Joel Osteen - Listening To The Whisper
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Joel Osteen shares how God most often speaks not in dramatic thunder but in a gentle whisper—a still small voice felt as impressions in our spirit, drawing from 1 Kings 19 and personal stories to show that obeying these quiet promptings leads us to protection, blessing, and the best path for our lives.
God Doesn’t Always Shout—He Whispers!
I want to talk to you today about listening to the whisper. We do not always realize how God speaks to us. We have seen in the movies where God spoke to Moses, and the voice boomed out of the heavens, sounded like thunder, was so powerful and dramatic, gives you goosebumps. But most of the time God speaks to us in a gentle whisper. It is not something loud; it is not forceful. It is called «the still small voice.»
It’s That Sudden Knowing in Your Heart
We feel an impression, a prompting—not in our head, but in our heart. It is like a suggestion, something that we suddenly know we are supposed to do. That is not random; that is not you just thinking up things—that is God speaking to you. Six times in the Gospels Jesus said, «He that has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying.» Well, everyone has ears; he was not talking about physically. He was talking about your inner ears.
Are You Tuning In to the Spirit’s Whispers?
He was saying, «Are you sensitive to the whispers? Are you paying attention to what you are feeling in your spirit?» It is easy to ignore it, push it down. But if you will start obeying the promptings, the suggestions, the gentle whispers, God will lead you down the best path for your life. You see that coworker, and suddenly you have the desire to be good to them; you feel compassion; something says, «Let them know that you care.»
Don’t Reason Away God’s Gentle Nudge
You will be tempted to reason it out: they look fine to me; they do not need my encouragement. Do not ignore the whisper. God would not have given you that impression if they did not need it. You do not know what people are going through; you cannot judge by the outside. That whisper is God leading you. The more you obey this still small voice, the more God can entrust you with.
That Uneasy Feeling? It’s God’s Alarm System!
Sometimes you feel an unrest, an uneasiness—like an alarm is going on—telling you not to do something: stay away from that person, do not take that business deal, do not get involved in that situation. It looks fine; everything seems okay. Do not go against the whisper. God sees things that we cannot see. He knows where the dead ends are; he knows the people that are going to pull us down, waste our time.
Most Regrets Come from Ignoring the Warning Whisper
When we look back over our life at mistakes, disappointments, failures—most of the time, if we are honest, we can see how God tried to warn us. We felt the uneasiness; we knew something was not right, but we wanted our way so badly we overrode it. But if there is an unrest, if that whisper is saying «back off, ” it is not because God is punishing you, keeping you from something good—he is protecting you; he is keeping you from heartache.
God Says „No“ Because He Has Something Better
The reason that whisper is saying „No“ is because he has something better in store. When you have big decisions, things you are concerned about, it is important to get quiet and listen to the whisper, listen to what you are feeling. You cannot hear it if you are always busy, noisy, stressed out, getting opinions from others, on the phone all the time. It is not that God is not speaking—it is that it is too loud around us.
Start Your Day Asking for Sensitive Spiritual Ears
You need times of peace, times of quiet so you can hear the whisper. Every morning I like to start the day off saying, „God, help my spiritual ears to be sensitive to your voice. God, help me to hear what you are saying to me today.“ It is not going to be your mind—just a feeling down in here, an impression. All of a sudden you have a desire to check on your children, a prompting to go to a certain place.
Don’t Dismiss It as „Just Daydreaming“
It is easy to dismiss it: „Oh, that is nothing. That is just me daydreaming.“ No, that is God speaking to you. Pay attention to the whispers. There are times these whispers are going to ask you to do things that you do not understand, things that do not make sense. If you reason it out and look at it only from a logical point of view, you will talk yourself out of it. This is when faith comes in.
Trust God Even When It Defies Logic
„God, I believe you know what is best for me. My mind is telling me all the reasons not to do this, but Lord, I trust you. I am going to follow that still small voice in my life.“ When Victoria and I were first married, we found this townhome that we really loved. It was a beautiful place, had big windows looking out to the woods, tall ceilings. We got it for an amazing price, almost half of what it was worth.
We Loved Our Dream Townhome—Until the Whisper Came
We were so grateful; we never dreamed that in our mid-20s we would have a place that nice. About a year later Victoria said, „Joel, I feel so strongly we need to sell this place and buy a house.“ I thought, „What do you mean? This place is perfect; we just got here.“ That did not make sense to my mind, but when I got quiet and listened down in here, I could hear that same thing.
