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HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD

Questions people ask

 

1.      I have never heard anyone say that God talks to people today?

2.      I have never heard the voice of God, so you must be wrong to say that God is speaking to people?

3.      What does this “voice” sound like?

4.      Do you actually hear an audible voice?

5.      How do I know that this is really God talking to me?

6.      How can I learn to hear God talk to me?

 

A personal story…

 

Sometimes the workload at a company that I worked for in Springfield Florida (places and names have been changed) would increase to the point where we would need additional people to assist us. We had just contracted with a large US corporation in New Jersey to do some work at their site and we urgently needed a temporary technical specialist to assist us with installing and configuring some software.

 

My company located someone in Canada to assist me for the duration of the contract. I called him, interviewed him and soon realized that his skills would be perfect for the task that we needed assistance with. The curious thing was that even though he was now living in Canada he had recently been living in my city. We had even done contract work for another huge corporation in that city at virtually the same time. Despite the fact that we had never met, I realized that we had a lot in common already.
 
I recommended that my company hire him and he flew in from Canada to New Jersey to begin working with me at the client there. Skill wise, he was perfect for the job. His experience was definitely just what we required.

 

One night in the hotel in which we were staying he and I started talking. He told me that he had been living in Springfield Florida with his wife and three year old son but things had gone horribly wrong and they had got divorced. He was devastated and had moved to Canada to try and start a new life leaving his three year old son behind with his ex-wife. He really missed his son and he even, despite the divorce, missed his wife terribly. He told me how he had sat in his apartment with a gun in his hands all night trying to decide whether or not to end his life. Fortunately he called a friend who realized the seriousness of the situation, immediately rushed over, and burst in to the apartment, taking the gun away from him. He decided to leave the whole mess behind and escape to Canada where a grandmother of his lived. I didn't share anything about my faith with him that night; all I did was to listen to the whole sad story.
 
This young man is of the Sikh faith and is from India originally. Sikhs believe in one God. I believe in one God - the one true God. To the extent that we were able to see this overlap in our faiths and to allow God to move in our lives, God was able to do so. This young man is not that orthodox in his faith in that he doesn't grow his hair long as Sikhs usually do but he was hungry for answers from God. He had been going to the temple to visit his Sikh priest asking why these things had happened to him. He was a true seeker and God says that He answers seekers so the rest should have come as no surprise.
 
I arrived at work the next day and he couldn't thank me enough for just having listened to him. He repeatedly, over and over, emphasized his gratitude to me. It dawned on me that he just needed someone to listen to his side of the story and perhaps more importantly he needed someone to show him that despite what had happened, that God still cared for him and could turn the whole mess around.
 
As I listened I was suddenly filled with knowledge from the Lord about something that this young man had not shared with me: I told him point blank that he had gone to a Christian school as a child in India and shared with him some other details about that time in his life. He agreed that this was in fact true. I then proceeded to tell him why I knew that; that it was not something that I could have known by myself, I knew nothing about his life - it had been God that had given me that knowledge. It was the first point in our relationship at which I shared anything about God with him. I could now see him listening more closely. At that time I had also been putting the finishing touches on a book "God and Email" that I had been writing telling how I came to faith in Christ. It details a number of incidents in my life where God spoke to people 'through' me. I decided to give him a copy hoping that He would more fully realize that there is a God out there that cares for him. By the next day he had read most of it.
 
That to me was amazing: that he would even read it surprised me.
 
But perhaps it should not have surprised me. God is in the business of surprises. Here was someone seeking after God, going to his Sikh priest with questions and here was God providing some unexpected yet very real answers to him. It showed God’s concern with, and knowledge of, the intimate details of his life.
 
But there was even more. He had not seen his father in eighteen months. His father lived far from Canada but very close by to where we were working. By flying in to New Jersey to work with me he also got to visit his father after working hours and best of all father and son got to visit each other at no charge to either of them - since it was a business trip the company effectively paid for the cost of the plane tickets for him to visit his father.

 

So God was doing something more than just providing spiritual answers; He was also providing the means for this young man to be with his father with whom he could share some of his pain from his life and begin the process of healing his life.

 

I was fortunate to be able to meet this young man’s father who also recognized that God was trying to get our attention. The fact that we were both from Springfield was sufficient of a pointer for even the father to recognize something deeper at work. It was immediately obvious to all of us that God was showing that he knew about the child in Springfield and shared the pain of a father being separated from his three year old son.

 

Now I didn't do the "prayer of salvation" thing but it was not necessary; God was doing something far greater in this young man’s life. Something I only got a glimpse of but which was very powerful for all of us.

Exciting stuff for me to be involved with.

 

So that is an example of how God uses me on my business trips. Not 'ministry' in the church sense of the word but 'ministry' nonetheless and in my mind much more exciting since it comes out of "nowhere" and just walks into my life, energizing me in my faith in Christ, and leaving me wondering where this journey will take me next.

 

Another personal story…

 

On a plane trip from London, England to Dallas Texas in the USA, I sat next to a young lady in her early twenties. She was from Sacramento, California and we began to exchange a few words. I asked her what she was doing in London and she explained that she was a student. She had spent three months there and was going home to visit her family.

 

I also discovered that she had had a roommate in London that had got on her nerves more and more while she was living there. She was leaving London and she was glad to see the end of her. She asked me whether I was married, whether I had children, where I lived. There was polite conversation for a while, until after a while, we lapsed into silence for the ten hour flight ahead.

 

About three hours into the flight I was sitting quietly, reading my Bible, when God impressed the name Gillian on my mind and I felt that He wanted me to ask her about Gillian.

 

“I can’t do that”, I thought.

“Ask her”, said the Lord more firmly this time (you see God is patient).

“I can’t do that - she will think that I’m crazy”, I responded.

“Ask her”, said the Lord more firmly this time.

I gritted my teeth and turned to her: “Tell me about Gillian”, I said.

She replied, “Which Gillian?”

She probed further, “Gillian in London or Gillian in Florida?”

“I don’t know - you tell me”, I responded.

 

She then proceeded to tell me that her friend Gillian in Florida came to live with her in London and was her roommate for three months. God had given me the name of her roommate that had got on her nerves!

 

Then she caught herself: “Tell me how you knew about Gillian?”

For the rest of the flight I had a captive audience as I shared with her the power of the Holy Spirit and what it means to know this Jesus Christ.

