The thing I love most about teaching beginners’ classes in prophecy

We should never lose the wonder of hearing the voice of God—whether for others or ourselves.

But sometimes over the passage of time, familiarity, staleness, or just plain weariness can rob us of that sense of awe, joy and privilege.

Early last year I was burnt out and in a place where it was difficult to hear from God. But now, the communication—and the wonder—is back.

So, how can we retain or recover the wonder of hearing God’s voice? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Reflect on the Privilege and Power of Hearing God’s Voice

Adam heard the voice of the Lord as He walked in intimacy with Him in the garden. (Gen 3)

And yet later, Moses wondered that Israel had heard God’s voice and lived. (Deut 4:33)

Such was the destructive power of sin on humanity’s relationship with God that upon hearing God’s voice Israel cried out,

‘We will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.’
(Deut 5:25)

The Power of God’s Voice

I have come to realise that the ability, power and strength of the voice of God is far beyond my capacity to perceive.

• Using His voice, God created the heavens and the earth
  (Ps 33:6, Gen 1)

• God’s voice shatters His enemies (Isa 30:31)

• God’s voice is heard in creation’s majesty—the roaring of the waves, thunder and lightning, the events of nature (Ps 29)

John heard His voice like a trumpet (Rev 1:10) and as rushing waters (Rev 1:15); Daniel, ‘like the sound of a multitude.’ (Dan 10:6)

Paul was taken to heaven and heard ‘inexpressible things.’

Reflecting on this causes me to wonder.

2. Consider What Jesus Has Done

That you and I can hear the voice of God and live is a truth that demonstrates His incredible grace.

Jesus reconciled us to God through His death on the cross so that the voice that once threatened death to Israel can bring LIFE to us.

In John 10:27, Jesus said, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me’.

God desires an intimate relationship with you and I even more than we want it with Him—He created us to fellowship with Him and to hear His voice. He wanted it so much that Jesus paid the ultimate price.

And this causes me to wonder.

3. Remember it is About Relationship

When I was burnt out, it took me a while to realise that I had made the mistake of equating ‘listening to God’ with a type of performance—and I had nothing left to give.

I needed to get back to relationship.

Think about when the phone rings and you pick it up. How different are your responses when the caller is:

• A telemarketer
• Someone you love

You see it’s not about the Voice—but the Person behind the Voice.

When we are in love with Jesus, we look forward to hearing Him speak to us in our everyday lives.

4. Put Yourself in a Place to Encounter Him

We need to position ourselves to encounter God and hear His voice, and what that looks like will be unique to each of us.

For me, it firstly meant recognising and repenting of wrong beliefs that had trapped me in a lifestyle of performance.

I then rediscovered His grace.

It also meant being creative with my devotional life, trying new ways to journal, and discovering a new appreciation for the Bible’s personal message to me.

It meant paying attention to my ‘spiritual pathways’ and realising that spending time with God outdoors and with listening to fresh worship music helped me to personally encounter Him.

As I did these things—as I put myself in a position to encounter God—I began to hear His voice breathing life back into me.

5. Explore the Unique Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks

‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…’ Rev 2:11

One day we shall look upon Jesus’ face in all His glory, and hear His voice in all its strength. For now, we hear Him speaking to us by His Spirit.

However, we need to realise that God speaking is not like a person speaking.

When we talk about ‘hearing God’s voice,’ we are using an earthly expression to describe a heavenly concept. We simply do not have a framework to understand it

You and I use words, speech and body language to communicate. However, the Holy Spirit has endless ways that He can communicate with us.

We hear His voice, not with our physical ears, but with our heart and our spirit.

Throughout the Bible there are many different ways God spoke to His people.

In the book of Acts alone, we see God speaking through prophecies, dreams, visions, angels, leaders, signs, the inner voice of the Spirit—and so on.
There are many ways in which the Holy Spirit can speak to you. Meditate on what the Bible shares about this and be open to hearing Him in new and fresh ways.

The Wonder Recovered

This year, my sense of wonder has returned.

During the past couple of weeks I have heard God speak to me personally in many ways:

• A conversation with my pastor that rocked my paradigm
• The words of a stranger who walked into our church for the first time
• A lone eagle in the sky during time out with God
• An insight from the Bible that has fed me for days
• Circumstances that could only have been orchestrated by the Holy Spirit

Last week The Hunk and I were ministering when I heard God’s voice for a woman in the room. As I shared the word, I watched her face change from defensiveness, to amazement and delight.

And right at that moment I fell in love with the Holy Spirit and prophetic ministry all over again.

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Related Posts:

Face To Face With God: Can I Have A Relationship Like Moses?

