From the sermon preached on March 1, 2026
Learning how to hear God’s voice isn’t reserved for pastors, prophets, or people who’ve been in church their whole lives — it’s something every believer can grow in. In John 10:27, Jesus says plainly: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” That’s not a promise for a spiritual elite. That’s a promise for anyone willing to tune in. This post unpacks five practical ways to grow in hearing God — drawn from Pastor Rich Romero’s message in our ongoing Beyond series at Generation Church in Coral Gables.
Are You Too Distracted to Actually Hear from God?
The first step toward hearing God’s voice is clearing out what’s crowding it. That sounds obvious, but most of us underestimate how loud our world has actually gotten. Pastor Rich pointed to something that stopped a lot of people in the room: Netflix’s new production strategy for 2026 is to front-load its biggest, most expensive scenes in the first five minutes — not the finale — because audiences can no longer be counted on to stay engaged long enough to get there. Actor Matt Damon noted that people now watch movies while simultaneously scrolling their phones. We have built a distraction for our distraction.
That noise doesn’t just affect our entertainment habits. It rewires the way we listen — including how we listen for God. Jesus used the phrase “my sheep” deliberately, as if to say: there is a narrowing that has to happen. Not everyone gets your ear. If everything has your attention, nothing does — including the Holy Spirit.
The good news is that prayer doesn’t require perfection. Contemplative teacher Thomas Keating said that if your mind wanders 10,000 times in prayer, you have 10,000 opportunities to return to God. Distraction isn’t failure — it’s practice. Every time you bring your focus back, you’re training your soul to listen.
One step today: Set a five-minute window this week with no phone, no music, no podcast. Just sit. Even if nothing happens, you’re building the muscle.
Does God Actually Speak Through the Bible, or Is That Just Something People Say?
The second and most foundational way to hear God’s voice is through Scripture. Not as a history book about what God did for other people in other centuries — but as living, active, present-tense communication. As Pastor Rich put it: we don’t just read about God’s voice. We read his voice.
2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is God-breathed — useful for teaching, correcting, training, and equipping. That word “breathed” matters. It’s not that God dictated a document and stepped away. It’s that the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation is still exhaling through every page. Psalm 19 calls it a lamp to our feet — not a floodlight that illuminates the whole road ahead, but enough light for the next step.
Here’s the honest challenge in that: sometimes we come across a verse we don’t like, don’t understand, or flat-out disagree with. Pastor Rich didn’t soften this. The posture of a disciple isn’t to wait for God to update his position — it’s to ask him to change ours. That’s what discipleship actually is. Lord, help me see it the way you see it.
Someone who consistently says they never hear from God is often someone who hasn’t recently opened the Bible. That’s not a condemnation. It’s an invitation. His word is where the conversation starts.
One step today: Pick one chapter — John 10 is a great place — and read it slowly, out loud if you can. Ask the Spirit to make one verse personal.
How Do You Know If What You're Sensing Is Actually from God?
Points three, four, and five in Pastor Rich’s framework move from Scripture into the lived experience of hearing God — and this is where most people get stuck. The question isn’t just how to hear God, but how to know it’s really him and not your own thoughts, your own wishful thinking, or something else entirely.
The third practice is learning to sense the Holy Spirit’s voice. Galatians 5 describes this as walking in step with the Spirit — not a dramatic encounter, but a daily, attentive companionship. A nudge. An impression. A quiet but persistent sense that you should reach out to someone, forgive someone, give something, or stop something. These impressions feel small, but they’re often the clearest signal God sends.
The test is this: hold what you’re sensing up against Scripture. God will never contradict through his Spirit what he has already declared in his Word. If what you’re feeling aligns with what the Bible says, it’s worth pursuing. If it doesn’t, set it down. Pastor Rich put it this way: the enemy will never nudge you toward forgiveness, generosity, or kindness. So if that’s what you’re sensing, the odds are good it’s not coming from you.
