Why do I need 2 or 3 God-signs?

Question:

Mark, even though it’s biblical to look for signs to confirm God’s voice, is it considered more mature to simply trust His voice rather than depending on two or three witnesses to confirm His voice?

My response:

Good question.  Let’s assume that most people would truly like to know the will of God.  That’s good!  Unfortunately, most of us haven’t perfected our hearing skills… or developed a satisfying track record.  And quite frankly, many haven’t practiced that level of intimacy, yet.  It’s very likely that our hearing is limited by religious traditions and compromised by lethargy, fear or ambition, so we’ll probably need a method more objective and tangible as we start on this project.  Our hope is that eventually we could be certain that we’ve heard His will through something as simple as the “still small voice.”

So my response is, “If you’re having 100% successful results on hearing the voice of God… and the decisions that you are making based on your way of hearing are working out satisfactorily, then don’t stop what you are doing!!!!!!”

BUT if you are having trouble hearing… or when you think you have heard and yet you’re torn with doubt and second guessing, then you may want to try my Fleece Template (click here), which works 100% of the time for me.

I have a question to those who are just trusting that they’ve heard His voice through their subjective-impression-antennae-system; “Where do you give God the opportunity to be sovereign… and what way have you created for God to be able to say in an indisputable ‘black and white’ way, “Yes” or “No”?”

I know my own humanity, and if I don’t have a way for God to interject His sovereignty, then I’m vulnerable to ‘tricking’ or rationalizing myself into hearing anything I may want to hear… or not hear.

My Fleece Template (based on Gideon’s fleece in Judges 6:36-40) gives that kind of opportunity for God to speak clearly.

As I use my Fleece Template, I always take note of my initial impressions and compare them against the outcome of my Fleece Template.  If, over time, my impressions AND the outcome of my Fleece Template are the same… then I learn that I can trust my impressions more and more.  As a result, I become more confident in my hearing process and that process becomes increasingly more simple.  After a while I use my impressions for the smaller decisions, but I still use my Fleece Template for the ‘big ticket’ items.

It’s kind of like a conversation I had with a friend who is a Missouri state trooper.  I asked him one day, “How much over the speed limit I can drive and still be OK?”  He quickly replied, “How much can you afford?”   Hmmm!

So it is for me, regarding my decisions.  For small ticket items, I use my impressions, because I’ve been comparing my subjective impressions against the outcome of my Fleece Template for decades and have developed a certain measure of trust in my impressions.  But even so, since I don’t want to have to pay for the consequence of an erroneous and embarrassing outcome of a ‘big ticket’ decisions, I still use my Fleece Template.

We’re all in a process of growing in God… which requires growing in hearing.  This is a learning curve for us all.  The important thing is to be conscientious and truthful about our hearing and decision-making process.  I can’t just ignore my bad decisions that I made when using my subjective ‘warm-fuzzy’ impressions.  I must get ruthless with myself and identify the faulty method from which I made that bad decision.  I must determine that the next time my method of hearing will be much more strict… and less easy to ‘fudge’ (rationalize).

This is the way we grow.  If we don’t grow in hearing, we’ll just end up circling around the same ‘mountain’ again and again.  But the good part is that after implementing objective hearing methods we become confident in our impressions and in our decision making.

Now where could that kind of confidence take me?  It could take me out beyond the gunwales of the boat… out onto the water… out where the fun begins.  Now that’s livin’!

Hope that helps.

— MLH

 

 

‘Ahead of Time’ people

I love sharing about our identity in God.  And one of the features of our identity is that we are “co-heirs” with Christ.  And since we’re “co-heirs”, we get to speak as Him, from Heaven into the earth.  We even get to look ‘ahead’ and see what He’s going to do… and partner with Him.   We’re not just “mere humans” (I Cor 3:3) anymore!

Throughout history, uncommon people have accessed Kingdom realities ahead of their time.  But then, isn’t that just like God who “calls forth those things that are not, as though they were” (Romans 4:17)?  Of course it is!  Uncommon people with uncommon believing become God’s special agents to release Heaven’s will and Heaven’s storehouse into the earth.

These Biblical examples will inspire you to be an ‘ahead of time’ person.

– Jonah
– The Syrophenician woman – Matt 15:21-28
– The woman at the well – J0hn 4:1-42
– Mary (Jesus’ mother at the Cana wedding) – John 2:1-12

One was reluctant… one was unwitting… and two were gripped with the catalyst of desperation and faith… enough catalyst to release a Heavenly reality into the earth, that was ahead of its time.

https://youtu.be/y-TOJBHvzd0

Heaven implores us to see beyond the natural world… to see what’s in God’s heart… and then call forth those things that are not yet manifest on the earth, as though they already were.

To hear me share, click here, Ahead of Time people .  (about 70 minutes long)

— MLH

SP True Stories: Literal gold coin provision

(A report from a friend)

Recently, my good friend was encouraging his friends who were struggling financially.  They got behind in their rent and were about to be evicted.  My friend told them, “Papa wants to give you a token like a gold coin to show you that He loves you.”

