How Do I Hear the Holy Spirit Clearly? Unlocking God’s Perfect Plan for Your Life
From time to time, we all struggle to discern the best course of action for our lives.
Which decision is right? Which is wrong? What job should we take? What university should we attend? Whom should we marry?
Should we pursue a secular career or go into full-time ministry? These questions are common to us all, and they go on and on and on.
In the Old Testament, knowing the will of God was truly difficult because the Holy Spirit didn’t reside in people’s hearts; therefore, they struggled tremendously to discover God’s plan for their lives. In their efforts to uncover His will, people would seek special signs and divine signals. They’d even go visit prophets who lived in their region in an attempt to find answers and gain knowledge. God had prepared so many benefits for His people! But because the Holy Spirit didn’t live in their hearts at that time, they struggled with knowing what He wanted them to do and were unable to see much of what He had provided for them or what His plan was for their lives.
However, the situation couldn’t be more different today. As believers, we now have the Holy Spirit living inside our hearts — and He has come to reveal to us all the answers we need! Yet all too often, many Christians still live like people under the Old Covenant, depending on special signs, divine signals, or advice from others. Perhaps it is because they never developed their spiritual sensitivity or learned to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. Regardless, this should not be the case!
The Holy Spirit has come to dwell within us, and He wants to tell you and me everything we need to know!
In First Corinthians 2:9 and 10, the apostle Paul wrote to us about the Holy Spirit’s ministry to reveal God’s plan to us. He said, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit….” Notice he declared that God has “revealed” His plan to us by His Spirit. The word “revealed” is a translation of the Greek word apokalupsis, which is a compound of the words apo and kalupsis. The word apo means “away,” and the word kalupsis is the Greek word for “a veil, a curtain,” or some type of “covering.” When compounded, they form the word apokalupsis, which is normally translated in Scripture as the word “revelation.” This new word literally means to remove the veil or to remove the curtain so you can see what is on the other side.
This word apokalupsis plainly refers to something that has been veiled or hidden for a long time and has suddenly become clear and visible to the mind or eye. It is the image of pulling the curtains out of the way so you can see what has always been just outside your window. The scene was always there for you to enjoy, but the curtains have blocked your ability to see the real picture. As soon as the curtains are drawn apart, you can suddenly see what has been hidden from your view. In that moment when you see beyond the curtain for the first time and observe what has been there all along but not evident to you — that is the picture of what the Bible calls a “revelation.”
So Paul was proclaiming in this verse that when the Spirit of God came to dwell within us, one of His major missions was to remove the veil that once obstructed our view. The Holy Spirit is continually at work in us to help our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to fully comprehend the specific, special plans that God has meticulously prepared for each one of us!
Keep this thought uppermost in your mind and heart in the days to come: The Holy Spirit — the Great Revealer — lives inside you, and He wants to reveal to you God’s blessings, promises, provisions, and plans for your life! Thank God, you’re not living like people did under the Old Testament. You don’t have to look for special signs, divine signals, or a prophet to discern God’s plan for your life.
Right inside your heart is the greatest Source of revelation on planet Earth — the Holy Spirit! If you will develop a spiritual sensitivity and learn to listen to His voice, He will reveal everything God has prepared for you so you can get on with your life and do exactly what He intricately planned for you to do!
It’s Time for You to Start Using the Gifts and Talents God Has Given You!
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10).
I’d like to take this a step further to help you get started today in activating the giftings on the inside of you on a daily basis so you can fulfill your part in God’s great plan of revealing His love to man.
Here is a key to releasing your God-given grace gifts: It is something you can do on purpose. You don’t have to wait around for the elusive “perfect moment.”
Often, people wait and wait for the “perfect time” to launch their business, their ministry, or their big dream in life. But the truth is, very few successful people began the pursuit of their call with that kind of an ideal moment. In fact, what most people would refer to as spectacular success stories actually began very “unspectacularly.” If you study the lives of individuals who have made a significant contribution to this world, you’ll find that often their journey began with just a simple decision to get started.
Certainly, you can choose to wait around and wish for a “perfect moment” to come when the skies part, lightning bolts strike, and beams of glory land all around your feet to signal that your moment has arrived. But if this is what you’re waiting for, I want to tell you that you will probably be waiting a very long time! That just isn’t the way God does things in the vast majority of cases.
When I was a young man, I daydreamed of the time when my ministry would begin, and I could start using the gifts and talents I had received from the Lord. I would lie in bed at night and envision the day when I would finally step up to the plate and begin my ministry. Then one day, as I was praying, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. He told me that it was time to quit fantasizing and get started! I had always thought I was waiting for that perfect moment to take the first step. But all the while, God was waiting for me to get up and start doing something with the gifts He had placed in my life!
I knew I had a gift to teach the Bible — and since that was what God had equipped me to do, I decided to use my gift! I invited my friends to a Bible study that I would lead on the university campus where I was studying. I knocked on doors, handed out leaflets, and started to intensely prepare to teach my very first public, verse-by-verse study in the New Testament. Today, I still have the notes I prepared for the first series I ever taught, and I treasure those notes. They are memories from those early days when I was just getting started in the ministry. My beginning was small, so small it was almost unnoticeable, but it was a beginning.
Everyone has to have a beginning — including you! If you know what God has gifted you to do, don’t wait around and lose precious time as you wait for a hypothetical, fantasy-like “perfect moment” to get started. Instead, why not put your hand to the plow and begin to use your gifts right now? Once you take that step of faith, God will have something to bless. But as long as you do nothing, you’re not giving Him anything to prosper!
This is precisely why Peter wrote, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). Today, I want us to look deeply into this powerful verse.