When your Devotional Life Is Dry: How To Fall In Love With The Bible Again

Spiritual Renewal: Café Moments With God

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

I didn’t talk to God for 5 days, following a powerful encounter with Him during the final session of a Healing Rooms training day.

It didn’t seem to be a remarkable moment, this rushed conclusion during which every participant was anointed with oil and prayed for.

What happened? Well, let me just say that childhood encounters with electric fences on my uncle’s dairy farm pale in comparison to what struck me in full force at that moment.

After 5 days of stunned silence, I thought I had better get back on speaking terms with the Lord—and only then because I was leading a prayer meeting at our church that evening.

I drove out to the beach, planted my feet in the sea and uttered just 3 words:

‘WHAT WAS THAT?’

The response was immediate, and very clear:

‘You asked for it.’

I had to admit, the Spirit of God had me there. I had encountered the power of His presence after praying a big, bold prayer. ‘Lord,’ I said, I’m not here for healing, and I’m not looking for a healing ministry, I want to help raise up an army of healers!’

When we pray for God’s Presence, do we know what we are asking for?

I believe it was Tommy Tenney who reflected on the annoying way that some small dogs chase after cars. What would the dog ever do if it caught the car? Does it ever enter its mind?

In the same way, we ask for God to move, and seek His Presence, but do we really know what we are asking for?

I have thought about this again this week, because The Hunk and I have experienced a series of miracles, and a heightened sense of God’s Presence.

I found myself overawed, conscious of an urge to draw back from Him.

When heaven invades earth, when God shows up, when miracles break out—we will not always respond the way we expect to, or would like to.

I draw reassurance from accounts in the Bible that show I am not alone in my weak and imperfect response to God’s Presence:

When God showed up:

• Moses and Gideon argued with God (Exodus 4, Judges 6:11-15)
• Saul was blinded (Acts 9:1-9)
• Daniel fell and lost his strength (Dan 11:15-18)
• The Apostle John was told not to be afraid (Rev 1:17)

When Jesus came to His disciples walking on the water, the disciples did not recognise Him, thinking He was a ghost! He told them not to be afraid, for they were terrified.

God does not always show up in the way we imagine, or at the time we expect.

If the greatest saints in scripture struggled in their response to God’s Presence, what makes me think I can?

The Unfamiliar God

God is not ‘safe.’ That is—He is not safe to our pride, our dignity, our sinful nature, our puny ideas or plans. He is more than we can handle and He is beyond our control.

In the Narnia Chronicles, C S Lewis wrote stories of the lion Aslan, King of Kings of Narnia. Aslan’s subjects had a saying about him: ‘He is not a tame lion.’ He was majestic, terrifying to his enemies and redeemer of his own, powerful and unpredictable. Yet the child Lucy would run to him with joyful familiarity and bury her face in his mane.

At times, I respond as Lucy did. At other times, struck by God’s power and unpredictability, I draw back. I have wandered into unfamiliar territory in my relationship with Him.

God did not disqualify Moses, Gideon, or His disciples, when they did not respond well to His Presence or the message that He brought them. Instead, He showed them patience and brought comforting reassurance.

As I recall these things, I do not feel so bad about my own response. I decide to receive His grace and reassurance too.

Ps 103:13-14 says,

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

The challenge we face is to continue to press in, to continue to pray the bold prayers. To take a deep breath and be honest with Him about how we feel, that He is overwhelming, that we are not certain that we can take any more of His Presence, and yet are afraid that He will draw back; that we cannot live without Him, and yet need His strength to live with Him.

I think I will go and do that right now.

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Related Posts:

The Power Of A Prophetic Act

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or have had any experiences like this, I would love to hear from you. Click on this and leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

We have been blessed to have our sister and brother-in-law, Stuart and Lynley Allan here in Melbourne during this past week. We attended a couple of meetings at which they, along with John and Carol Arnott, from Toronto, Canada, were ministering.

‘Do What it Takes to Get Filled’

Only four months ago, I was sitting overlooking a local reservoir that has been affected by our State’s drought. It was around 30% full.

The emptiness of the reservoir echoed the devastated state of my soul. 

I had spent most of the year **not** recovering from ministry burnout. I mistakenly thought that taking extended time out and reducing my ministry responsibilities would help me get better. It didn’t.

A wise pastor who had himself been through burnout said to me, ‘Time doesn’t heal the problem. You need to intentionally do whatever it takes to get refilled again.’ As he spoke, I realised that one of those things, for me personally, was taking time outdoors to meet with God.

Being intentional about doing what it took to get refilled, spiritually and emotionally, proved a turning point for me.

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How Am I Going–Really?

Jesus called His disciples firstly to be with Him, and then to serve Him (Mark 3:14). When we get the order of that around the wrong way, we get into trouble. I have learned this the hard way.

As we begin a new year, let’s reflect on this very important question:

• Am I filled, or depleted in my spiritual life?

