How do you know if you’re hearing God’s voice—or simply hearing your own thoughts? How can you discern God’s voice, recognize the Holy Spirit’s leading, and know when something is actually confirmation from God rather than coincidence?

In this episode of Java with Jen, Dr. David Chotka shares practical, biblical ways to hear God more clearly and recognize the surprisingly personal ways He may already be speaking to you.

David tells an incredible story of following what seemed like a simple inner prompting that led him to a complete stranger’s home—and shows why hearing God often looks far less dramatic than Christians expect.

We unpack some of the biggest questions believers wrestle with around hearing God:

• How can you tell the difference between God’s voice and your own thoughts?
• What does the peace of God have to do with discernment?
• Can conviction actually be one of the ways you recognize God speaking?
• Does God use repetition, patterns and confirmation to get our attention?
• How do you know when something is a sign from God versus coincidence?
• What does David mean when he says God will sometimes “speak you to you”?
• Can your own desires make it harder to discern God’s will?
• And can we become so afraid of “missing God” that discernment actually turns into paralysis?

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is David’s explanation of Colossians 3:15 and the idea of allowing the peace of Christ to act like a referee when we’re trying to discern God’s leading. We also talk about the beautifully personal ways God communicates—using things that carry meaning specifically to you—and why learning His voice is less about finding a magic formula and more about growing in relationship with Him.

If you’ve ever prayed, “God, I just wish I knew if this was You,” this episode will give you practical tools to test what you’re sensing without becoming fearful or obsessive about getting it perfectly right.

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If you know someone who loves God but constantly second-guesses whether they’re actually hearing Him, send this episode their way.

About Dr. David Chotka:

Dr. David Chotka is the founder and director of SpiritEquip Ministries and served for more than 20 years as chair of the Alliance Church in Canada’s national prayer-equipping team. An author, pastor and international conference speaker, David has spent decades equipping Christians in hearing God’s voice, prayer and healing ministry.

GET HIS BOOK: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1777678137?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_TAQ4CQRDZF5DKA1P3QX0&bestFormat=true

In this episode: hearing God’s voice, how to hear God, discerning God’s voice, Christian discernment, Holy Spirit, knowing God’s will, recognizing God’s voice, God or my thoughts, confirmation from God, signs from God, hearing the Holy Spirit, biblical discernment, prayer, spiritual discernment.

So… if you’ve been wondering why there haven’t been new episodes for the last couple of weeks, it’s because I had to hit PAUSE on the podcast while I spent nearly three weeks filming a movie. 😳🎬

Yeah. That was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card.

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how I unexpectedly ended up playing Marilyn Cross in the feature film Giant Killer—and honestly, the story started long before I ever knew a movie was coming.

About 18 months ago, God gave me a dream that one week later was interpreted by Kris Vallotton from the stage at UPPERROOM Church in Dallas. At the time, I had no idea what it meant or how literally parts of it would eventually play out.

I’m sharing:

• the bizarre story of how this opportunity happened,
• the little ways God showed up throughout the process,
• what it was like walking onto a movie set for the first time,
• my favorite scene to film,
• and some of the things I learned while doing something that felt completely outside my normal world.

More than anything, I wanted to give you a peek into my own wild ride of following Jesus when obedience takes you somewhere unexpected, scary, and very different from what you thought your life was going to look like.

And hopefully, my story encourages you to pay attention to the things God may be preparing you for—even when you don’t understand them yet.

I hope you enjoy this little glimpse behind the scenes. ❤️

🎬 FOLLOW The GIANT KILLER Movie

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If you enjoyed this episode, would you take a second to follow the show, share this episode with a friend, and leave a rating or review? Those simple things make a huge difference in helping new listeners find the podcast.

Tired of waiting on God's promises? If your hope feels deferred and your heart is getting sick, this episode is for you. In this conversation, we walk through the process to the promise — that hard, hidden middle where God feels silent but is actually at work.