God’s Ways Aren’t Our Ways—That’s the Faith Test!
Do not be surprised if that still small voice whispers things that go against your logic. God’s ways are not our ways. That is a test. You have to trust that God knows what is best for you. We took that step of faith and sold it. A few months later Victoria called and said, „Joel, I found our new house; meet me at the property.“
From Beautiful Townhome to Rundown Wreck?
I pulled up, and it was this old rundown house—had not been lived in in years, had broken windows, foundation problems; the kitchen had buckets on the floor from the water from the holes in the roof. Was it even livable? But it was on a beautiful half-acre lot close into the city. All of our logic said, „Are you crazy? You moved out of your beautiful townhome to this piece of junk?“
Deep Down: A Peace That Passes Understanding
But down in my spirit I could hear that whisper saying, „This is it. Move forward.“ The scripture talks about peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). That means sometimes your logic is not going to understand; your intellect is not going to get it, but down in your spirit there will be a peace, a rest, a knowing. You cannot explain it; it does not make sense on paper—you just know that you know that it is right for you.
The Day We Closed—A Stranger Offered Big Profit!
We bought the house, and we were going to fix it up. The day we closed on the property, I was standing in the front yard; this car pulled up. A lady got out and asked if we wanted to sell the property. I said, „No, ma’am, we just bought it.“ She said, „How about I pay you more and you make a good profit?“ I said, „No, thanks; we really want to stay here.“ She said, „Congratulations, you just bought your dream house.“
One Whisper Launched Us into Overflow!
I did not know what she meant, but the neighborhood was in the process of changing the deed restrictions so you could subdivide the property. A year later a builder knocked on our door and wanted to buy it. We sold half of the property for more than we paid for the whole property. He built two houses: one for him and one for us. Our house he built for no fee; we just paid the materials and the labor.
From Small Townhome to Dream Home in Houston’s Best Area
It was more than we could ever imagine. We went from a small townhome to a beautiful new home in one of the nicest areas in Houston. This all started from a whisper, a simple suggestion down in our spirit. If you will be sensitive to that still small voice, not talk yourself out of it, God will lead you to places that you have never dreamed.
The Holy Spirit: Your Built-In Guide
See, the Holy Spirit is on the inside of each one of us. He is called our helper, our counselor, our guide. The more sensitive we are to his whispers, what we are feeling, the promptings, the nudgings—the further we are going to go. This is something I have learned strongly over the last 20 years, especially since I have been a pastor.
I Won’t Move Without That Inner Peace
I will not go against what I am feeling on the inside. I trust my sensor—that is where God speaks to you. No matter how good the opportunity, no matter how impressive—if you do not have peace about it, do not move forward. Just the opposite: it may seem impossible; the odds are against you; the circumstances say it is not going to happen—but if you have that peace, that knowing, take that step of faith.
Listening Protects You from Heartache Too
When you develop this skill of listening to the whisper, following that still small voice, God will not only take you further, but he will protect you from things that would have caused you heartache and pain. My brother-in-law Kevin was working on his washing machine a while back, and Kevin can fix anything.
A Simple Cap Could Have Saved a Flood!
He disconnected the hose in the back, turned the water off at the valve, and he needed to run up to the store and pick up some parts. As he was about to leave, something said to him out of the blue—was not even thinking about it—“You need to put a cap on that faucet in case the valve breaks.» Normally when you turn the faucet off, you do not need to cap it, but he heard that several times—not out loud, just an impression, a gentle whisper.
He Ignored It—and Came Home to a Flooded House
He is in a hurry, thought, «There is no need; I am just being overly cautious.» A few hours later his children called, «Dad, hurry home; there is water all over the house: the kitchen, the den, the study.» He said, «Joel, I heard it so strongly, but I kept ignoring it.» Pay attention to the whispers, especially when it will not go away, it keeps coming back—that is God speaking to you.
Practical Whispers You Can’t Afford to Ignore
Sometimes the whisper is very practical: «You are drinking too much caffeine; you are not eating healthy; this is not good for you.» You keep hearing it again and again, pushing it down. Do not ignore it. Or maybe you hear the whisper, «You need to get to work on time. You need to treat your spouse better. You need to watch your words.»
