“I encourage anyone seeking to follow the Lord’s leading to relax and be patient, and let God develop your sense of His voice and direction more as the years go on. As long as you abide in Him and stay rooted in His Word, I believe you’ll find a greater sense of assurance of God’s leading and speaking in your life.”

A reader sent me this question: I really want to follow Christ but at times I become anxious searching for God’s Spirit within me. How can I hear God’s voice and know that He is clearly speaking to me?

Knowing God’s voice, I think, comes from abiding in Christ, as we see in John 15. A vital part of that is His Word abiding in us. Confession of sin is also important, so our relationship with God isn’t hindered by our sin. The wisdom and input of others—not just any others but very godly others—is certainly helpful. But in the end, there is a supernatural aspect to following God’s leading that’s more than knowing what the Bible says and listening to others.

It’s hard to put it in words, but sometimes I sense a definite prompting from God—call it the still small voice or whatever. Often, I’m prompted to pray for someone, speak to someone about the Lord, or to give them a book, and not just a book but one particular book. I remember years ago I was playing tennis with a non-Christian guy I’d never met. At the time, my default giveaway book to nonbelievers was Grace and Truth Paradox, but for some reason I really felt led to give him Lord Foulgrin’s Letters. I called him the next day to see if we could play again and he said, “I read that whole novel you gave me; it was very interesting.” I have no doubt God was speaking to me to give him that particular book.

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