Hearing God’s Voice
I don’t know about you, but for most of my life, the thought that I could live moment by moment, asking God questions and getting answers was completely foreign to me.
Verses like “My Sheep hear my voice” sounded sweet, but why didn’t I ever see any of His sheep asking Him questions, looking for directives directly from the King of Kings and the Creator of all things? If you knew it was possible, wouldn’t you cultivate a lifestyle of talking to God all the time? Wouldn’t that be preferable to running to a friend, counselor or pastor looking ask for advice? Wouldn’t it be better than stewing in the issues and changing course based on your current mood or the latest news? Was it really possible to find the Mind of Christ?
It was at the deliverance table that I learned God was available, that He really did know everything and that He wanted to be actively engaged in my decisions. That was revelatory! I wondered, “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this was available?”
I bumped into Proverbs 8. Lots of talk about wisdom there! I read verse 32 which clearly states that if you listen daily for a word from Him, you would have wisdom and favor from the Lord. Check it out! Why wouldn’t I want to make that daily appointment and take the time to listen?
Jim Wilder (Life Model Works) introduced us to the original Immanuel Journal (IJ) worksheet. He asked our little group to try it out. With practically no instruction at all, we were able to tell God what we were thankful for. That was like a door opener for Him to reply, like a password into knowing He was really with us – God consciousness. Once the door was opened, we listened to Him completing our sentences. We read our IJ’s out loud and were amazed at how specific they were, how they were tailored to each person, how He filled in blanks where we needed answers. It was transformative!
Ephesians 2:10 says, “ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Hear Jim talk about this verse in his book, Joyful Journey:
“In Ephesians 2:10, Paul uses the Greek word “poema”, which literally means God’s poetry. When poema is translated as handiwork or workmanship, it misses the following important point. Poetry in scriptures does not rhyme sounds; it follows the Hebrew pattern and rhymes thoughts. This means that as God’s poetry, our thoughts can rhyme with our Heavenly Father’s.
That is amazing. How can it work?
We know that when we become intimate with someone, we begin to finish each other’s sentences and thoughts. In a deep, authentic, mutual mind state we don’t actually know where our thoughts stop and the other person’s thoughts begin. This is exactly what happens between God and us, too. A mutual mindset with God results in us emulating His character and heart, we are showing the world the poet behind the poetry. As our mutual mind state becomes stronger, we can live out our purpose of being created for good works. It is important to note here that our “good works” do not save us. Good works flow from thinking like our Creator; we rhyme with God’s actions and not just His thoughts.
“Thoughts that rhyme with God’s produce shalom. Shalom is a state of harmony where everything works together, makes sense and is good. Shalom is the peace of Christ. Furthermore, Colossians 5:15 tells us that we should let shalom act like a referee in our lives, One who stops the action every time shalom is missing. The rule for our lives and relationships is that everything should be in shalom when we are synchronized with how God thinks. We will be in harmony with God and with everyone who is making mind-poetry with God.”
The good news is that what Jim says is truth! When you start your Immanuel Journaling, you might think you’re just writing your own thoughts but you’ll see – as I did – that He uses different words, puts things in different contexts, comes up with way better strategies than I ever could.
I’ve even had to look up words that He used which were not in my vocabulary.
I hope you are ready to try it out. Get comfortable. Get a good pen in hand. Relax with a couple of deep breaths and start your first Immanuel Journal. If you are like us, it will become part of your routine – especially when you have decisions to make. We’ve taught it in groups. It solves issues when two believers listen to His voice and He shows them how He can bring peace into a situation. Even children hear well His voice well!
This is a gift you will want to share with others. And as you get accustomed to hearing His voice, you’ll simply start asking Him questions during the day and He’s right there! Saying yes or no. Giving encouragement, direction, and bringing shalom. What a loving Father we have. His name is Abba!