Does God Check His Voicemail?

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Carl here. I grew up in a Lutheran world where prayer was pretty much practiced as leaving a message on voicemail for God to check later: you pray, you’re pretty sure someone is listening up there, and you go about your business.

Easy, right?

Obviously, God must have had a lot of unheard messages on His voicemail, because all around me, nobody seemed to be listening for a reply to their prayers.

That would be much harder. That kind of prayer life would require responsibility on my part. Far too easy to just give God a call and leave Him a prayer message.

When I became a true follower of Jesus, I began to realize that not only was He listening to me, He was responding!

Responding in love!

Love Speaks (that is a catchy title for a book, right)?

Many Christians believe they have never once confidently heard a reply from the Lord after they left Him a prayer voicemail. And why is that? According to Scripture, there could be multiple reasons. Here are just 3, along with possible solutions:

  1. Sin BLOCKS the communication lines. “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

    The answer: repent! I actually practice a daily repentance for my sins. Repentance to the Father, in Jesus’ name, brings you into intimate fellowship with Him, and positions you to hear in fresh ways from the Word and the Spirit.

  2. We don’t EXPECT Him to answer. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

    The answer: start believing that not only will God hear you, He has wonderful plans ahead, and He is planning on prospering you!

  3. Maybe He’s being QUIET: “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior, He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy (Zephaniah 3:17).

    The answer: learn to listen to His quiet love all around you, and be secure in this stillness!

So does God check His voicemail?

The answer is NO: He doesn’t even have a mobile phone!

What’s way better than all the instant communication, mobile phones, and the personal assistant of Siri (for all you iPhone users..)?

I mean, seriously, what can be better than Google or Siri on the information highway?

How about:

GOD IS ALWAYS PREVIOUS.

Meaning: He is Providential; He is Omniscient; He is Omnipresent; He is ALMIGHTY!

Memorize this verse and remember it the next time you go to prayer and are thinking of leaving a voicemail:

“It will also come to pass that BEFORE THEY CALL, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I WILL HEAR” (Isaiah 65:24).

 

***To learn more about this fascinating subject of hearing the multi-faceted voice of God, check out my new book, “LOVE SPEAKS: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice.”

More info on our Official Love Speaks Website

https://www.lovespeaks.today/

 

 

 

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Praise & Worship in the Thin Places

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The teachings of my new book, LOVE SPEAKS, flow from understanding the Lord’s love in his multi-faceted voice. How is the best way to GROW in deeper love and relationship with the God who IS LOVE? A daily devotion with sincere worship from your heart is a great place to start!

By placing yourself in an atmosphere of praise and worship, you actually posture yourself to be in a better position to hear from God. Let me share a little more about worship, and close with a short exhortation on creating a “thin place” or, “holy space” in your home where you can cultivate worship.

First, the Psalmist encourages us,

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!” (Psalm 100:4) & “Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness” (Psalm 96:9).

One of my dear friends in Ireland led an ecumenical community of Catholics and Protestants in Dublin for many years. His name is Rónán Johnston, known by many of his friends as, Rojo. He is a gifted worship leader and musician. Here are a few thoughts he shares about the power of worship to build intimacy in his recent book.

“What a better way to learn how to be in this place of intimacy with God than worship? Worship is itself time spent in that most intimate place with God, and the more time we spend there, the more familiar we will become with the sound of His voice. I am not in any way advocating a lack of Scripture reading, but rather a deeper knowing of God.

“The greatest saints of the past, those who have really stayed with us, inspired us in our own walk with God, and challenged us to take up the cross daily, these are not necessarily people who were great theologians or powerful ideologues. Rather, they are people who loved God more than others. Not great thinkers, but great lovers.

“Enter into the Holy of Holies through songs of worship, within the veil of the temple, and live out your life in joyful surrender to the will of the One who knows us, who chose us, and who Himself loves us” (an excerpt from, “Trust, Surrender, Believe, Receive” by Rónán Johnston).

Well said, Rojo!

