What does Tribe teach about hearing god's voice?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At Tribe, the teaching on hearing God's voice starts with a conviction Brian has held since his days as a youth pastor in Tulsa: this is a skill anyone can develop, not a gift distributed only to certain people. If it were a gift, some people simply would not have it. Because it is a skill, everyone has the same capacity to grow in it and the same responsibility to do so. That framing runs through everything else the church has taught on the subject.
Brian teaches that three voices compete with God's: our own internal noise, the voice of the world, and the enemy's voice. God, by contrast, speaks in a still small voice, not in wind or earthquake or fire, the way Elijah discovered in 1 Kings 19. That quietness is not a design flaw. As people in the congregation have put it, a good teacher goes quiet to get a class's attention rather than yelling over it, and a whisper implies proximity. God does not need to shout from a distance because he is already close. Brian says that God has placed the hardware for spirit-to-spirit communication inside every believer, and described it plainly once: "I've given you a built in walkie talkie."
To tune in to that voice, Brian walks Tribe through a set of overlapping tools he calls hearing aids: Scripture, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the peace of the Holy Spirit, prayer and fasting, godly counsel, dreams and visions, delegated authority, and circumstances. He is quick to warn that pulling any single one out on its own, like a Jenga block, causes the whole thing to collapse. They are meant to work in concert. Running underneath all of it is the link between hearing and obeying: the Hebrew word shema, which Joy has taught from Deuteronomy 6, carries both meanings at once. You cannot claim to have heard if you have not acted, and Brian puts it the other way around too: "Obedience is the key that unlocks hearing God's voice even in the little things."
Taught from 1 Kings 19:11-13 · Deuteronomy 6:4-5 · Luke 6:46-49 · John 10:1-19 · Colossians 3:15
“If you don't obey, you haven't listened. And if you're just doing, it is not the same as obedience.”
From Listen Before You Obey
The passage taught · 1 Kings 19:9-13
9 He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
11 He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” Behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- February 5, 2024 Listen Before You Obey Joy Abad teaches Tribe church that true biblical obedience begins with listening, exploring the Hebrew word "shema" and how to quiet yourself to hear God's voice.
- July 24, 2023 They Recognize His Voice and Come to Him A Wyoming pastor and his congregation explore how to recognize God's voice, using John 10 as their guide in the final week of a six-week series.
- July 10, 2023 The Key That Unlocks Hearing A Wyoming pastor walks through Luke 6 and James 1 on what it truly means to hear God's voice, come to him personally, and obey what he says.
- July 6, 2023 Hearing Aids Brian Hunter walks through practical tools for hearing God's voice, from Scripture and the Holy Spirit's peace to prayer, dreams, and trusted counsel.
- June 25, 2023 Marked by His Word Brian Hunter walks through how God speaks through Scripture, why his promises are guaranteed but not automatic, and how to build the habit of hearing his voice.
- June 12, 2023 Still Small Voice Brian Hunter leads Tribe through an honest conversation about learning to hear God's voice, covering the competing voices that drown it out and how to tell them apart.
Mentioned along the way
- June 15, 2026 Character Before Calling Lissa Hunter walks through Acts 8 and Philip's obedience to show why taking one faithful step matters more than knowing the whole plan God has for your life.
- February 10, 2025 New Wineskins ｜ Joy Abad Joy Bhatt teaches Tribe Church on how time spent with Jesus shapes our ability to recognize and follow where God is moving, even when it looks unconventional.
- May 13, 2024 The Master, the Manager, and the Mover What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? A Wyoming church explores how body, soul, and spirit work together and what it looks like to let God lead.
- October 23, 2023 For Zion's Sake I Will Not Rest Brian Hunter leads Tribe through Isaiah 62, praying for 203 hostages in Gaza, and exploring how God refines and pursues his people with faithful, unwavering love.
- June 26, 2023 The Revelation of His Word Brian Hunter explores how God speaks through Scripture and the Holy Spirit, drawing on 1 Kings 19 and John 16 to show why that still, small voice matters more than we realize.
- April 17, 2023 TTCA WEEK 7 Wrap Up Brian Hunter walks through Jesus' letters to seven churches in Revelation, asking what it looks like when a congregation finally turns and faces the right direction.