It’s everywhere. It pops up during conversations, it shows on our phone screens. It’s on billboards and adverts. It’s in magazines and newspapers. It’s written in the clouds and the rainbows. It’s through sermons and podcasts. It shows up in our dreams and visions. It’s weaved in nature and the chaos of the city. It’s in diving into the Bibles and watching secular films. It’s in listening to songs and reading quotes.
There are so many ways God speaks to us. Sometimes it’s an audible voice – like that time when my father heard the Lord’s voice when he was in class at university. But most of the time the Lord speaks to us in mysterious ways. He leaves treasures everywhere, not so that they should stay hidden, but so that we can search for them. When we find it, we cherish it with all our hearts.
We know the familiar saying – ‘Stop and smell the roses’ – but I want to change it a bit. ‘Stop and see the signs’ is what I would like to leave you with as you read this essay.
For the signs are everywhere; God speaks to us in numerous and unending ways. He is constantly communicating with us, showing that He is involved in our lives. But most of the time, we are too busy and too caught up in our own daily lives.
Stop and see the signs. What is He saying to you? What is He whispering? What is He shouting?
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Lately, I’ve been seeing 11:11 everywhere. And I mean, everywhere. At first, it was subtle. Then it became loud and bold. Now I’m keenly aware of it everywhere I go. It’s like I have a flashlight, and everywhere I go, I search for that 11:11.
- I see 11:11 every time I check the time on my phone.
- I see 11:11 on my alarm clock.
- I hear it in a conversation where a woman tells me the age gap between her two sons: ‘Eleven years, eleven months and eleven days.’
- I hear it in another conversation where a woman tells me of a confirmed appointment: It will take place in January next year, the 11th at 11 o’clock.
- I hear it in yet another conversation with a friend. He tells me, ‘I’ve been seeing 11:11 everywhere, and I don’t know why.’
- I see it in a voice note from my friend in Pretoria. The voice note is exactly 1:11 minutes long.
11:11 gets confirmed over and over.
But here comes the challenge.
The challenge is where it needs to be interpreted. It is meaningless without the interpretation, the message that comes with it.
I like to Google things, and usually, I read article upon article until I find something that resonates within my soul. Something in me that says, ‘Aha! So that’s what the Lord is trying to tell me!’
And so I Googled 11:11. But every website said, ‘It’s a sign that your guardian angel is near.’
But I was not satisfied with that interpretation, for that doesn’t resonate with my soul at all. Yes, I know I have angels protecting me, but they are always there and they are always on standby to listen to my commands.
But I kept on searching and searching until I finally saw a Wikipedia entry. Something happened on the 11th of November (11) in 2011. Something incredible and it was double the amount that took place that year. When I read this, I knew. This is for me, and it’s a treasure I have found and I’m keeping it near to my heart as a promise from the Lord.
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Now, it is my responsibility to declare it over my life and to steward this word that has been given to me.
I recently bought a gorgeous drawing at an NG Kerk Feesmark, and it speaks to my heart and my soul, and it goes in line with the 11:11 revelation I received. I put it up on my bedroom wall, and every time I see it, I declare those words over my life. I have put it before me as a reminder of this 11:11 word.
I attended a Christmas service recently, and at the end of the service, a man came up and gave a prophetic word. ‘I watched the sunrise this morning, and I saw the mist that was before me. The Lord said to me, ‘The midst of the past is now disappearing; behold, the sun is finally rising again and I am doing a new thing.’ Then the man added, ‘The Lord is saying, ‘Just trust me. Trust me. That is all.’
Immediately, I was taken back to when I had to make a decision regarding a relationship. I didn’t know if I should say yes. I closed my eyes and the Lord gave me a vision with the following words, ‘Trust Me, and do it.’ And so I did.
Less than a year later, I didn’t know what to do in regards to that relationship. I closed my eyes, and the exact same vision appeared before me again, and I saw the Lord write the words, ‘Trust me, and walk away.’ And so I did.
And now this man was sharing at the Christmas service the exact same words that were given to me all those years ago.
It didn’t stop there.
After the service, I had breakfast with a friend, and she told me of a relationship she had had many years ago. ‘I said to the Lord, ‘Can my heart not be involved in this?’, but then He said, ‘Trust Me.’ And so I did.’
And so can I. I can do it again. Whatever may come, however it might look.
In between, I am taking my flashlight everywhere, smelling the roses, and searching for the signs.
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Seven Biblical Ways You Might Hear God’s Voice
Basic Training for Prophetic Ministry by Kris Vallotton
1. Visions
Visions of the mind occur when the Lord ‘projects’ images and pictures onto the ‘screen’ of our imagination. As the Holy Spirit speaks to us through these pictures and images of the mind, we must turn around and ask Him what the pictures mean. (Acts 2:17-18)
2. God’s Still Small Voice
God’s still small voice can be heard as a passing thought, sudden impression, or internal ‘sense’ of something that God is saying. We see in First Kings that God is not just in the strong wind or the earthquake, but rather He is in the gentle blowing. (1 Kings 19:11-13)
3. Angels
Throughout the New Testament, angels spoke to people and gave them instructions for their lives. Luke 1:26-38 is a famous example where the angel Gabriel visited Mary, the mother of Jesus. It’s important to remember that while angels deliver messages, the source of the instructions is from God.
4. Creation
Creation itself is a voice from the Lord that speaks to us in many ways, specifically by echoing to us the truth about who God is. The mountains speak of His strength, the rivers of His provision, and the flowers of His beauty (Psalm 19:1-2).
5. Scriptures
The Lord can speak to us in our daily reading of the Bible by highlighting a verse or story that speaks to us about your present circumstances. The words come to life as you reflect, and suddenly, you have clarity, revelation, or comfort for your life.
6. Circumstances
God can speak to us and direct us as He opens and closes the doors of opportunity. It is easy to think that any time we come up against an obstacle in our lives that we are out of the will of God. However, oftentimes when we are doing something for God, the enemy will oppose us! Even in times of intense opposition, we must remember that when God opens a door, no one can shut it. (Revelation 3:8)
7. Spiritual Happenings
These are supernatural incidents that correlate with natural events. Notice that in the Book of Numbers, Aaron’s rod came alive after being dead, and bore blossoms and ripe almonds as a sign from God that he was anointed to be a leader of Israel. (Numbers 17:2-8)
