How Do I Hear and see in the Spiritual Realm?
Tuning the Senses of Your Spirit
- By Gabriel Voorhees
Spiritual hearing is not something we stumble into; it is something that grows as the spiritual senses are trained. Hebrews 5:14 says that the mature have their senses “exercised by reason of use.” That means our ability to hear, see, feel, and perceive in the Spirit grows stronger the more we use those senses. Spiritual sensitivity is not automatic. It is developed. It is stretched. It is sharpened through engagement with God.
To understand this, picture your spirit like an old radio with a tuning knob. The signal is already being broadcast—God is always speaking—but clarity depends on how well the heart is aligned. When the dial is slightly off center, all you hear is static. When the dial is adjusted and tuned, the voice comes through with clarity. Adjustment is the key. And the adjustment happens through worship, the Word, stillness, obedience, intimacy, and the willingness to quiet the noise of earthly perception so that the frequency of heaven comes into focus.
This tuning of the heart is connected to heavenly perspective. We have talked about the eyes of the heart seeing with clarity, and that spiritual sight comes from living in a higher vantage point—Ephesians 2:6 says we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Hearing works the same way. The more you live from that seat, the clearer the frequency of God’s voice becomes. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27). Sheep don’t have to strain for the shepherd’s voice—they simply stay close. Proximity determines clarity.
Part of tuning into the spiritual realm is learning the language and tone of heaven. God’s voice carries peace, authority, love, clarity, and purity. The enemy’s voice carries accusation, fear, confusion, and pressure. Elijah discovered that God was not in the earthquake or the fire, but in the “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Heaven speaks with the tone of calm authority. Knowing that tone makes spiritual hearing far less mysterious and far more relational. You recognize the voice because you know the heart behind it.
Scripture gives us many living examples of men and women who heard and saw in the spiritual realm. Paul encountered the voice of Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3–6), saw visions of direction such as the Macedonian call (Acts 16:9–10), and experienced heavenly revelation (2 Corinthians 12:1–4). John said he was “in the Spirit” on the Lord’s Day when he heard a voice behind him like a trumpet (Revelation 1:10). Notice the sequence—he heard before he turned and saw. Hearing often precedes seeing. It orients the heart.
Peter experienced a supernatural encounter when an angel woke him, escorted him out of prison, and led him past guards and locked gates (Acts 12:7–11). At first he thought it was a vision—showing how real spiritual interactions can be. Elisha asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes so he could see the chariots of fire surrounding them (2 Kings 6:15–17), revealing that spiritual realities are present even when our natural perception misses them. Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth man in the fire (Daniel 3:24–25). Even the ungodly can perceive something spiritual when God chooses to reveal it.
And then there is David, who received one of the most unique instructions in Scripture. God told him not to attack until he heard “the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees” (2 Samuel 5:23–24). David was to wait for the sound of heaven’s army moving above him. This shows that sometimes spiritual hearing comes through a natural environment, but the source is supernatural.
So how do we personally learn to hear and see in the spiritual realm? The answer always returns to intimacy. Jesus said, “Abide in Me” (John 15:4), and James wrote, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Spiritual hearing is not a technique—it is a relationship. It grows in stillness before the Lord: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). It grows in purity of heart, for Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). It grows as we surrender our perception and tune our spirits to His presence.
Ultimately, spiritual hearing is the natural result of a heart aligned, tuned, and yielded. When the senses are exercised, the dial turns. When intimacy deepens, the frequency clears. When perspective shifts to heaven, perception begins to match. And just as Jesus promised, our ears become blessed, our eyes become opened, and our spirit becomes a receiver of the voice that has been speaking all along (Matthew 13:16).