Hearing God Daily | Journal Prompts, Discernment, Trust in God, Biblical Encouragement, Faith, Scripture

Is it presumptuous to ask God to speak? Can prophecy actually be practiced? For anyone from a more reformed background, these questions can feel loaded. This episode makes a brief biblical case for eagerly pursuing God's voice, and walks through a simple exercise for hearing Him together in community.
Hearing God's voice was never meant to be a solo endeavor. Listening together and weighing what we hear against Scripture builds a kind of collective discernment that God designed us to need.
In this episode:
Why New Testament prophecy leaves room to grow (and be wrong) humbly
How spiritual gifts develop through practice
A five-step small group exercise, adapted from Ed Khouri's Beyond Becoming, rooted in the truth that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are interceding for us right now
How to share what you sense with humility, and why this practice builds faith and offers biblical encouragement even when you're unsure you heard anything
Scripture referenced: Romans 8:26, 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1, 5:14; 1 Corinthians 14:1; Joel 2
Want a safe place to practice hearing God for yourself? 60-minute spiritual discernment coaching calls are available at laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Find journal prompts and show notes for this episode on The Heart That Hears God on Substack or in our Kit newsletter.
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal
 
 

In Acts 3, Peter and John walk past a paralyzed man on their way to prayer. Instead of coins, Peter offers healing and reaches out his hand before anything has happened.
This episode isn't about whether God still heals. It's about what made Peter the kind of person who reached out, and why we so often don't.
Scripture points to four things that stood between that man and his miracle: four things that have almost nothing to do with how spiritual you feel. One of them is probably the reason you dismissed the last nudge you got.
If you've ever wondered whether that thought was God or just you, this one's for you. An honest look at faith, discernment, and learning to trust in God in ordinary moments, and biblical encouragement for anyone still figuring out how to hear Him.
Journal prompts for this episode go out in the newsletter or on Substack: subscribe below.
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal
 
 

Most goal-setting starts with "what should I do differently?" But there's a better question: what is God already doing in your life, and how can you practically cooperate with that work? In this episode, I walk you through a step-by-step discernment process for resetting your spiritual rhythms using journal prompts, scripture, and prayer to set spiritual goals rooted in an honest look at your heart, not in copying what everyone else is doing.
In this episode, you'll learn how to:
Recognize how God has already been speaking to you this season
Use journal prompts to brain dump your schedule and your heart
Practice discernment by looking for heart patterns and spiritual fruit through scripture
Use a simple filter (based on Mark 4) to find what's blocking spiritual growth
Build a doable plan rooted in trust in God and hearing His voice this season
 
Whether you need biblical encouragement to get started or a fresh way to practice discernment in this season, this episode offers a practical, faith-rooted process for setting spiritual goals that actually last.
This reset is part of what I walk through every month in my Name Your Year journal: a guided tool for spiritual discernment and word-of-the-year goal setting for Christian women.
Links mentioned:
Watch My September Reset: laurentpaperco.substack.com/p/resetting-spiritual-rhythms-in-september
Book a 1:1 Spiritual Discernment Coaching Call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Name Your Year Journal: laurentpaperco.com/journal
 
 
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal
 
 

Hearing God, sensing His leading, and feeling His presence look different for each of us, and that is good and glorious. In this episode, we explore what Scripture teaches about how God communicates with His people, and why discernment means learning to recognize His voice in your unique wiring, not someone else's. We walk through the many ways He speaks: through His Word, a still small voice, dreams and visions, community, nature, and the circumstances of our lives, and talk honestly about what it takes to grow in trust in God as you learn to hear Him in your own way. Whether you're wired for deep study or gut-level intuition, an artist or an encourager, this episode offers biblical encouragement for trusting that your walk with Him doesn't have to mirror anyone else's. This conversation is for anyone growing in faith and wanting practical, Scripture-rooted language for how God speaks. As always, journal prompts can be found in this week's newsletter or on our Substack to help you apply it to your life today!Mentioned in the Episode:
Streetlights
Special Announcements:
Follow The Heart that Hears God on Substack! 
Get the Name Your Year Journal for 20% off with code MIDYEAR
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal

God speaks today, but hearing His voice often comes down to the condition of our hearts, not just our ears. In this episode, we explore what Scripture reveals about hearing God's voice, from Jesus's parables to the moment God's voice thundered from heaven and was heard differently by everyone standing there.
Together we'll look at what discernment actually requires, why faith is the starting point for trust in God's desire to speak into our lives, and how grace, not spiritual performance, opens the door to friendship with Him. This episode offers biblical encouragement for anyone in a season of doubt or spiritual dryness, plus journal prompts when you subscribe to our newsletter or Substack to help you reflect on where you've missed God's voice in the past and where you can turn toward Him today.
Whether you're new to this question or you've been on this journey a while, this conversation will help you build the kind of heart, through faith, scripture, and quiet, that's ready to hear Him.
Special Announcements:
Follow The Heart that Hears God on Substack! 
Get the Name Your Year Journal for 20% off with code MIDYEAR
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal

We want to hear God’s voice, but so often we agonize over every little thought. Was that God speaking? Or was that just my own thoughts? In this episode, I share how a word of the year has become a gentle way around that anxiety. I also give a glimpse into my summer and how God has spoken to me since we last connected together on this podcast.
Mentioned in the episode:
Follow The Heart that Hears God on Substack! 
Get the Name Your Year Journal for 20% off with code MIDYEAR
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal

Have you ever felt like you have to be completely certain before God will answer you? In this episode we continue our series on James 1, digging into Scripture to ask: what does it actually mean to doubt? We unpack the Greek words behind faith and doubt in this passage, and discover that both are less about intellectual certainty and more about where your trust in God actually rests. Faith in action. This is biblical encouragement for anyone in a season of discernment who feels tossed by uncertainty. Journal prompts are included to help you reflect on where your heart is divided and where it's fully His.
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal
 

Ever tried to have quiet time in a hotel room with two toddlers? In this episode we're talking about how to stay connected to God when you're out of your routine, tired, and on the go. From practical tips to a Starbucks miracle in Manhattan, you'll walk away with Biblical encouragement, journal prompts, and real strategies to grow your faith and trust in God, even on vacation.Mentioned in this episode:
Join the spiritual discernment coaching waitlist and get $10 off your session! Booking slots open fourth week of July. Email hello@laurentpaperco.com
Val Marie Paper blogpost on connecting with God on vacation: How to meet with God on vacation • Val Marie Paper
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal
 

Have you ever prayed for wisdom and felt like God went silent? In this episode we dig into James 1:5-8, one of the most misunderstood passages in Scripture about discernment, and unpack what God is actually promising when He says He'll give wisdom to those who ask. This is biblical encouragement for anyone who has felt stuck, confused, or like they're the problem in why they can't hear God's voice. We talk about what wisdom really means, why discernment is about your heart as much as your choices, and how trust in God is at the center of it all. Grab your journal, there are prompts at the end to help you process where you are right now.
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal
 

AI is changing our world quicker than any of us realize or are ready for, and it is impacting our relationship with God and ability to hear His voice. AI makes big promises about meeting our needs and making our lives better, but what if our neediness was a gift and not a burden to shrug off as quickly as possible?Through the lens of Wendell Berry's work on community and place, we'll look at how limits and needs are actually part of the groundwork God laid in the human race for deep relationship. When we ignore those limits and seek the quickest and most convenient ways possible to meet those needs, what do we miss out on?This episode gets practical for your discernment and faith journey with biblical encouragement and a very needed reframe in our digital distracted age. In a world that pulls at our hearts from all directions, Jesus is inviting us into depth of relationship that no man-made machine can match. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter for weekly journal prompts sent straight to your inbox!
Hi, I'm Jenny Fulford! I love Jesus and I'm a guided journal creator. I'm here to help Christians cultivate a continuous, interactive relationship with God through journaling. Let's connect!
Your Next Steps:
Step 1: Join a supportive community at the free Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AphQRnhiU/
Step 2: Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get weekly journaling inspiration and prompts at laurentpaperco.com/newsletter
Email me: hello@laurentpaperco.com
Instagram (DM me!): @jennyfulford @laurentpaperco 
Book your spiritual discernment coaching call: laurentpaperco.com/coaching
Get a Journal: https://laurentpaperco.com/products/name-your-year-a-prayerful-word-of-the-year-companion-journal