Hearing God about our Fathers

Hearing God about our Fathers

Episode Description:

Today, on Father’s Day in Australia, we acknowledge the wide range of emotions we feel about our fathers. When our earthly fathers leave needs and expectations unmet, we can project that lack onto God. Join Gary & I as we unpack how our relationship with our earthly father can affect how we hear our Heavenly Father, and what we can do about it.

Episode Notes:

Introduction:

  • We acknowledge the wide range of emotions around our father and Father’s Day.
  • You can’t out-sin God’s love.
  • Your past doesn’t define you. Your mistakes don’t define you. If you have made some bad choices, your mistakes don’t define you. Some of God’s best players are His imperfect, broken prodigals. God specialises in short-tempered, reckless, flawed people. God constantly uses broken, messy people to bring glory to Himself and to reach others.
  • Nun working in a men’s prison. Bought Mother’s Day cards for prisoners to write a letter to their mums. Had to get heaps more in. Father’s Day was coming up, so she contacted Hallmark to arrange a bulk delivery of Father’s Day cards – none taken. Not one single card. A lot of father issues.
  • A father’s role is to love, protect and keep safe, provide for, and give identity to their children.
  • Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world.
  • A lot of heartache.
  • Honour our fathers and mothers. Fifth commandment Exodus 20:12 – “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lordyour God is giving you.”

First Principle: See your dad through God’s eyes

  • My dad – unmet expectations.
  • Had to accept that he was incapable of meeting my expectations and functioning as a healthy dad.
  • His early years were horrific.
  • Ask God to show you His view of your father, His love for your father, His compassion towards you for what you may have missed out on by having your father as your father. You may need to deal with your baggage and hurt first so you can hear God clearly. Eg SOZO / prayer ministry
  • Minimise judgement.
  • Recognise we are not perfect either. See our dad through God’s eyes.
  • Sometimes through unmet expectations of our father, we project our father’s lack onto God.

Second Principle: Don’t carry baggage – deal with it.

  • Hurt people hurt people.
  • Love and forgive.
  • It can help to write a letter to your dad – even if you never give it to him.

Third Principle: Our Heavenly Father is the perfect Father.

  • Romans 8:15-16 Message version: “God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.”
  • 2 Corinthians 6:18 “I will be a Father to you,and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
  • Ephesians 1:4-5 “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago, he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ.”
  • 1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
  • The Old Testament doesn’t talk much about God being a father.
  • Exodus 4:22 Lord talking to Moses, “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lordsays: Israel is my firstborn son.”
  • Psalm 103:13 “As a father has compassion on his children,so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”
  • Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
  • Psalm 68:5 “A father to the fatherless, a defender/protector of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Verse 6 – God sets the lonely in families,
  • Luke 15: 20-24 – parable of the lost son and the father’s response when he returns home.
  • Song, “Good, Good Father”
  • The beauty of God being a Good, Good Father is that if there are areas we feel as though we’ve missed out on from our own father, God can fill the gap.

Summary:

  1. See your dad through God’s eyes.
  2. Don’t carry baggage – deal with it.
  3. Our Heavenly Father is the perfect Father.

Prophetic activation:

Turn your heart and thoughts to Father God and ask Him:

  • “God, what have I missed out on from my earthly father?”
  • “God, what do I need from You as my Heavenly Father?”

Fathers provide presence, protection, provision, love, and identity.

Time Stamps:

[0:40] – Gary & Jane share how they have heard God this week.

[6:39] – Introduction.

[8:27] – First Principle: See your dad through God’s eyes.

[11:49] – Second Principle: Don’t carry baggage. Deal with it.

[14:42] – Third Principle: Our Heavenly Father is the perfect father.

[16:52] – Summary

[17:15] – Prophetic activation.

[18:31] – Gary & Jane share a prophetic word for a listener.

[20:43] – Gary prays for you.

Resources / Links Mentioned:

Bible Verses Mentioned:

  • Exodus 20:12
  • Romans 8:15-16
  • 2 Corinthians 6:18
  • Ephesians 1:4-5
  • 1 John 3:1
  • Exodus 4:22
  • Psalm 103:13
  • Isaiah 64:8
  • Psalm 68:5
  • Luke 15:20-24

Connect with Gary & Jane:

Support the show:

  • Please share this podcast with someone who would value hearing from God.
  • Follow and leave a rating + review on your favourite podcast listening app.
  • If God is leading you to donate or support the show in any way, please visit https://buymeacoffee/garyandjanM Thank you so much.
Episode 124: Do I limit hearing God?