Everyday Obedience Changes Everything
Gentle whispers, impressions in your spirit—not in your mind. Your intellect may say, «It is fine, ” but down in here you know it is something you should do. When we understand that the whispers are for our benefit, that the whisper is God leading us down the best path, then we will not ignore it; we will not push it down—we will be quick to obey.
At the Mall, at Home, at Work—Trust the Unease
At the mall: you do not feel good about that purchase; you do not override it—you put it back. At home: you feel that prompting to spend time with your child; you turn the TV off and obey. At work something says, „Do not hang around that person.“ You feel uneasy; that alarm is going off. You do not reason it out, „Hey, they look fine to me”—you trust your sensor; you make that change.
The Policeman Let My Dad Go—With a Warning!
My father was driving down the freeway one day, and when he got off the feeder, he felt something whisper, „You better slow down; there is a policeman around the curve.“ Just an impression, a prompting. He did not pay any attention; he kept speeding along. He got around the curve, and there was this policeman with his radar gun, waving him into the parking lot.
„Next Time the Lord Speaks, You Better Listen!“
Daddy pulled in; the officer came up to his car. My father said, „Officer, you will not believe this, but the Lord told me you were here.“ He looked at my father like, „Yeah, right; who is this guy?“ He took his driver’s license and went back to his car. He came back in a couple of minutes and gave it back to my father. He said, „Listen here, preacher, I am going to let you go, but the next time the Lord speaks to you, you better listen.“
God Whispers All Day Long—Are You Listening?
How many times is God whispering to us throughout the day, but we are not sensitive to it? Just a whisper: slow down on the freeway, be kinder to your spouse, call that friend and encourage them, stop by and see your parents, turn off that computer, get some more sleep, take care of yourself. Gentle whispers. They are not loud; God is not going to force you to do it—it is just an impression.
Obey Means „Give Ear“ to God’s Voice
The word „obey“ in the original language means give ear to. To be obedient you have to give your ear to what God is saying. You have to be a listener. Be sensitive to that whisper. What you are feeling in your spirit may not be words—just a knowing, something deep down you know you are supposed to do.
Make the Still Small Voice the Loudest in Your Life
I have heard it said, „The loudest voice in your life should be the still small voice.“ The whispers will be quiet; other voices—thoughts, reasoning, people’s opinions, news—will be much louder, but you have to learn to give the whispers the most attention. When you let the still small voice be the voice you follow, you will make the best decisions.
She Invited Him to Church—And Met Her Husband!
A friend of mine that attends Lakewood was in her senior year of college. There was a young man in her math class that she became friends with. She would see him from time to time, and they would talk or go to the math lab together. One day something said to her, „Invite that young man to church.“
The Whisper Wouldn’t Quit—For Good Reason!
She did not know him well; she did not know what he believed. She thought, „That is going to be strange; he is going to think that is too forward, ” on and on. She kept coming up with all these excuses and would not do it. A week went by, two weeks, a month—but she could not get away from it. One way you know it is from God is it will not go away.
She Thought She Was Helping Him—God Was Helping Her!
That impression, that prompting—it keeps coming back. Every time she saw him, down deep she heard that whisper, „Invite him to church.“ Sometimes God will ask you to do things that are uncomfortable, where you have to stretch and take a step of faith. Well, the last week of school she got her nerve up and did it—she invited him to Lakewood.
Obedience Connected the Dots to Her Destiny
They both graduated, went their separate ways. She never knew what he did with the invitation, but she felt good that she obeyed the still small voice. Two years later she met her husband at Lakewood; they fell in love, were married; life was good. One day they were leaving the service, and she saw this young man from college at the back of the auditorium. He had a badge on; he was an usher here at Lakewood.
„He’s the Reason I’m Here Today“
She was amazed. She said, „I cannot believe that you are here and that you volunteer.“ Her husband went over, gave him a big hug, „How have you been doing?“ They began to talk like they were old friends. She looked at her husband and said, „How do you know him?“ Her husband said, „He is the one that invited me to Lakewood. He is the reason that I am here.“ That whole time she was hearing that whisper, „Invite him to Lakewood, ” she thought she was doing him a favor—in fact she was doing herself a favor. That gentle whisper was saying in effect: invite your husband to church.