Skellig Michael: A “Thin Place” like no other…

For a practical application, may I send you a challenge to create a “thin place” or, “holy space” in your home or natural surroundings?

An actual place, like a favorite sitting area, or a room like a study, or even a favorite chair, where you can dedicate that space to God’s glory and return there often to pray, to listen, and to praise and worship Him?

The ancient Celtic Christians of the U.K. named places like this, “thin places.”

The idea was that so much praise, worship, and intimate listening to God went on in certain places, hour after hour or day after day, that the veil of the temple became “thin” which means: the atmosphere became almost heavenly.

Like Heaven touching earth in a particular place, with the veil in the Holy Spirit’s realm thin and the ability for one to hear God’s voice heightened.

Many of you are aware I am in the midst of filming 8 new documentary short films based on the first 7 ways that “Love Speaks” for wide distribution.

Just 4 weeks ago I found myself at one of the best-preserved Christian monasteries in the known world, and possibly the most spectacular prayer site on earth.

My actual photo of Skellig Michael, wrapped in a cloud of glory on the day of my visit!

The spotlight of the world is showing upon it as the hidden place of Luke Skywalker at the end of Star Wars 7 and the beginning of Star Wars 8 (released in theatres this Christmas)!

The LORD spoke to me and told me to go to Skellig Michael, an island monastery off the Southwest Coast of Ireland, and open my new Series of films by filming there. My films will help re-focus the attention of the world from a “fictional place” of a mystic Jedi to a “real-world place” where monks dedicated their lives in praise, worship, and the word for 700 years.

I climbed up to the top of 600 ancient stone steps, carved by the monks of the 5th-12th Centuries, and walked into a beehive stone hut and walked right into the tangible Presence of God!

Yes, this was a, “thin place” and a literal place of extreme devotion to God.

Monks had worshipped the King of Kings there for possibly 700 years, and the Presence of God is still lingering about as a result.

That’s also the “appetizer” for watching my first documentary film, released a bit later this year. Stay tuned…

It’s also a challenge: live the rest of 2017 and the rest of your life in daily devotion to God, in praise and worship, and create your very own “thin place” where, 700 years after you are dead and gone, the Spirit of God might just still be lingering about.

Soli Deo Gloria, Carl Wesley Anderson

For more info on how to purchase your own copy of, “Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice” please visit The Official Love Speaks Page

https://www.lovespeaks.today/

The Word of Wisdom: unlocking your destiny

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Have you ever wondered how to flow in perhaps the greatest of all the spiritual gifts, the word of wisdom? The following devotional blog is an excerpt from my new book, Love Speaks, and is “Way #16” out of the 21 ways to recognize God’s multi-faceted voice.

Just what is the Word of Wisdom? First off, Paul wrote, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:8).

A simple definition: A supernatural revelation of the mind and purpose of God communicated by the Holy Spirit. When the Lord specifically reveals His purpose to an individual, that person receives it through a word of God’s wisdom. It is His wisdom flowing to you, and is oftentimes like a heavenly plan.

In the Old Testament, the whole range of Messianic prediction, and predictions concerning nations, cities, and individuals came to the prophets by the word of wisdom.

In the New Testament, the glorious new covenant truth with the order and rules of the church of Jesus Christ, as well as the predictions of Agabus (in the Book of Acts) and the Revelation of John on the Isle of Patmos, came through this gift.

The word of wisdom transports one to the very council chamber of the Almighty.

It will help you put together a “pattern” that is like a heavenly plan, filled with God’s wisdom, and fitted just for you!

I look at the word of wisdom like the piece of the puzzle that is the linking piece.

Sometimes in life, as you are seeking God’s will, it’s like you are putting together pieces in a puzzle. In front of you is the picture, and the detail, of the portion of the puzzle you are fitting together. But perhaps you are lacking a key piece. And then, suddenly, you have eyes to see that one key piece.

The moment you fit it in place, it unlocks five or ten more pieces instantly, and together the part of the picture you are working on is complete and perfect.

