3 Reasons Why We Need To Listen To God

God is speaking all the time. Here’s why we need to listen to God.

I’ve almost finished my new eBook, How To Hear God’s Voice (available now!), so it’s a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot.

Listening to God has many benefits, not all of which are obvious on first glance. Here I’ll discuss three of them, which give us three good reasons why we should listen to him.

A Lifestyle Of Listening To God

Over the years, I’ve cultivated a lifestyle of listening to God. It’s something that has helped me at every stage of my Christian life. And it’s a habit I think every Christian should practice.

He speaks to me in different ways for different situations.

Sometimes he:

• speaks to me about other people so I can share prophetic words with them.
• shows me situations in the world that he wants me to pray for.
• brings me a fresh revelation of his character through the bible.
• tells me what I need to do next.

If I don’t listen to him regularly then I could miss all kinds of opportunities, not only to help others, but also for my personal development.

We Can All Hear God’s Voice

The fact is, that while we’re not all prophets, we can all hear God’s voice and learn to prophesy.

However, it’s important that we move beyond mere hearing, and practice listening. When we listen intently, we recognise his voice more easily, get to know him better and can truly understand what he is saying.

“It’s important that we move beyond mere hearing, and practice listening to God.”

Here’s just three of the benefits of listening to God (there are many more):

1. Listen To God To Stay Close To Him

I have long understood that if I want to listen to God, I need to get close to him first, in prayer or worship. Getting close to the Lord certainly helps me to hear his voice, but I have discovered that the opposite is also true.

When I intentionally spend time listening for God’s voice, then not only do I hear him, but he draws me closer to himself. Through our encounter, the Lord brings me right into his throne room.

By spending time enjoying God’s presence, we also receive from him in other ways. When we focus on him, we avert our gaze from the troubles of the day and we gain new perspective and internal peace.

2. Listen To God To Follow His Will For Your Life

When the bible says God has a plan for our lives, that includes you and me.

Most Christians I know wouldn’t argue with that statement, but it’s no good having a plan if we don’t follow it. Our actions betray our intentions. Sometimes our choices follow our own desires, rather than God’s.

We have many choices to make, each and every day. If we don’t listen actively to the Lord at each stage, then we can go in a different direction to him and end up far from where we expected.

This may start out innocently enough, but only a one degree tangent from the path can create an issue if pursued for long enough. Thankfully, the Lord is gracious and forgiving and is able to get us back on track, no matter how far down the road we have gone.

3. Listen To God To Capture His Ideas

I want to live a life of eternal significance. Maybe you feel the same? Jesus made it clear that the best way to live is to “store up treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20), not on earth.

“The best way to live is to store up treasure in heaven”

The way I interpret this is that I don’t want to do anything that is just my own idea. In everything, I want to involve the Lord’s input in some way or another.

A wonderful truth I have discovered is that God is interested in my ideas, as much as I am interested in his. However, I also realise he may take my designs in different – and better – directions than I might expect.

When I listen to the Lord and discuss my intentions with him, it’s then that I find they take shape and have a real impact.

Now You Know Why We Should Listen To God – Find Out How!

The above are just three reasons why we should listen to God. In reality, there are many more.

The trouble is, many people struggle to hear God’s voice in the first place. In fact, some of my readers tell me that they share that same struggle. That’s why I have written a book on the subject, How To Hear God’s Voice.

In How To Hear God’s Voice, I go into more depth on why we need to listen to God and share some keys to unlock your relationship with him. I then show you eight simple practical steps you can begin to action immediately, to help you learn to hear his voice more effectively.

I think this is important. So important that I think every Christian should be able to listen to God every day.

You can get your copy here.

Blessings,
Tim

P.S. If you’re not ready to purchase your copy, you can get a FREE sneak peek here.

Discussion Question: How important is listening to God in your life?