 

 

So how does this work? It is really quite simple…

 

• Have faith in God. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
• Ask God to speak to you. What Father is his son asks for bread, will give Him a stone? You know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more does your father know how to give good gifts to you His children?
• Be patient and wait for answers.
• Be prepared for God to speak back to you in whichever way He chooses.

 

1. He may speak to you through an audible voice.
2. He may “speak” to you through your thoughts – a still small inner “voice”.
3. He may “speak” to you through circumstances in your life.
4. He may “speak” to you through a passage of Scripture from The Bible.
5. He may “speak” to you through a dream.

 

 

Let us look at the above in more detail:

 

1.     An audible voice

 

You can’t miss it when God speaks to you in this way:

 

My wife was driving through an intersection where the traffic light was green when a voice said to her “STOP!”. She obeyed without even thinking and a 18 wheel truck thundered through the opposing red light at the intersection. She was saved as were my children. God is good: he looks after His own.

 

I was sleeping late one Sunday morning when a sweet heavenly voice gently interrupted my sleep and said, “Mark, wake up, you are going to be late for church”. I guess the message at church that morning was relevant to me but more than that message I remember that heavenly voice and how gentle it was. I am struck by God’s gentleness.

 

2.     A still smaller inner “voice”.

 

Perhaps what comes close to describing this is just “intuition” or a “knowing”; there is a quiet conviction about something.

 

It often shows up as a thought that wanders into your mind. Sometimes it helps to ask, “where did that thought come from?” or, “why did I think about that?” Of course being able to recognize these thoughts presupposes that we are in tune with our thoughts. But if we are diligent, we can with practice, learn to discern the “thoughts” within us that are really the “voice” of God.

 

To help us discern between our own thoughts and those of the Lord it will help if we reduce the “noise” in our lives. It often helps to go somewhere quiet and just reflect on the Lord.

 

We can also try to reduce the busyness of our daily lives and live lives where our spirits are quiet and at peace wherever we might be.

 

Our Lord also loves to speak in pictures. We need to be aware of images that come to mind. Reflecting on these images and asking yourself, “could this be a parable about something?” can be immensely helpful.

 

If we immerse ourselves totally in Christ we come closer to having 'the mind of Christ'. We cannot know all but we can come closer.

 

All of the above can help us to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”.

 

I was heading for the airport when the Lord impressed upon my mind that “Frank is on the plane and if you tell Frank about me then Frank is going to get very upset”. I mulled this over in my mind thinking that surely I would be sitting next to Frank on the plane and that the conversation might get very nasty if I told him about Christ. So it was with some trepidation that I boarded my flight. I sneaked a peek at the name on the boarding pass of the guy sitting next to me and breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t “Frank”. The plane took off and 10 minutes later the guy next to me leans across the isle and shouts to someone 2 rows ahead, “hey Mike, where is Frank?” Immediately my mind kicks into overdrive but I needn’t have worried. I was way back in the plane in coach class and Joe shouts back “Frank, got upgraded to first class”. I never got to meet Frank because he was already well on his way somewhere in the airport before I was able to get off the plane. But then I smiled, God has a great sense of humor. I needn’t have been concerned. He was showing me that I really had heard his voice.

 

God will confirm things to you in his own way. Every situation is unique and our God is a God of variety. He loves his children and wants to talk to them if we will just take the time to slow down and listen.

 

3.     Circumstances in your life

 

We need to continually look at the things going on in our lives and examine them for evidence of God at work.

 

Today I went to check out of my hotel and the poor lady at the front desk had a really bad cold. I asked how she was even though it was really evident how badly she was doing and after telling me about her cold she mentioned that she had also been away attending a funeral. I expressed sympathy and walked away. Later that same day I came back to my hotel to get something I had left behind and she was there behind the front desk reading a book. Something about the circumstances spoke to me and I went up to her to tell her that I was sure that it was difficult for her and asked who had passed away. It turned out that she had gone to the funeral and spoken at the eulogy for her late grandmother many miles away. I then told her that I was convinced that God was with her today during this difficult time. She showed me the book that she had been reading just as I had walked up. It was a Christian book! God was confirming his presence to both of us!

 

Now this type of thing can happen if we will just take the time to ask God: “Why did I meet that person?” In my life I often seem to encounter people and I find myself asking, “Why did I meet that person?” In this case it seemed pretty clear to me. But sometimes we cannot be sure of the reaction from the other person. In these cases when we are unsure we can just say something like, “I am sure God is with you during this difficult time.” Most people will not take offense at that.

 

I also had compassion for someone with a cold and the conversation ended up going in a totally different direction to what I expected. God can take your conversation and the very steps of your life in a totally different direction if you just stay close to Him and listen for His voice. Let him speak to you and use you to bless others. You will be blessed in return.

 

Finally remember that God will protect you if you walk in love and have a genuine heart for people.

 

4.     A passage of scripture from the Bible

 

If we read the Bible before we give ourselves fully to Christ we will struggle to understand it. But conversely, and possibly even more remarkably, after we have given ourselves to Christ the Bible suddenly becomes a living book that is alive in a way that we could not have imagined before. Reading this living book and applying the principles therein changes us.

 

I have also discovered that even the mere act of opening the Bible and reading it causes me to suddenly get wisdom, insight and understanding into other areas of my life. I don’t read expecting this to happen but I find that it does anyway.

 

I have found that the particular passages read on some days seem to have a special significance for that day.

 

I also persevere with reading the same passages over and over again days, weeks, months or years apart and find that I am always gleaning some new insight into them. Sometimes as I read particular passages will strike a chord and resonate within me, so I dwell on them and mull them over in my mind.

 

Reading the Bible before bed also makes me more receptive to hearing God. There seems to be a way in which the passages read before bed stay with me and build the spiritual nature within me but more on that follows below.

 

5.     Dreams from God

 

If Joseph in the Bible had dreams from God and our God is a God who never changes, then why shouldn’t God speak to us through dreams? I don’t remember ever dreaming before I became a Christian. After I became a Christian I had an occasional dream and that surprised me, so I paid attention to these dreams. The more I paid attention, the more dreams I started having. The pattern was probably a dream ever 6 months, which became a dream every 3 months, which became a dream every month, which became dreams every week and now almost almost daily. The content of these dreams is most often symbolic; I find that God continues to speak to us through stories and parables much the same way that Jesus used parables to convey deep truths. But what has astonished me is the nature of these dreams contains a wide variety of information. Sometimes they contain information about future events, sometimes they contain information about people in need, sometimes God wakes me up and will speak a name or a sentence to me. The distinguishing factor in the most important dreams is that our heavenly Father uses repetition to drive a point home. Dreams that are important or are to be taken seriously are often repeated 2 or 3 times. These important dreams are also often more vivid.

