Bible Study

We Can Hear from God

We Can Hear From God (Listening Prayer)

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Is it possible to come to God like an inquisitive child?
– Mark 10:13-16 – Jesus encouraged the children to come to Him.
– Matt 18:1-5 – Be like little children… (inquisitive, trusting…)
– Gal 4:6-7 – We call God our Father because Jesus lives in us. We are His child.

listeningDoes God answer our questions?
– Jer 29:12-13 – when we seek Him with all our hearts, He will listen.
– 2 Chron 7:14 – when we humble ourselves and repent from sin, He will listen.

Can we trust that we are hearing from God?
– John 10:1-5 – God’s people will hear His voice.

Steps in Hearing from God
1. Start with the Word of God. Read a passage such as one listed above.
2. Invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart and your mind to His voice.
3. Ask God questions, expecting that He wants to give you answers.
4. Test the answer. Then accept or reject the answer after careful testing.

To analyze an answer from God:
1. Is it Biblical? (We need to know His Word.) Think of a verse. Look for one.
(Memorize God’s Word. Put it in your mind to get rid of the negative.)
2. Does the Holy Spirit give you peace?
3. Do other believers agree that it is from God? Ask a mentor/friend.
4. If you accept it, will it bring fruit (Gal 5:22,23) in your life? How?

Accept the Answer?:

Thank God
Believe God
Act on it – God wants me to….
I will tell ____ to hold me accountable.

Reject the Answer?:

Ask God where it came from
Ask God what He wants you to do about it
Analyze the answer

“Be still and know that I am God.” – Ps 46:10a

Now use one of the worksheets below!

Hearing from God. Full teaching notes

Listening Worksheet – Qs to ask God – for Adults

Listening Worksheet for Kids – I love using this with my boys!

Here’s my post on my first experience using this back in 2011…

Discipleship Things We’ve Forgotten

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“Success is not the pastor or the staff executing all the ministry; it’s them equipping the saints to do the work of ministry.”

“If you seek to build a church, you rarely produce disciples…If you seek to make disciples, you always get the church.”

“Pray about God giving you 3-5 men you can invest your life in for the next 12 months, and challenge them at the end of 12 months to replicate the process. And you watch what God does.”

“Jesus restricted 90 percent of his time to 12 men. And out of the 12, he restricted a large portion of his time to three: James, John, and Peter.”

Listen or read the interview notes here:

http://churchleaders.com/podcast/302734-robby-gallaty-jewish-jesus-discipleship-things-weve-forgotten.html

What should women do?

womenbuildup“Just imagine what would happen to this church if all the women left.”

The looks on the men’s faces turned from indifference to shock and horror. They realized that the vast majority of the ‘hands on’ ministering was happening because of women. The women were faithful and valuable to building God’s kingdom!

Jesus has tons of things to say about women in his ministry. Just look at: Luke 8:1-3 to see their significance for Jesus’ ministry. And these were even women once considered castaways…

Jesus traveled around from one town and village to another. He announced the good news of God’s kingdom. His 12 disciples were with him. So were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. One was Mary Magdalene. Seven demons had come out of her. Another was Joanna, the wife of Chuza. He was the manager of Herod’s household. Susanna and many others were there also. These women were helping to support Jesus and the 12 disciples with their own money.

(Luke 8:1-3)

I love this quote from Dr Scot McKnight…

When we ask the question of women in ministry, the debate almost immediately gravitates to traditional “women in ministry” texts. But I’d like us to ask another question — one both more biblical and more answerable:

Do women DO in your church what Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Priscilla, Junia, and Phoebe did?

Do they do what Mary did?

Do they do what Jesus encouraged women to do?

Here’s a deeper look at what these women did…
(and which the Bible honours.)

Miriam was a prophet who offered what has to be considered one of the most potent interpretations of what God did at the Exodus (Exodus 15:20-21).

Deborah was judge of Israel (Judges 4-5).

Huldah also served as a prophet (2 Kings 22:14).

Priscilla was a teacher of the gospel, a “co-worker” of Paul —this is a virtual title for a distinct group of apostolic ministers of the gospel —and a leader of the church (Acts 18:18-19, 26; Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 4:19).

Junia, and this is now a consensus among scholars, was an “apostle” (Rom.16:7). We might try to minimize the word “apostle” to “missionary,” but we do so only out of prejudice.

Phoebe is called a “deacon” (not “deaconess”) and an epistatis, which might mean “benefactor” or “president” (Rom. 16:1-2).

(Excerpted from an article written by Dr Scot McKnight, a Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois) called: “Women Ministering” on www. cbeinternational.org)

So… what can women do when their hearts are surrendered to God?

According to the Word, they prophecy, judge/lead, teach the Gospel, minister, lead the church, become apostolic, building God’s kingdom and not their own.

The most beautiful thing is not what women do with their own talent, but by the power of the Holy Spirit…

…bringing light
…to a dark world.

This is what God calls and empowers women to do!

Healing Prayer For Harmful Memories

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Have you ever seen something that brought you distress or even traumatized you? Do you have any harmful images you’ve internalized that periodically come back to upset you?

What do you do with these harmful memories and images?

Read: Healing Prayer for Harmful Images (Soul Shepherding)

 

Prayers: Healing Heart Wounds

How can you receive healing in your heart wounds?
If this can be helpful for others, I’m sharing the goods! 🙂

This below is some material that was given to me after I was prayed over by others for 3 hours to break word curses spoken over me that perhaps accumulated over 10 years of being a pastor…

(For part one, see From Curses to Blessing that will open up in a new window.)