The word of wisdom is that key piece that unlocks a number of others and helps you move forward into your destiny and fulfilling God’s will for your life by His direction.

“The Most Startling of Guidance”

Let me turn to an example from Loren Cunningham, founder of one of the world’s best known missionary organizations, Youth With A Mission, or YWAM. His book, Is That Really You, God? has become a classic on the subject of hearing God’s voice.

Here is an excerpt from a pivotal time in Loren’s ministry where God gave a word of wisdom to impart a blueprint.

They had fulfilled some amazing vision up until this point, but were waiting upon the Lord for guidance as to what His plans were for their future.

“The breakthrough started one amazing night in Hawaii. I had decided to stay up all night and pray, asking three of the school staff to join me. The four of us walked to a small, wooden annex about 10:00 p.m., turned on the light and went in. We knelt down on the rough floor beside some folding chairs.

Here is some of what came forth from the Spirit.

-The word Kona. Kona was a place on the Big Island, but we had never been there.

-The idea of founding a University.

-A white ship anchored in a bay.

Later that morning, I went in to a classroom of 92 students and asked them all to wait upon God in silence. I was praying for confirmation to some of these words.

Here is what the students, led by the Holy Spirit, saw.

-The letter K and then the word, KONA.

-A picture of a “big place,” like a University.

-A picture of a white ship anchored in a bay” (excerpt from, “Is That Really You, God?” by Loren Cunningham, YWAM Publications).

I know what you might be thinking. “You can’t write this stuff!”

What’s the end of this story?

These words and guidance came forward as a kind of blueprint for the future days of Loren’s ministry and the destiny of YWAM.

In the coming years, they moved to Kona, founded a University that is still impacting thousands of youth in over 100 nations, and they obtained a white ship called the Anastasis.

Upon this actual ship, my wife Sarah Elizabeth originally received her missions training, through YWAM, when she was only 19 years old.

And it all began in that all-night prayer meeting and morning “waiting upon the Lord” session as a word of wisdom confirmed from the Holy Spirit!

So, begin to believe that when you are sincere in seeking the Lord about guidance, you can see the guidance arrive through the remarkable gift of the word of wisdom. -Carl Wesley Anderson

**To learn more about, “Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice” please visit The Official Love Speaks Page

https://www.lovespeaks.today/

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Go To The Toilet: NOW!

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In my new book, Love Speaks, I teach on 2 of the most common ways that you can hear the voice of God: the “inner witness” and the “inner voice” of the Spirit.

For this month’s blog post, I am re-printing one of my more dramatic personal stories to help illustrate the combination of both the inner “witness” and the inner “voice.”

Go To The Toilet Now!

In February of 1995 I was invited to the United Kingdom to preach and encourage leaders in various places. Having flown all night with very little sleep from Minneapolis to London, I hurriedly collected my luggage at Gatwick Airport and hopped on the first available train to connect to another station which would lead me to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the first leg of my journey.

I was scheduled to stay at the home of a very good friend of mine, Iain. Iain was a leader of various ministries, including churches and parachurch ministries, and had invited me to preach on the Sunday at a new church-plant that was forming just south of Edinburgh.

I did not realize it at the time, but the Holy Spirit was upon me at Gatwick and I was being watched and followed!

So, off I go on a train, heading due north through the English countryside on my way up to Ian and a warm meal and bed in Edinburgh. About half-way through the train ride, I felt the inner witness of the Spirit encourage me to get up from my seat and move to the area in-between the train cars, where the toilets are located, to go and worship Jesus in song. I was hungry for the presence of God.

I had just settled into about 15 minutes of singing songs of worship when a man appeared from the train car opposite me.

He sat down near me and began to stare at me. I felt a little uncomfortable with this; after all, this was not a concert performance! I could notice out of the corner of my eye that he had a thick beard.

Then he spoke to me. “Hi. My name is John.” (He did not give his last name, and to this day I have no idea what it was.)

I noticed he had an American accent like mine, and I began to look closer at his appearance. He was wearing a long, brown cloak with a hood, a brown belt covering his large waste, and had a thick white beard and wild hair. He looked like Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings movies, or perhaps John the Baptist himself. He continued speaking.