 

Our heavenly Father likes us to seek him. Dreams that contain parables and hidden meanings cause us to seek Him for answers. Dreams can also cause us to seek out people to provide specific answers. One time God spoke an unknown name to me so I looked it up on the internet, found the person and wrote him an email just telling him that even though he didn’t know me, that God wanted him to know that He was with him. It turned out that this person has just put together a training course for missionaries and had just announced its availability. So it was no wonder that God was with him. It is things like this that deepen ones faith and make Christianity exciting.

 

Contact the people that God gives you vivid dreams about and ask them how they are doing. You don’t have to mention the dream or even why you are calling; just ask them how they are doing. They will often give you clues as to why God might be moving in their lives. They might mention a particular difficulty, illness, relationship problem and that will immediately be a clue as to why God might be with them. Remember that our God is especially with the sick and the downtrodden, and those in difficulty or need. It can be a tremendous encouragement to someone just to have a reminder that someone is concerned for them or shares their pain. How much more of a comfort can it be to know that the creator of the universe is with you during your darkest hour. If God is for you, who can be against you?

 

 

 

So let us get back to answering the questions we started with. These were:

 

1.      I have never heard anyone say that God talks to people today?

2.      I have never heard the voice of God, so you must be wrong to say that God is speaking to people?

3.      What does this “voice” sound like?

4.      Do you actually hear an audible voice?

5.      How do I know that this is really God talking to me?

6.      How can I learn to hear God talk to me?

 

1. I have never heard anyone say that God talks to people today

Well to be quite honest, neither had I heard about that until it happened to me. Sure I had read it in the Bible but I didn’t know anyone who had even mentioned this possibility to me. I guess I wasn’t hanging out in the right circles. There are people that know about this and have experienced it for themselves. You need to seek them out and listen to them. Some churches talk about this but some avoid it altogether. How sad for them to be missing out on a rich depth of relationship with our heavenly Father.

 

2. I have never heard the voice of God, so you must be wrong to say that God is speaking to people

I have never gone to Russia and heard Russian spoken but that does not mean that the place or the language do not exist. You may also be sincere in your beliefs but it is also possible to be sincerely wrong. Would you at least consider that if God exists then because of His all powerful, can-do-anything nature, that he can do this one small thing.

 

3. What does this voice sound like?

Hopefully the examples above illustrate. Most often it comes in the form of a still small inner voice or knowing. We can ignore the voice but it explodes in power when we step out in faith and act on what we are hearing.

 

4. Do you actually hear an audible voice?

You can but this is not a frequent occurrence.

 

5. How do I know that this is really God talking to me?

Act on what you think you are hearing. Act in love always seeking the highest good of those around you and you cannot go far wrong. In time you will come to be more and more certain that you are hearing from God.

 

6. How can I learn to hear God talk to me?

God himself will bless you and confirm Himself when you step out and follow Him in love. It is an adventure; an exciting adventure. Perhaps the suggestions below will help you find a place to start?

 

 

How do we start trying to hear the voice of God?

 

Have you been going about your life not really giving much attention to God? If so, then a good place to start would probably be just to start seeking Him out. “Seek Him out”, you say? “Where would we go to seek Him out?” Well, a good place to begin would be to go where God is. How about reading a book about God? You might as well start somewhere. “But what book should I read?” I hear you asking. I say that you should try and find something from a Christian bookshop on a topic that you might be interested in knowing something more about. The topic will vary from person to person but go and find something that interests you. Remember this is a God that has promised, “seek and you will find” and “you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart”. If you are feeling particularly bold then you might try attending a few churches until you find one that you feel comfortable in. Try to understand the teachings, really listen and try to understand. Then take all your questions that might arise and go and try find answers to them. God is not scared of people who seek honest, truthful answers to their questions. In fact I think that God even encourages our questions. He wants to answer them and put them to rest. You might not like the pastor or priest, you might not like the music, you might find the sermon boring, and you might not like the people. You might want to ask yourself “why don’t I like _______”. Try to answers to these questions and try to find ways to overcome these obstacles. Pick a church that best answers your questions and best overcomes any obstacles in your mind. In short, find a place that allows you to become closer to God.

 

Get around people that know God, seek out pastors, church leaders, people who go to church. If anyone should know God they should. They may not but they should so it is a good place to start. Ask them questions about what they believe. Listen to their answers. Try to understand them. Don’t try to start arguments, just seek out honest answers to your questions. If the person can’t give you a straight answer, one that you can at least say “that’s reasonable” to, then try to find someone else to answer your questions. This is a process, it is a path; over time the path may wind around a bit, but it will take you steadily on towards God.

 

Now you will have begun the process of seeking. Things are going well and you keep at it but nothing happens. Well seek harder. Begin talking to God – praying to Him actually. It doesn’t take much, just 5 minutes a day. This is the most IMPORTANT step that you could take towards God. Ask Him with all humility to show up in your life. And keep at it. Watch for answers to your prayers. Persist in it for 6 months if you need to. Our society is one that wants instant answers. God will answer in His time and in His way. Try to live your life in a way that is always reaching out to God. And suddenly one day, things will change, something will happen in your life and you will find yourself asking, “could that have been God?” I assure you at that point, it most probably was God. Why not be encouraged and keep at what you are doing? Keep seeking, looking and watching and circumstances around you will begin to change. God will begin moving into your life and will start influencing it for your good.

 

So you want to find God? The Bible is a book about God. If any book should have some answers in it then it should be The Bible. So start reading. Read the book of Mark, read the book of John, follow with Matthew & Luke. Try to understand what you are reading. Really seek out understanding. Seek out wisdom. Ask questions. Seek truth. In seeking truth you are seeking God. Seek wisdom, in seeking wisdom you are seeking God. You will soon find that this Bible is a book about Jesus. So ask yourself. Who is this Jesus? He claimed to be the “son of God. What does that really mean? He said “I and the Father are one”. What does that really mean? Is He who He claimed to be? Was He a man that went about doing good, healing the sick, healing people, or was there more? He walked on water. He raised the dead. If he did it before, could He also have been raised from the dead? The claims of Christianity revolve around this man Jesus, so we need to understand this central point. Seek answers. Seek, seek and then seek some more. Purchase a Bible, borrow or buy books that explain the Bible, purchase Bible commentaries. Seek, seek, seek.