Then… this was the 2nd part that I have continued with to find healing and to pray for others…

(These are material I have found for free online…)

1.) Assessment: These below list negative emotions/thoughts/strongholds that could be present in your life (whether in people around you in your environment or in you yourself)…
Discerning a heart wound which needs healing
Heart Issues that could need healing
What is in My Heart? worksheet

2. The basic process that will take intentional prayer focus and time.
7 prayers – Strands

3.) A sample of how to do it…
Prayers That Heal the Heart – 7 Step Model

 

4.) How to pray over others to break these things (after praying for yourself).
7 Prayers That Heal the Heart.intercessors
(This is especially healing to pray over anyone who has caused the wounding in you.)

More info:
To read the full book, purchase on Amazon:

Prayers That Heal The Heart

You can also find videos and audios to assist…
For more info: http://www.cwgministries.org 

When Men are Silent

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What happens when men keep silent…?

(I wrote a post recently… When We Silence Women …but let us also highlight the value of men’s voices…) 

We need to hear both voices of men and women, not spoken in fleshly anger, but in bold Spirit-led risk-taking obedience… Dr Larry Crabb reminds us of the value of men’s voices…
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I always wondered why Eve put up a fight with the serpent, but not Adam…? …and this was before the Fall. Whatever the reason, it is a perfect example of why we need both men and women to speak truth and defend it together…for the sake of the world! We need each other. Remember, God created Adam and the world was not yet complete. It goes both ways vice versa.

My prayer…

I’m praying for our men to hear God’s voice clearly above all other voices… Praying for more of the Holy Spirit to give them courage to live out their calling… Praying against overwhelm and confusion, against shame and paralysis. Praying instead for their unique Holy Spirit anointing so that they may enjoy a victorious walk with Jesus!

“Men are uniquely called to remember what God has said and to speak accordingly, to move into dangerous uncertainty with a confidence and wisdom that comes from listening to God.”

Enjoy the book by Dr Larry Crabb: Men of Courage: God’s Call to Move Beyond the Silence of Adam

What’s next Papa?!

daddyholdinghand“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15-25‬ ‭paraphrase by Eugene Peterson

http://bible.com/97/rom.8.15-25.msg

Are you a dreamer?

areyoudreaming

In my time of resting, God continues to invite me to think outside the box. I feel like He keeps inviting me to be hungry for more. Here’s what I’m learning about dreams (the long forgotten language for many)… thanks to Murray Dueck. (A link to his book can be found at the bottom. Here’s an intro…)

What about dreams in the Bible?

There are 224 references to dreams and visions in the Bible.
1/3 of the Bible is connected to dreams and visions. (The entire book of Revelation is a vision.)

Are dreams important to Jesus?

How many dreams can you find around the birth of Jesus?

Matt 1:18-2:23 (opens in new window)

I count 5.

What would have happened to Jesus if God the Father hadn’t sent one of those dreams?

I think he’d be dead.

We should major on the majors and minor on the minors.
The Bible majors on dreams and visions.

You will dream 3 years of your life and you will dream more than you eat. Every night you dream 1-2 hours. It’s whether or not you are remembering them. If people aren’t allowed to dream, they go insane.

Dreams:
1. look inside you
2. reveal the nature of God (and he has a wonderful sense of humour.)

Dreaming causes you to ponder and draw closer to God. It’s not about information but about relationship and intimacy with your Creator and Saviour.

Why did the church quit listening to dreams?

-Jerome mistranslated – Deut.18:10

-The church took over government, authority became clergy, not lay people. Personal revelation became for only clergy.

-Christianity became judicial and less relational. (Did you know that in some circles, the thought of getting a degree in theology is crazy because theology is about relationship and not merely Bible facts.)

Question: How do you live with the early church’s understanding of dreams in today’s culture?

We do not throw away our mind-set, we add to it…
The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth…

1 Corinthians 2

God’s Wisdom Through the Holy Spirit

6 The words we speak to those who have grown in the faith are wise. Our words are different from the wisdom of this world. Our words are different from those of the rulers of this world. These rulers are becoming less and less powerful. 7 No, we announce God’s wisdom. His wisdom is a mystery that has been hidden. But before time began, God planned that his wisdom would bring us heavenly glory. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood God’s wisdom. If they had, they would not have nailed the Lord of glory to the cross. 9 It is written that

“no eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
and no human mind has known.” (Isaiah 64:4)
God has prepared these things for those who love him.
10 God has shown these things to us through his Spirit.

The Spirit understands all things. He understands even the deep things of God. 11 Who can know the thoughts of another person? Only a person’s own spirit can know them. In the same way, only the Spirit of God knows God’s thoughts. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world. We have received the Spirit who is from God. The Spirit helps us understand what God has freely given us. 13 That is what we speak about. We don’t use words taught to us by people. We use words taught to us by the Holy Spirit. We use the words taught by the Spirit to explain spiritual truths. 14 The person without the Spirit doesn’t accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. These things are foolish to them. They can’t understand them. In fact, such things can’t be understood without the Spirit’s help. 15 The person who has the Spirit can judge all things. But no human being can judge those who have the Spirit. It is written,

16 “Who can ever know what is in the Lord’s mind?
Can anyone ever teach him?” (Isaiah 40:13)
But we have the mind of Christ.

Prayer:

“Lord, help us to listen, ponder, love and follow…”

How do you interpret your dreams using God’s Word?

You’ll enjoy this introductory resource that goes beyond dreaming and looks at everyday events as we learn to take note of God speaking to us in the day to day:

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Learn more about Murray Dueck’s book…