Guardrails for Guidance: Hearing God’s Voice in a Noisy World

Building People of Substance for Works of Power

June 6, 2025

I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Habakkuk 2:1 ESV

Hearing from God is a glorious thing, but not without its pitfalls. One young man in my congregation informed me that God had spoken to him to leave and start another church in the same town. A couple of months earlier, we had met for lunch. I knew by the Holy Spirit what he was planning, so I asked him about it. He was adamant that he would not do such a thing. Now, just a few weeks later, he was just as adamant that God had spoken, and he was off to “obey God.” This wasn’t a guy looking for spiritual counsel. This was a proud man sharing his own desires and saying it was God’s will. The results weren’t pretty.

I love being a spirit-filled, tongue-talking preacher. I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are hazards, however, in teaching people that they can know God intimately and hear His voice for themselves. For preachers, it can be a dangerous thing to be able to stand up in a position of leadership and declare, “Thus saith the Lord.”  Without proper guardrails, subjectivity combined with human nature can produce what I call “spooky-natural” disaster. In considering what it means to “look out to see what He will say,” it’s important to put some of those guardrails in place.

If we are honest in our desire to please God, not self, our first step is to check our own heart. We’re all still human after all. Most of our thinking is about us. We all have our own experiences, needs, and desires. We naturally interpret things through those lenses. Because of this, we may unintentionally twist things to fit our own preferences. The Lord’s guidance can get mixed up with self-interest. I’m looking for God’s vision, not my own.

Healthy Heart pointers:

• Maintain clean relationships. Love God, love people. Seems easy. It’s not. Don’t let soured relationships color how you interpret what you hear from the Lord.
  • Vertical relationship. Look up. Deal with any sin that inhibits your boldness in the presence of God. Carefully read 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Quit trying to ignore it or deny it. You know what it is. Admit your failure to God and let Him forgive and cleanse. He said He would, and He is faithful. Believe it, receive it, live it out.
  • Horizontal relationships. Look around. Holding on to unforgiveness is the #1 hindrance to faith. Jesus said that we should “forgive, if you have anything against anyone.” Do it “whenever you stand praying.” It is the only qualification He offered while teaching how to pray in faith. (Mark 11:24-25)
• Clean up your holy “to-do” list. Have you done the last thing He told you to do? Read Proverbs 1:20-33. Now go back and read verse 23 again: “Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” If you want to hear something new, try doing what He’s already said. Whether it’s a project left undone or a relationship that needs attention, just do it! You might be surprised at the spiritual clarity that comes next.
• Keep an uncluttered heart. The age of the internet and the cell phone has had a huge impact on the way we experience life. The average person looks at their phone over 200 times per day. Attention spans are decreasing to fit an Instagram post. Many of us live in a state of partial inattention to life around us. Thinking through problems is almost a lost art. I can just ask AI! Instantaneous feedback is the norm. We expect it. God doesn’t work that way.

Now more than ever, it takes real effort to shut off the constant committee meeting in your brain. God has more competition than ever, and most of us have long since lost the requisite patience to burrow in and wait for His response. Here are a few tips that will help:

• Turn off your phone! I know that sounds a little scary, but don’t worry. Not too long ago, it was normal for me to travel places that didn’t have phones. Somehow, the world managed to keep on going without me for days, even weeks at a time. Most of us say that God is in control, but we apparently think He needs us to keep an eye on His progress.
  • When He speaks, write it down. That way you don’t have to be thinking about it, and you won’t twist it later. I keep notes of things that I believe God has spoken to me. If I don’t, life tends to erase them from consciousness. It’s also easy for human memory to twist what He said. We change it just enough to make it fit what we want Him to say. Write it, put it where you can find it (keep a file), go back and re-read it.
  • Be selective in who you listen to. In a world where you can hear anyone at any time, it’s easy to only listen to those you find entertaining, or who agree with what you already think. Don’t listen to folks you don’t know something about. People online may or may not be who they claim to be. Know those that labor among you. “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)
  • Listen to what comes out of your mouth. Use it to check on your heart’s health. If you’re feeling bitter, afraid, or always complaining, that’s a red flag. Don’t ignore the symptoms of heart disease. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)
  • Prioritize heart maintenance. You’ll have to do it on purpose. Life is always pressuring you to pay attention to it. Don’t let life push you around. Make time to nourish your spirit with the Word and connect with God through prayer. If you want your life to reflect what you say you value, it’s not really optional. First things first: your heart, then your life. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

Somebody Said: “To have God speak to the heart is a majestic experience, an experience that people may miss if they monopolize the conversation and never pause to hear God’s responses.” Charles Stanley

Once you get your heart in good shape, charge right on into the tower, wherever that is for you. Expect God to speak. You know His voice. Once you think you have His direction, put it on paper. In our next installment we’ll take a look at a few practical, biblical, guardrails that will enable you to be confident that you have heard accurately.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-24

Pastor Virgil

3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.

Tucson, AZ 85741