 

Personally, I have found that as I started hearing that still small voice inside me, I needed to step out and act on what I was hearing. It was only once I started acting on what I was hearing that I began to discover that this voice was in fact from God. It is similar in a way to the process of coming to faith in Christ – at some point you have to step out and act on what you are hearing. It can seem a little daunting at first but if you start somewhere then God will meet you and encourage you along the way. Perhaps a story will help illustrate:

 

I had been a follower of Jesus Christ for less than a year, I had started attending church for the first time in my life and my faith was going steadily. For the first time in my life I was also attending a study at church; it was lead by a very godly woman whom I could sense had something special. I had under her direction just started learning about the Holy Spirit and the power that he imparts to us believers in Christ. I had befriended Chis (not his real name) and his wife at church. I was away on a business trip from Monday to Friday one week and the entire week I had found myself thinking about Chris. I had no idea why I did not really pay it much attention. That is until I was on my flight back home. During that flight my thoughts had turned to Chris again and I found myself wanting to phone him and tell him, “God is with you and loves you very much.” The feeling became stronger and stronger and when the plane landed I didn’t even bother to pick up my bags but went straight to the pay phone (cell phones didn’t exist in those days), dug out his phone number and called him. It was the first time that I had ever phoned him so he sounded a bit surprised to hear my voice as he answered the phone so I got straight to the point.

 

“Chris”, I said, “This might sound a little strange but I am just phoning you to tell you that God is with you and loves you very much.”

The phone got very quiet for a few seconds….

“You’re kidding”, he said.

“No I am serious”, I said and then repeated myself telling him the circumstances under which I was calling him.

“I am with T”, he said. T led our Sunday study.

Now it was my turn to be taken aback.

He quickly elaborated, “T is here praying with my wife and I, we are going through something very difficult, and we just finished praying.”

My heart leaped inside me. God was leading and confirming. He was confirming that He had heard the prayer and He was confirming to me that I had done the right thing by calling. I was tremendously encouraged. That was the first time that I recall God speaking in a manner like that to me. I had taken a step of faith, stepping out in response. I had figured that at the worst Chris might think my call a little strange but I had told myself that at least he was a Christian and would not be offended by my simple words. God had put those fears to rest in one mighty swoop. How could I not want to step out in faith and live like this forever?

 

So an interesting story but let us unpack it a bit for purposes of learning something from it. Remember that this was one of the first times, if not the first time, that I had heard from God. This is what we can learn regarding the ways in which God works:

 

1.      I was studying the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.      I had a Christian mentor to lead me. This mentor was someone that I intuitively trusted.

3.      I needed to be made aware of the possibility that the “voices in my head", that still small voice, could be from God.

4.      Those thoughts that came in to my mind seemingly from nowhere needed to be captured and meditated upon.

5.      I felt that I was to some extent safe to share what I was hearing with the recipients.

6.      I needed to try and choose my words wisely.

7.      I needed to step out in faith and take a risk nonetheless.

8.      The Lord responded to my stepping out in faith and confirmed to me that I was hearing Him.

9.      The Lord is a God of surprises - He surprised both Chris and I.

10.    I was greatly encouraged to experiment further and to try and hear more from the Lord in the future.

 

But sometimes God stretches us and takes us out of our comfort zones. It is if He is saying, “Do you really believe that this voice is Me? Do you trust Me?” This next story happened about the same time as the above story so I share it with the hope that it might also encourage you where you are.

 

My Sunday Holy Spirit study teacher - T from the prior story - had prayed with us and as we were quietly sitting in prayer I had a picture sequence come to mind. Not wanting to share this with the group, I went up to her afterwards and said that I had a mental image of our church, that it was as if there was an upside down rocket underneath it and the engines had suddenly ignited. The church had stayed where it was but flames like a rocket blast had shot skyward. Out of that blast a number of flames had arced out and landed on the surrounding ground where they had started little fires. I felt that this was our church going up in flames and that from it little flames would arc out and start new fires for God, fires that would grow. She immediately said that this was a picture from the Lord and that I needed to share it with the entire church. Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable. I didn’t want to do that, but she insisted. I shared the picture with some reluctance not knowing how it would be received. To my relief no one wrote me off as crazy. But then again no one other than T seemed to be very interested in this anyway.

 

Well it is a few years since I shared that story and that church is no more: it is almost as if it went up in flames. I don’t recall how many members that church had but I would estimate that there were at least 400 people in attendance on Sundays. It was also an affluent congregation so that alone should have kept the church going. But when God moves, nothing can stop Him.

 

I was called by God to move to Scotland at that time. The members scattered to various other churches soon after that. I don’t know why they did - all I know is that they did. There must have been more going on behind the scenes but I certainly wasn’t privy to that. I am still in contact with some of the members that were in T’s class and they are all still following Christ. T is now the pastor of a church and also started a “farm” that is a boy’s home for troubled youth – also still faithfully following Christ.

 

So that is a story of how God can also use you to share with groups of people even when you don’t really want to. I am encouraged, not in that the original church is no more, but in the foreknowledge of a God that knows everything that is going to happen in our lives. If he knows this much then how much more does He know about us?

 

 

The rest of this page contains stories of some of my experiences in hearing the voice of God over the course of a year. I write them in the hope that you would be able to learn something from them about the nature of God and the way he talks to us. As you read remember that I didn't write every day but only when I felt that I had something to write about that would be worthwhile sharing.

 

Jan 5, 2009

 

This is a story that I just had to share. I was away in Africa for the past few weeks and had an interesting experience with God while I was there. I was in a remote mountainous region far away from any cities or towns. It was very quiet. I walked back to the cottage I was staying at and sat down on a garden chair outside on the patio. There was a booklet lying on a table next to me there. It had been there for hours. Now a gentle breeze whispered briefly as I sat there and as it did I thought to myself, “God you speak to us in the quiet but you can even speak to us in a mighty wind. In fact God you could even begin to blow mightily, you could get the wind to whip this booklet off the table if you wanted to. I (respectfully) dare you to blow with all of your power. Yes God – blow!” And as I said that in my mind to myself the wind picked up and deposited the booklet in a mass of waving pages a few feet from me. I was stunned. God was showing me that He was with me. It was a great feeling. I just sat quietly in awe of His presence for a while gazing out over vastness of the vista of the African mountains in front of me. Our God is vast. There is nothing that escapes His attention and He enjoys spending time with us if we just take the time to stop and listen to Him.

