How do I start hearing from God?

Wow. That sounds like a difficult question, but that's only because of how you're asking it. Let's try a different question.
How do I get to know someone better? How do I develop a friendship? 

That's not so hard to answer now is it? The secret to getting to know anybody is simple.

Spend time with them!!!!! 

The longer you spend with somebody, the more you will know them, and you will start to recognise their voice because you know what they sound like.

But you do have to start! And before you can start you have to know where you are. I don't know where you are, but I know where I was, or at least I thought I did.

I got saved as a child when I was 7 years old and since that time I've believed in Jesus. The church where I got saved was strong on salvation. They preached the good news of Jesus every Sunday night, and after hearing it for several years, I responded. That was the first time I heard God - and how he loved me and had died on the cross for me in my place. He paid the penalty for my sin so that I wouldn't be condemned.

When I was 19, I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and received the gift of speaking in tongues. That's the second time I heard God. In fact every time I pray in tongues I hear God - just not in english, but in the language of the Holy Spirit.

But fast forward a few years, married, three children, moved to Auckland, the big city.  Sure I loved God, but I was stuck in a rut. I had lost confidence in myself. I knew I was saved, and I knew that God loved me. But I wasn't so sure he liked me, and I wasn't so sure I liked myself. I had always prided myself on being able to grow, and make progress. After all:

If I'm not growing, am I really alive?

Except now I wasn't sure I was growing. In fact I was sure I wasn't. And I didn't really have any idea how to grow. I'd tried in the past - tried hard - tried really hard. But disappointment had come in, and I'd lost hope that anything I did would really make a difference.

And then I heard the good news that Jason Hamlin was preaching at church about being filled with the spirit. But hang on - I'd already been filled hadn't I? Well it sure didn't feel like it at the time. Yet, hope began to fill my heart again. So December 2005 I listened to him preach from Dave Roberson's book The Walk of the Spirit - The Walk of Power. And it changed my life - almost .....

Yes, I was once again filled with hope. Yes, I downloaded the PDF, printed it out, and read it. Yes, I started downloading his messages and listening to them too. No, I wasn't yet hearing from God. It wasn't until 9 months later when I was listening to Gary Carpenter's testimony that I realised I was missing one thing.

Right at the end of his testimony (Tape 1 of Houston Kingdom Finance series) he asked:
So what are you going to do differently tomorrow?
When are you going to spend time with God, and being speaking in tongues?
Are you going to set your alarm-clock and actually schedule time with Him?

What a shocker. For 9 months I had listened to the message, and all the time I thought I was doing it. But actually, I was only listening to it. I hadn't set my alarm-clock, and I hadn't started getting up early. But that night I made the decision, and I set the alarm clock and I began.

And that is my encouragement and word of warning to you.
Start. Start today. Start now.
Begin to spend time with God. He want's to be your friend. And the way to develop friendship with the creator of the universe is no secret. It's exactly the same way as any other person.
T-I-M-E.
It's my hope and prayer that you won't wait 9 months to start like I did.