“I am a graduate of the Brownsville School of Revival. The Lord told me to take along with me a big jar of anointing oil and bring it to Edinburgh. It has been prayed over by the group of intercessors and the prayer teams in the Revival, and the oil is to go to a group of prayer warriors in Scotland for them to use to pray over their soil and anoint it for coming revivals.

“Today is my first day; I flew all night from New York and when I landed in Gatwick this morning, I saw you from across the luggage collection area and the Spirit prompted me inside and said,

‘Follow him. Go wherever he goes.’

“I felt a green light in my spirit, the inner witness, to follow you onto this particular train, though I did not know where you were sitting.”

By this point I sat amazed. Deep inside, I knew that God was in this.

I asked him now how he happened to find me on this particular train.

“Oh, well, I was sitting in my seat when the Spirit spoke to me by His inner voice, and I felt Him prompt me to go to the toilet.

“I sat there and argued with God. ‘But God, I really don’t have to go to the toilet just now!’

‘YES, YOU DO.’

“The Spirit kept giving me a green light in my spirit to go NOW. That was the inner witness.

“So I got up from my seat, and I came to the toilet closest to me, and here you are, singing praises to God. I knew you were somewhere on this train but now I see why the Spirit prompted me to go to the toilet!”

Iain met us at Edinburgh train station, and after a brief introduction, immediately offered John a bed for the night at his home.

John then handed Iain this enormous jar of anointing oil and explained it was meant for intercessors in Edinburgh. “Do you know any intercessors?” he asked.

Iain’s face suddenly lit up, and a huge grin came over him. “Ah, well,” he shared in his lovely accent, “I know where to bring this!”

Iain then shared that the Holy Spirit had recently led him to begin a city-wide prayer service, gathering over 150 intercessors and prayer warriors from all over Scotland, to begin to pray for revival to break out in Scotland.

So the next time God tells you to go to the toilet, you’d better obey the witness!

***This Blog Post is an excerpt from, “Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice.” Visit our Official Love Speaks Website to learn more!

https://www.lovespeaks.today/

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Holy Coincidence, Batman!

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Have you ever bumped into somebody you know in a kind of “chance encounter,” enjoyed amazing fellowship with them, and wondered, “Was this God’s guiding hand?”

If so, you’ve enjoyed Way #13 (out of 21 possible “ways”) that LOVE SPEAKS: a “Holy Coincidence, Batman!”

A simple definition: “The idea that your Heavenly Father has gone before you on your journey and prepared a surprise person or people, in the normal circumstances of life, to stumble upon.”

I use the word stumble in the definition because that is how we perceive the situation; in the most incredible of odds against it, there in front of you is someone familiar. And God put them there.

Recently whilst in England I met & became instant friends with a wonderful couple, Julie & Nigel, who are worship leaders, at a Conference. I did not even think to ask them where in the country they lived. I assumed London.

A week later, I had traveled 200 miles away to the south of England, and I was meeting Eric Delve, a dear friend and former mentor in evangelism, for a meal at a pub. We decided to go to this particular pub, (literally out in the country, in the middle of nowhere) quite spontaneously.

In fact Eric had driven 90 minutes from his home just to meet me in this unfamiliar place.

Soon after settling into a table near the fireplace, I looked up and noticed this rather familiar-looking couple arrive and settle in next to us. I stared at them for a moment and thought, surely I know them?

And sure enough, it was none other than Julie & Nigel!

It turns out that in all the thousands of places in England to go for a cup of tea, they actually lived quite near this pub, and there they were!

Eric wisely said, “Our Chief Sponsor has drawn us together in order to surprise us with a joyful meeting; He has re-arranged the pieces on the chess board!”

And so HE had. We enjoyed several hours of wonderful fellowship.

The odds would be, in the natural, one-in-a-million that we would all have met at that particular place and that particular time together. We all felt the love of God the Father for us.

holy coincidence, batman!

