You know (much) better than I

Was trying to publish two things at one time, but guess that a smart phone's capabilities are still limited. (or the user not so smart...lol!)

I loved Wendy's facebook status for today.


“If prayer is the pillar of a relationship that is being built with One who knows us better than we know ourselves, how deeply rooted are the pillars of hope and love that have never been driven again and again into the ground?” – RZIM

Also, I'm continuing my excerpts on hearing the voice of God extracted from Steve Schultz's book. (lol! macham like some speaker...) but I hope that you are encouraged as you read this even as I have been built up while reading this book (disclaimer: read this along with the Word of God and test it for yourselves. ^_^)

HEARING GOD SPEAK THROUGH YOUR "FATHER FILTER"

There's an important reason why my heavenly Father took me through the particular processes He did. I share this because there are lessons most people can derive from it. It also demonstrates why your process may differ from mine. Your heavenly Father will be faithful to continue to speak to you, correct you and encourage you- because He knows your history and the things you've suffered. 

In my case, I was afraid of my father. I want to be honest. He was a hard man, Don't misunderstand me; I loved him. He died in 1991 and I expect to see him in heaven someday because he got his heart right with God before his death. But I might as well be straight up about it- as a child, I was scared to death of him! And he intended to scare all six of us kids. That was his control factor. He had some pretty major issues. 

Only after I was married and had our first child, did he one day call me outside and confess some shocking things about his past that made me realise why he had become such a hard man. He had wanted to serve God, but had made many wrong decisions along the way. 

On top of all of that, my father was religious to the core, all his life- but not necessarily in a good way. More in a legalistic "I'm right-and-every-preacher-and-teacher-is-wrong" kind of way. With few exceptions, we learned that to my father, most preachers were OFF. And the more any preacher or Bible teacher spoke of grace, the more my father disliked him- and he made sure to let the six of us kids know all about it. 

My mother, all the while, worked hard as we grew up to provide us with a good home. I remember the hours and hours that she would slave over her sewing machine to make us clothes that we would otherwise be unable to afford. 

However, because my father never understood or appreciated God's grace, he was not a happy man. Oddly enough (and this was the contradiction that confuses many families and messes up their "God filters") even with my father; there were some good times too. You see, he actually knew how to give good gifts. 

Jesus explained it like this: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matt: 7:11-12)

Christmas was my father's favourite holiday. We could be scared to death of him all year long, but one thing we knew- Christmas, however short-lived, was going to produce some great gifts and a few happy moments for each of us, even my father! Because of this contradiction, let's just say for me, God didn't have a good reputation. I knew He was kind and all that- to OTHERS. But to me, I expected to be chastised, corrected, punished, disciplined, and made to pay for my sins, because that's how my earthly father treated me. Oh, and there would be a few gifts from God, now and then, maybe once or twice a year. 

My wife's experience was quite different. Derene, at the age of six, was lovingly taken in by her aunt Floss and uncle Vic after her parents were killed in an automobile accident a few days before Christmas. Her aunt and uncle quickly became mom and dad to her and have been her parents ever since. Derene, although affectionately being raised by two sets of parents, developed another fear- a fear that God would take away those she loved. (Esther: -pause- I too struggle(d) with this issue. But I soon realised that this is a part of Satan's plan against women, cross reference this to an earlier blogpost from "Captivating" http://like-a-rose.blogspot.com/2011/08/battle.html#comment-form and you see that really, the Lord's plan for women is be secure in who they are in Him. ^_^)

Hadn't God already taken away her first set of parents? What was to prevent Him from taking others from her that she loved? Her children? Her husband? The wound was very deep and it took years of healing. So, like me, Derene was "Father wounded" too, just in a different way. 

The results of being afraid? When you're afraid of God, it affects your worship of Him. You want to love Him and you try to "get there", but something blocks you and you can't figure it out. Personally, that is Derene's and my story. That is until God began to speak to me. Because He knew our particular "father filters" and when the moment was right, spoke. (remainder of their stories are in the book. buy it to find it! lol) 

HEARING VERSUS OBEYING GOD'S VOICE

We've all been "beaten up" by well-meaning Christians and Christian leaders who told us we had to be better. Better behaved. More obedient. "Do what God tells you!" The thing is, I teach that and am teaching that to you right now. If you want to hear God speak more, then more often do what He tells you to do! Holiness is something God likes very much. The good news though: there is a provision when we aren't very holy. 

Here's the tricky part, though. Sometimes obeying God is done best by doing nothing. That's right. Nothing! But one of the the important things for those who are just learning to hear God speak is what NOT to do when He speaks. 

Strange isn't it? Ok, here's the story. It took place early on in my trek to hear God speak. I had only months before heard my first word from the Lord about the condition of my heart. You may remember me referring to this in the preceding chapter. (Story omitted for benefit of Steve Schultz and yourself. Get the book! lol) 

Now a few months later, a visiting minister spoke softly and said "first fruits" and that "The Lord says you are the first fruits. Everything that happens to your close family and friends will happen to you first" I was so encouraged by this word! In fact, I literally carried me for months- maybe years. Except for one mistake I made: I DID something with it. Proper obedience to that word would have been to do nothing. You see, there was no directive from God; it was only an encouragement that He was at work in my life. It was also an assurance that what I was seeing Him do for me, He would do for my family and friends as well. 

Of course, God was not taken by surprise. He knew I would learn through my mistakes and that this would be written about it so that you could benefit from my foolishness. The bottom line is that for the next 3 or 4 years, on and off, I would vigorously try to make a case for what God was doing with me- with many of my family members and friends, the ones I was certain God was speaking about. I was all over this and I was in their faces about it. 

The fruit of my "doing" so was terrible, if there was any fruit at all. Too many arguments, too many controversial discussions. Too much conflict. While I felt I was simply trying to OBEY, what I was really doing was DOING what I was not told to do. The fact was I wasn't told to do anything! God had simply encouraged me and given me a wonderful promise. 

Do yourself a favour, if God promises something great for your family- just love them and pray it in. Sure, you can speak up for the Lord now and then- in love, but leave the rest to the Lord. If God speaks a promise to you, then accept the promise, thank Him for it, and pray it in even if it takes years. (Esther: haha. the quiet corrections of wisdom. my heart acknowledges that I knew that his timing was not right yet and that I should have prayed MORE. But, I was given a promise nonetheless before that and now the directive is to surrender cause He loves him MORE. ^_^) 

One gray haired man in the church counselled me around that same time; he did so lovingly yet firmly. As I sat in his beach house, he asked me "who told YOU to play Holy Spirit?" Wow! What a new thought that was to me. I guess I'd always thought we were to be "Christ" to others. Well, yes and no. We are to love as Christ loved, but we can't change a person's heart. (Esther: amen!)  We can only love a person. Only God can change a person's heart. (Esther: GIG! This was the breakthrough point for you. They are coming to the Lord cause you LOVE THEM and they are responding to the Father's call. <3) So to obey in the most effective way sometimes means to do nothing.

God wants you to believe He is speaking through circumstances, "coincidences", His faithfulness, divine protection and divine provision (Esther: Amen!) Just remember to let God be God. He is really good at doing HIS JOB! =)


Be encouraged this mid-week! God speaks and He lives! =)

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