In this episode you'll discover:

•Why waiting on God's promises hurts, and what Proverbs 13:12 teaches about guarding your heart in the process.

• How years in the pit and the prison prepared Joseph for the palace, and what that means for your own delay.

• Trusting God's promises when the fulfillment looks impossible and the timeline makes no sense.

• Why the long way is often the faithful way, and what God was building in Israelites before the promised land.

• Practical ways to keep your faith strong and your perspective right while you wait for God's promises to come to pass.

If you're weary in the wait, this is your reminder: the process is not punishment. It's preparation.

☕️ Grab your coffee and let's chat about hearing God's voice in the waiting.

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I had a season where God felt silent. Even as Pastors, we hit the same hills and valleys you do in your walk with Jesus— so I'm sharing the honest truth because I know some of you are in that exact season right now, wondering if He even hears you.

A quick note: I was the guest on this one! I sat down with Julie, host of "Everyday Miracles", for her show — and the conversation was so good, so real, and so needed that I had to bring it home to you too. We talk about what it actually feels like when God goes quiet, what gets in the way of hearing Him, and how to move from "I can't hear Him" to recognizing His voice every day.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why a season of silence from God isn't a sign of failure or distance
• How to hear God's voice clearly, even when your mind feels loud and busy
• The difference between God's voice and your own racing thoughts
• How to discern God's voice using scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit
• Signs God is speaking to you, even when it doesn't feel like a "voice" at all
• What the "still small voice" of God actually sounds like in real life
• How to pray when God feels distant, and what to do while you wait
• Practical ways to recognize the whisper of God in your everyday moments
• How prayer journaling can help you track and remember when God speaks
• What it means to feel God's presence again after a dry season
• Biblical discernment — how to know if a thought, impression, or nudge lines up with God's Word
• Why "hearing God" doesn't always look the way we expect it to

Quick answers if you're searching for this right now:

• Why can't I hear God?

Most of the time it's not about distance from Him — it's about noise, timing, or expectations of what His voice "should" sound like. We unpack this in detail in the episode.

• How do I know if it's God's voice?

We talk through practical, biblical ways to test what you're hearing against scripture and the character of God — not just a feeling.

• What if I've prayed and heard nothing?

You are not alone, and it doesn't mean God has gone silent forever. This episode walks through exactly what to do in that waiting season.

This was a guest-host episode — full credit to Julie Hedenborg and the "Everyday Miracles" podcast for having me on and letting me share this conversation here with you too.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• 5-Day Hear God Email Series — Start hearing God's voice in 5 days, free → https://heargodseries.subscribepage.io

• 30-Day Hearing God's Voice Devotional — Ready to hear God every single day → https://a.co/d/0bIBXDTj

• Work With Me — Podcasting help and coaching → [email protected]

• Everyday Miracles Podcast — Go check out Julie's show → https://www.youtube.com/@everydaymiraclespodcast1395

Jeri Hill was born out of rape, raised on drugs, and swept up in a 75-person drug bust. Then God spoke to her in a jail cell — in her mother's voice, from 25 miles away.

This is the story you didn't know behind the Brownsville Revival. Jeri and Steve Hill — saved just 8 days apart in 1975 — went from jail cells to evangelists, ministering in 80+ countries before history was made at Brownsville in 1995.

If you've ever wondered, "Does God still speak to someone like me?" — this episode is for you. He spoke to Jeri in a jail cell, on a billboard, in a dream, and in the silence after losing her husband and her son.