Twenty minutes later, (about 10 pm at night!) their ‘pre’-Christian neighbor came over and unexpectedly gave them the 1 oz gold coin in this picture! (Gold is about $1320/oz)

Then, within a few days, ‘out of the blue’, they were given $2500 from an anonymous source.

At that point, they felt an urgency to give $1000 to some ‘other friends’ who were also behind in their bills.  Their ‘other friends’ had just prayed the prayer on page 230 in the Supernatural Provision book.  A minute after they finished praying, their phone beeped, notifying them that $1000 had just been deposited in their Paypal account.

Is God good or what!?!?!

‘Supernatural Provision’ prayer:  “Jesus, I love how You were so unconventional with Peter.  I think I get it.  I think I understand what You did with Peter.  It’s way outside of the norms of my society, but it’s beginning to make sense now that I can see how good my Father is.  I have to confess that it’s still a stretch to think of these truths working in my life, but I really want Your reality to be my reality.  I want Your easy yoke.  And I want to make You really happy as You watch me just skipping around like a little child without an anxious thought about provision.  Oh, make it happen in me, Jesus; make it a reality in me!  Amen.”

MS/CA

SP True Story: Old car retired… new car acquired

Over the last couple weeks nearly 10 people have given us sizeable financial gifts.  God knew we would need it soon.  He’s so good that way!

Debbie and I made a ministry trip to the cold ‘Nordt Country’ Thursday Feb 1 through Wednesday Feb 7.  Our 2001 Accord still looked good, but it had 320,000 miles on it.  I thought it would serve us well on this trip.  Even so, as we drove out of our driveway, I said, “This will probably be the last trip with this car.”  I didn’t know how true that would be.  Without previous coolant problems, I had to unexpectedly add anti-freeze twice before we arrived in Richland Center, WI.  In addition, we realized gasoline was leaking from under the car. 

Early the next day our friend Johnny, repaired the rusted gas line leak.  It seemed that the engine may have blown a head gasket.  And as we had it up on the hoist, the water pump sprang a significant leak.  We added ‘stop leak’ to the radiator and replaced radiator cap.  That stopped the loss of water… and we found that the water pump only leaked when the engine was cold.  So we continued our trip, but had to add water before starting the car each time.  😦

We spent Saturday and Sunday with our good friends at Mel Wild’s Cornerstone Church in Prairie du Chien, WI – three great meetings with lots of help from Heaven. 

On Craigslist we found a suitable car in Sioux Falls, SD at the right price, but I couldn’t reach the owner via text, phone or email… and we wouldn’t have time to see it for two more days.

Sunday afternoon we continued to Rochester, MN to join a favorite event: a two-day Global Legacy Leaders Advance at Rod Marquette’s Destiny Church.  As usual, it was a Holy Spirit anointed time. 

Tuesday noon we decided to head for home early, just to accommodate any problems we might have with the car.  From Rochester, MN I had about 1 ½ hours of driving before we had to make a decision to turn south on I-35 to go home… or continue west on I-90 to Sioux Falls to look at the car.  Several things had to happen for us to continue to Sioux Falls.  1) The owner of the car had to answer the phone.  And he did.  I ask questions and was satisfied with car.  2)  Now we had to have cash.  We had money in the bank, but not in hand.  3) A good friend in Sioux Falls had to be home.  We called… and he was home.  4)  Would he have the cash to temporarily give us in exchange for a check from us.  He did.  He wouldn’t normally have that much money, but a medical bill hadn’t been paid yet, so it was available.  5)  The car test drive had to yield good results.  It did.  6)  We bought the car… but now we had two cars in Sioux Falls?  So we donated our old Accord to a local young man who I’ve mentored for the last 5 years.  We gave him permission to keep it and fix it… or sell it and keep the money.  He was happy to receive it.  

Each of those things were ‘make or break’ issues… but we didn’t ‘forced’ any of them to make them happen.  If any one of these issues had not happened we would have gladly accepted that divine guidance, without forcing the issue.  I really love being led by our Lord!  His ways don’t require (or allow) sweat!!  This is very much in keeping with our two-word life motto: Follow Life. (click to read more)

Interesting side note: That next morning our Sioux Falls host planned to participate in an early morn prayer session at the local House of Prayer.  He was to leave the house at 5:10 AM.  I told him that if I woke up at 4:30AM I would go with him.  I did.  We got to the prayer meeting and I thought I would just enjoy the atmosphere… but they discovered that their worship leader was sick that morning and wouldn’t be coming.  Hmmmm.  Somebody just happened to have left an acoustic guitar there… and so they asked if I would lead worship for their team.  I did.  God had a great plan for all of us!  🙂

Deb and I acquired a car and retired a car in Sioux Falls.  Then, ‘happy as a lark’, we drove to KC in our new vehicle – a 2015 Accord with only 17K miles. Nearly new!
  
Thank you so much, for your prayers, care and gifts… and THANKS to our over-the-top Lord!!!!

— MLH