Holy Coincidence, Batman!

So, Divine appointment = Divine love!

God arranges His divine appointments to display His love for you personally.

That is a Holy Coincidence, Batman!

One of my favorite Revivalists of the 20th century was an Irishman named J. Edwin Orr. In the 1930s, the Father put a hunger for revival into this young man. With only a bicycle and a little money, but with a huge heart and massive faith in the provision of the Father, he set out upon a journey. His mission was to sow seeds of prayer for revival for all of the United Kingdom.

He shares a story to illustrate a “holy coincidence” in his own words,

“On the night of the 19th of March, we were approaching Edinburgh on our bicycles. I was traveling at the time with a brother, Stanley. We were singing the chorus as we rode, ‘No, Never alone!’ It was getting rather late, 10:30 p.m.

“Where are we going to sleep tonight?” Stanley asked suddenly.

“I’m sure I don’t know,” said I.

“What are we going to do about it?” he persisted.

“Why worry?” I replied. “Our Father knows all about it.”

So we rode on, and prayed simply that the Father would provide us with bed and breakfast.

“Well,” said I, “it is rather late to expect hospitality, but I feel that Father will provide it. We’ll visit a certain acquaintance of mine at Merchiston Grove and see if the Father gives us an exceptional sign, and if so we’ll know that we are not imposing in accepting hospitality.”

“When we arrived at the house, we made a remarkable discovery.

“These friends, who had seen me only once before, had THAT DAY received from South America a letter enquiring for me. The letter was lying on the table when I turned up at their front door! Delightful hospitality was offered and enjoyed.” –J. Edwin Orr, “10,000 Miles of Miracles in Britain” published originally in 1932.

So from this day on, begin to recognize that in every “divine appointment” there is the handiwork of your personal Father making the situation wonderful, so that you will know His love and direction for you.

Holy Coincidence, Batman!

***This Blog Post is an excerpt from, “Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice.” Please visit The Official Love Speaks Website for more info!

https://www.lovespeaks.today/

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Prepare for Providence!

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In this New Year, it is a healthy exercise to pause every so often and ponder the Providence of the Father.

He really does love you personally.

He really does speak, every week, to help you learn what His best plans are for you.

He really does reach out from the eternal realm, into this temporal realm, and give you grace and strength to go on, no matter how hard the path.

The idea that His handiwork has led you to this very day, and oftentimes He has gone ahead of you, should lead you to praise and thanksgiving.

He is ahead of you now.

He is dwelling many years into your very future, and shifting and changing things so that when you arrive, you find your path made clear, and your heart’s calling finds fulfillment.

What do I mean by the word, “providence”?

Your Father is speaking through His direct and indirect leadings of circumstances and outward signs.

Often you will not notice His guidance through these outward circumstances, but later, when you look back, you recognize how everything worked itself out for your good, and it was He that was taking the initiative to bring His will to pass for you.

Remember this Old Testament Scripture of Providence reflected in the life of Joseph?

“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 45:8 & 50:20).

As Paul reminds us in Romans,

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Many of you know I am in a battle with cancer.

God will cause it to work together for good.

America is in a massive political shift.

God will cause it to work together for good.

The world is teetering on the brink of financial instability, terrorist threats and attacks, and environmental disasters.

God will cause it to work together for good.

Commander Robert E. Lee, remarking on his achievements during the American Civil War, once said, “My trust is in the mercy and wisdom of a kind Providence, who orders all things for our good.”

A number of years ago I was reading through a massive 2-volume set on the life of 18th century evangelist George Whitefield. Each volume contained more than 500 pages so it was taking me some months to read through. At the same time, I was praying over an invitation to return to London and preach the gospel, and I needed to know if God’s will was in this particular trip.
I finished reading one night in my book and put my marker down at the end of a particular chapter. It “happened” to be on page 498.

The next day I was running late for an appointment. I tend to drive a little fast when I am running late (which happens most of the time). One thing I hate when trying to go fast is when there is a slow car in front of me. Suddenly I felt the Lord impress upon me to write down her license plate number. I looked at it, grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote down, GWF 499.

