a TV show that we watch, but can we quote the Word of God? Is the Word of God so richly planted in our hearts that it comes out naturally in our speech? Well, you can get to that place, but you've got to meditate on the Word. Number 4, And here's another point to consider. You've got to slow down. And I'm not saying you can't be productive. I'm not saying that you can't have a full schedule. I'm not saying that you can't be ambitious about your goals and try to succeed in various different areas of your life. I think that's good. God wants you to build and create and expand and become better. That's all necessary. But what I am saying is the attitude, the mind, the heart, Are those going at the pace of grace? In your schedule, is there time to be kind? Is there time to be reflective of the nature of Christ? Is there time to spend listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit? Here's something about the voice of the Holy Spirit that I've learned. And that is, the Holy Spirit often speaks in split seconds. What do I mean by that? I mean that before you go to write that post on Facebook, right before you click post, The Holy Spirit speaking, don't write that post. Before you send that text, the Holy Spirit's saying, don't, just as your finger's about to touch that button, the Holy Spirit's saying, don't send that. And then just as you're having an outburst of anger, the words are right on the tip of your tongue, somebody really made you angry, and you're looking at them and just looking at their face, you wanna say some angry words. And just in that moment where that anger is rising like fire in your heart, and you go to speak against them, the Holy Spirit in those split seconds is saying, don't. Don't. say those words, before you give into lust, you're about to search for that thing online, you're about to call that person, you're about to allow your eyes to wander, just as you're about to fulfill that ungodly act, in those split seconds, the Holy Spirit is saying, don't do it. And often the Holy Spirit even gives us instruction about our future, about a path ahead, about a divine opportunity he wants to create for us. And if we're not careful, We rush past those split seconds in which the Holy Spirit leaves instructions, and then we're left wondering why we've made a mess of things, because we live so presumptuously that we don't involve the Holy Spirit. If you're constantly moving through your day without any care or consideration for the voice of the Holy Spirit, then don't be surprised when you're not seeing the results that you wanna see. Don't be surprised when you end up frustrated, wondering, how did I get here again? Why can't I seem to walk in the call of God? Where is the instruction of the Lord? I'm asking you, where is your patience for the moment with the Holy Spirit? Where is that slowing down of mind and heart? Matthew 11:28-30 says this, then Jesus said, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I'm humble and gentle at heart. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. Live at a pace of life where you're attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Pray and worship. Slow down, consider God, be thankful for him, praise him, thank him for what he's done. Eliminate worry and hurry. By the way, worry and hurry go hand in hand. Often people are in a hurry because they're living in worry, worried they might miss an opportunity, worried they're running out of time, worrying that they're not gonna accomplish what they want to accomplish, worrying that they're missing out on something. Worry often leads to hurry. Faith leads to an ease of mind and heart. Go at the pace of grace. So that's number 4, slow down. Number 5, obey what's clear. The will of God is progressive. You obey step 1, He's gonna give you steps 2, 3, 4, 5 as you go. You are guided as you go. And often because we're frozen in fear, we're waiting for God to give an instruction for step 2 when we haven't even taken step 1. Why is the Holy Spirit gonna give you a specific command directly to your heart about some specific situation in your life if you're not even obeying the general commands that He's given you in His Word? What are these general commands? We're to live holy, worship God, evangelize with boldness, worship with passion, pray with consistency, read the Word with diligence, work in ministry with diligence, be kind and loving to other people, be a Christian testimony, use our spiritual gifts. All of those instructions are here in the Word. That's why we can revert back to that other point I made about 99% of your problems right here. If you just get in the Word. And here we have all of these commands, all of these instructions for living, all of these foundational truths that can help to guide our lives, wisdom untold in the pages of Scripture, and we don't obey that. So why is God going to give you some revelation about your future calling or some specific instruction for something in your future if you haven't even taken the foundational truths You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of people who want to get healthy. And they say, well, how do I get healthy? You say, it's very simple, diet, exercise, sleep, hydration. And they go, no, but what really is the key? And they're looking for some pills, some fad diet, some quick little thing that they can do so they don't have to do the basic work. And believers often do this with the voice of the Holy Spirit. They say, I want the Holy Spirit to speak to me. to me, and yet they neglect the Word because it's not as sensational as hearing prophetically from the Holy Spirit speaking directly to your heart. Well, if you're serious about hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, you'll be serious about being devoted to the Word. Don't tell me you wanna hear God if you're not reading the Word. Don't tell me God doesn't speak to you if you're not daily in this Word with great diligence. Don't tell me you're hungry for his instructions if you're not reading the ones that he's already plainly given to you? If you want steps 2 and 3, you gotta obey step 1. If you want the Holy Spirit to speak directly to your heart, you've gotta be faithful to the written word. Obey his general commands and he will reveal his specific instructions. So obeying what's clear unfolds the path before you. Psalm 37:23-24 says this, the Lord directs The steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Who does he direct? The godly. That is people who are living according to his will and nature. They're the ones who get the instructions from him. They're the ones who are guided with steps of favor that have divine opportunities, open doors, great connections, breakthrough miracles. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. The steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. If, listen, if you will just focus on obeying what is clear in scripture, if you'll just focus on obeying what you know God has already spoken to you, God will manage the details. He will take care of everything down to the last detail. He won't miss a thing. This is where you gotta trust him. We're so frantic trying to hear from God on every little thing all the time. Nothing wrong with wanting to hear his voice. But then when we neglect this, the details are left to us. Whereas if we devote ourselves to the foundational, then God begins to fill in all of those details. Proverbs 3:5-6 says this, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Obey what God has said. Obey what he's spoken to you. In fact, some believers struggle because they know the instruction that the Holy Spirit gave them. It's possible that you already know what the Holy Spirit's told you to do. I'm talking to somebody and I know it, who's being convicted by this. It's possible the Holy Spirit has already told you what to do. He's already spoken to you about the relationship. He's already spoken to you about the ministry. He's already spoken to you about giving, about taking care of your health. He's already spoken to you About where to go, what to do, what to say, but you're fighting him because you're living in fear. You're fighting him because you're hoping that if you resist him for long enough, then maybe he'll change his mind and he'll give you a break and you can do it your way. You live like that, you're gonna be constantly resisting his instructions. And how can you expect to get the next instruction? Lord, I want direction. He says, okay, do this. And we say, well, I don't know about that. Lord, can I persuade you to change your mind? Or perhaps we can negotiate and compromise. Meet me halfway, Lord. I'll obey a little bit if you'll change the plan just a little bit. Well, you're not gonna hear the next instruction that way. You wanna hear the voice of the Holy Spirit clearly, obey what you know he's already said. Number 6, seek God passionately. The Holy Spirit still speaks through the prophetic, through dreams, through visions, through encounters in his presence. There's nothing wrong with pursuing encounters with God. In James 4:8, we read, come close to God and God will come close to you. I love that. Wash your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Jeremiah 29:13 says, if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. People often say, well, I sought God and I couldn't find him, or I was asking God to speak and he just wouldn't talk to me. Let God be true and every man a liar, because I read here, if you look for me wholeheartedly, that's the condition, you will find me. So if someone says, I sought God, but I didn't find him, it's because they didn't do it wholeheartedly. You may feel that you did it emotionally, passionately. You may feel that you did it with great angst and tension, but wholeheartedly is different. That is surrender. That is thinking like God thinks. aligning your thoughts and words and attitudes with his word, and then seeking his face and his will, willing to lay down your will with his in its place. The supernatural, the prophetic, it's for today. And so it is okay to seek after him, to pray daily, to worship, to say, precious Holy Spirit, I want to be immersed in your presence. I want to be completely overcome. in who you are. That's okay to do. In fact, we should do that as Christians, seek God passionately. Lord, I pray in the name of Jesus, you would help them to apply these truths, that they might hear your precious Holy Spirit speak with absolute clarity. Give them faith and boldness to pursue that which they ought to pursue. Give them faith and boldness to obey the instructions that you've given to them. And Lord, I ask that you cause them to be at peace, trusting in your goodness, knowing that you are speaking. We devote our lives to you again afresh. We surrender daily, Lord. Remove everything that's not of you. Help us to reflect the nature of Christ. Help us to obey you, that we might be sensitive to your Holy Spirit. Make us so sensitive to your precious Holy Spirit that when he whispers, we can hear him with clarity. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. If you agree with that and you receive that, I want you to type amen. I was going to move on to the next thing, but, but there are several right now watching this And listening, the presence of the Holy Spirit just manifested in your room as we prayed. I mean, you you sense the presence, and when I say room, it could be a bedroom, it could be a vehicle, anywhere you are. But you you just sense like the weight of the glory of God come upon you. That's confirmation from the Holy Spirit. Now, if you didn't feel that, don't feel left out. But I just know by by the Spirit that that's many watching and listening right now that the Lord is moving in that way upon. on this teaching. Thank you, Lord, that you are bringing— he's bringing confirmation. And there was somebody listening right now too, that as you in your heart committed to obeying God, the Lord saw you. This is interesting. The Lord saw you shift your heart. Like you were resisting him for a season here. And in your heart, you just purposed, I'm going to obey God as difficult as it may be. And you were flooded with The peace of God. That's the precious Holy Spirit doing his work in you. And now I wanna challenge you, if you've been blessed by this message, by this ministry, hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in regards to your support of this great work. As I often say, our ministry is growing, the kingdom of God is expanding. So I want you to ask the Holy Spirit right now to speak to you about how you are to support this work. Go to davidhernandezministries.com/partner, open up that donation page, and then just ask the Holy Spirit, what would you like me to give? What would you like me to sow on a monthly basis? You can also give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. I believe that there are several who the Holy Spirit is speaking to right now, and fear may be saying, don't do it, we might not have enough. Greed may be saying, don't do it, it's just the preacher asking for your money. Selfishness may be saying, don't do it, we have other plans. But the Lord is speaking to you. And if you know the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, you need to act in faith right now in obedience to his voice. Again, partner with us on a monthly basis. Maybe you've been wanting to do that for a while. Today's the day. davidhernandezministries.com/partner. You can also give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/give. Whatever you give, large or small, single or monthly, I promise you everything counts. Your giving counts. So don't, don't count yourself out here. Don't tell yourself, oh, David has enough supporters. I'm telling you, we need more resources than ever to help us expand according to the vision that God gave us. Simple vision. I'll just say this. We want to continue to expand the kingdom of God, win souls, and build believers through media, like what you're watching right now, events, like what you see in the clips that we post where people are healed and have encounters with the Holy Spirit. And number 3, we're doing this now, church planting. You can be a part of all of that just by resourcing it for the glory of God. And I pray that the Lord would bless you for it.