 

Jan 13, 2009

 

Just back from an overseas trip, been home for a week and I’m already off on a business trip. It turned out to be very interesting. I got on the plane in the US and found myself sitting next to someone from the same country that I am from. Now what are the chances of that “chance event” happening? Not only that, but we began talking & I discovered that the other person is a pastor. Now what are the chances of both of those things happening? Hmmm. Sounds like God to me. When things like this happen in our lives – random chance happenings – we need to look a bit deeper. More often than not God is involved. Turns out after some more conversation that there was a lot more going on, but the point I’m trying to make is that we need to be “listening” – watching the events in our lives - or we will miss these times when God shows up in our lives.

 

Feb 10, 2009

 

THE POWER OF MUSIC

 

Want to have God show up? Try this one thing….

Find a room where you can be alone. Turn on some Christian music that allows you to draw near to God and then begin to meditate and reflect on Him. Forget about yourself and your problems, concentrate on God. Concentrate on the words. Begin to really, really feel the meaning behind the words. Say/sing them back to our Father and make sure that you mean every single word you say. Sing/Say the words to Him with all your being. Use your entire body to express yourself, raise your hands or dance about if you feel comfortable doing that. Just continue like this for 30-60 minutes and at the end just wait silently before Him.

 

There is one thing that I have found to be true in my life whenever I feel that I need to draw near to our heavenly Father: the power of music is not to be diminished. The scriptures say that God inhabits the praises of his people. If you praise Him, He will show up.

 

You might even see something indirect happen in your life as a result. Try it – some of your other unspoken prayers that you put aside might just be answered at this time.

 

Feb 16, 2009

 

I read this interesting story and just had to ask the person involved if I could share it with you….

I worked night shift at a hospital about 15 miles from my rural home. Driving home every night around midnight was relaxing and often a good time to rethink the day, pray, plan or whatever. My cruise control was always set for those 15 miles, and so was my brain function, basically. One night, as I neared Lapwai, Id, two miles from our little village, I felt 'some thing' urging me to slow down. Of course, after quickly scanning the road and seeing nothing that would cause a problem, I did nothing. Immediately I felt another tug at my gut, but this time my so-called consciousness spoke to me, "Watch for three children to walk out into the highway." I thought, "No way! It's midnight." Still I took my foot off the accelerator and the car began to slow down. The next second three native children (approximately 10 yr and under), two of them holding hands, walked from the right to the left side of the highway toward a foot bridge that led across a field to a small house. They were far enough ahead of me that I did not have to slam on brakes or feel afraid for them. I continued on home in awe of a God who speaks to me often; aware that I might not know Him well enough to hear His voice. There have been times I have tried too hard to hear Him. I just need to know Him, from His word, from talking to Him where ever we find ourselves together and in what ever predicaments. I have praised Him and cursed Him and I am still His. He forgives me and in that I learn more about Him - know Him. He is always there.

 

Feb 21, 2009

 

And another interesting story that someone has graciously allowed me to share…

Before I leave home now I always ask the Holy Spirit which way I should go. “Which way should I go Lord, over the mountain or take the highway?” Well this one evening I was running a little bit late for my college class, I take night classes on post. Even though I was running late I asked, “which way should go Lord”? He said “over the mountain,” I asked like 3 times just to make sure I heard correctly, because I was already running late and going over the MTN is definitely not the shortcut. I kept getting back “yes go over the MTN.” So I obeyed. That evening I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen, it just would not have been the same if I had taken the highway. The MTN range silhouetted behind that bright red and yellow sky was enough to take my breath away.

 

Feb 28, 2009

 

And another story that I have been given permission to share…

The first time I heard the voice of God, was in October of last year. I was getting ready to watch a movie called Practical Magic. I took the DVD out of the movie case had it in my hand and was getting ready to put it into the DVD player, when all of a sudden a voice from within me said "you don't want to watch that". Then I had a memory flash from a previous time I had watched the movie with a co-worker. We were sitting in the airport waiting for our flight. I noticed my co-worker was not watching the movie so I asked him about it. He just said he didn’t get into the occult. Honestly I didn’t think much of it and had totally forgotten about it until I heard the voice in my head and had the flash back. I looked at the DVD...slowly put it back in its case and then proceeded to lay the movie on the TV stand and just sat there and looked at it for at least 2 min or more, wondering to myself what just happened. The experience scarred me enough to put the movie away. I have not touched any kind of movie or entertainment that has to do with the occult since. At this time in my life, I did not really believe in God, nor did I know you could hear his voice. This one very powerful event started my journey to becoming a Christian

  

Mar 14, 2009

 

What are we to infer from silence? The type of silence we all experience when we cry out to God and experience nothing but silence in response? The times when we cry out to God to answer our prayers and seem to get nothing in response? Where is God in the silence?

 

It seems to me that God is there all the time; that He is watching over us and that somehow His ways are so very different to ours. He is watching our response to the situations in which we find ourselves. My years in walking with the Lord have shown me that He is especially close to the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed, the weak, and those undergoing suffering. So what are we to do when we find ourselves in a difficult situation, one that has us crying out to God for help? I think we should remember that if he has chosen to be close to others undergoing suffering, trials and struggles then surely He is with us as well. And we should draw comfort from that. For if God be for us – if the creator of the universe be for us – then who can be against us? Yes, who can be against us?

 

Mar 28, 2009

 

Is your God a good God?

 

Do you believe that God is good? Do you really believe that God desires good for us? More importantly, do you really believe that God desires good for you?

 

If you can believe that God is good and that He desires good for you, that will help you to hear God more clearly.

 

Was that coincidence or was that God?

 

Have you ever wanted to make a phone call to a friend but for some reason held back from doing so? Have you considered that perhaps it was God prompting you? What if when you were feeling down it was you receiving the phone call? How would you have felt? Is it possible that God cares and is prompting us to take care of each other?

 

God’s voice starts with those small inner promptings occurring when we least expect it. These are the inner promptings that we need to begin to take more notice of. Where do these inner promptings come from? Could God be involved in them? Could it be God be leading and directing your life? Could it be that he cares enough to do so? Why not give Him the benefit of the doubt and see where that takes you? Why not try and step out in faith the next time you “hear” that inner voice.