Episode 124: Do I limit hearing God?

Episode Description:

Have you ever thought you needed to do something significant with your life to make it count? Are you so busy you don’t intentionally take time to stop and hear God? Is your faith big enough to handle anything God might share with you? Join Gary & I as we unpack how we limit hearing God, share personal examples, and bring wisdom in these areas.

Episode Notes:

Background:

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been musing on the fact that when I was younger, I believed a lie – that I have to do something hugely important and big with my life that will live on after I die, i.e., for my name to continue down through the generations. I now realised that that was incorrect. For sure, a limited number of people do do something with their life that has huge implications, good and bad, for the world, but most of us are trying to make the best of our daily life.

How does that equate to hearing God?

First Principle: Am I believing the lie that I have to do something big for God to make my life count?

  • Sounds a bit harsh – is my mindset full of doubt or unbelief?
  • Always looking for more or devaluing what I am doing.
  • Confess that lie.
  • Gary & Jane share how they think they limit hearing God
  • It is not wrong to ask, “God, what am I meant to be doing with my life?” and regularly assess that.
  • Episode 123 “Which voice is louder?”

Second Principle: Am I living life too small?

  • Am I stepping out of my comfort zone and being courageous?
  • Is my faith big enough?
  • Do I have unbelief or doubt that God will speak to me?
  • Start from a faith-filled position.
  • Do I understand how God is trying to communicate with me?
  • Episode 4 – How does God talk to us?
  • Episode 8 – How can I grow in my ability to hear God?
  • Episode 13 – Recognising how God speaks to us.
  • Episode 75 & 76 – How can I grow in hearing God?
  • Colossians 3:1-2 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
  • Gary & Jane share how they have intentionally grown their faith.

Third Principle: Do I intentionally set aside time to hear God?

  • Like dating – initially you can’t get enough of spending time with this amazing person. Hang on their every word. Fast-forward: married for 7 years, take each other for granted. Prioritise spending time with other people over time spent with them.
  • Am I filling my time so I don’t have to be still and confront my demons?
  • Episode 20 – Making time to hear God.

Summary:

  1. Am I believing the lie that I have to do something big for God to make my life count?
  2. Am I living life too small?
  3. Do I intentionally set aside time to hear God?

Prophetic activation:

Turn your heart and thoughts to Father God and ask Him:

  • “God, where do I need to take a step forward? In which part of my life would You like me to step outside of my comfort zone?”
  • It might even help to draw a mind map of your life and ask God, “What are Your thoughts on my work here, on how I spend my time here, what are Your thoughts on… this?”
  • Take some time with God and ask Him questions about the different areas of your life and where He would like you to step forward intentionally.

Time Stamps:

[0:39] – Gary & Jane share how they have heard God this week.

[4:28] – Introduction.

[5:33] – First Principle: Am I believing the lie that I have to do something big for God to make my life count?

[9:17] – Gary & Jane share how they think they limit God.

[10:31] – Second Principle: Am I living life too small?

[14:12] – Gary & Jane share how they have intentionally grown their faith.

[16:27] – Third Principle: Do I intentionally set aside time to hear God?

[17:47] – Summary

[18:14] – Prophetic activation.

[19:42] – Gary & Jane share a prophetic word for a listener.

[22:43] – Gary prays for you.

Resources / Links Mentioned:

Bible Verses Mentioned:

  • Colossians 3:1-2

Connect with Gary & Jane:

Support the show:

  • Please share this podcast with someone who would value hearing from God.
  • Follow and leave a rating + review on your favourite podcast listening app.
  • If God is leading you to donate or support the show in any way, please visit https://buymeacoffee/garyandjanM Thank you so much.
Episode 123: Which voice is louder – God’s or culture’s?

Episode 123: Which voice is louder – God’s or culture’s?

Episode Description:

Do you find it hard to hear God’s still, small voice? Does a lot of ‘noise’ fill your day and compete for your attention? Join us as we unpack this topic, share personal examples, and offer wisdom to help you create space and quiet to hear God’s voice.

Episode Notes:

Introduction:

  • Our culture today is very demanding.
  • Social media and noise can fill our day and compete for our attention.
  • FOMO – Fear of missing out.
  • Instant gratification.
  • Absorb culture and don’t seem to question it because everyone else is doing it.

