Have you ever had trouble hearing God for yourself? I have. It can be hard work. Usually at the same time, I think, “It isn’t fair. It is so easy to hear God for others and get a Prophetic word for them, but it is so hard to hear God’s voice for myself.” Has this thought ever crossed your mind?

Lately I have been musing over the fact that ‘Is it a lie that I can’t hear God for myself but I can hear God for others?’ I would love to hear your thoughts. Sometimes I believe that is true. Other times I believe that there are several things we can do so that we open up the communication lines between God and ourselves for ourselves.

Listed below are a few ideas, that I have found helpful, to implement when you feel a blockage in hearing God for yourself.

1. Lean in to God. Change things up a bit. Do something different. Perhaps put on different worship music. Try spending time with God in nature or a different place than normal. I love going to the beach on a stormy day and ‘feeling’ God in the storm.
2. Have I been obedient in doing what God has asked of me? This is a question I ask of myself. If I haven’t been obedient in following through on what God has already asked me to do, how can I expect Him to then tell me the next step?
3. Is there any sin in my life that I am aware of? Sin has an amazing way of blocking the relationship between God and myself.
4. What am I asking God? Can I reframe my question? Am I asking God the wrong question? Am I wanting to hear a specific answer ie treating God like Santa Claus, thus not hearing God because I’m not hearing what I’m wanting.
5. Am I prepared to really lean in to God – fast, meditate, pray over a period of time, enjoy being with God, spend time listening.
6. Facilitate an encounter with God. Find a comfortable, quiet place where you can spend some time alone with God. In your imagination, go to a place where you feel close to God, a place where you hear God’s voice easily. Imagine yourself there. What is it like? What does it feel like, look like, smell like, taste like, sound like? Imagine that Jesus walks to where you are in that place. Look for Jesus in your imagination and imagine that He has a present in His hands for you. Watch Him place it down next to you or place it in your hands. You have a choice what you do next. Do you want to open it? Go ahead and open it. What has Jesus just given you? (Usually something like this can open up those lines of communication between God and ourselves again.) Another encounter to try is to imagine yourself under a waterfall. Look around and feel, hear, smell, see what it is like under that waterfall. Imagine next that that waterfall is God pouring out good stuff over you. What is He pouring over you? Revel in what is being poured over you. Enjoy. Splash around in it. When you finish imaging this, try spending some time just enjoying God for who He is.

Sometimes when we are finding it hard to hear God for ourselves, we can chase after ‘shortcuts’ in our relationship with God and chase prophetic words from others. I really believe a prophetic word usually confirms what God is already revealing to me from the time I have spent with God. I encourage you in this season to really lean into God and go deeper.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Brainstorm an activity that people do at a park near you eg shoot basketballs, swing on the swings etc. Ask God how He sees them and what He feels about them. Then go to the park and find someone doing that activity and share what you feel God’s heart is for them.

2. Group Activation: Have sheets of paper available for people to write on. Encourage everyone to ask God for a make, model and colour of a car. Then ask God to give them a prophetic word for that person. Then encourage everyone to go out to the parking lot to find the car and place on their windscreen for them.

3. Beginner Activation: Next time you buy a drink, ask God for a prophetic word for the person either in front of you or behind you in line or else sitting at a table already. Share what God says or shows you with that person.

4. Intermediate Activation: Seek God for His heart for your hairdresser. Next time you visit him/her, share it with them in an appropriate manner and using appropriate language.

5. Advanced Activation: Write down the names of three missionaries you know. Seek God for His heart for each of them and then share it with them.