The fourth practice is confirmation through community. Proverbs 11:14 says that without good counsel, people lose their way. We were not designed to make major decisions in isolation. God speaks through trusted voices — pastors, mentors, spiritual friends who know you well enough to ask the hard questions and pray honestly with you. At Generation Church, Groups exist precisely for this: not just for friendship, but for the kind of discernment that community makes possible.
The fifth practice is learning to read open and closed doors. Proverbs 16:9 says that humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. The path God leads you on may look different from the one you mapped out — and often it does. A closed door isn’t punishment. It’s direction. The good shepherd uses his staff not to harm the sheep, but to redirect them toward something better.
And here’s what all five practices have in common: at the intersection of sensing God’s call and stepping into it, there is almost always both faith and peace. Not comfort — the call often feels daunting. But underneath the fear, there is a steadiness that doesn’t make sense on paper. That’s worth paying attention to.
One step today: Think of one decision you’re currently sitting on. Write down what you’re sensing, then ask: does Scripture confirm it? Have I processed it with anyone I trust?
Hearing God vs. Hearing Everything Else
|
When It’s God |
When It’s Noise |
|
Aligns with Scripture |
Contradicts or ignores Scripture |
|
Confirmed by trusted community |
Arrived at in isolation |
|
Accompanied by peace, even if scary |
Driven by anxiety, urgency, or ego |
|
Calls you toward obedience |
Calls you toward comfort or avoidance |
|
Consistent over time |
Shifts with your circumstances |
Here in Coral Gables and across the greater Miami area, a lot of people grew up around faith — Mass on Sundays, prayers before meals, the rhythms of a religious household — without ever feeling like God was actually speaking to them personally. If that’s your story, you’re not alone, and you’re not broken. Generation Church exists for exactly that place. Whether you’re just starting to ask these questions or you’ve been asking them for years, there’s room at the table. We gather every Sunday at 5801 Augusto Street in Coral Gables — services at 9:30 and 11:15 AM — and the door is genuinely open, no matter where you are.
You Don't Have to Have This All Figured Out to Start
Learning how to hear God’s voice is less about a single breakthrough moment and more about a direction you choose to walk in — day after day, distraction and all. The shepherd is not hard to find. He’s the one who already knows your name.
If you’re ready to go deeper, Establish Track is a great place to begin the journey with some structure and support around you. Use this link to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if what I'm sensing is from God or just my own thoughts?
The clearest test is Scripture. God will never lead you through his Spirit to do something that contradicts what he has declared in his Word. If what you’re sensing aligns with Scripture and is confirmed by a trusted spiritual community, it’s worth taking seriously. Start there before looking for a dramatic sign.
Why can't I hear God's voice even though I pray every day?
Frequency of prayer doesn’t always equal attentiveness in prayer. If your prayer time is rushed, distracted, or filled with talking but no listening, it may be that you’re praying at God rather than with him. Slowing down, reducing noise, and spending time in Scripture alongside prayer tends to open that channel significantly.
What does God's voice actually sound like?
Rarely audible in the dramatic sense most people expect. More often it comes as a persistent impression, a sense of peace about a direction, a verse of Scripture that suddenly feels personal, or a word from a trusted mentor or pastor that confirms what you’ve already been sensing. Jesus described it in John 10:27 as something his followers recognize — like knowing a familiar voice in a crowded room.
How do I eliminate distractions from prayer?
Intentionally, not perfectly. Start with a small window — five to ten minutes — with your phone out of reach. If your mind wanders, bring it back without judgment. Every time you return, you’re choosing God again. Build from there.
How does God speak through open and closed doors?
Circumstances are one of the ways God guides his people. A door that closes — a job that doesn’t come through, a relationship that ends, a plan that falls apart — can be as much a word from God as one that swings open. The key is not to interpret every closed door in isolation, but to hold it alongside Scripture, prayer, and counsel from people who know you well.