First Principle: Regularly stop and assess

  • Take stock. What is the loudest, most influential voice in my life right now?
  • Look at what is filling your days, your mind, your thought life, the ‘down’ times of your day.
  • What is keeping you awake at night? What do you think of first thing in the morning?
  • Look at your social media access. Try fasting from social media or whatever is grabbing your attention and see how it goes.
  • Don’t just coast along, but make a habit of asking questions.
  • Learn to question your choices, decisions, lifestyle, e.g., education system, way you spend finances, holidays, buying a house, what fills your time, e.g., work/study, etc.
  • Romans 12:1-2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” The Message version is “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.”
  • Conform – take on the shape. Don’t live in a fortress out of fear, though.
  • Surround yourself with ‘truth-tellers’ – people who will be honest with you. Not just ‘yes’ people.
  • Proverbs 13:20 “Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.”
  • I am prompted to get back into the habit of reading a chapter of Proverbs each day, e.g., on the 7th day read chapter 7, etc.

Second Principle: Pause. Be still.

  • Quiet the ‘external’ voice.
  • Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God” It’s in a chapter about chaos. Verses 1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
  • Selah – stop and catch your breath. Pause. Usually used in the middle of chaos. A reminder to stop, pause, take a breath, settle your mind, heart, and thoughts. E.g. Psalm 3 when David is fleeing from his enemies. Not a time to take a break and rest. But it is built into the narrative – don’t turn your mind off God during those times.

Third Principle: One way God speaks is in a still, small voice.

  • 1 Kings 19: 7-12. Elijah had shown up the prophets of Baal and annihilated them, but then got scared and ran for his life. An angel of the Lord gave him food, water and rest because he was hungry and tired, and that was affecting him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Then he travelled another 40 days and nights, went into a cave where he heard in verse 9: “And the word of the Lordcame to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
  • Nature can calm us.
  • John 10:27 “My sheep listen to (or recognise) my voice. I know them and they follow me.”
  • John 17:15-17 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Summary:

  1. Regularly stop and assess.
  2. Pause. Be still.
  3. One way God speaks is in a still, small voice.

Prophetic activation:

Turn your heart and thoughts to Father God and ask Him:

  • “God, is there something I could take a break from or fast this week to spend more quiet time with You?”
  • “God, can You please show me how or when I can take a break this week?”

Time Stamps:

[0:37] – Gary & Jane share how they have heard God this week.

[5:41] – Introduction.

[7:09] – First Principle: Regularly stop and assess.

[16:28] – Second Principle: Pause. Be still.

[19:39] – Third Principle: One way God speaks is in a still, small voice.

[22:47] – Summary

[23:11] – Prophetic activation.

[24:23] – Gary & Jane share a prophetic word for a listener.

[26:51] – Gary prays for you.

Resources / Links Mentioned:

Bible Verses Mentioned:

  • Romans 12:1-2
  • Proverbs 13:20
  • Psalm 46:10
  • Psalm 3
  • 1 Kings 19:7-12
  • John 10:27
  • John 17:15-17

Connect with Gary & Jane:

Support the show:

  • Please share this podcast with someone who would value hearing from God.
  • Follow and leave a rating + review on your favourite podcast listening app.
  • If God is leading you to donate or support the show in any way, please visit https://buymeacoffee/garyandjanM Thank you so much.
Episode 122: God never answered my prayer

Episode 122: God never answered my prayer

Episode Description:

You may be wondering how the topic, ‘God never answered my prayer,’ relates to hearing God. Heaps. When we become disappointed with God because He never answered our prayer, it impacts our willingness, openness, and ability to hear God. Join us as we unpack this topic, share personal examples, and bring wisdom in this area.

Episode Notes:

Our experience:

  • Jane’s experience of Ruth dying, her mum dying, and infertility.
  • Gary’s experience with disappointment, especially around career changes.
  • Disappointment with God – unmet expectations, when something we have hoped for, prayed for, expected didn’t occur. Sometimes we can put up walls of protection to prevent further hurt. This can become a blockage to hearing God.
  • Be honest. Don’t become offended with God. Don’t let bitterness begin.
  • Practice gratitude.
  • Anchor myself in the promises of God. God’s truth, not my experience.
  • Episode 21: Hearing God when God is silent.
  • Episode 17: When I thought I heard God, but it didn’t come true.

First Principle: Deal with your disappointment.