KEY TALKING POINTS

• Born Out of Rape: shame, identity, and God's plan
• Drug Addiction and the Drug Bust: 75 arrests, one jail cell
• Hearing God's Voice in Jail: her mother's voice, 25 miles away
• The John 3:16 Billboard: "For I so loved you" — not the world, you
• The Persistent Pastor: two years of knocking, one divine appointment
• Saved 8 Days Apart: Jeri and Steve's back-to-back salvation in October 1975
• Praying for Her Future Husband: before she ever met him
• From Jail to Evangelists: 40 countries, 8 churches, one heartbeat
• The Brownsville Revival: unplanned — and heaven came down
• Losing Steve: the dream about the vow and the angel wings
• Losing Ryan: tears of loss turned into tears for the lost
• "I Am the River in the Desert": how God carried her the whole time

💥 Start hearing God's voice in 5 days:

heargodseries.subscribepage.io

☕️ Grab your coffee, subscribe, and join the Java With Jen family — new episodes every week.

👉🏼 Connect with Jeri: https://www.togetherintheharvest.com/

#BrownsvilleRevival #HearingGodsVoice #ChristianTestimony #SteveHill #GodStillSpeaks

🕊️ Hear God More Clearly : Start your own 30-day journey with my Hearing God’s Voice Journal. 👉 Get it on Amazon

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If you've ever wondered how to hear God's voice, you're not alone. Many Christians ask, Does God still speak today? How do I know it's really Him? Can I teach my kids to hear God's voice too? In this episode of Java with Jen, Pastor Jenilee Samuel sits down with Heather O'Brien to explore practical, biblical ways to hear God's voice, grow in spiritual discernment, and deepen your relationship with Jesus—without making it weird.

Heather didn't begin learning to hear God's voice until she was 30 years old, despite following Jesus since childhood. What started as simple curiosity became the pathway God used to bring healing from trauma, anxiety, depression, and a deeper revelation of His love.

Together, Jenilee and Heather share five unexpected, practical activations that have helped them grow in recognizing God's voice. You'll hear why journaling can become a conversation with God, how asking for a simple word or Scripture each day builds spiritual sensitivity, why immediate confirmation can strengthen your faith, and even how one family learned to practice hearing God's voice while playing games together.

In this episode, you'll learn:

They also dive into questions many believers wrestle with:

• How do you know it's really God's voice and not your own thoughts?
• Does God still speak through dreams and visions today?
• Can children hear God's voice?
• Is it okay to ask God for confirmation?
• What if you've followed Jesus for years but have never recognized His voice?

Whether you're brand new to this journey or you've been pursuing God's voice for years, this conversation will encourage you to approach Him with childlike faith, expectancy, and confidence that He still speaks to His children today.

• Why hearing God's voice is available to every believer—not just pastors or prophets.
• Five simple activations to help you grow in hearing God more clearly.
• How journaling can become a conversation with the Holy Spirit.
• Practical ways to teach your children to recognize God's voice.
• How God speaks through dreams, visions, Scripture, impressions, and everyday life.
• The importance of discernment when interpreting dreams.
• Why asking God for confirmation can strengthen your faith.
• How words of knowledge often begin with simple encouragement.
• A powerful daily exercise you can start today to increase your sensitivity to God's leading.
• Why God's first words are often reminders of His love.

Resources Mentioned

Ephesians 3:17–19

1 Samuel 3

Deuteronomy 11

The story of Gideon's fleece (Judges 6)

John Paul Jackson's teaching on dream interpretation

If this episode encouraged you, would you take a minute to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend? Every review helps more people discover biblical teaching on hearing God's voice, spiritual growth, and following Jesus in everyday life.

🤩 If this episode was valuable to you, would you consider giving value for value: PAYPAL GIVING LINK:

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HOST SWAP: Enjoy this interview where I was the guest on Kathryn May's podcast "Free to Lead", where we discussed following God into obedience even when you're scared. It may feel like failure, but it's probably radical obedience.

The "Next Best Step" Strategy to Finding Your Calling

Many of us feel stuck because we are waiting for a clear map, but God often reveals the path one step at a time. In this episode, we break down why fear keeps us paralyzed and how to move from waiting to taking the immediate next step in your purpose.