First, I want you to notice that Peter said, “As every man hath received the gift….” The words “every man” are translated from the Greek word hekastos, which is an all-inclusive word that literally means “every single person, no one excluded.” This undeniably means that every person who has been born of the Spirit and who declares that Jesus is Lord has been supernaturally endowed with gifts from God. Because the word hekastos is used, it emphatically means that no one is excluded from these God-given gifts. Even the person with the lowest self-esteem is mightily gifted by the Spirit of God but simply unaware of the powerful gifts that reside inside him or her.
If you think that you are not gifted, you are wrong! The usage of the word hekastos in First Peter 4:10 clearly means that you, too, are endowed with magnificent, God-given gifts.
Peter went on to say, “As every man hath received the gift….” Pay careful attention to the word “received” in this verse. It comes from the Greek word lambano, which is used 258 times in the New Testament. It means “to receive into one’s possession” or “to take into one’s own control and ownership.” It carries the idea of taking hold of something, grasping onto something, or embracing something so tightly that it becomes your very own. When used in connection with God-given gifts, as Peter uses it in this verse, it portrays God as the Giver of gifts and us as the receivers. Then, once we receive the gift of God, He sees it as our responsibility to accept and take ownership of that gift as our own.
Then Peter wrote, “As every man hath received the gift.…” The word “gift” in this verse is the word charisma, derived from the word charis, the Greek word for “grace.” But when the word charis becomes charisma, it speaks of “grace-given gifts.” In other words, these are not gifts earned or deserved; rather, these are gifts imparted supernaturally and divinely by God’s grace.
Thus, there is no room for boasting or self-glory in the possession of these magnificent gifts, for these are not natural talents developed by one’s own ability. These are supernatural graces that are divinely imparted by the Spirit of God. According to this verse, God has graced every child of God with miraculous gifts that are beyond his or her own natural ability. Once released and activated, these gifts bring the life-changing power of God into manifestation to meet and answer human need.
Yes, even you have these powerful gifts inside — just waiting for you to take ownership of them and use them!
Peter continued, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another.…” This word “minister” comes from the Greek word diakoneo.
This Greek word portrays “a servant whose primary responsibility is to serve food and wait on tables.” It presents a picture of a “waiter or waitress who pains-takingly attends to the needs, wishes, and desires of the client.” It is this servant’s supreme task to please clients; therefore, he serves honorably, pleasurably, and in a fashion that makes the people he waits on feel as if they are nobility. This is a committed, professional server who is fanatically dedicated to doing his job on the highest level possible.
By choosing this Greek word diakoneo, Peter alerted us to the fact that God expects us to be radically, passionately committed to using the gifts He has given us in such a way that pleases Him and meets the needs of others. That is why Peter continued by saying, “As every man hath received the gift, so let him min-ister the same one to another….” God intends for us to use our gifts to minister to one another. These gifts are not given for self-glory or self-promotion, but for the benefit of the larger Christian community and the world around us.
What about you? Are you using your grace-given gifts to minister to the needs of those around you?
Peter concluded this verse by saying, “As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The word “steward” is from the Greek word oikonomos and was specifically used to describe “the household manager for an upper-class, wealthy home.”
By using the word oikonomos in this verse, Peter shows us that God has indeed made us the stewards of His own personal treasures, and He expects us to give Him glory by using our gifts wisely and on time to meet the needs of those around us.
Taking all these Greek words into consideration, we could paraphrase this verse to read: “Every single one of you, without exception, has received a grace-given gift from God. Embrace what God has placed inside you. Take ownership of it, and do your best to use that special gift to meet the needs of one another. God has entrusted a lot to you by placing those special gifts in your life, and He is depending on you to be faithful with this great responsibility.”
God gives you gifts and talents, and then He expects you to use them, regardless of their size. As you do, He will begin to bless the work of your hands. However, if you choose to wait for the “perfect moment” to develop before you ever do anything with your gifts, you’ll probably never get started! Don’t waste any more time — it’s time for you to start making the most of the divine equipment inside you that’s just waiting to be released!
My Prayer for Today
Father, I thank You that the Holy Spirit is my Revealer of truth, leading and guiding me into all truth and showing me things to come. Because of Your wisdom and direction, I never have to live confused or uncertain about what You want me to do. As I seek You and open my heart to hear Your voice, I thank You for making Your will clear to me and for helping me walk confidently in the wonderful plan You have prepared for my life.
Lord, I also thank You for the spiritual gifts You have placed inside me. These gifts were given by You, and my desire is to use them according to Your purpose and for Your glory. Forgive me for the times I hesitated or waited for the perfect moment instead of stepping out in faith. Today, I choose to recognize and embrace the gifts You have entrusted to me, and I ask You to help these gifts operate freely through my life to bless and strengthen those around me.
As I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and faithfully use what You have placed within me, let Your power be released to meet the needs of every life I touch. Thank You for equipping me, guiding me, and helping me fulfill my part in Your divine plan. I give You all the praise and glory. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
My Confession for Today
I confess that the Lord continually guides me by His Spirit within me. I trust in the Lord with all my heart and do not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways, I acknowledge His wisdom and His presence, and He carefully directs my steps along the good path He has prepared for me. By His divine grace, mighty gifts have been placed inside me for the benefit of the Body of Christ and for His glory.
I refuse to put myself down or lightly esteem the value God has placed within me. Today, I choose to recognize, embrace, and take ownership of the marvelous gifts He has entrusted to my life. I will be faithful and diligent in my stewardship of these gifts, allowing them to operate through me with wisdom, humility, and power as I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. God’s grace works mightily in me, and I will use what He has given me to bless the lives of others and fulfill His purpose for my life. I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