I thought nothing of it at the time, finally passing this car and arriving late to my appointment. I had stuffed the piece of paper into my pocket.

Late that night, I was sitting in my rocking chair in my study and praying, “Lord, do you want me to take this invitation to preach in London?” He said, “Look again at that license plate number.”

So I pulled out the license plate info and pondered it. What could it mean? GWF…ah! A light bulb went off. Maybe that stands for “George WhiteField!” and the number, 499? Maybe the page number of the book?

So I quickly grabbed the volume of the book I had been reading, and opened it up to find my marker at exactly page 498. As I turned the page, I realized I would have the answer to my prayer on that page, if I was discerning correctly the Providence of God in sending that slow driver in the green car in answer to my prayers.

Sure enough, GWF, page 499, had a quotation of a letter that John Wesley had written to Whitefield, inviting him to come to London to preach!!!

God can use ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in your circumstances to speak to you. You just need to be aware that HE is there—a God who truly is, “ever-present.”

So, prepare for Providence in 2017!

***This is an excerpt from one of the 21 Ways that God speaks, outlined in my new book, “Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice.” You can learn about all 21!

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How Do We Spell, “GOD”?

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For a Christian only, we don’t spell GOD, G-O-D. Instead, we spell Him like this: Father-Son-Holy Spirit.

This is called by many, the Trinity or Triune God.

This revelation, and the relationship and intimate voice that follows, is only accessible to a Christian. Many millions of people outside of true faith in Christ are praying to God from a distance. They still spell GOD, G-O-D.

And people outside true faith in Christ are kept from an intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father through their sinful nature. It still separates them from Him. Thus, without Jesus you cannot really know God as Father.

For example, millions of people claim New Age as their “religion” of choice.

New Age teachings promote a loss of God as the glorious, infinite, personal Trinity.

“Humans are simply congealed energy, the All in self-reflective mode. You create your own reality. Both death and morality are an illusion, and hence ‘we are God.’ These teachings not only misunderstand the fallen nature of man and our human condition, but the seriousness of our sin before God. There is no Savior to cleanse our guilty hearts, no personal, loving God to share our tears.”[1]

Yet, the eternal God in all 3 Persons enters the world stage with something unique to Christianity.

For all who are in relationship to Jesus Christ, Enter: agape.

As soon as a person opens their heart in repentance to Christ, His love and His voice are poured out.

It’s a choice every person has to make to say, “Yes!”

Almighty God can become Intimate Abba to a follower of Christ. Love Speaks teaches that all 3 Persons of the Trinity are speaking in this present dispensation!

As Jonathan Edwards once noted after studying the topic of the Triune God extensively,

“I think [the doctrine of the Trinity] to be the highest and deepest of all Divine mysteries.”[2]

As a diamond or special gemstone reflects the light shone upon it in many facets, so God’s glory upon you continually reflects many aspects of His voice to discern and His love to experience, and all 3 Persons of the Trinity are actively involved.

To put it very simply, as you study each way God speaks, think of His contact with you in these terms (while remembering that this is all a mystery):

The Father speaks primarily externally, through His Providence, circumstances, nature and creation, and other ways. These signs of His love are quite literally everywhere. And each sign then bears witness within your spirit, through the Holy Spirit’s confirmation.

“For God (the Father) so loved (agape) the world that He gave His one and only son” (John 3:16).

The Son, Jesus Christ speaks primarily through both His Word (the Bible) and through His Body (other believers). We are all part of the one Body of Christ no matter what our church background. His Word (the Bible) is the foundation of all revelation and the trusted source of confirmation for everything we hear from God.

“The Son of God (Jesus) who loved (agape) me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The Holy Spirit speaks primarily internally, from within your human spirit, as He now inhabits your heart with the divine Kingdom of God. His voice flows out of your mind and can be discerned by your spirit. And He confirms all direction at least two or three times through both internal and external means.

“I urge you by the love (agape) of the (Holy) Spirit” (Romans 15:30).

