EP 22 | Is the Pressure to ”Hear God’s Voice” Preventing You from Actually Knowing Him?: An Interview with Doug Geivett (Part 1)

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Doug Geivett, my co-author and long-time colleague, to discuss a very popular teaching in the church right now: “hearing God’s voice” outside of Scripture.

Doug and I have co-authored four books on the New Apostolic Reformation. In this conversation, which is part of my larger series on "hearing God's voice," we address why the modern expectation of daily private messages from God has become so widespread and why it is spiritually risky.

We respond to real pushback messages I have received, including claims that relying on Scripture to mediate God's voice means you only have a “relationship with a book.” We explain why that argument undermines both biblical authority and true intimacy with God. We also dig into what the Bible actually teaches about the Holy Spirit’s role in the believer’s life, what “being led by the Spirit” means, and why obedience is the biblical foundation for intimacy with God, not chasing impressions, dreams, or inner promptings.

00:00 Intro and who Doug Geivett is

01:53 Why this topic hits a nerve and the pushback has been intense

03:51 Why “hearing God’s voice” is so appealing and why it became mainstream now

06:08 How expectations are shaped by church culture and imitation

08:35 The personal draw: intimacy, immediacy, and “God speaking to me”

10:35 Main dangers: replacing real intimacy with an artificial metric

12:18 The irony: seeking intimacy but actually blocking it

14:35 Social pressure, spiritual insecurity, and manufactured experiences

19:06 Reading pushback comments: “relationship with a book” and “living God speaks”

21:07 Why Scripture still governs the question, even if God speaks in other ways

24:19 Psalm 119 and why God’s Word is not “just a book”

28:35 Why impressions are also a medium, and the inconsistency in the critique

30:37 A sincere concern: “being led by the Spirit” and daily guidance

34:47 Acts, decision making, and “it seemed good to us” vs “God told me”

37:09 John 14 and what Jesus actually promised about the Holy Spirit

41:29 Fruit of the Spirit and what it means to be led by the Spirit

43:34 “Does God speak English?” Clarifying what people mean by “God spoke”

45:44 Guidance through maturity vs claiming private revealed words

47:52 Imagination based practices and why that is a problem

50:19 The core claim: intimacy with God is grounded in obedience, not voice chasing

52:24 Outro