18 signs God is speaking to you (and why you need to listen)

We all have questions, and while it’s natural to want answers, many times we go about seeking them in the wrong way.

The result? We find ourselves feeling stuck, frustrated, or confused.

Asking God for help can seem like a daunting task.

But if you’re feeling weary, it’s worth taking a step back to consider that changes in your life may be evidence of God speaking to you.

Here are 20 signs that could indicate that some divine intervention is happening, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

1) You feel like a burden is being lifted off your shoulders

When your life feels overwhelming, it can be easy to get discouraged.

But this doesn’t mean that you need to stop or give up. It’s just another sign that God is speaking to you.

When you feel like this, it is because your burdens and concerns are weighing you down.

But God promises to ease the burdens of his people (Psalm 55:22). He can help you through even the toughest seasons in life if you let him.

It’s okay to feel depressed, confused, or even angry, but please don’t let those feelings become excuses to give up. If you do find yourself drifting away, try finding a safe place where you won’t be tempted by this world or its distractions (1 Cor 10:12).

You will know that God is speaking to you when your burden feels too much to bear, and you don’t know what else to do. Be sure to trust him and lean into Jesus, trusting that He will help carry this weight with you.

2) You’ve been given a new perspective on life

Have you ever been involved in a car accident? A lot of people describe their experience as if they were taken out of this world and shown an entirely different view of their life.

The Bible calls this a “wake up call” (Eph. 6:5). Sometimes, our perspective is warped by the constant distractions of life, and we need a reality check to set us straight.

Our perspective can also be affected by our disappointments in life and those around us.

So do your best not to jump to conclusions about what situations in life mean.

Instead, humbly ask God for help. He will show you the way out of your despair (Psalm 94:18).

Know that God is speaking to you when you need a new perspective and gaining a new one.

3) A Bible verse keeps popping up

We all have a favorite Bible verse we go to when we need comfort or guidance.

But did you know that God can use them to give us prophetic messages on particular situations in our lives?

It’s important to remember that the Bible is the book of common sense, and God uses it to communicate with us in ways we can understand (Psalm 119:105).

So when you find a verse popping up again and again, pay attention. This may be a sign that God is leading you to a new perspective.

You will know that God is talking to you when you are reminded of a Bible verse. Take note of the details of the situation, and see if you can discern a possible message from it.

4) Someone is speaking truth into your life

Sometimes, the way we explain ourselves can be a little misleading, and it’s easy to get tangled up in our own perspectives.

On the other hand, we find ourselves saying something to someone else that they don’t really understand. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean we were wrong!

When someone you know is saying something that sounds crazy to you, don’t walk away. Try to really listen to what they are saying. If it doesn’t seem right, try asking them questions to find out why they’re saying it.

This someone could be anyone in your life – your partner, relative, co-worker, friend, or even just a neighbor.

Unexpectedly, you’ll hear something that will be a lightbulb for you and help you learn to see your situation from a different perspective.

When God is speaking to you, there’s someone in your life trying to explain something to you. You don’t have to agree with them, but it can be worth asking a few questions and giving it a thought.

5) You find yourself in a place of worship

If you’re finding yourself going to church more often than usual, it could be God setting the stage for a new season in your life.

Be sure to approach the experience with an open mind and heart. Many times we get stuck in our routine because we don’t want to risk having our expectations dashed. But remember, God will never send you on a mission that is out of your comfort zone.

Even if you don’t understand everything going on around you, he will never put pressure on you to do something that goes against your conscience.

You will know that God is speaking to you when you find yourself in a place of worship. Take this time to prayerfully seek God and listen for his direction.

It’s important to remember that not every church is the right one for you. The one that makes you feel uncomfortable, or as if it’s trying to push a belief system on you that doesn’t feel right, probably isn’t worth attending.

6) You’ve been feeling the effects of disobedience

Have you ever felt guilty about something?

There is a reason for this.

The Bible says that God has written His laws onto our hearts so we can know them (Romans 2:15). We know that breaking His laws makes us feel guilty, just like we know that following them makes us feel good.

Sometimes we will ignore our guilty feelings and do the wrong thing anyway. But God knows when we have disobeyed Him.