  • Forgive. Then change your thinking.
  • Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” The Message version: “Unrelenting disappointment leaves your heart sick.”
  • Don’t critique God. Lean into Him. Now is not the time to pull away from God. Don’t allow the enemy to fester disappointment, offence, and bitterness.
  • Psalm 34:18 “The Lordis close/near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The Message version: “If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.”
  • Psalm 27:13-14 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lordin the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
  • Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
  • Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
  • Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The Message version – “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognise what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
  • Psalm 34:1 “I will praise the Lord at all times.”
  • Just because we’ve experienced disappointment does not mean that God’s character has changed.

Second Principle: Accept the mystery.

  • Life’s not fair. Accept it.
  • God’s character hasn’t changed because we’ve experienced loss. In his sermon several days after his wife died of cancer, Bill Johnson said, “God doesn’t owe us an explanation.”
  • We can be so busy asking God why that we don’t listen to what He is saying.
  • It’s not helpful to ask God ‘why’. Accept the mystery. Job in the Bible – God never gives him an answer to why. Instead, “I’m God, and you’re not”. Sometimes that has to be enough.
  • God’s not a fairy godmother who will fix everything.
  • We are not called to live an easy life. Luke 9:23 – we are called to deny ourselves and follow Christ.
  • Saw a quote – “Be so rooted in God’s love that even disappointment feels like divine protection.” @jenessawait (IG)

Third Principle: Move forward.

  • Can I say, “I still keep showing up”? “I still want to hear God”. This becomes my new normal.
  • Our purpose in life is not to reach a destination but in the journey.
  • Don’t be like the Israelites in the wilderness, whinging about everything despite seeing God turn up and do miracle after miracle. Be thankful, obedient and faithful.
  • Practice gratitude.
  • Isaiah 60:18 “No longer will violence be heard in your land nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates, praise.” We give God praise.
  • Psalm 100:4 – Enter God’s courts with thanksgiving and praise.

Summary:

  1. Deal with your disappointment.
  2. Accept the mystery.
  3. Move forward.

Prophetic activation:

Turn your heart and thoughts to Father God and ask Him:

  • “God, can You please show me any areas in my life or my thoughts that are not in agreement with You, Lord?”
  • “God, are there any walls of protection I’ve built in my life, or any bitter roots I’ve allowed to develop from past hurts?”
  • “God, is there anyone I need to forgive?” (Maybe even yourself. If a person immediately comes to mind, take that as a sign that forgiveness is still required.)

Time Stamps:

[0:45] – Gary & Jane share how they have heard God this week.

[5:38] – Gary & Jane’s experience.

[10:22] – First Principle: Deal with your disappointment.

[13:40] – Second Principle: Accept the mystery.

[16:44] – Third Principle: Move forward.

[18:50] – Summary

[19:10] – Prophetic activation.

[20:45] – Gary & Jane share a prophetic word for a listener.

[22:43] – Gary prays for you.

Resources / Links Mentioned:

Bible Verses Mentioned:

  • Ruth
  • Proverbs 13:12
  • Psalm 34:18
  • Psalm 27:13-14
  • Romans 8:28
  • Hebrews 10:23
  • Romans 12:2
  • Psalm 34:1
  • Luke 9:23
  • Job
  • Isaiah 60:18
  • Psalm 100:4
  • Joshua1:6-9

Connect with Gary & Jane:

Support the show:

  • Please share this podcast with someone who would value hearing from God.
  • Follow and leave a rating + review on your favourite podcast listening app.
  • If God is leading you to donate or support the show in any way, please visit https://buymeacoffee/garyandjanM Thank you so much.
Episode 121: What if God asks me to do something bizarre?

Episode 121: What if God asks me to do something bizarre?

Episode Description:

How would you respond if God asked you to do something bizarre? Do you have a ‘grid’ for how you would make your decision? Join us as we give both Biblical and personal examples and share guidelines and a caution to keep in mind if, and when, you hear God ask you to do something bizarre.

Episode Notes:

Previous episodes:

  • Episode 57 -Ezekiel

God asked Ezekiel to do prophetic acts – physical acts that have implications and change things in the spiritual world. A prophetic act is something done (at God’s direction) in the natural (physical) realm that supports God’s work in the spiritual realm and brings forth results manifested in the natural realm. It opens a channel for God’s presence, power, and victory to affect the physical realm and change outcomes. Examples of Ezekiel doing this include eating the scroll, taking a block of clay and building siege works, lying on his left side for 390 days to bear the sin for the number of days that represent the years of Israel’s sin and then lying on his right side for 40 days – the number of years of Judah’s sin. He took wheat to bake barley bread over human excrement for fuel – symbolising Israelites eating defiled food among the nations. Ezekiel said he would not defile himself that way, so God allowed him to bake it over cow dung instead. Shaving head, burning 1/3 of the hair, scatter 1/3, cut 1/3 with the sword, representing 1/3 die by plague/famine, 1/3 scattered to the wind and 1/3 fall to the sword.