A similar question that is also vitally important, is:

• Am I filled, or depleted in my emotional life?

It can be difficult to tell how used up the tank of your emotional and spiritual reserve is, until it is too late. This is where looking for external clues to your condition become important—a subject I may cover another time. (If you have questions or ideas about this, feel free to comment on this post or email me).

As Christians we can receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to empower us to be all we can be, and change our world (Acts 1:8).

However, we continually need a fresh impartation of the Holy Spirit if we are going to minister out of fullness (John 7:37-39). We also need to be acquainted with the Spirit if we are going to hear His voice and receive prophetic revelation that will break open situations and lead people to Jesus (John 14:26).

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word ‘impart’ means ‘to give, convey, or grant from or as if from a store.’

Impartation implies a source. When that source is God, and our need is for His Spirit, we know He has an unlimited heavenly abundance that we can draw from. (John 3:34)

3 Ways the New Testament Church received an Impartation of the Holy Spirit are:

1. Directly from Jesus

Matt 10:1, John 20:22-23.

We can also receive directly from Jesus when we spend time with Him by having a healthy devotional life.

2. From God as they prayed

Acts 2:1-4

The Church received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. However, this kind of praying and waiting on God should not just be a one-off experience. We see the church praying and receiving an infilling of the Holy Spirit again in Acts 4:24-31

3. Through the Ministry of Laying on of Hands

Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6

As effective as ministry with ‘laying on of hands’ can be, it should never become a replacement of our receiving personally and directly from God.

Also, it is our own responsibility to maintain the gift from God that this kind of impartation gives us. The Apostle Paul said to Timothy,

‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.’ 2 Tim 1:6-7

How to Receive a Fresh Infilling of the Holy Spirit

The Apostle Paul’s present continuous use of the verb, ‘Be filled with the Spirit’ in Eph 5:18-20, indicates that being filled with the Holy Spirit should be our ongoing experience.

Here are some things that I have found useful to receive a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit in my life over the past four months:

1. Doing what it took to be renewed in my devotional life

2. Being intentional about doing the things that connect me personally with God

(in my case, this included spending time in prayer and reflection outdoors, however it will be different for every person)

3. ‘Soaking.’

(Dictionary definition: To be immersed until thoroughly saturated.)

For me, this means taking time in God’s presence with no other agenda but to connect with and receive from Him. I find that intimate worship music is a great facilitator of this.

4. Receiving prayer from others (laying on hands) for a refilling of the Spirit

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Has this worked?
Recently, I was again visiting the reservoir, when I noticed the difference: the emptiness of the dam no longer reflected my inner state. I knew I had been refilled. (Thank You Jesus). My response to God’s Presence in the meetings held here in Melbourne this week demonstrated the overflow.

What are the ways that you can be filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and refreshed, spiritually and emotionally?

For related posts, review the Spiritual Renewal Category

Check back on this blog over the next couple of weeks as I will be discussing ‘Prophetic Activation through Journaling‘

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Related Posts:

How To Discover Your Spiritual Pathway

The River Returns: How To Be Refilled With The Holy Spirit When You Are Dry

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Do you remember that age-old birthday party activity called ‘Pass-the-Parcel’?

After seating the children in a circle, the music begins. The CD player is presided over by an adult, who judiciously stops the music in such a way that every child has a turn at unwrapping and receiving a gift. To the children, the anticipation of the ‘random’ stopping of the music whilst the parcel passes through their hands generates great excitement. Predictably, some in the group hold the parcel for a few seconds longer than necessary. And once chosen, their faces light with joy as they open their very own gift, small as it is.

I still recall the magic of the game from my childhood, and a generation later, when as a parent it was my own turn to carefully wrap one gift over another, until multiple layers of gifts were wrapped into one.

We have a generous and loving God, who delights in giving His children good gifts. You are loved and chosen by God, and He has paid the price in full through Jesus’ death on the cross, to give you a priceless, multi-layered gift. And you get to receive, enjoy, and use everything that’s inside. But the choice is yours as to whether you will unwrap each layer, receive all of the gifts He has given to you, and pass them on.

1. The Greatest Gift of All: Jesus & His Salvation

The first gift that the New Testament reveals to us is Jesus Himself, God’s Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
When you believe in and receive Jesus, and give your life to Him, you become a child of God, a member of His family. With that transaction, you receive the gift of salvation: ‘whoever believes in him shall… have eternal life.’

“How much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Rom 5:15).

The Greek word translated gift in this verse is dorea, meaning a free gift, emphasising that it is unearned and unwarranted. There is nothing you have done or can do to earn this gift—the price has been fully paid by God Himself.
Once we have received God’s free gift of salvation—freedom from the penalties of sin and eternal life in relationship with God, we discover another layer of His gift-package still awaits us.

