How to "Hear Papa"
FIRST AND FOREMOST WE NEED TO GET OUR "FATHER IMAGE' SORTED OUT, AS MEN WE COME INTO THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH A LOT OF BAGGAGE FROM OUR OWN 'FATHER' EXPERIENCES IN LIFE. We need to clear the air, first we must thank the Lord for our earthly fathers and not sit in judgement of them, they only did what they did with the experiences that had formed their lives. We are a privileged people in that we can now superimpose a better relationship over our lives; How you ask? Glad you asked that question;
* Repent of all your attitudes and forgive your earthly father who did not possibly know any better* FORGIVE AND FORGIVE AND FORGIVE!!!!!!!!
* BUILD a relationship based on the Word of God and your daily experience with HIM
* Push into this relationship with all your heart, mind and soul
* Do not give up
* The prodigal son was accepted as he was, his father ran to him, your Father in heaven expresses HIS love the same way, HE runs to us and HIS desire is for relationship with you
- Think of your earthly relationships, they take time and effort
- Think of a perfect home with a perfect Father as seen in the Word and build that into your heart - Renew your mind daily.
- Repentance as a lifestyle daily changing your attitude
- Check your MOTIVES, DESIRES AND WANTS, ARE THEY CENTERED AROUND YOU?, if so that speaks of selfishness; get rid of it now!
- Its not about you its about HIM
- Its Heart to heart
- Its real Face to Face stuff
- He has given you an imagination, see yourself with Him, talking, walking, jolling, hugging, hearing HIS heartbeat, after all JESUS only did what he saw His Father doing and saying. He had the same restrictions on life this side of heaven as we do.
- Stop whinging and push in like the lady in the story of her continual nagging at the magistrate for justice. We need to be just as persistent in coming to our Dad
- Get rid of all the idols, thoughts, problems, possible interruptions when you come to HIM and only centre/concentrate on HIM, after all HE is the source of ALL that you need
- See yourself sitting on HIS knee, resting on HIS chest and hearing HIS heartbeat for yourself, family, ministry, job etc
- Personal revival comes from daily working at this relationship as the main priority of your Life, there is no greater relationship and task that we need to concentrate on than this; especially in these last days
- Keep laughing, this makes the devil mad and Father glad!!!
These are actions that I have found has brought a major shift in my attitude to the Lord and my life in general. I know that there is nothing more important than resting with my DAD daily. As I see JESUS I see my DAD, the closer get to HIM the more I see the answers the more I am at peace the more I become the answer, the more I become a blessing to the nations
You might be saying now, WOW! this guy has got it together. NO NO NO, I am learning like everyone else, there is no quick fix in this, this must come from a deep seated desire to know more of my DAD and to please HIM and HIM alone; out of this, healing flows to self and all others I come into contact with
What do you say?
Hearing Papa
It is so exciting to read your posting! Not only that, but to hear your heart which is so full of excitement and determination. Praise God!!!
What you say is so true, that so many men have a picture of a father who was less than great, and how this can colour their understanding of God as a Father to them. I pray many men will read your posting and take what they have read to the Lord, and allow Him to heal their broken hearts and bind up their 'wounds' which can carry so deep and cause so many problems. I have a dad who is one of those, who had an awfully harsh father. He has never ever really felt accepted as a result. His father died when he was quite young and he said to me once that he was glad when it happened. Alcohol became his way of escaping. He has just re-given his life to the Lord after many years of being away from Him. This happened on the MMC and it is opening a completely new wondrous relationship for him with his heavenly Father and also with us as his kids and with my mom. I also know that the Lord can heal his heart with regards to his own dad, even though he died so long ago. God is so incredibly tender with us as His children. And I thank Him with all my heart for what He is bringing about in my dad and I know there are many other kids who are going through what we are, as a family in this area, right now. God is restoring His family the best way - His way.
So my prayer of encouragement for you and the men reading your posting, is to follow what you are saying and allow God to do all He has to do, with both your hearts and your lives.
Blessings
Hearing the voice of God - My testimony
I truly believe this is definitely the all-important subject that should be on the heart of every serious, born-again Christian.