The Bible says that “God has given us a spirit of fear” (2 Cor 7:1) when it comes to disobeying Him.

God is certainly speaking to you when you find yourself feeling guilty about something. Be sure to remove the guilt from your life by humbling yourself and seeking God’s forgiveness.

7) You’re getting closer to a breakthrough

Have you ever known someone who seemed to know how to get upset? Then they would just snap at the drop of a hat.

We all have our bad days, but this person would always seem to react in an angry way even when they didn’t need to.

When you’re trying to figure out what happened to you and why you’re reacting in such an angry way is an indication that God is somehow talking to you.

You may have a breakthrough when you realize that this isn’t all about you, but about seeing how your actions could hurt someone else, and it’s worth calming your emotions down for the sake of others.

8) You’re getting messages in your dreams

Many people have experienced dreams that seem to give them messages.

People even try to use these dreams to tell them what they should do, but they can be difficult to interpret.

While we don’t always understand the meaning behind our dreams, it’s easy to overlook literal interpretations when we’re simply in a dream and are trying to give one.

But God hears and answers you when you ask him for guidance (James 4:2). He can use any dream to help you find the answers you’re looking for.

You will know that God is speaking to you when you have a dream that seems significant. Don’t worry if it takes a while before the meaning of the dream becomes clear.

9) You’re feeling like something isn’t right

We often don’t know or understand why we feel the way we do, but sometimes we feel uneasy about situations in our lives. We know that something seems off, but we’re not sure what it is.

Sometimes, we will question ourselves and end up pushing away our own intuition. God gives us this instinct for a reason.

He wants us to listen to what comes from our hearts, and sometimes this is the only way he can speak to us and give us direction in life.

If there are times when you are trying to figure out why you feel a certain way about something, it might be because God is speaking to you. This may be a time when you have to trust your intuition and listen to your gut.

I know, though, that this isn’t always easy to do.

10) You’re doing what feels right, even though it doesn’t look right

We’ve all heard of the phrase “the devil made me do it”. This is true not only in the world, but also in our spiritual lives. But even if we know that something isn’t right, we often won’t listen to our intuition. We may do what feels good, even though it actually isn’t good for us.

God wants to use us and help us, but He won’t force us to do things that will keep us from loving Him. He wants his people to find happiness in him, not through anything else.

You will know that God is speaking to you when you feel like your intuition is telling you not to do something. Don’t ignore your conscience and force yourself to do something anyway.

Be sure to trust the feelings from your gut and listen for God’s word. This way, He can help you do what’s right.

11) Your desire for a mission is getting stronger

If you are doing all of the things above, there’s a good chance that your desire for God and His mission is getting stronger.

Do you know what a mission is? It’s when God uses you to accomplish His work in the world! If you are willing and obedient, He will use you to touch others with His love and grace.

Certainly, when you find yourself wanting a mission so badly that there simply are no words for it, it is God putting His words into your heart and mind.

Get this: you’re about to experience God’s work in your heart.

As those scriptures above have told us, we will feel different in our hearts when God has done His work there and about to give us a mission.

12) You feel a sense of freedom

When we do things for God, it doesn’t mean that we’ll feel like we’ve been set free from our burdens. This is because following Him isn’t about leaving our burdens behind, but choosing to take them up with Him.

But when you do things His way, you will start to see a difference in your life.

He can use your burdens for His kingdom and He can carry them with you if you let Him. But don’t do anything that you aren’t sure about. If you want to trust God, be sure that He will see you through whatever comes your way.

You will know that God is speaking to you when you feel a sense of freedom. This is not because He has magically made everything better in your life, but because he gives us the strength to face our struggles with faith.

13) You’re starting to understand your purpose in life

 

“The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life.”

– Sydney J. Harris

If you feel like God is speaking to you, it could be because you’re becoming more aware of what matters most in life. When we get clear on what our purpose is, we will learn to live with purpose.

God’s words to Moses when he was on Mount Sinai are telling us that He wants to use us in the world and give us lives of meaning (Exod 3:10).

Simply put, you will know that God is speaking to you when you feel like you’re in the right place and the right time for something important.

