1. Saturate yourself in Scripture.
2. Read the Bible realistically – assume that the experiences recorded there are basically of the same kind as ours would have been if we have been there.
3. Don’t fast-food the God-relationship.
4. Don't multi-task the God-relationship.
5. Have a humble heart. Humility is needed for all authentic listening.
6. Hang around people who actually do #s 1-5 above, and talk together about what you feel God has been saying to you.
BOOKS on the theme of listening to God. Here are some of my favorites.
2. Read the Bible realistically – assume that the experiences recorded there are basically of the same kind as ours would have been if we have been there.
3. Don’t fast-food the God-relationship.
4. Don't multi-task the God-relationship.
5. Have a humble heart. Humility is needed for all authentic listening.
6. Hang around people who actually do #s 1-5 above, and talk together about what you feel God has been saying to you.
BOOKS on the theme of listening to God. Here are some of my favorites.
Dallas Willard. Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God (IVP: 1999)
Blackaby, Henry T., and King, Claude V. Experiencing God. An excellent, clearly written text that is especially good for church study.
Deere, Jack. Surprised By the Voice of God: How God Speaks Today Through Prophecies, Dreams, and Visions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996). A very good, clearly written biblical and historical presentation of how one hears God speaking to them.
Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child. This book spoke deeply to me about my need for experiential knowledge of the love of God.
Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus. Very good as it gets at the real Jesus.
Payne, Leanne. Listening Prayer: Learning to Hear God’s Voice and Keep a Prayer Journal (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991). A very good, well-written text on what it means to hear God’s voice.
D.L. Moody had many years of successful ministry, when one day he had a powerful experience with God. Moody writes: "I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it, it is almost too sacred an experience to name… I can only say God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths; and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world; it would be as small dust in the balance.” (Dallas Willard, Hearing God, 49)
2 comments:
The interesting thing about this process for being open to God is how one could easily use it in any other faith (monotheistic or otherwise). Somehow I imagine the overall effect would not be any less. For example, Muslims applying this to the Qur'an within an Islamic community.
I don't find that interesting. It's normal. These things also apply to relationships in general, like marriages. If the Muslim idea of Allah were real then of course such things would apply to Islam. The real underlying issue has to do with what noetic framework is true, or as N.T. Wright says what "narrative" is true. So, e.g., I do not think the atheistic/naturalistic narrative best explains reality.
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