Key Talking Points & Main Themes:

Overcoming Fear and Inaction:

Fear is the primary barrier to your purpose. We discuss why many of us "idolize clarity" as a way to avoid the risks of taking action, and how the parable of the talents reminds us to steward our gifts rather than bury them.

Taking the Next Best Step:

• You don't need a ten-year plan to start. Jenilee shares her experience starting a podcast without a traditional platform, trusting God to order her steps as she moved.

• Podcasting as Ministry and Business:

How to use media to multiply your message. We discuss how a podcast can serve as an outlet for your calling, reach a global audience, and provide opportunities for authors and speakers to make an impact.

• Hearing God's Voice Daily:

Discover how to discern God's voice in everyday life. We discuss why hearing Him is often a process of learning to recognize His gentle promptings through conversation and asking questions.

• The Power of Your "Yes": Stepping into your calling requires saying "yes" to God before you feel ready. Learn how consistent, small acts of obedience lead to doors opening that you never could have opened yourself.

• Boundaries for Spiritual Freedom: How to prioritize family, ministry, and business. We explore setting boundaries as a way to find alignment and freedom rather than burnout.

• Impact Over Income: Why focusing on Kingdom impact is the most reliable way to build a sustainable life and business. Learn how to trust that God will provide when you focus on serving others.

Listen to Kathryn's Podcast: "Free To Lead"

https://open.spotify.com/show/09jh1l4XVSS1vVTtB1Aq1Q?si=0057a2b9c6c34e76

Start hearing God’s voice in 5 days: ⁠https://www.subscribepage.io/HearGodSeries⁠

Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to Java With Jen!

I understand, and I apologize for the frustration. I have removed all tags, metadata, and scores, leaving you with just the clean, straight text you need.

Hearing God's Voice in Prayer: The Key to Praying Aligned With His Will (& the connection to Smith Wigglesworth)

Are you tired of praying prayers that feel small or remain unanswered? In this episode, we dive into the transformative power of bold prayers and how they can shift your entire spiritual landscape. My guest, Josh Siratt, shares a breathtaking personal story of being led by the Holy Spirit to the former home of Smith Wigglesworth in England, a journey that began with one simple, radical act of obedience.

If you are hungry for a deeper prayer life and want to start hearing God's voice with greater clarity, this conversation will challenge you to move beyond passive requests and start praying dangerous, Spirit-led petitions that align with His heart. Discover how to stop asking for comfort and start asking for His kingdom to come in your life.

Key Talking Points:

Hearing God’s Voice in PrayerDiscover the necessity of cultivating a listening heart and how to distinguish His promptings from your own thoughts when you sit down to pray.

Bold PrayersLearn how to shift your prayer life from safe, predictable petitions to bold requests that invite God to move in miraculous ways.

Aligning Prayer with God’s WillUnderstand the practical steps for ensuring your requests are not just about your personal desires, but are deeply rooted in what God desires for your life.

Living a Spirit-Led LifeExplore how to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction in your daily routines, even when His instructions seem unconventional or unexpected.

Smith WigglesworthHear the incredible story of how one step of radical obedience led to a direct connection with the legacy and home of a historic faith giant, revealing God’s heart for the miraculous.

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Denise Renner joins me for a powerful conversation on identity, marriage, and the transformative power of hearing God's voice, even when you feel you've lost yourself. We dive deep into the real-world struggles Christian wives face and how to find true freedom and purpose in Christ.

💡 Episode Highlights

In this episode, we explore how to break free from the trap of hiding behind your spouse and instead embrace the unique gifts God has given you. We discuss the necessity of trusting God's leading in your life and marriage, even when the path is challenging or unexpected. You’ll learn how to navigate difficult marital dynamics by speaking truth in love and relying on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, rather than falling into the "nag" trap.

Denise unpacks the core message of her book, "Who Stole Cinderella?", and shares how a wise woman can build a beautiful, godly house by focusing on her own walk with the Lord. We also cover the critical importance of forgiveness—not as a suggestion, but as a command to pursue peace—and how one spouse can truly change the trajectory of a marriage. Finally, we share practical steps to foster a healthier, more thankful relationship by actively speaking life into your marriage and your spouse.