 

Faith.

 

Faith is an important ingredient in learning to hear God. I am not talking about the type of faith that follows blindly. I am talking about the type of faith that trusts in the goodness of God. Faith begets more faith. It feeds on itself. It only takes a little faith to set your life aflame. A life aflame for God can change the world around it.

  

Apr 1, 2009

 

Hmmm, does anyone out there doubt the power of our God today? I just received this from a close pastor friend of mine in Africa:

 

Sad news is the witchdoctor in Chipinga who threatened to kill me if I do not stop the crusade died yesterday after (my) telling him that my God will show his power … I felt bad because I wanted him to repent instead of dying. though he kept on sending different magic to attack daily
Pastor K XXXXXXXX

  

Apr 10, 2009

 

So what pointers can we look for to determine whether what we are “hearing” is in fact God?

 

God often talks to us about ourselves or people around us, so a good test to ask yourself if you think you are in fact hearing God is to ask yourself questions such as these…

 

·         Have you been spending time with God in prayer?

·         Are you being asked to change something about yourself (to become more like Christ)?

·         Are you being asked to help someone?

·         Is the person sick or going through a difficult time?

·         Does what you are hearing lift someone else up?

·         Does it seek the ultimate good of someone?

·         Does it cause you to walk in humility?

 

God is not a show-off. He is into relationships. He cares about people.

  

Apr 15, 2009

 

Do you want to know God? Do you spend time getting to know Him? Do you pray? Do you believe that God hears your prayers? Do you pray like you mean it?

 

Who is this Jesus Christ to you? Do you really, deep down in your heart, believe that he is the savior of the world? Do you believe that He is the son of God? Do you believe that he died on a cross and rose again from the dead?

 

Who is this Holy Spirit? Is He your helper? Is He your comforter? Have you experienced His touch?

 

Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What do you believe?

  

Apr 28, 2009

 

Living righteously

 

If we want to hear God then we will live righteously. What does that mean? It means that we will live our lives in a right manner before God. We don’t live under a set of self imposed rules, or even a set of ‘religious’ rules. That is not what it means to live by the Spirit. No, instead we live for God, we live for Christ. We know what pleases Christ so we strain forward, pressing on to please him and in doing so we automatically end up living a righteous life.

 

To draw on a comparison from life: If you have a friend, you will try to please them. Do you remember a boyfriend or girlfriend that you tried to please at some point? You did so not out of a sense of duty or obligation but because you wanted to; in fact you went out of your way to do things for them that would please them, you tried to impress them, you went beyond what you would do for others. In the same way we live for Christ: Christ who gave us everything. We owe Him everything, we are thankful, we are grateful, we live to please Him.

 

When we live in such a manner, we end up living righteously, and a righteous life is pleasing to God. We draw closer to God through it and this makes it easier for us to discern His voice and to know His will.

  

May 4, 2009

 

A really simple way to hear God…

 

This weekend I attended an art auction that was being held to raise funds for AIDS orphans in Africa. If you want to be close to God then go and look after widows and orphans. They are close to His heart, so it will not take long for God to show up.

 

I had been trying to help orphans for some years; and make no mistakes, a few children have benefited but I really felt that I had very little to show for my efforts. So I resorted to praying and asking God if my approach was wrong. It didn’t take long for him to answer my prayers. But He didn’t just come out and say “yes, go do it”. He seems always to lead by invitation or questions that he poses to us. And this was no exception. He showed me in a dream, walking down a dusty road and these children also walking down the road. And then in church the next day the message was about just walking with God step by step, one foot after the other, slowly diligently, step by step, even when we don’t feel like it, even when we wonder why, but just knowing that we need to keep walking, step by step; and that by walking that way we eventually get to where we are going.

 

But, let us get back to this weekend. I attended an art auction and got to meet some people from the US who have just got back from a trip to Africa. They had visited these AIDS orphans and the school that they attend. So people’s lives are being changed. Both those who went and those who were visited are being blessed. I suspect that those who went are now looking at life through new eyes and are experiencing a newfound gratitude for everything that they have. I know that those that were visited are receiving material benefits and were blessed to know that people so far away care for them.

 

And I know that new friendships are being forged and raised up.

 

And a lot of this started a few years back when I had coffee in a little coffee shop in the US with someone who had never visited Africa before.

 

In short God is showing up, step by step.

 

May 11, 2009

 

Often when God speaks to us it is to confirm us on the path that we are on. He speaks to us when He is pleased with us. He speaks to us when we are on the path that is pleasing to Him. This stands in stark contrast to the picture that many of us have of a picture of God with a big stick just waiting to beat us up, just waiting for us to make a mistake. God is not like that at all. He encourages us, He supports us, He comes alongside us. If you genuinely try to walk in the presence of God, He will be your biggest supporter. Note that I did not even say that you have to walk in the presence of God. I said that you must try. We are all imperfect, we all fall short of God’s perfect standard. So we try; we press on, and we strain towards that which keeps us close to God. And it is with these efforts that we please God. We do well to remember the thief on the cross with Jesus who in one simple confession of faith in Jesus was promised that He would be together in paradise with Jesus that very same day.

 

So while we may not be on the cross, we all have our own particular sufferings to bear each day, yet despite them and through them, God promises us that we can be in paradise with Him this very day. It is a decision and a choice. The thief on the cross did not give his life for God, rather through His simple confession of faith in Jesus, He enters into the presence of God.

 

No matter where you are in relationship to God, He promises you that it is possible today that He will be with you – all it takes is a simple confession of faith – faith in Jesus Christ.

 

May 13, 2009

 

Humility, humility, humility

 

Let me be the first to say that when we think that we have heard God speak we should be asking ourselves: is this message only for me? We should always remember that perhaps the person that God is seeking to change when He speaks to us is ourselves. Why then should we even share what we think we have heard from God? We need to ask ourselves: What would it help if I were to share with someone what God has shown me? How could it help that person? And very importantly, we should be asking ourselves whether we can remain humble after sharing with them. You should only share what you are hearing from God with someone else if there is absolutely no possibility of your ending up feeling proud or superior to them. You want to be sure that there is no sense of your cultivating an “I heard from God, which makes me better than you” attitude. We are put on this earth to help each other and to build each other up.

