Hearing God's Voice
A very dear friend of mine recently wanted to talk about knowing when we truly hear the will of God. It was a really good discussion because it made me think quite a bit about what this really means and how we know that it is truly God’s voice. I’ve seen those from the fundamentalist traditions who believe they are the only ones that hear God’s voice and know God’s will. To me this is completely false. When anyone thinks they are the only one who can hear God or truly know God’s will that is a warning sign to me that they are listening to ego instead of the Holy One. I believe that all beings have access to God’s voice and God’s will if we only listen and hear. This is why Yeshua references “those that have ears to hear”. It means those that are open and sensitive to the Spirit’s voice. People that are open do not come in a particular denomination, religion, race, creed, sexual orientation, gender, etc. It’s about spirit not details. The point here is that to hear God’s voice we have to listen. That means we need to be practicing through prayer and meditation to make ourselves open to hear Ma’s voice. If we’re not actively trying to listen the less chance we will receive the true message that is intended. So, how do we know when we are actually hearing the voice of God and it’s not something inside us or something speaking to us that we really don’t want to listen to? That is the ultimate question and not completely simple. When I think I’ve heard the voice of God, I ask myself the following questions: 1. Is it something that falls into Compassion (not mercy or severity)? 2. Is it something Yeshua or Magdalene would do/say/etc? 3. Is the intent ego neutral – not stroking me or tearing me down? If any of those questions are “No” then I know that it’s probably not the will of God or at the very least I’ve distorted the message in some way. If the message does fit all criteria then I try to wait a few days to make sure that I still feel like I’m hearing the same message and it’s not something that is transitory. Obviously if it’s God’s will it will stay true over time. Even then I can’t be sure, but I step out into faith and do what I think I’m supposed to. If I find I’m wrong, it’s about going back to listening and being open. The other thing to keep in mind is that just because you have a message doesn’t necessarily mean someone else with a different opinion isn’t hearing God’s voice too. This may seem contradictory, but the will and message is definitely for the individual. Unless we are given a message to pass to someone else, the message is usually pretty specific to us. So, others may not hear exactly the same thing. If someone comes to me and says they’ve heard God’s will and they want my opinion, I give them the same advice I give myself on asking the questions above and waiting for consistency. It is then up to them to decide where to go from there. Recently Tau Malachi and I had a brief discussion on how sometimes we may be given a direction that is ultimately not where we need to be, but it is necessary to get us to that final destination. I think of my calling to be a Pastor in the very strict Christian Tradition I belonged to years ago. I know that was the voice of Ma, but it turned out not to be the end product. There was no context at the time to hear that I should be a Gnostic. Instead, I was drawn to study and receive a Master’s degree and pursue being a Pastor until the time was right to leave that Tradition and find my true place in the Sophian Tradition. So, was original call wrong? No, it was Ma’s will because it ultimately got me where I needed to be. The biggest thing to remember is we are not perfect. This means that we may make mistakes and act contrary to what the Mother has for us. It’s important to not give up. It is too often that someone makes a mistake in judgment and then gives up thinking they’ll never get it right. The answer is to look at what in us pushed us in the wrong direction, how to see it in the future, and then go back to listening for what God has for us. I will freely admit that I’ve strayed by letting my ego do the listening instead of my true self. These lessons have taught me to never give up, but to keep learning and keep striving for God’s true will.
