God Conversations with Tania Harris

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God’s most common way of speaking in biblical history is through dreams and visions. But today many of us are more likely to dismiss our visionary experiences as the product of a spicy meal rather than a potential message from God. But could we be missing out on the voice we so long to hear?

Today’s show is a different one where we flip the roles around on the show! Hosted by one of our volunteer God Conversations team members, Ali Kennedy, we hear from Tania Harris, Director of God Conversations and the author of the brand new book, God Dreams: How to Hear God’s Voice in Dreams and Visions. You’ll get a taster of what the new book is all about, plus a peak behind the scenes of the writing process.

You’ll hear about:

- - Tania’s motivation for writing the book… 25 years in the making, the book began with a personal journey when Tania first heard God speak in a dream. The problem was she had never heard teaching on the topic and when she sought to seek understanding from others, she encountered skepticism, misunderstanding and even mockery.

I told my friends about my God dream and they thought I was strange. I told my pastor and he said I was strange. Then I read my Bible and I realised they were strange too, because they heard from God in dream-visions all the time!

- - Why the topic of dreams and visions is so neglected in the church – even when it makes up an enormous proportion of the biblical material. Tania explains the reasons for this “blind spot” in the Western church.

Some of the most pivotal points in biblical history happened while someone was sleeping.

- - Why God might favour dreams and visions as a form of communication above other means. Tania reflects on the insights of neuroscience and why they point to our masterful communicator who knows the best way to get the message across.

A picture really does tell a thousand words!

- - The difference between a dream and a vision. - Tania’s greatest challenge in writing the book – exploring John’s visions of Revelation, our best example of a visual God conversation in the early church. Tania joined a Revelation scholars group to ensure her interpretations had solid grounding in church tradition and biblical exegesis! Tania explains that John’s visions are not difficult to understand once you know how to interpret the language of symbolism.

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Inspired by the interview? Check out God Dreams the book!

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It’s Not our Job to Convert Anyone!Jesus’ last words on earth was to go into all the world and share the good news (Matt. 28:18-20). But at the same time, we know that it’s not our job to convict, convert or save anyone! The Holy Spirit alone works in people’s hearts and we should never try to control or coerce another person’s choices. So how does this work in practise? What role does the Holy Spirit play in evangelism?

These days, evangelism doesn’t have such a great name. Whether it’s the image of the Bible-thumping, money-seeking TV evangelist or the fire-breathing angry preacher on the street corner, no-one seems to be listening. Perhaps we’ve forgotten what our job is? What should evangelism look like when the Holy Spirit is working with us?

Our guest Dave Shepherd is here to offer some insights. Dave is a Baptist preacher from Adelaide who had a spectacular God conversation in his teens that changed his life. His insights point us to a way of working with the Holy Spirit that is powerful and beautiful. And it takes the pressure off!

On this episode of the show, you’ll hear about:

Dave’s back story – how Dave grew up serving the “God of sport and basketball,” and how a God-encounter at age 16 changed the trajectory of his life.
Dave’s reflections on being raised in a church family and dealing with the questions that confronted him as he grew into adulthood.. Is this real or fake? Is Jesus the one? Why should I follow Jesus?
How God answered Dave’s questions through a powerful God dream.

Jesus was literally standing right in front of me and he had tears in his eyes and he looked at me and he said, “this is why.”

The role of the Holy Spirit – who speaks to draw people closer to God as they posture their hearts to seek him.
The motivation for evangelism. The first disciples shared their faith because Christ’s love compelled them. No specific “program” was needed because they operated out of relationship.
Our role in sharing faith. The Holy Spirit is already at work in the world – our role is to discern and co-operate with what the Holy Spirit is doing. This is incredibly freeing as it takes the pressure off!

I cannot change anyone no matter how convincing I am, how great my theology is or how wonderful my apologetics are – none of that can make faith come alive in a person’s heart.