🎯 Key Talking Points

• Finding Your Identity in Christ: Why you must embrace your God-given callings rather than hiding in the shadow of your spouse.
• How to Hear God's Voice Daily: The fruit that comes from surrendering to God’s direction, even when it’s not what you expected.
• Biblical Marriage Advice for Wives: How to speak truth in love and challenge unhealthy behavior without becoming a "nag."
• Overcoming Christian Marriage Struggles: Taking responsibility for your own spiritual growth to build up your home.
• Healing from Marriage Hurt: Why pursuing peace is a daily, active commitment to freedom through forgiveness.
• Achieving Spiritual Freedom: Understanding that boundaries and being "bold on the inside" can be godly, wise, and necessary.
• Strengthening Your Christian Marriage: How your gratitude and godly influence can empower your husband to be a better man.

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Book: Who Stole Cinderella? by Denise Renner
• Email Series: Start hearing God’s voice in 5 days!

🕊️ Hear God More Clearly
Start your own 30-day journey with my Hearing God’s Voice Journal. 👉 Get it on Amazon

💌 Let’s Stay Connected
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Tags

Who Stole Cinderella, Christian marriage, finding your identity in Christ, Christian marriage advice, how to hear God's voice, healing from marriage hurt, identity in Christ, Christian podcast for women, spiritual freedom, biblical marriage advice, marriage help for wives, hearing God's voice every day, Java with Jen, spiritual warfare in marriage, overcoming marriage struggles

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID ABOUT THE PROSPERITY ANGEL: SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND WHO NEEDS A BREAKTHROUGH!

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Unlocking the Power of Angelic Ministry: Prosperity, Healing, and Spiritual ActivationIn this episode, Prophet Phil Rich shares profound insights into how angels operate in our spiritual and practical lives, emphasizing activating divine assistance for prosperity, health, and breakthroughs. Discover how your words, faith, and revelation can unlock heavenly support and transform your life.Main Topics Covered:

• Hebrews and the ministry of angels, including salvation and protection
• Different types of angels: warring, prosperity, healing, and more
• How to activate angels through faith, the spoken word, and revelation
• The importance of giving angels assignments via scripture and declaration
• Personal stories of angel encounters and supernatural provision
• The significance of speaking the Word of God with understanding and revelation
• The role of angels in miracles, creative healing, and financial breakthroughs
• The connection between worship, heaven’s response, and angelic activity
• How to partner with angels for redemptive outcomes in any area of life
• Practical steps to activate your angelic helpers and see tangible results

CONNECT WITH PHIL:

• Dr. Phil Rich's Books on Amazon – Over 60 titles to activate your spiritual life
• Dr. Phil Rich's Website – Direct access to his bookstore and resources

🕊️ Hear God More Clearly
Start your own 30-day journey with my Hearing God’s Voice Journal. 👉 Get it on Amazon

💌 Let’s Stay Connected
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Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction to angels and salvation in Hebrews
02:21 - The angel of finance and assigning angels to specific roles
05:15 - Types of angels and their functions in spiritual warfare and prosperity
08:05 - How Abraham's angels prospered God's people
12:47 - How to reassign and activate angels through speaking God's Word
16:23 - The creative power of words in shaping our lives and environment
22:41 - Healing angels and the supernatural healing phenomena
25:21 - Creatively miraculous healings and the power of unbelief
30:21 - The angel of the word of knowledge and divine insights
39:19 - Heavenly scenes of worship and angels waiting for our words
43:13 - The partnership between speaking faith and angelic activity
44:40 - Connecting with Prophet Phil and his resource offeringsResources & Links:Connect with Prophet Phil Rich:Join the next episode for deeper insight into activating angels and experiencing supernatural breakthroughs. Don't miss it!