Note: The Holy Spirit as a Person comes to abide inside every believer in Jesus Christ. His workings require the believer to actively participate in a sanctifying, holy lifestyle that involves a dying to self and old, selfish priorities.

So throughout this book, perhaps consider a fresh surrender to Jesus Christ, and a fresh commitment to participation with the Holy Spirit, as He leads you to die to yourself and your old ways, and learn new ways to communicate with Him.

Thus, with the Holy Spirit’s help, you can learn to truly listen to God’s multi-faceted voice and follow Christ who said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

***This Post is a portion from the Introduction of my new book, “Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognized God’s Multi-Faceted Voice.”

You can learn more or buy the book here:

https://www.lovespeaks.today/

 

[1] Bruce Milne, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief, pg. 139, InterVarsityPress, 1982, 1988.

[2] Jonathan Edwards, Works, Banner of Truth Trust, England. From an unpublished treatise on the trinity.

 

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Love Speaks: How Do We Spell, “LOVE?”

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Adapted from the Introduction & Section 4 of Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice by Carl Wesley Anderson, part one.***

I would like to begin by defining the term, “LOVE” from my new book title, Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Recognize God’s Multi-Faceted Voice.

We understand from Scripture that GOD IS LOVE. That’s a wonderful opening thought! He shared with Jeremiah so many years ago,

“I HAVE LOVED YOU with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

So just how does a Christian spell the word LOVE?

For a Christian only, we don’t spell LOVE, L-O-V-E. Instead, we spell it like this:

A-G-A-P-E. That’s right.

Agape.

This word is unique to the Christian’s understanding of God. Why?

For the ancient Greeks (and the modern world) the words that describe love include a variety of ways like friendship, or love for a worthy object, like a sports team, or a worthy person, like a spouse or a child. The revolutionary event of the cross of Jesus Christ reveals a revolutionary love that is as impacting in modern times as it was then.

“Agape is a love for the unworthy, for one who has forfeited all right to the lover’s devotion,” writes Bruce Milne. “The Old Testament has witness for this in God’s love for Israel, and in Hosea’s love for his faithless wife.

“Holiness and love conjoin perfectly in the person and work of Jesus Christ. As God, He embodies divine holiness that is separate from and resistant to all sin and evil, yet His very coming is God’s loving, gracious response to human guilt and helplessness.

“They unite also in the ministry of God the Holy Spirit whose essential ministry is the renewal and sanctification of God’s people in fulfillment of God’s purpose of love (agape).”[1]

Revolutionary, yes? So Paul writes, “But God demonstrates His own love (agape) toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

LOVE is GOD’s LOVE, as GOD IS LOVE (also see 1 John 4:7-19).

Agape love.

Practical Application: Declare that You Are Beloved of the Father

This final portion of this blog is an excerpt from Section 4, the practical application section of Love Speaks.

While it is true that every week, God is reaching out in certain ways to speak TO you, as a loving Father He is also speaking words OVER you. Words that help you understand that you are loved and beloved!

“This is My beloved Son” said the eternal, loving Father to His Son. And His Son in turn reveals the Father’s agape love to all who receive Him.

Jesus launched His own ministry with the Father’s personal love and voice. He called Him “My BELOVED Son.”

You are God’s BELOVED son or daughter, prince or princess of the King. Know it. Trust it. And live it.

In your prayer life, expect the Father to listen and respond to your prayers, and speak wonderful, truthful words OVER you.

Sarah Young, in her devotional book with 365 daily readings from the Lord, shares it this way,

“I am a God who gives and gives and gives. I search for people who are able to receive in full measure. To increase your intimacy with Me, the two traits you need the most are receptivity and attentiveness. Receptivity is opening up your innermost being to be filled with My abundant riches. Attentiveness is directing your gaze to Me; searching for Me in all your moments.”[2]

In my experience I (Carl) have found I needed a new ability in my relationship with the Holy Spirit within to work together with Him in hearing His voice.

