Clay is a very soft material, and if I simply press my thumb into clay, not only can I make a dent, but I can actually leave my thumb print in the clay!
Just the slightest pressure and I left the "impression" of my thumb. That's similar to how God will speak. He will just put a slight "impression" in your heart about something. You might hear someone say, "I just had an impression in my heart to stop and talk to that man." It wasn't a big loud voice, just a gentle nudge.
Sometimes those impressions will come as a type of "feeling" rather than words. You might hear a Christian say, "I just felt like I was supposed to do such and such." That is a type of an impression. It will come in your spirit not your head. If you keep practicing you'll learn to recognize the difference.
One of the ways we can learn to recognize God's voice is to know what God does not do. God is never "pushy" or forceful. He never "bullies" you into doing something. He will never pressure you. That's the work of our enemy, the devil.
When you feel something or someone "demanding" you to do something, realize that is not the voice of God. God does not use pressure with us.
Most of the time when you are feeling pressure, it is not in your heart. It's usually thoughts in your head or your emotions. When the enemy speaks to us he brings fear and doubts and confusion to us. God does not "scare" us or use fear and confusion to get us to do what He wants us to do.
Do you like to blow bubbles? Bubbles are so delicate and fragile! They're very real, but you see them for only a few seconds then they pop and disappear. You have to look fast! Hearing God speak is similar to seeing bubbles. His voice is very real, but it's gentle and soft like the bubble. You have to be listening closely to hear Him!
Excerpt permission granted by Kids In Ministry International