George Mueller's Keys to Hearing From God

George Mueller - Click to read his biography

Successes
- He sincerely sought God's direction
- He waited patiently on God until he had a word from God in the Scripture.
- He looked to the Holy Spirit to teach him through God's Word.

Mistakes
- Lacking honesty of heart
- Lacking uprightness before God
- Impatience to wait for God
- Preferring the counsel of men over the declarations of Scripture

How he entered into a heart relationship with God and learned to discern God's voice

1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nin-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the knowledge of what His will is.

2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

3. I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He wil do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

4. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

5. Thus, 1. through prayer to God, 2 the study of the Word, and 3 reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.