From this place, it only takes one step forward to discover what your purpose is meant to be. When we are clear on our purpose, we will recognize how blessed we are to have the opportunity and ability to touch others with God’s love.

This freedom is the most important thing. The only life that matters is the one you create for yourself from this point forward!

Have that faith that feeds your soul, everyday.

14) You’ve been given a new understanding or knowledge

The Bible says that God will “teach you all things” (John 14:26). That’s a lot of information, so it’s little wonder that it can be hard to understand and accept everything at once.

God can give us insight into one area and then ask us to backtrack in another.

An increase in knowledge can also help us better understand life. When we understand more about God, we will also begin to understand ourselves better.

Hear me out, you will know that God is speaking to you when you feel like God is giving you new knowledge.

This can come in the form of anything from your physical senses, thoughts and ideas, dreams (Numbers 12), or even through people. But don’t forget that emotions are just as important for us to listen to (Jeremiah’s Baruch 4:14).

15) You’ve been promised something that you didn’t know about before

I know that it’s hard to believe, but God will reveal a lot of new things about Himself to you when you trust Him. If you keep certain promises about yourself that He made, the truth will be revealed to you in a clear and concise way.

There might be a void in your life when you don’t know everything about God. But when you start to learn about Him more, He will fill that void and more.

How will you know that God is speaking to you?

He is giving you answers from on high, but remember that we aren’t hearing everything at once (1 Corinthians 14:27). He’ll speak to us through the things we do find out, too.

If you don’t get what you need now, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.

16) You’ve been given a gift or treasure

When we receive gifts from God, they can be so ambiguous that they can be hard to understand. Sometimes we don’t even feel like they were given by God at all!

But God will speak to us in His own way, and we can trust that He won’t lead us astray.

To add, you will know that God is speaking to you when you feel like you’ve been given a gift or treasure from God.

This could come in the form of a person, realization, hobby or an experience. When this feeling comes over you, take the time to investigate what it means because God usually wants to use your gifts and talents for good.

17) Your mind feels clearer than it has before, and it’s more focused

When we are operating on autopilot, our mind may not be focused on certain things. But when we begin to study God, our mind will be sharpened.

When this happens, it should feel like you are seeing life more clearly than you have before. When we try to put our faith in God, it will give us the sense that we are coming closer to Him.

If a person or situation isn’t good for us, it’s like our mind will become aware of it and show us the way out (Psalm 37:3; Jeremiah 6:16). You will know that God is speaking to you when you feel like your mind has become more sharp and focused.

Everytime this happens, make sure that you take time to focus on what is important. This could mean taking the time to read through the Bible, or simply by taking a walk in nature.

18) You’ve been given the gift of a new language or the ability to understand other languages

God can use His word to speak to us in other languages.

When we have the gift of language, from God, we may be able to understand people that speak a different language than we do (2 Corinthians 3:6).

You will know that God is speaking to you when you feel like you’ve been given the gift or ability to understand other languages. If this is the case, you should always be grateful for it and make sure that you use it as much as you can!

Why do we need to listen to His voice

Now that you’ve realized God is speaking to you, it’s important to know why we should listen to what He has to say.

As Jesus tells us, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me –and this is what leads them out of their own land, their own country where they were born, into a new land, a land that I have given them. That new land is the wide open spaces of heaven”

Our lives on Earth are temporary and borrowed from God. That’s why He wants us to live everyday with purpose, meaning, and joy.

If we are able to honor God and listen to His voice, He will be able to use us in the world. And life will become a journey of memories that we’ll wish we could relive time and time again.

Yes, it can be tough at times! But God will never stop speaking to you when you turn your heart in the right direction.

Final words

You can be sure that God is speaking to you when you feel something or you see something which can’t be described with words. It’s better to get the gut feeling and then trust it.

But make no mistake about it, God speaks to people every day!

God wants to use us to spread His word. He wants us to have relationships with each other, because this is how we will grow stronger and stronger as believers.

You should know by now that God can speak to us in different ways, but if you have ever heard something strange, you know that it is important to pay attention! So be sure that you are ready for the voice of God when He comes around.

Now, open your heart and mind wide so that you may be ready for God to speak His word throughout your life.