 

Humility, humility, humility

 

Listen, listen, listen to the other person. Listen to their point of view. Try to understand them. Put yourself in their shoes. How would you like to be treated by others if you were in their situation? Extend grace. Extend mercy. Extend forgiveness. Listen, listen, listen. Listen more than you speak. And when you speak avoid the “God told me, so it must be true” attitude. Recognize that God may have told you something but perhaps if you were to communicate that message to another person you may not be able to communicate it with 100% accuracy. You may but then again you may not. You do well to recognize that even though God is perfect, you are not.

 

I am not perfect, you are not perfect: practice humility, humility, humility and then follow it up with an extra dose of even more humility.

 

May 15, 2009

 

If we want to hear from God then we would do well to focus on Psalm 15. It asks the question “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” and follows the question up with this answer:

 

He whose walk is blameless

And who does what is righteous

Who speaks truth from his heart

And has no slander on his tongue,

Who does his neighbor no wrong,

And casts no slur on his fellowman,

Who despises a vile man

But honors those who fear the Lord

Who keeps his oath even when it hurts,

Who lends his money without usury

And does not accept a bribe against the innocent

 

We who does these things will never be shaken.

 

May 29, 2009

 

My church holds a twice a month prayer meeting where prayer team members pray for healing for anyone who wants to drop by. I had been praying for a while and was about to leave when another team member whom I had not seen before approached me and introduced himself. When I gave him my name he recognized it immediately and said that he had worked with me on a project at a client in South Carolina 12 years ago. That was certainly quite a coincidence since 12 years ago I was living half way across the country from where my current church is. Strike it off to coincidence perhaps but the next day I walked into a bookstore with my wife and walked straight into him again. Its now some weeks later and I have yet to bump into him again. God was definitely in the original meeting and the timing thereof. The key is always to be asking what God is trying to show us at the time.

 

June 8, 2009

 

Getting back to basics…

 

After all of this writing on how to hear God, perhaps it will help to get focused back on the basics.

 

If I were to tell you that you need to pray to God if you want to hear from God then I can already imagine you tuning me out, telling me that you have tried that but without any answers to your prayers. It is as if those heavens were brass and have reflected all of your prayers back on you. There were no answers – at least it appeared that way. If that is your situation then let me instead offer up a different approach. It’s really quite simple: prayer with God is as simple as having a conversation with a friend. Just imagine that you are having a conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee. How would that conversation go? It would flow forth quite freely. There would be times of talking, times of listening, times of interruption, times when conversation just seems to flow forth spontaneously, there would be times of intensity and times that would be light hearted; but most of all it would be a joy to be with your friend. Prayer with God should be the same as this conversation with your friend.

 

Imagine that you are speaking to Jesus. There is no need to even close your eyes if you don’t want to. You can kneel, sit or stand, whatever you prefer. Most importantly, just let your conversation flow forth as if you are speaking to Jesus sitting, kneeling or standing in front of you, and from there start speaking to Him as you would speak to a friend. It will change your relationship with God and it will most certainly change your life. You will begin to understand His ways and you will begin to hear His voice more and more clearly. Perhaps, even more excitingly, you will begin to get answers to your prayers as you begin to know God. These answers will come from unexpected places and they will surprise you. Our God is a God of variety and a God of surprises. He is infinite in His ability to act so we should not put Him in a box. Allow Him to do what He will. Just come simply and humbly before Him and begin conversing with Him.

 

Try this conversational way of praying and speaking to God, you will most certainly be surprised by the results.

 

June 19, 2009

 

Since I am writing on prayer I also want to stress again the idea that prayer is relationship with God. I remember as a 13 year old, going to church; us teenagers were shuffled off into the youth building and there we were split into groups according to our age. About 15 of us sat in a circle and we were asked if we had any ‘prayer requests’. We prayed one of us after the other, going in a circle around the group. I certainly didn’t feel comfortable praying when it was my turn, it also made me a bit uncomfortable trying to come up with something to pray and since I couldn’t I certainly felt left out and not as spiritual as the others in the group. I just asked the next person in the group to continue and skip me. When we were done the prayer was over. That is not prayer! It is a one sided monologue and is certainly not relationship with God! Is it no wonder our prayers are not answered if we pray like this? How would you like it if someone were to come up to you, deliver a monologue and then walk away? Might it frustrate you? I am sure God is not impressed with prayers like these where we fail to connect with Him. It was not long after that that I left the church and dropped out of it for many, many years. What a pity the leader of the group had no idea how to pray in a conversational manner with God. Perhaps you have prayed with others and have found that they pray rote learned prayers? Perhaps they pray to impress those around them? Perhaps you have heard others pray and their sentences are filled with words out of the old King James English? Does God need that? Certainly not. God loves us as we are. Present your requests simply to God. Pray as you would in a conversation with someone even if it is the Creator of the Universe.

 

The final point is also that we should also just be hanging around with God if we really want to know Him and learn more about him. As we begin to develop a relationship with God in prayer we will naturally want to spend more time with him. Try hanging around with God, you will see that you also want to spend more time with Him after your prayers begin to get answered.

 

July 16, 2009

 

It’s been some time since I last wrote. I’m concentrating on spending more time with God. Through all of that God still continues to show up unexpectedly. An example that immediately springs to my mind is that of a recent flight where I found myself sitting next to a missionary from the Philippines now living in the US. Even after many, many situations like this where I find myself sitting next to either a pastor, missionary, or someone that is going through a difficult time, it never ceases to amaze me. I am sure that the chance of this just being a random occurrence is far exceeded. Things like this really strengthen my faith in God’s ability to cause events to happen in our lives and by implication if He can do something like this, He can certainly answer our prayers, or do anything else He chooses in our lives.

  

July 21, 2009

 

Let us consider examples from scripture where our heavenly father spoke to people in ages past and while we are doing so we should also be asking ourselves: where is our experience of this today? Remember that our God is unchanging; He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, so why should we not experience our Heavenly Father, who loves us so much, speaking to us today as well? When we hear His voice will it not change us as well? Will it not speak creative, transforming life into our very being?

 

Jn 10:27 (Jesus speaking) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

 

What better place to start than with the picture of a shepherd who cares for his sheep and does not want to lose even one of them. The shepherd speaks to the sheep so that they will follow him and so that no harm will come to them.

 

Note that this voice is familiar and is easily distinguishable from any other voice. The sheep recognize the voice and respond to it; we should not concern ourselves that there are other voices out there trying to lead us astray. If we stay close to the shepherd we will recognize his voice and we will not be led astray.

