How to Hear God’s Voice | Rick’s Alone Time with God
Yes — you can hear God’s voice. Not just a feeling. Not just a gentle impression. Real words and real sentences from the Father who loves you. Rick Rene, founder of Blessed2Teach Ministries and the FaithNFreedom platform, learned this on June 9, 2023, in a Tel Aviv hotel room — and it has kept happening almost every day since. This page tells the whole story: how Rick learned to hear God’s voice, the five simple steps that opened his ears, and where you can read every word the Lord has given him to share.
What Is Rick’s Alone Time with God?
Rick’s Alone Time with God is my regular practice of getting quiet before the Lord, asking Him to speak, and typing what He says with my eyes closed and my hands on the keyboard. It is also the name of the ongoing journal where those words are published. I come to him nearly every day, and three to four days a week, I record what the Father wants me to record publicly for His people to hear. The confidential parts stay private. Everything else is posted for you to read, test against Scripture, and be encouraged by.
Here is something important. I am not special. I spent decades sensing God’s presence in my inner man — through Scripture, through circumstances, through promptings — without ever expecting to hear Him in clear sentences. If He opened my ears, He can open yours.
What the Bible Says About Hearing God’s Voice
Jesus did not describe hearing His voice as a rare gift for a few prophets. He described it as the normal mark of His sheep.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” — John 10:27 (context: I and the Father Are One — John 10:22-42) ESV
And He promised that the Holy Spirit would keep speaking to us after He ascended.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” — John 16:13 (context: The Work of the Holy Spirit — John 16:4-15) ESV
Hearing from God is not a strange practice bolted onto Christianity. It is the promise at the center of it.
How I First Heard the Lord Speak
Several months before a trip to Israel, I ordered Nathan French’s book, “It’s Not Meant to Be a Secret: God Wants to Speak to You.” I read it slowly during my quiet time, and page after page it felt like God was speaking those words straight to me. Nathan heard the Lord in clear sentences. I wanted that too.
In June 2023 I flew to Israel with my show producer Gus and with Prophet Amanda Grace and her husband Chris. Partway through the book, I skipped ahead to the appendix, where Nathan lays out the practical steps for hearing God’s voice. On June 9, 2023, alone in my Tel Aviv hotel room, I decided to step out in faith. I opened my laptop, closed my eyes, put my hands on the keyboard, and typed four words: “Speak to me Lord.”
And He did. For the first time in my life, I heard the Lord speaking directly to me — clear, sentence-by-sentence — and I typed every word into what became my Journal of Time Alone with God. I have never been the same.
“Delayed Obedience Is Disobedience”
One week later, still in Israel and exhausted from the trip, I woke up early knowing I needed more sleep or I might get sick. Then I heard the Lord say, “Get up and get your hands on the keyboard.” I tried to reason with Him. I told Him I needed rest, and that I might wake up my roommate. His answer stopped me cold — the same words He had said to Nathan French: “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”
I jumped up, opened the laptop, turned the screen brightness all the way down, closed my eyes, and typed. That morning, June 16, 2023, the Lord gave me my first word for someone else. That was the day I understood He did not just want to speak to me. He wanted to speak through me, for His people.
The Five Steps to Hear from God
These are the steps Rick has slightly modified based on what Nathan French taught me, exactly as I practice them today. They are simple on purpose. Hearing God is not a technique to master. It is a relationship to prioritize.
1. Get Quiet
Set aside at least twenty minutes with no distractions. Full, undivided attention. This is different from squeezing a devotional into a busy morning — this time belongs to Him alone.
2. Communicate with the Lord
I start by typing my thanks to Him with my eyes closed, and I ask Him to put me in a secret place where I can hear only from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
3. Expect to Hear
Getting your pen and paper ready — or your hands on the keyboard — is an act of faith. You are telling God you believe He will actually speak.
4. Write Down What He Says
Record it faithfully. Sometimes I hear a pause, thank Him, and ask another question. Most of the time it is a clear stream of communication. What a privilege.
5. Share as God Leads
Much of what He says will be instruction just for you. But ask Him. Some words are meant for others, and withholding them helps no one.