God Sees the Big Picture—Trust His Whispers
God sees the big picture; he knows how to connect the dots. We are never going to understand at the time all he is doing—how he is arranging, moving, preparing. Anytime you feel that whisper, that impression—it may be to be good to someone else, but it will also be instrumental in reaching your destiny.
Stretch Past the Fear—Obedience Brings Blessing
There will be these times that you are uncomfortable; you have to stretch; you have to push past the fear, the uncertainty, and do what you know God is asking you to do. Every act of obedience leads to a blessing. You may not see it right now, but down the road God will connect the dots.
Forgive? Let Go? It Hurts—But Follow the Whisper
The gentle whisper may be telling you to forgive, to let go of the hurt, to quit holding that grudge. That is uncomfortable; your mind will say, „No way; they hurt you too badly.“ You get to choose which voice you are going to obey: the loud, forceful, „Do not change; take the easy way out“ voice? No—let the gentle whisper be the voice you follow. It may be uncomfortable, but God knows what he is doing.
The Last Words I’ll Ever Hear from My Father
When you are sensitive to the still small voice, when you are in tune with what you are feeling in your spirit—not just living by your intellect, but listening to the promptings, the impressions—then you are going down the best path for your life. When my father was in his mid-70s he had to go on dialysis; he had struggled with high blood pressure most of his life, and it had damaged his kidneys.
A 3:30 AM Whisper: „Stay and Visit with Him“
Many times I would take him up to the clinic. One morning he called me at 3:30, said, „Joel, I cannot sleep. I would like to go up to dialysis now.“ I said, „Okay, I will come pick you up, ” and I drove him to the clinic. After we got him all hooked up and settled—it would take about four hours—normally I would go run errands or go to work, come back later.
I Almost Left—But the Whisper Said Stay
It was only 3:45 in the morning; I was planning on going back home and sleeping. But as I was about to leave, I heard something whisper, „Joel, you need to stay here with your father and visit with him, keep him company.“ I felt it so strongly—not out loud, just an impression. I knew I was supposed to do it.
Four Precious Hours I’ll Never Forget
Now my mind said, „Joel, you can visit later; it is four o’clock in the morning; you can go back home.“ These loud thoughts came telling me something different. If you are going to listen to the whisper, you have to have your ear tuned to what you are feeling. Do not let the loud thoughts drown out the gentle whisper.
„You’re the Best Son a Father Could Have“
Develop your ear to where the whisper becomes the loudest voice. My father thanked me for bringing him, said he would see me later. I said, „No, Daddy, I am going to stay with you today, and we will just visit.“ He was so happy; we talked for four hours. The time went by so fast. I brought him home at eight o’clock in the morning. We were standing in the kitchen; he said, „Joel, you are the best son a father could ever hope to have.“
That Night He Went Home to the Lord
And leaving that morning I felt so satisfied, so at peace, so fulfilled. My father knew that I loved him, and I knew that he loved me. Well, those were the last words I would ever hear my father speak to me. That night he had a heart attack and went to be with the Lord. I am so glad I did not ignore that whisper to stay with him.
God Knows Tomorrow—Trust the Whisper Today
God knows the future. He knows what we are going to need, what to avoid, what not to do. At the time we may not understand it; it does not make sense; we are uncomfortable—but you can trust the whisper; you can trust that knowing—not in your mind, but in your heart. Do not override the still small voice. God is leading you down the best path.
Whispers Give You the Ultimate Advantage
You cannot accomplish your purpose on your own. The whispers are what give you an advantage. The whispers will give you inside information. The whispers will take you where you cannot go on your own. In 1 Kings chapter 19, the prophet Elijah was in a difficult place. He had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed 450 of the false prophets of Baal—it was one of his greatest victories.
Not in the Wind, Earthquake, or Fire—But the Whisper
But when the king’s wife heard about all these men they had lost, she was furious. She set out to kill Elijah. He was hiding in a cave, discouraged and afraid. He needed direction. God told him to go stand on the mountain; he was about to pass by. Verse 11 says, „There was a great and powerful wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks.“
God Was Not in the Loud—He Was in the Gentle
You would think, „Surely God showed up; that was so powerful.“ But it goes on to say, „God was not in the wind.“ After the wind there was an earthquake—something even bigger, split the ground open—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a great fire, burned things up—but God was not in the fire. After the fire, the scripture says, „There came a gentle whisper.“
God Whispers Because He’s Close to You
God was showing us how he speaks. When all the circumstances are loud, it is noisy—thoughts telling you „It is not going to work out, ” people coming against you—it is easy to get confused, live stressed out. You have to come back to that quiet place. The reason God whispers is because he is close to you. You do not whisper to strangers; you do not whisper to people you barely know—you whisper to your spouse, you whisper to your children, you whisper to someone you love and trust.
