THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO HEARING GOD, CHAPTER TWO

Well, let's start with the verses.

"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go awa; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." John 16:7

"However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13

"When the Helper comes, who I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me." John 15:26

Okay, guess what this chapter is about? The lesser publicized, somewhat more notorious member of the Trinity, Mr. Holy Spirit Himself. The gift that keeps on giving.

Getting to know the Holy Spirit is every bit as important as getting to know God and Jesus. The Holy Spirit was sent here in Jesus' absence to instruct us in all manner of...... instruction. He is to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide, and let's be frank, He can't be any of these things without the personal relationship and communication alluded to in chapter one.

The book compares the Holy Spirit to a private tutor, always personally available for personal assistance with everything from break ups to computer problems. He is entrusted with our spiritual maturity.

Honestly, that's pretty much it. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and the more accustomed we get to accepting His instruction, the better we become at discerning His voice. This point is driven home through repetition and a couple stories.

I think the Holy Spirit is prompting me to make some dinner.

THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO HEARING GOD, CHAPTER ONE

As in all "teaching" books, chapter one is a wordy presentation of the basic thesis. In this book, chapter one goes to great lengths to express three main thoughts. We NEED to hear God's voice, we CAN hear God's voice, and God WANTS us to hear His voice. The scriptures presented are:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20

The book suggests that everyone has a deep inner longing to hear God's voice, which is a blanket statement without proof, but I agree nevertheless. I think the evidence can be found in the popularity of psychic consultation and other supernatural fascinations. It seems like everyone is fascinated and eager to hear from "the other side" and you see this in the church too, with people constantly looking to the prophetic voices to find out what God is saying. The trouble is, and what this book is saying, is that it's God's desire to speak to each of us individually.

Being children of God, it is our birthright to have an actual relationship with God, and as we all know, every relationship requires some sort of communication.

Communication at it's purest was between Adam and Eve and God, before sin came into the picture. Jesus came to restore us to communion with God, the way it was before sin.

As we all know, communication is a two way street. Most of us are very adept at talking to God. We mostly do so when we're upset or need help, but how many of us spend as much time listening to God as we do talking at him? If it's only going one way, it's not truly communication.

"True love requires being together. The greatest key to hearing God's voice is cultivating a love based relationship."

One other thought presented is that hearing God's voice is not the only thing that we need to learn, but how to separate or discern God's voice from all the other "voices." This is an area of particular concern for me, since my mind is so constantly turning that I know I have heard God's voice but ignored it, mistaking if for more of the same nonsense that's constantly going through my head, only to find out later that God was indeed speaking.

It's possible to learn from those who have gone before us, who regularly heard God's voice. Adam and Eve, for example, heard God's voice UNTIL they disobeyed it. Thus we can conclude that disobedience is a barrier to hearing God. Who are others who we know had relatively clear communication? The book mentions Abraham, Daniel, Elijah, Moses and Mary, all of whom made certain sacrifices or had certain experiences that taught them how to hear God's voice in different ways. As I was reading this section I was brought back to the topic of the Lordship of Jesus, and laying down one's rights. This isn't just about hearing God, it's about submitting oneself to a life that honors those things that He says, and obeys His requests.

At the end, the book asks you to rate your desperation to Hear God on a scale of 1 -10, and then asks about your own experiences with hearing God. What did it sound like, and did you recognize it as God?

I purchased a book called "The Beginner's Guide to Hearing God" written by Jim Goll, who is one of the dudes I heard speak at the prophetic conference. I don't know if it's any good, but I do know that I want to hear God, also that I want to keep my faith simple. So, I thought that this book would be perfect. Written simply enough for a "beginner" on a topic that I would like to focus on.

I decided, while at church this morning, that I would use this space to flesh out what I read in the book. Thus, the topic of this site from now until I'm finished the book, is Hearing God. For those of you who have no trouble conducting a continuous conversation with the Almighty, don't worry. It's a short book. For the rest of you, I will attempt to reiterate as clearly as possible what I'm reading. I learned a long time ago that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.

If you are offended by the prospect of an anonymous young female teaching on her site, then go visit EmergentNo, where they believe that the only people capable of understanding or teaching God's Word are male clergy. If not, stay tuned. I'm reading chapter one this afternoon.