How I Prepare to Hear From the Lord
Before I go to Him expecting to hear, I prepare my heart. I pray and put on the full armor of God. I work through Scripture memory verses to fix my mind on His Word. I often go to my knees to submit. Then, with eyes closed and hands on the keyboard, I begin with gratitude and ask Him to seal off every voice except His own.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” — Ephesians 6:10-11 (context: The Whole Armor of God — Ephesians 6:10-20) ESV
And every word — mine or anyone else’s — gets tested against Scripture. This is not optional. God will never contradict His written Word.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” — 1 John 4:1 (context: Test the Spirits — 1 John 4:1-6) ESV
What Other Prophetic Voices Taught Me
My story is not unique. It is part of a collective calling on believers in this hour, and I have had the privilege of interviewing many of them on the B2T Show and our Backstage platform. Amanda Grace shared how daily Bible reading and praying in the Spirit anchor her prophetic ministry. Timothy Dixon records his dreams the moment he wakes. Stacy Whited journals and pays attention to the Lord’s promptings throughout the day. Marty Grisham stresses renewing the mind through the Word and instant obedience. Manny Johnson cultivates spiritual hunger and cuts out distractions. Meri Crouley and Donne Clement Petruska both insist on testing every word against Scripture and sharing with boldness.
Different voices, different giftings — the same threads every time. Persistent seeking. Writing down what He says. Testing everything against the Word. God speaks to each of His children uniquely, through impressions, visions, dreams, or an inner witness, but the posture that positions you to hear Him is the same: childlike dependence, Scripture in your heart, and real expectation.
Words the Lord Has Spoken
Here is a small taste of what the Lord has said in my alone time with Him. On August 13, 2025, He declared: “I am well and about to bestow upon my children blessing after blessing. Corruption across many countries is about to be exposed… Be prepared for the unexpected and draw close to me so I can guide you.” On August 7, He assured me: “I will go before you and will make your paths straight” — a direct echo of His written Word.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5-6 (context: Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart — Proverbs 3:1-12) ESV
And on August 1: “I am changing the world, and invite you to join me.” These words are not for me alone. They are an invitation to every believer to walk by faith in chaotic times, trusting God’s direct guidance.
Quick Answers
Can I really hear God’s voice myself?
Yes. Jesus promised in John 10:27 that His sheep hear His voice — that promise belongs to every believer, not a select few. Rick spent years only sensing the Lord’s presence before June 9, 2023, when he first heard Him in full sentences. The difference was not a new gift. It was getting quiet, expecting to hear, and being ready to write.
Where do the five steps come from?
They come from Rick’s slight modification of the appendix of Nathan French’s book “It’s Not Meant to Be a Secret: God Wants to Speak to You” — the book God used to open Rick’s ears in Israel. Get quiet, communicate with the Lord, expect to hear, write it down, and share as He leads. Rick has practiced them nearly every day since 2023.
How do I avoid being deceived?
Test the spirits, exactly as 1 John 4:1 commands. Rick prays on the armor of God first, asks the Father for a secret place where only His voice can be heard, and measures every single word against the written Word of God. A true word from the Lord will never contradict the Bible — that is the unmovable standard.
Where are the words published?
Every non-confidential word lives free in the Words from the Lord community on FaithNFreedom.Social — the full journal runs newest-first, each word gets its own discussion post, and a search page lets you find words by topic. No subscription required.
Read the Words for Yourself
Every non-confidential word the Lord has given me is published in the Words from the Lord community at FaithNFreedom.Social — free to read, newest first. You can also search the full archive by topic.
Read Rick’s Alone Time with God →
And if the Lord is stirring you to hear His voice for yourself, our seven-day teaching series walks you through it step by step with a different prophetic voice each day: Hearing From God: Biblical Teaching from Prophetic Voices.
FaithNFreedom is the Christian community for truth seekers — a Christian Patriot media platform anchored in biblical truth, American liberty, health freedom, and prophetic teaching. FaithNFreedom.social and FaithNFreedom.TV work together as one tightly integrated platform: .social is the free uncensored community with live program guides, detailed creator discussions, and embedded 24/7 streaming with pause and rewind for several hours, while .TV delivers the three live 24/7 channels, 1,000+ on-demand videos from 30+ independent creators, live events, and free apps for every device — all with no subscription and free from censorship and media deception. Built on a foundation of independent Christian Patriot broadcasting since 2018. Founded by Rick Rene (Blessed2Teach).