What distinguishes Christianity from every other religion is hearing God speak to us.
This, I believe, is the heart of the Christian experience. While many Christians see themselves as custodians of what God has said, they forget that God has fresh manna for us. The God I believe in is not one who has spoken and now is dumb. That would make him no different to the "idols of the nations are of silver and gold, the work of man's hand. They have eyes but they do not see, ears but they do not hear, mouths but they do not speak...neither is there any breath in their mouths.... those who worship them shall be like them," Psalm 135.
In Matt 4: 4, Jesus speaks about a "proceeding word from the mouth of God." That speaks of a "now" word. That means Christians ought to hear God speak to them. Then, again, in Hebrews 12: 25, we read, "refuse not him who speaks from heaven." These two scriptures prove that in spite of the fact that God's Word, the Bible, is complete, God still speaks specific things to us for his glory, the edification of the saints, for the "plundering of satan's kingdom, and the advancement of his kingdom.
In John 5: 17-19, we see that Jesus knew how to hear from the Father. He had his spiritual antennae fine- tuned to pick up singles from heaven. This helped to know what to do, where to go and what to say. When it comes to guidance and direction for ministry, there is no substitute for waiting upon God in his word and through prayer. God will speak to our hearts.
I knew all along, when I was a high school teacher, that one day I would be in full-time ministry. During that time, I was in bi-vocational ministry, serving the Lord sincerely in various departments within the local church. My excellence was seen and spoken of by many. My senior minister one day remarked, "John, you are playing a more significant role than me." In a 10-year period, I must have received about that many "words" from authentic sources concerning the full-time ministry. These words were confirming God's call upon my life. I also began preparation for full-time ministry but studying. However, it took a man who had never known me according to the flesh, from Dallas, to speak a specific word to me, in a crowd of about 500 people. This word confirmed the time my wife and I had been praying about for the full-time ministry. When I received that word, I felt constrained to set aside a 7-day water fast. It was one of the best fasting seasons I had undertaken. In brief, the following June 30, I was in full-time ministry, having planted a church on my door step. That was 9 years ago. In total, it has been more than 25 years since I had been preaching and teaching.
In 2004, I had taken on a part-time job as editor of community newspapers. This was to augment my salary as our church was a growing one. I knew that this work would be a temporary one. I also knew the Lord was calling me to a publishing ministry, and that the training I would receive here would hold me in good stead for the ministry. At the beginning of 2006, I felt constrained to resign my part-time job. The Lord was saying that my season of "training" was over. When I handed in my resignation, I was asked to stay on until they found a replacement. I felt it my Christian duty to do so. In May 2006, I was free again to devote all of my time to the Lord's work.
The first thing the Holy Spirit prompted me was to fulfill my obligation to a student of mine from Bible College. He was from Zambia. My visit was postponed from 2004, owing to the part-time job. After I quit, I felt constrained in my spirit to fulfill this obligation in 2007. In January 2007, I realised I had lost all my friend's details as a result of a computer crash. How was I to contact Peter? I shared with the elders what the Lord had put in my heart - in fact it was Zambia for the first part of 2007 , and India for the latter part of the year. As I prayed and meditated on this venture, guess who calls me? Peter, from Zambia. Was this a coincidence, or a divine ministry appointment? You guessed right. The Lord had prompted him to call me about a certain matter. As a result, as I write this testimony, I had gone to Zambia for a week's ministry and come back a fortnight ago. The week in Zambia was one of the highlights of my life. God was glorified, believers from various churches edified and the Kingdom of God advanced as 31 new souls were ushered into the Kingdom, among other wonderful works of the spirit such as healings and deliverances.
Does God speak? Absolutely yes - for his praise, glory and honour, the edification of the church and the advancement of his kingdom.
Re: How to "Hear Papa"
Heard this and though of sharing this idea of preparing yourself for your silent time before reading His word ("Manna") for my day:
P R A Y
Praise God
Repent your sins
Ask for your needs and those of others
Yield to God's Will
It really help me to hear clearer!
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