David Diga Hernandez - 3 Things I've Learned About the Holy Spirit's Voice

So let’s take a look at number one, and number one is actually quite surprising to many believers who hear it for the first time, and that is that the Holy Spirit is already speaking to you. Yes, the Holy Spirit is communicating something to you right now. He’s speaking to you. If you’re a born-again believer, then you already hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. It’s not a matter of you hearing him, but of recognizing his voice when he speaks. We see an example of this in one Samuel chapter three, where the scripture says, «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 here we see that this was during a time where people were not hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. Verse two, «One night, Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed». Here we see a prophetic parallel. Eli had physical blindness, and in this particular narrative, I believe that this was symbolic of his spiritual blindness. Verse three: The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle near the arc 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. Now here we see that Samuel is mistaking the voice of the Holy Spirit for the voice of Eli. Verse six: 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». Verse seven: Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third 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. Now, I believe that Eli should have recognized this the first time, but again, this is during a season of a lack of spiritual discernment. Verse nine: So he said to Samuel, «Go and lie down again. And if someone calls 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». So now finally we see that Samuel began to recognize this voice as the voice of the Holy Spirit. We have to understand that hearing the Holy Spirit is not a skill, it’s a spiritual sense. You cannot explain sight to someone blind, nor can you explain hearing to someone born deaf. When you are born into the natural world, you are born with senses, physical senses. You are born seeing and you are born hearing. But you have to learn to observe and to listen. You have to learn to use those senses. In the same way, when you were born again of the Spirit, you were born again with spiritual senses. You have spiritual sight, you have spiritual hearing. You can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. You already are hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. So it’s just a matter of you learning to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit among all the other voices that speak to us in this world.

Number two, it can be difficult to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit if you’re distracted or rushed. In Mark chapter four, verses 18 and 19, the Bible says this: The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out but the worries of this life, the lure of wealth and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. Here, Jesus is explaining his parable to his disciples. And he’s telling them that when someone receives the Word, that the Word can’t take root if they’re too caught up in the things of this world. In the same way when the Holy Spirit speaks, you and I can become so distracted with the responsibilities and the things of this world that we fail to hear him. It’s not that he isn’t speaking. Most of the time, it’s that we’re just not listening. And in order to listen more carefully, we have to learn to put away distractions. We have to learn to slow the pace of life. Sometimes we are in such a hurry, such a rush that it’s impossible to leave a moment of pause in which we can reflect and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. In fact, maybe even now, there’s this inner rush in you. There’s this constant need to have your mind consuming other things, and this is not necessarily a healthy way to live. And it’s especially detrimental to your spiritual wellbeing, precisely because it keeps you from listening quietly, listening intently for the voice of the Holy Spirit. He is speaking. And it’s very difficult to recognize his voice when we’re rushed, when we’re consumed with fear, when we’re pulled away by the lure of wealth, when we’re pulled away by the lure of responsibilities and burdens and worries and all of the things that life throws at us. If you wanna be one who can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit with both confidence and clarity, you have to learn to slow down. You have to learn to stop being so distracted. You may be asking, «Well, how do I do that»? That’s the discipline of the mind. You can choose your own thoughts. You decide what you dwell on. You decide what you obsess about. You decide what has your focus. It may not feel like that. It may not always feel like you’re in control, but in fact you are. You can choose your thoughts just like you choose your actions. Your thoughts are the actions of the mind. You can slow your thoughts, you can speed them up. You can allow for many thoughts to distract you, or you can allow for your mind to focus. But it’s all a matter of practice. It’s all a matter of making the choice to be intentional about slowing down the pace of life, about removing distractions that just aren’t necessary, and learning to intently listen for that still small voice, the voice of the precious Holy Spirit.

Number three, the voice of the Holy Spirit is much easier to recognize when you know his Word. 2 Timothy chapter three, verses 16 and 17 say this: 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 here we see that the scripture is in fact inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is inspired by the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit spoke and guided and caused the scriptures to be written, caused the words of God to be recorded and then communicated to us in a way that we can understand and receive. So the Word of God is the foundation to understanding the voice of the Holy Spirit. Many people treat the Word of God as if it’s an obstacle to hearing the Holy Spirit, as if somehow being knowledgeable about the Word is going to block them from receiving messages from the Holy Spirit. But no, the Holy Spirit works with the Word. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the Word. The Holy Spirit reveals truth through the Word. Yes, the Holy Spirit speaks to us specifically, directly to our hearts, so to speak, in everyday life. Yes, the Holy Spirit does personally guide the believer. But if you want to clearly hear that voice, if you want to know his voice with confidence, then you’re going to need to know the Word. People often say, «I need a word from God,» to which we should reply, «then open the Bible». That is the clear message given to us, and this acts as a foundation for our understanding of his voice. This acts as a tool that sharpens our spiritual hearing. When you know the Word, you are more familiar with the voice of the Holy Spirit. And in becoming more familiar with the voice of the Holy Spirit, you can more easily recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit amidst all the other voices that speak to you and that try for your attention. The Word of God makes you spiritually stronger. The Word of God makes you more discerning. The Word of God shaves away all of those areas of your life that you’re not like Christ, and it molds you into the image of Jesus. It causes you to become more like him. And as the Word of God strengthens you spiritually, you become clearer of mind. You become focused on truth. You become one who is strengthened spiritually. And in being strengthened spiritually, obviously, that means everything about your spiritual senses will be strengthened too. So if you become spiritually stronger, spiritually more aware, then of course you’re gonna start hearing with more clarity. But that all begins with the Word. No, the Word is not a hindrance to hearing the Holy Spirit. It is the foundation of our understanding of his nature and his ways and his voice. It is in knowing the Word that we become familiar.