08/21/2026
Thought 💭 of the Day “Hear what the Spirit is saying & Listen to the Word of God!”
To hear in the spirit requires a posture of submission, divine alignment and waiting upon the Lord. There is a profound, difference between merely hearing words and truly listening to the voice of God. When we master this distinction, we unlock the strategy for great victory in every area of our lives.
To understand this deeply, we must look at the original languages of Scripture:
Hearing (Hebrew: Shama / Greek: Akouo): In the Hebrew mindset, Shama (שָׁמַע) goes far beyond sound waves hitting the eardrum. It means to hear with attention, to obedience, and to act upon what is said. In the Greek New Testament, Akouo (ἀκούω) means to perceive the sound, but it demands a response.
Listening (Hebrew: Qashab / Greek: Hupakouo): Qashab (קָשַׁב) means to prick up the ears, to sharpen your attention, and to incline your heart entirely. The Greek Hupakouo (ὑπακούω) literally means "to hear under"—to listen with a submissive heart that is ready to obey immediately.
Hearing is the automatic, physiological sensory process where spiritual truths or circumstances register. But listening is the intentional, psychological, and spiritual process of going beyond the sound of words to understand, analyze, and execute the blueprint of heaven.
If there is anything we need as believers, it is direction and clarity so we can make the right decisions. However, the greatest trap of the believer is impatience and getting ahead of God. Scripture commands us in Isaiah 40:31: "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Waiting is not passive wasting of time; waiting is spiritual preparation. When you face transitions, changes, or major shifts, you must wait on God until you receive the clear signal to move.
Too many times, we use prayer as an escape mechanism. Especially when God has already spoken to our hearts, but because it is not the thing we want to do, we say, "I'm going to pray about it." We use prayer as an excuse to avoid responsibility or to delay the direction God has clearly given.
At other times we often run ahead of God out of panic. But until God speaks, your job is to stand still. The timing is not ours, the decision is not ours—our job is to be led by the Spirit.
God knows that the journey He has called you to will often look terrifying to your natural senses. This is why God will always cause you to hear with your ears first and not with with your natural eyes.
If you had to go by your natural sight, you might be too afraid to finish the assignment. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:7 declares: "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
Consider the prophet Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 6. When he looked with his natural eyes, he saw a hostile Syrian army surrounding the city and panicked. But Elisha prayed for his eyes to be opened to see the spiritual reality—horses and chariots of fire surrounding them.
God will speak a word of victory into your ears to sustain you, because if you look at the mounting bills, the broken relationship, or the chaotic environment, fear will paralyze you. Listen to the whisper of the Spirit, block out the sight of the storm, and finish your race.
The enemy wants nothing more than to bring fear, stress, anxiety, worry, and confusion into your life by bombarding you with many voices. As 1 Corinthians 14:10 reminds us, "There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without significance." Everything in this world is competing for your attention.
But you cannot give everybody and everything the right to speak into your life. You must try the spirits.
1 John 4:1 warns us: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God."
God will never speak something to you that leads you away from His written Word, His calling, or His ultimate purpose. If a voice breeds confusion and terror, it is not the voice of your Shepherd. Jesus said in John 10:27: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
God will never leave you in a situation to suffer on purpose. However, many times we refuse to move because we prefer the familiarity of a comfortable chaos and pain over the vulnerability of the unknown where God is calling us.
Look at the warning of Lot’s wife in Genesis 19. When God mercifully called Lot and his family out of the destruction of S***m and Gomorrah, the command was explicit: “Escape for your life! Do not look back behind you.”
They heard the word, but Lot’s wife did not internally listen or submit (hupakouo) to it. Her heart was still tethered to what she was leaving behind. She turned around to look one more time, and she was instantly transformed into a pillar of salt.
Partial obedience is still disobedience. When God calls you away from circumstances, toxic environments, or relationships that are actively destroying your mind, heart, and spirit—you must cut the cord and move.
When we master the art of listening to God and waiting on His timing, it guarantees absolute victory. Look at the scriptural precedents:
The Posture of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10): When the voice of God called out in the night, Eli instructed Samuel to respond: "Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears (shama)." This posture of ready submission launched Samuel into becoming a prophet whose words never fell to the ground.
The Strategy of Joshua (Joshua 6): Joshua didn't attack Jericho based on military sight. He waited and listened to the specific, unconventional instructions of God—to march around the walls in silence for six days and shout on the seventh. By listening to the strategic voice of God rather than relying on military eyes, the walls came crashing down in supernatural victory.
The Power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2): As the early church ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."Because they waited and listened, the global missionary movement was birthed with signs, wonders, and unstoppable victory.
Stop letting the world dictate your pace. Do not let fear of what your eyes see stop you from finishing what God started. Elevate your spiritual hearing today. Tune out the noise of the world, silence the anxiety of the flesh, and like Samuel, cry out: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!"
Your victory is on the other side of your willingness to wait, hear, and immediately obey. So hear what the Spirit is saying and listen to the word of God!
Bishop Melvin L. Sanchez
