ENCOUNTER HIM
Get out your journal and encounter your Father. Ask Him what He wants you to ask Him.
ENCOUNTER HIM
ENCOUNTER HIM
- Encountering the Father, Hearing God's Voice
JESUS WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I could write a book of all the revelations, encounters, and wisdom that has come from teaching my children to ask this question often!
“JESUS, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?”
LIFE CHANGING
A mom shares: “Lisa, I purchased Conversations with our Creator before taking this course. It was LIFE CHANGING for me! It really resonated with me when you broke it down so simply: one, God is ALWAYS speaking to you, and two, your ears WORK just fine! Period. It’s that simple. There’s no excuse for not hearing His voice other than you’re not listening. He dwells within us; His voice will come so naturally, like our own thoughts. Um… what…?? I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent spinning my wheels, doing exactly what you say not to do: doubt, debate, dismiss. I wasn’t even sure if that was God talking or just me. Of course, I was expecting the burning bush type of speaking or for Him to give me a strong sense, but I always thought I had to work hard and follow many rituals (prayer, worship) to hear Him. Gah! This lesson unlocked a whole new world for me. Literally, 24/7 access to my God, who wants to be involved in every moment of my life, no matter how trivial. AH-MAZ-ING!!”
Friends, get your own copy! Conversations with our Creator eBook – Let the Children Fly
THUMBS UP
I love having the kids ask Jesus what He thinks of them in all situations. Doing this has helped to break off lies and continues to keep their identity solid in Him. While my girls would always hear sweet things, my son would say, “Good!” when I would ask him what he heard. “How does Jesus feel about you?” “Good!” I would have him ask again and even reminded him that the God of the universe who created the entire world had more to say than “Good!” However, Holy Spirit told me to stop doing this as my son heard correctly and simply communicated it in his own way. If he asked Jesus how He felt about him and saw Jesus giving him thumbs up in his mind, he interpreted that as ‘good.’ I realized I needed to back off and let him hear from God in his own way because when the God of the universe says “Good!” it is good indeed!
TEACHING CHILDREN TO HEAR
I encourage you to teach it as I have done with my children but by adding, subtracting, and editing according to your own creativity and family. Before I start, I have to remind you that you have 18 years with your children to influence them to hear their Father’s voice. Please do not (in your utter excitement) teach it to them and then get frustrated if they do not rattle off a million things they heard the Lord say. If your child’s ears aren’t immediately hearing perfectly, you have two choices – keep going or quit. You have to resolve that equipping them to hear His voice is a core value for your family, and you will keep at it until it is a family lifestyle for all.
I had the advantage of being a home-school teacher and teaching my kids about our body – the hands, eyes, and nose – and the goodies inside us – brain, tonsils, and spleen. My kids never argued or doubted that we have lungs just because they had never seen one. They simply believed. I would suggest starting by pointing this out to your child. God gave us hands to touch and legs to walk. We have lungs to breathe and a brain to think. But inside our brains, God gave us each a chalkboard (or whiteboard). You can even get a real chalkboard to help give them a visual of what God put inside us. He put this board inside of us for HIS use. Be creative with this. Children love visuals and hands-on learning. The more you make the teaching FUN, the more they will want to be a part of it. Host a family meeting and get everyone involved via role-playing, laughing, and connecting. Tell your kids who are into games that their chalkboard is like God’s PlayStation, or for those who like superheroes, explain that the chalkboard is the command center. For the child who enjoys reading, explain that it is our reading manual. It doesn’t matter how you teach it, but kids need to know that they have a part of their bodies created for God’s voice.
Come up with a list of all the ways God speaks to us (nature, colors, signs, people, etc.). When children are taught that God speaks to them through nature, they spot it often. The heart-shaped leaf, the wildlife He plants in their path to enjoy, or the fun cloud shapes – God loves communicating with those who have a child-like faith! Have them close their eyes and ask if they can picture their bed. What about what they had for dinner last night? How about Grandma, can they picture her? Have them open their eyes and explain that they weren’t in their room or with Grandma, but they could ‘see’ her on their chalkboard. That is where and how God speaks to us.
Again, using these spiritual muscles takes practice, so keeping it lighthearted and fun while they are learning is key. Children love drawing, so this is a great non-threatening way to help them practice using their spiritual muscles. Complete the teaching above and have them close their eyes and ask, “Jesus, will You please show me a picture of how You feel about my family?” and then have them draw it out.