  • Episode 34 – Hosea to marry a prostitute
  • Episode 39 – Esther – go before the King uninvited – beheaded if not accepted
  • Episode 40 – Noah in Genesis 6-9 when God asks him to build this 3-storey boat. He built this huge boat when there was no rain. Even more bizarre when you realise they were tent dwellers and had no grid for rain and floods.
  • Episode 51 – Mary in Luke 1:26-56 – angel said you will conceive supernaturally
  • Episode 53 – Jonah – to go to the most depraved city and tell them God is bringing judgment. 7th Century BC, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. No love between Israel and the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians would conquer cities and rape and take captive the women and kill the men and children. The Assyrians would tear off the lips and hands of their victims and skin them alive. Nahum 3:1-4 tells us what Nineveh was like – a city of blood, full of lies and plunder, war, fighting, corpses in the middle of the street, prostitution, and witchcraft. Jonah thought they would kill him. Likened to a Jew during World War 2, hearing God say to go to Hitler and tell Nazi Germany to repent.

First Principle: Check if it is from God

  • Ask wise, trusted people. Does it align with Biblical principles?
  • Mark 3:21 – Jesus’ family saying, ‘He’s out of his mind’. Jesus had broken the law by healing on the Sabbath, attracted great crowds, picked his disciples, and then his family came along to ‘save’ him.
  • Our view of how and what God expects of us is not always right.
  • Examples of Gary & Jane hearing bizarre things from God and how they obeyed.

Second Principle: Will it bring good or harm?

  • Will it harm someone or harm God’s witness?
  • Acts 8:26-40 – An angel told Phillip to leave the crowded area where he was having great success sharing the Gospel and instead go to a deserted road running through the desert. A chariot with a Eunuch from Ethiopia (in charge of the Treasury of the Ethiopian Queen) came along, reading the book of Isaiah. Phillip explained the Gospel, the Ethiopian Eunuch believed and was baptised in a bit of water on the side of the road, and Philip was taken away in the spirit. The Eunuch went on his way and started a huge expansion of the Coptic church in Africa.
  • A word of caution: Our thinking and other people’s reactions can limit what we perceive God may be saying, and that can impact on us never reaching our full potential in God.

Third Principle: You have a choice

  • We’re in charge of our obedience to God.
  • Our expectations or our limitations don’t limit God.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:10-15 – when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, we will each be called to give an account for how we lived our lives.
  • Genesis 6:22 “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say that at the end of your life.
  • If God asks impossible things of us, He plans to do the impossible for us.
  • You still have a choice whether you obey God, but you don’t really have a choice because you are a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Summary:

  1. Check if it is from God.
  2. Will it bring good or harm?
  3. You have a choice.

Prophetic activation:

Turn your heart and thoughts to Father God and ask Him to show you a way you can share His love this week through food.

  • Ask God what to make / what food.
  • Who to give it to.
  • How to present the food.

Time Stamps:

[0:38] – Gary & Jane share how they have heard God this week.

[4:03] – Introduction.

[7:15] – First Principle: Check if it is from God.

[12:24] – Second Principle: Will it bring good or harm?

[18:08] – A word of caution.

[18:23] – Third Principle: You have a choice.

[19:51] – Summary

[20:11] – Prophetic activation.

[21:19] – Gary & Jane share a prophetic word for a listener.

[23:17] – Gary prays for you.

Resources / Links Mentioned:

Bible Verses Mentioned:

  • Ezekiel
  • Hosea
  • Esther
  • Genesis 6-9
  • Luke 1:26-256
  • Jonah
  • Nahum 3:1-4
  • Mark 3:21
  • Acts 8:26-40
  • 2 Corinthians 5:10-15
  • Genesis 6:22

Connect with Gary & Jane:

Support the show:

  • Please share this podcast with someone who would value hearing from God.
  • Follow and leave a rating + review on your favourite podcast listening app.
  • If God is leading you to donate or support the show in any way, please visit https://buymeacoffee/garyandjanM Thank you so much.