Every morning I prepare myself in both prayer and reading of the word, expecting the Lord to guide me, however He chooses to do so, and if indeed He chooses to do so on any particular day. Some days there seems to be no contact from God, and other days there seems to be multiple different contacts and thrilling moments of His voice personally speaking and confirming my path.

Try praying this every day, perhaps every morning:

“Father, I set my heart to seek your face today. I declare the truth, I am a beloved (insert the word, SON or DAUGHTER) of God. I receive your love today through hearing your voice. Speak to me above the noise of this world. Speak to me through Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Speak, Father, for your servant is listening.”

[1] Bruce Milne, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief, pg. 139, InterVarsityPress, 1982, 1988.

[2] Sarah Young, an excerpt from March 28, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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God Has No Grandchildren

God Has No Grandchildren

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My new book is filled with 21 unique ways that God is reaching out in an ongoing dialogue with you and I. The foundation of understanding this idea is wrapped up in His love for us as our Father-God.

Nobody I know has had a “perfect” earthly father or grandfather.

So when it comes to accepting the love and personal contact from our Heavenly Father, the question often arises, “Why does God, who is complete in Himself and filled with infinite attributes, want to fill my heart with His love?”

So let’s begin with a few Scriptures that tell a tale of a Father’s love, and answer the “why?” question.

Consider this wonderful passage, part of the recollection speech which Moses is giving to remind the children of Israel about just how special the LORD has been to them,

“In the wilderness you saw how the Lord your God carried you, AS A FATHER CARRIES HIS SON, all the way you went until you reached this place” (Deuteronomy 1:31).

He goes on to share something of the very nature and character of God as a Father.

A true father provides his children with several blessings: protection, provision, and identity. The same can be said of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the personal presence of the Holy Spirit.

First, let’s look at “protection” and “provision.”

“The LORD your God goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp (an example of how He is protecting His children), in fire by night and cloud by day (an example of His provision), to show you the way in which you should go” (Deuteronomy 1:33).

Through this symbol of the appearance of a cloud to the children of Israel as they navigated through the wilderness, we discover something of the character of God as Father.

This supernatural substance had an appearance of a cloud by day, offering shade from the heat of the sun in the desert, and an appearance of fire by night, offering comfort, light, and warmth on the cool evenings in the desert.

And I love the idea of the Father going ahead of His children, seeking out the very best places to camp which offer protection and provision. They followed the cloud, and the love of the Father followed them. And consider,

“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as He would His own eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His feathers” (Deuteronomy 32: 10-11).

What an awesome word picture that is! We, the Father’s children, were sought out, protected, and loved; the Father is here pictured like an eagle taking very personal attention to his own children, and forever protecting them in his own powerful wings.

Carried on His feathers!

Next, let’s see “identity” as God the Father reveals His fatherhood characteristics to a chosen family of sons and daughters.

Consider that, from times eternal, it was in the heart of the fullness of the Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, to create a race of beings which would share eternity with them, and thus, mankind would bring that same Trinity great pleasure and happiness and joy.

Corrie ten Boom once said, “God has no grandchildren.”

You and I are forever treated as equal sons and daughters to Father-God.

We are given a whole new identity through our association with Jesus the Messiah: we become sons and daughters of the Father—of “His Father” and “our Father.”

Come with me on that amazing Easter morning, perhaps the most amazing morning in all of history.

Mary herself approaches the empty tomb and begins to weep, thinking that the body of Jesus has been stolen. The mystery of the resurrection had not yet been revealed.

She mistakes Jesus Himself to be the gardener (a wonderful detail in this story), but when she hears His voice, she recognizes Him, and He then declares these most sacred and empowering words,

“I ascend to My Father, and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20: 17).

You see, God has no grandchildren after all, only the redeemed family in the Messiah. We are eternal recipients of His love, care, and affection. We will be the very ones who bring Him pleasure and joy to all eternity.

Here’s a thought: what will you be doing, 10,000 times 10,000 years from now?

Perhaps—you will be enjoying God’s Presence, and, just perhaps,

He will be enjoying yours!

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