You’re His Child—He Whispers Secrets to You
That is why God whispers to you: you are his child; he loves you; he trusts you; he wants the best for you. He is not going to shout, be loud, forceful—he will lead you by gentle whispers, by the still small voice. Psalm 25:14 says, „The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.“
Inside Information: Property, Promotion, Destiny
When you honor God, he will tell you secrets; he will whisper things in your spirit that you had no way of knowing. He knows—like he did with me—when you need to spend time with someone. He knows where the property is that is going to increase. Like my friend, he knows where your spouse is; he knows where the good breaks are, the promotion, the resources, the abundance. He will give you inside information.
Barren Land Turned into a Highway Goldmine!
A gentle whisper—it is the secret of the Lord. It will not always make sense; it may not seem logical; the facts say otherwise: trust the whisper; obey the promptings, the knowings, the still small voice—that is God whispering secrets. I know a man that bought some property years ago, way out in the middle of nowhere—hardly paid anything for it, less than a hundred dollars an acre; he bought several hundred acres.
Everyone Thought It Was a Waste—Except God
Logically speaking as an investment it looked like a waste of money. The land was dry and barren; you could not grow crops on it; you could not raise cattle. It was like the desert—just rocks, clay, and cactus. He used to go check on it every so often; it always puzzled me: why did he buy the property? I thought maybe he had family in the area, some kind of plans to develop it.
„My Heavenly Father Told Me About This Place“
He said, „No, Joel, I was just driving by one day, and I felt so drawn to it; I knew it was supposed to be mine.“ Just a whisper, just a prompting that he felt in his spirit. God will ask you to do things that are not always logical. The battle will take place between your mind—all the loud voices—and the gentle whisper.
100 Times Return—Because He Obeyed the Whisper
And when it is from God, it is more of a knowing—you cannot explain it; on paper it may not make sense; your reason cannot justify it—but deep down you have this peace. You know you are supposed to do it. Fifteen years later he received notice that the state was putting a highway in. Out of all the land, it just so happened it was going to run right through his property.
You’re One Whisper Away from Greater Favor!
They had to buy him out; he ended up making more than a hundred times what he paid for. Next time he buys property, I am buying next door. This man—he is really funny; he is an older gentleman, kind of country—and a reporter from that regional paper was talking to him, said, „Sir, you sure know how to pick a piece of property.“ He said, „Yes, my father told me about this place.“ The reporter said, „I did not know your father was in real estate.“ He pointed up and said, „No, I am talking about my Heavenly Father. He knows where everything is.“
Destiny Moments Are Hidden in Whispers
When you listen to the still small voice, you will come across blessings, favor, good breaks—things you had no way of knowing. You cannot explain it; you do not have any data to back it up—but you do have the spirit of the Most High God living on the inside of you. He will whisper secrets to your spirit.
God Is About to Whisper Game-Changing Secrets!
Some of these whispers are destiny moments. They are vital for you to see the fullness of what God has in store. The reason you feel it so strongly is because it is about to launch you into a new level of your destiny. God is about to whisper some secrets; he is going to give you insight into things that propel you ahead. You are one whisper away from stepping into greater favor, greater influence, greater resources—something you have never imagined.
Act Now—Let the Whisper Lead You Higher!
Now, it may not happen the way you think; it may not make sense logically; your mind will try to talk you out of it. Follow the still small voice; you can trust your sensor. I believe God is whispering something to all of us—maybe an area we need to grow, come up higher, and make better decisions. We heard it; we keep ignoring it, but it will not go away. Now is the time to act.
Your Breakthrough Declaration Is Here!
Maybe it is a whisper where we need to stretch, get out of our comfort zone, take a step of faith. My challenge is: pay attention to the whispers. Be sensitive to what you are feeling—the impressions, the promptings. Let the still small voice be the loudest voice in your life, the voice that you obey. If you will do this, I believe and declare: God is going to whisper secrets to you. He is going to give you inside information. You are about to rise higher, accomplish dreams, and become all you were created to be, in Jesus’ name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? Amen.