Many of us assume that when God has something good to say to us, we will automatically be aware of it. But that isn’t necessarily true.

To know what God is saying, we need faith—the ability to look beyond the natural realm to perceive what is happening in the spiritual realm. As a follower of Jesus, you are alive because of what you believe, not because of what you hear or experience in the natural.  

For we live by believing and not by seeing. (2 Cor. 5:7 NLT) 

We run into trouble whenever we stop using faith and start relying on the natural realm or how we feel to tell us what God is saying.

By Faith, Not by Sight

The natural realm, which includes our human emotions, can tell us a lot of things that aren’t true.  

The natural realm: “God doesn’t love me. I don’t feel loved, so it must be that I am not loved.” 

The faith realm: “Oh, He loves me! I am perfectly safe in His love. The more I believe His love, the more I see how much He really does love me.”  

The natural realm: “The Lord hasn’t talked to me in a long time. I haven’t felt His presence. I think He has left me. I’m all alone.”

The faith realm: “It doesn’t matter if I’m exhausted and can’t sense the Lord. I know He is with me. He is all around me, and my heart will reconnect with Him very soon. I am about to hear His voice!”

In the busyness of life, it can be easy to slip into natural-realm thinking. If we aren’t using faith, we probably aren’t hearing the Lord nearly as much as we could be. He has good things to say! And faith is necessary for hearing His voice.

What Does Your Heart Need to Hear from God?

Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?” (Jer. 1:11 NLT)

Are you struggling in your walk with God right now? 

Are you just tired, and you don’t know what to do?

If you feel disconnected from God, maybe you need to listen with ears of faith, not with ears of “I’m not good enough” or “He wishes I were different.” Read His Word with faith. Spend time with Him in the quiet place, and listen to His voice, writing down the good things He says to you.

If you need to recharge your tired heart, maybe you need to set down the natural realm and pick up faith.

Everything God does is based in faith. Don’t be afraid to use faith as you listen for His voice. You might be amazed at the good things He is saying about you.

Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize! For more about His amazing, unending love, check out Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. The book is also available in Spanish.