There is so much error being taught that it is no wonder we are hearing an enormous amount of deception and lies. We are being told that God is constantly speaking to us and we need to learn to hear His voice. Before this introduction of error, others had been telling us that we can not even understand the Bible if the Holy Spirit does not help us. This is a failure to properly handle the Word of God. Paul writes in Ephesians 3 that he wrote by inspiration and that they could read and understand his knowledge in the mystery of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2 is about Paul’s relationship with Corinth as their teacher. All the apostles as promised in John 14-16 would be given the revelation of truth by the Spirit, thereby establishing them as the foundation of God’s house. God did not reveal it to everyone, but only to those chosen by the Spirit to have it. The carnal man of 1 Corinthians 2 is the man who has not received the gift of revelation. He doesn’t know the mind of God because it was not revealed to him. Yet, a number of people may speak as if they knew the mind of God without God or His Spirit revealing His mind. The point is that no one can know what I’m thinking or what God is thinking unless we reveal it. A secondary point is that even after hearing God’s voice as a result of hearing an apostle or prophet revealing it, the carnal mind doesn’t understand because it requires spiritual perception. This has been demonstrated over and over again in Jesus’ dialogue with the Scribes and Pharisees, who repeatedly applied his parables literally and physically.
The Word God spoken or written by revelation from men equipped by the Spirit of God to know it is the only resource we have to understand God’s will. Paul repeatedly directed Timothy to the inspired Word ( 2 Tim. 3:16) for his instruction and for his preaching (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2). Peter directed disciples to the prophetic word made more sure (2 Peter 1:16-19). There does not appear to be any art in hearing the voice of God that people have lost, today. The only problem that has always been present is the stubborn hearts of men and women who reject what has been revealed. That revelation is the objective body of truth that has been revealed by the Spirit to those entrusted with it. No thought is given to discerning the voice of God except when comparing what has been revealed in the Word to the lies and the work of man’s own imagination. John wrote to “try the Spirits to see whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). There is no other way to do this than to follow the example of the Bereans. They were noted as being more noble than Thessalonica because they searched the Scriptures to see if what was taught was from God (Acts 17:11). It was not said of them that they listened for His voice which is nothing more than unreliable subjective impressions and experiences.
What is so ironic is that the very ones claiming to have a personal relationship with God and daily hear his voice are the very ones who have replaced the will of God for the imagination of their own heart.