 

Heb 3:7-8 Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts…

 

Expect to hear from God and do not “harden your heart”. Stay open to the possibility that you too can hear from God. You are his child after all. What father would not want to speak to their child?

 

 

1Sa 3:1-15 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

 

This is one of the more powerful Biblical accounts of our Father calling to someone. It is noteworthy that the Lord called to a young child. Your youth will not disqualify you from hearing God. What is important is that Samuel was serving God with all His heart – that was sufficient to get God’s attention.

 

1Sa 15:22-23 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

 

As Samuel grew older he continued to hear from God. He knew that when he heard God and responded in obedience then that was what brought delight to God. God desires this obedience more than any other sacrifice we can make to Him.

 

Ps 29 Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever. The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

 

God speaks, and speaks, and speaks and speaks. He does not stop. And when He speaks He creates. He spoke the earth into creation. As He speaks into us He begins a new creation within us.

 

Dt 18:17 And the Lord said unto me…

 

Yes He will speak to you too.

 

Dt 30:20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days…

 

Obedience to the voice is closely linked to life and length of days.

 

Ac 9:1-7 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

 

Here the Lord speaks to a non-believer, Saul, through a loud voice out of the sky. Those around Saul heard the voice as well: there were a number of witnesses.

 

Saul was so violently opposed to God it should serve as an inspiration to those of us who do not feel particularly close to God that He may speak to us as well.

 

Ac 9:10-16 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

 

This being led by the hand is an image of lack of vision, a lack of knowledge, a lack of spiritual insight and understanding. We would do well however not to go around killing believers lest the Lord blind us as well and necessitate that we would also need to be led around by the hand.

 

Ac 10:13-15 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Ac 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

 

God’s ways of speaking to us are not limited to a still small voice inside us or to a thunderous voice out of the sky. Here God speaks to the disciple not in an audible voice out of the sky as was the case with Saul, but instead through a vision.

 

Ex 3:4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

 

God will call out to us suddenly and from unexpected places. We need to be prepared to stop and listen when He does.

 

Nu 12:4-6 And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

 

And yet again, God speaks suddenly and in a different manner. And lest you think that God was speaking to Moses and that you are not a spiritual giant on the level of Moses, read the passage again and see that He was also speaking to Miriam and to Aaron, not only to Moses, the giant in the faith.

 

And God was speaking to a woman too: scandalous in old testament times when only priests were qualified to minister in the temple before the Lord.

 

Ac 18:9-10 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

 

God can speak to us at night through visions and dreams.

 

When we hear we may be afraid with a Holy reverence and fear but we will know for sure that it is the Lord.

 

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

This is an intimate picture, the sharing of conversation over a meal between friends, for behold, he has called you his friend. What are you waiting for? Open the door of your heart, do not harden your heart, ask your God to come into your heart, to dwell there, His Spirit within you and to have fellowship and relationship with you.

 

July 25, 2009

 

Let us look at the words spoken by the voice of God and we will see the Trinity unveiled before our very eyes:

 

Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

These words are interesting and deserve further reflection:

·         since to be “with God” the “Word” has to be a distinctly separate entity to God, and

·         since the “Word was God” we can see that the “Word” is God at the same time.

 

We can show this as follows:

·         “Word” is separate to “God”

·         Word = God

 

Let us now extend this to Jesus Christ. John says that God took on flesh and came to us in Jesus Christ:

 

Jn 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…

 

We can show this as follows:

·         Word = Jesus

 

And since we already established that:

·         Word = God

 

Therefore by implication:

·         God = Word = Jesus

 

The Word in this case is Jesus. Jesus is God in every sense of the Word.

 

Gen 1-12 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…And God called the light Day...And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters…And God called the firmament Heaven…And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place…And God called the dry land Earth…And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass…” and so it goes on and on with God speaking and calling the creation into existence in Genesis.

 

I guess you get the point, God has a voice, His voice is creative and His voice speaks things into being. Jesus is the “Word” and was with God from the very beginning since He is God. Jesus is co-creator with the Father.

 

Let us look at Genesis 1-2 again:

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

 

So we see that the Spirit of God was also there from the beginning of creation.

 

We have a full picture of God our Heavenly Father, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit in perfect unity - the trinity in action, separate yet equal, three in one, the one true God.

 

August 5, 2009

 

God at Work

 

God with us when we are at work. Yes even in the workplace God is with us. We dare not regard one occupation as more sacred than another. God is with us all whether we be a priest, an office worker, a mechanic, a trash collector, or an executive, God is with us. I am reminded of this again and again. I cannot even begin to count the number of times that God has warned me about someone or some situation at work. When things get bad at work I often find that God is in my dreams forewarning me about situations so that they do not take me by surprise. He tells me when business deals are about to go bad, he tells me about business deals not to pursue, He tells me about people to avoid or to be careful of. He warns me when corporations that I am involved with are about to change strategy or direction. In short He is looking out for me and if God is for me who can be against me? For, we fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the heavenly realm and we had best be aware of it. When we face opposition at work we can be sure that God is aware of it and while he does not spare us from these things He will show us the way through them. The dreams that He gives me about situations before they occur, give me the confidence and peace to walk through the storms at work knowing that while the enemy of my soul rages against me, he cannot really touch me.

 

August 20, 2009

 

Why do some of us not hear God talking to us?

 

Could it be that we don't really believe in God? If we don't believe in God then how can we hear Him?

 

Before I became a Christian I had never even heard anyone talking about directly hearing from God? After I became a Christian I slowly started to hear from God. The trickle became a flood and now He talks to me often - everywhere I go, no place escapes His gaze.

 

As I reflect of this I am reminded of John 8:47 where it says, "He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason that you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." I can from personal experience testify that these words are true in my own life. You have to believe in God and belong to Him before you can hear from Him. Until then your eyes and ears are closed to the ways and words of God.

 

Sure there are exceptions to this - sometimes we hear of God speaking to unbelievers - how else would they become believers in to Christ? But my question to you is rather, "Why would you as an unbeliever want to be the exception? What qualifies you to think that you are so special? What makes you different from all the other people out there that would qualify you to hear directly from God? How arrogant we are. How full of unbelief."

 

Jesus' words breathe life into us

 

If we are to hear God we must become filled with the Spirit of God. "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words that I (Jesus) have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you that do not believe." (John 7:63-64). Note that Jesus says that His words are life. They come by the Spirit. If we truly want to live our lives to the fullest then we must listen to His words. His words are life.