I TOOK YOUR SPANKING
So precious. I was coaching a mom over the fact she felt like God was distant. It is impossible to witness God encountering someone and not be affected yourself. This one brought tears to my eyes, and I have been chewing on it as it continues to minister to me. She shared how she knew it wasn’t true but often feels like God has forsaken her. She brought up the fact that He turned on Jesus on the Cross, and if He did it to His Son, why wouldn’t He turn on her too? We asked Jesus about that (because sometimes human wisdom is inferior to what He has to say – after all, He was there). Jesus said to her, “My Father allowed me to endure the spanking for you so that you never had to experience Him turning from you!” Speechless. The enemy was using the Cross against my friend, but Jesus came to set the truth straight.
DATE WITH JESUS
Years ago, I felt this insane craving to be alone with the Lord. I booked a hotel, got the four kids situated, and took off for my 24-hour date with Jesus. I spent my quiet alone time making my grocery list, journaling my thoughts, getting food, responding to emails, and reading a book. When it was over, I was physically refreshed but spiritually dry. I realized I treated my ‘date with Jesus’ as if I were the only one at the table and did all the talking. The second time I booked my 24-hour date with Jesus, I took nothing but my Bible, journal, and a large jug of water. My soul came alive. It was just Him and me, and I left feeling like we had spent a month together on a deserted island. I vowed I would make it a priority to get away at least twice a year.
When I became a single mom, I realized I couldn’t do it anymore because of finances. I heard God say so clearly, “Do not ever let money be a deciding factor between us,” and, in faith, I booked a hotel room on my credit card. Someone graciously took my children for the night, and I had the most glorious time with Him. There was a glitch with the hotel, and they ended up giving me the hotel for FREE. I laughed and vowed once again that I would never let anything stand in the way of my 24-hour dates with Him. Fast forward over a decade, and I am still sneaking away. There is no price tag to put on your intentional time with Him.
GOD CALLING
Want to try something fun? Set a reminder to go off on your phone and stop whenever you are, even if it means at a friend’s house or in a store, and ask God, “How do You feel about me right now?” This is a great way to increase your spiritual hearing and allow Him to meet you right where you are at. Do it with the kids and allow them to practice hearing from Him too.
JESUS CALLING
What is something you struggle with the most with God? His presence? Going to Him in the day-to-day? Feeling His love? Talking to Him? Believing He cares about your world? This is a super FUN exercise. Put a reminder on your phone to go off every day. When it goes off, simply stop whatever you are doing at that moment and ask Him a specific question as it pertains to your struggle.
“Will You please show me where You are right now?” “What do You want me to know?” “How do You love me at this moment?” “Will You please help me with _____?” “What do You care most about me right now?”
We strengthen our spiritual muscles by using them. Go after the area that feels weak and allow Him to strengthen you in His truth. This is a GREAT thing to do with the kiddos too. Wherever you are when the alarm goes off, STOP and ask Jesus.
HEARING GOD
God speaks to us in various ways, but one powerful way He speaks to His children is through peace.
Peace – a sense of liquid peace comes over you like a warm blanket. Do you know that God is peace? Pure, 100% peace that doesn’t match your physical, on-earth circumstances. When we sit quietly and invite His presence, we can often feel it in the form of peace washing over us. What does a loving Father do when His children are upset? Begin giving instruction? NO! A loving Father would scoop them up, hold them close to His chest, and embrace their tiny bodies. He is communicating love, protection, safety, and security in His embrace. Sometimes we want God to tell us this and that, and sometimes He just wants to wrap us in His presence, and out of that, He leads us where we need to be. This is truly ‘entering the place of rest’ that so few believers learn to enjoy. We want to squirm or ‘do’ instead of just resting while He holds us.
Think about what life would be like if you went mute and had to try to teach, train, and love your children without words. Seriously, think about how many times a day you use your words to guide your children, teach and train them, encourage them, cheer them on, and help them. How often do you use your words to lavish love all over them and tell them how precious and beautiful they are to you? Now ponder how often you let your Father speak to you a day.
SORRY MOM
I LOVE the testimonies coming in from our Family Encounter video of children going to their parents and repenting for not coming under their authority. Such a sweet time of cleansing their hearts and reestablishing the covering God has given them. WOW, just WOW!
You can watch it here if you missed it: Family Encounter Night – YouTube