You’ve been faithful.
You show up on Sunday. You open your Bible in the morning. You pray before bed. You journal when you remember to. You genuinely love Jesus and want to walk closely with Him.
And yet — if you’re honest — there’s a quiet question that follows you:
Is that really God… or just me?
If that question lives anywhere in your heart, you are not alone.
And you are not broken.
You are simply untrained. And likely, unsupported.
The Lie We Were Accidentally Taught
Most of us grew up learning about God — His attributes, His commands, His story.
But very few of us were taught how to converse with Him.
We were given information about a Person, but not coached in relationship with that Person.
So we sit down to pray, and we talk — and then we wait — and we wonder if the quiet thought that surfaces is the Holy Spirit or our own wishful thinking. We second-guess. We go quiet. Eventually, we wonder if hearing God is just for “certain types” of people. The prophetic types. The ones with the dramatic testimonies.
Here’s the truth: hearing God is a skill. And like every skill, it grows with practice.
The question is — are you practicing it alone?
What Jesus Actually Modelled
There’s something worth noticing about how Jesus discipled people.
He didn’t just give lectures. He didn’t hand out scrolls and say, “Go study these and I’ll check in later.” He walked with His disciples. He processed real situations with them in real time. He asked them questions. He invited them to try, to fail, to try again — right beside Him.
Learning to hear God was never meant to be a solo journey.
The disciples didn’t figure out who Jesus was by studying theology in isolation. Peter’s famous declaration — “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” — came in community, in conversation, in a moment of live, activated faith.
Hearing God grows in community. It always has.
What Actually Shifts When You Stop Practicing Alone
Here’s what women share again and again once they begin practicing listening prayer together:
Confidence grows. When you hear what God seems to be saying, and another woman in your circle receives a confirming word, or shares something that connects — that’s not coincidence. That’s the Spirit moving. Witnessing it in others builds your trust in your own ability to hear.
Fear of being wrong decreases. In a safe, grace-filled community, you’re not going to be mocked for saying, “I think God might be saying…” You’re going to be met with curiosity and care. That safety is what allows you to take the risks that build the muscle.
Your intimacy with Jesus deepens faster. There is something about processing Scripture together, praying for one another, and sharing what God has been doing in your week that accelerates what might take years in solo devotion. You begin to see how God works — in patterns, in themes, in the specific and tender ways He meets each woman right where she is.
Breakthrough stops feeling rare. One woman put it this way: “I have watched God’s presence bring more breakthrough in one 50-minute period than years of attending church services.” That’s not an exaggeration. It’s what happens when the Holy Spirit moves through yielded, hungry hearts gathered together.
You Don’t Need More Information. You Need a Tribe.
There is no shortage of books, podcasts, or courses about hearing God.
What most women are actually starving for isn’t more content.
It’s a place to belong. A circle of women who are as hungry as they are. A safe space to ask the questions they’re afraid to ask in their regular church community. A community where “I heard God say…” doesn’t get a nervous look in response.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor 3:17) And where women gather with hunger and honesty — He shows up.
An Invitation
If this post is stirring something in you — a recognition, a longing, a quiet yes — I want you to know there is a place for you.
The Freedom Coaching Circle is an online community of women from multiple countries who gather regularly via Zoom to do exactly this: practice, grow, encourage one another, and go deeper in hearing God’s voice together.
It’s not a lecture series. It’s not a passive subscription.
It’s a greenhouse — a living, breathing community where you are coached, activated, prayed for, and cheered on.
Women of all ages and all walks of life have found their tribe here. And many of them say the same thing when they look back:
“I could never go back to what I was.”
If you’re curious — if some part of you is wondering whether this might be for you — I’d love for you to learn more.
Come and explore the Freedom Coaching Circle →
You might just find your people on the other side. 💛
Merri Ellen Giesbrecht is a Certified Christian Life Coach and Spiritual Director who has coached over 2 million people in more than 120 countries. She is the founder of the Freedom Coaching Circle and the author of ‘God, Show Me More of You’. Learn more at merriellen.com
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