2. The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

“Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

The second gift you may choose to receive is the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit resides in us from the moment of our salvation. However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that is separate and distinct to that of our new birth in Christ, during which we receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is outpoured from the throne of God to give us power to live a supernatural Christian life and be effective witnesses of Jesus to others (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49). Again, the word used is dorea—a free gift, available to all who have received God’s gift of salvation through Christ. And again, there is nothing we need do to deserve this gift, for Jesus has paid the price in full. All we need to do, as Christians committed and submitted to Jesus Christ, is simply believe, ask and receive.

3. Spiritual Gifts

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Rom 12:4-6).

As we unwrap the free gift of our salvation, we realise that God has called us—in turn—to be His gift to the world. After His death and resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).

We discover that God has not only saved us for eternity, He has a unique place and destiny for us as we live out our lives here on earth. The desire to be a history-maker, to achieve something lasting for God, is ingrained into our spiritual DNA. In Ephesians 2:10, the Apostle Paul states, ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ He calls us to do something for Him that is God-sized.

Not only has God called us; He also enables us. And He does this by giving us special gifts to help us serve Him. These gifts are unique to us, and eminently suited to the life mission and ministry pathway that He has prepared for us.
The word used for a spiritual gift in the New Testament is ‘charisma,’ meaning a gift of grace . The emphasis here is upon the favour and kindness of God, His graciousness in bestowing the gift.

We have a saying, ‘Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?’ Whilst God has already laid our destiny out in advance, it doesn’t come with a map or set of guidelines, for He has called us to ‘live by faith, not by sight’ (2 Cor 5:7). Whilst the call of God does come clearly and sovereignly on occasion, it usually unfolds slowly. We receive clues to our arena of service by examining the unique gifts, passion and personality that He has given to us.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

No one has been left out. No gift is inferior to another; there are no little people or little places in God. And you have been given your own unique gifts and your own arena of service, to love people, bring them closer to Jesus, and help grow His church. You are irreplaceable.

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

Excited residents rushed to get a view of the returning river as it marched into town, following heavy rains last week. The president of the local rowing club received a call in the early hours to say that the river had just passed the rowing sheds. He walked alongside it, escorting the river’s head as it approached the town.

Jesus said,
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit… (John 7:37-39)

I want to be filled with the Spirit, to be a Supernatural Christian, but at times all I can see in my life is a dry riverbed; traces of places where He has been and reminders of His Presence. During these times, it seems I have nothing left to give. I long to be connected again, but am not certain where to begin.

The story of the Wimmera River struck a chord with me because I, too, am enjoying a River’s return—an experience of spiritual renewal after a long dry period.

How can we experience a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit when we have been through a dry season? Here are some keys that I have discovered in my own journey:

1. Thirst

‘If anyone is thirsty’ (John 7:37)

I remarked to someone a couple of months ago, that one of the greatest tragedies in the church today is dryness without thirst.

When we are dry, we may engage in wishful thinking about being full of God again. Unless we are thirsty, we will never pursue God. Thirst—real desire—results in action.

Am I thirsty? Or am I just dry?

2. Get Personally Connected to Jesus

‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me’

Thirst motivated me to take action in two areas of my life. These were:

1. Habits
   These are the self-centred things I indulge in instead of spending time with Jesus, or the things I turn to instead of Him to meet a need. Recently our pastor talked about ‘What is your drug of choice?’ Personal habits have included worry, work, late nights and time spent at the computer.
2. Commitments
   These are the other-centred things that I do that take the best portion of my life and leave little time to connect with God. Responsibilities are hard to drop once you have taken them up. You just get busier and busier, then drier and drier.
   In my quest for the River’s return, no commitment is sacred. I am now doing less, focussing more, and learning to say ‘No.’

3. Find Out What Fills You and Do It

‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.’

We all have unique ways of connecting with and receiving from God. Mine invariably require solitude. In the great outdoors I connect with my Creator. Long walks by the water, praying and reflecting, fill me up. Times of Bible study, listening to worship and ‘soaking’—just being still before God in a receiving attitude—fill me with Him. These times and activities must be intentional, or they will never happen.

4. Ask

‘Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ‘(John 4:10).

Sometimes, we have not because we ask not. When was the last time you asked Jesus to fill you with his Spirit? Why not stop and ask him right now.

We are all wired differently when it comes to connecting with God. If you have ideas and experiences, please share them as a comment below. I would love to hear about it—and someone else may benefit from your insights.

Let the River flow!

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Related posts:

Spiritual Renewal: How to Receive an Impartation of the Holy Spirit

How to Discover Your Spiritual Pathway

©  Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

Photography © Junette Keefe   www.pictorialparadigm.com