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About Dave Shepherd

Dave Shepherd is the Lead Pastor of Hills Baptist Church (www.hillsbaptist.com), a multisite church community in Adelaide with a vision to see Jesus glorified, lives transformed and the hope of the Gospel revealed throughout the world. Dave is a co-founder of Ignite Ministries and the One Church podcast, where he works with other believers and church leaders to call the Church to unity, prayer, and worship. Dave’s heart and gifting is to fearlessly proclaim the truth of the Gospel, to raise up the next generation of leaders, and to plant churches that plant churches. Dave is married to his wife Jo and together they have three children, Bailey, Mabel and Benji.

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The Salvation Army is an incredible movement that works in 136 countries around the world and began in the streets of nineteenth century London by William and Catherine Booth. It is both a church and charity, known for its focus on justice, compassion, and supporting the welfare of others. But did you know that the Salvos began in the power and revelation of the Holy Spirit?

On this episode of God Conversations, we talk to Major Kim Haworth about the God conversations that shaped the Salvation Army – affectionately known (in Australia!) as the Salvos. Kim is a major in the Salvos and leads the state of NSW/ACT as Divisional commander. She explains that the Holy Spirit was at the centre of the Salvation Army work from the very beginning.

You’ll hear about:

Kim’s story – how she made a decision to follow Jesus at age 31. Kim tells of her belief in God in her earlier years, but how a life-changing encounter in church introduced her to relationship with God at a personal level.
Kim’s unexpected God conversation that led her into ministry with the Salvation Army.

I heard in my mind, “you know you’re going to be an officer don’t you?” To which I replied “yes!” and felt this crazy sense of peace from the top of my head to the tips of my toes – that is until I realised what I said!

The origins of the Salvation Army and how the Holy Spirit led William Booth to reach “the lost, last and least.” These were the people other churches weren’t reaching because they were the “tough ones.”Booth’s approach was to raise up a volunteer army to fight for God’s kingdom in a spiritual battle. He used military vocabulary because it was well respected and widely understood at the time.
The fundamental understanding of the Salvation Army that salvation is wholistic and involves every part of ourselves.

“There is no gospel, but the social gospel – salvation is wholistic – the total redemption of mind, body and spirit. People can’t hear about the gospel while their tummies are rumbling.”

A little of William Booth’s story and how he received pushback from the established church because the people he was ministering to didn’t fit in and weren’t welcomed. Booth realised he would have to create a safe place for them to flourish and hence, new churches were founded.
The role of the Holy Spirit in establishing new movements. Often we begin in the fire of the Holy Spirit, but then we get comfortable and shift into maintenance mode. Hence the need to constantly stir up the Spirit in our hearts, listen to what God is saying and bravely re-pioneer…

“We see God move most in our lives when we’re out of our depth.”

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About Kim Haworth

Major Kim Haworth is the Divisional Commander of the NSW and ACT Division of The Salvation Army. She has served in pastoral ministry for 10 years with her husband, Steve as Corps Officers (lead pastors) in country Victoria and Melbourne, as well as four years as the Divisional Commander for Tasmania. Kim has completed undergraduate and post graduate studies in Ministry and Theology and holds a Vice Chancellor’s Scholar award from the University of Divinity. She have three great adult kids – Jayden, Stacey and Bryce. Kim is passionate about living in the presence of God every day, and sharing the life of freedom and joy, that Jesus died to give all people who call on His name.

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A School without Rules? How Holy Spirit can Change How we LearnWhen we think of the Holy Spirit, we think about the God who saves us spiritually, but did you know that an encounter with the Spirit also helps us to learn? Experiencing the Holy Spirit could even improve your grades at school!

In this fascinating interview, I talk with Jeff Davis, Principal of Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast, Australia. In the past year, they’ve experienced incredible revival among their students, with over a hundred baptisms, the commencement of over 20 new bible study groups and enthusiastic mosh pit worship sessions. Jeff talks about how the faith of the students has become real; how they’ve seen healing and transformation of behaviour and how they students have even been leading the adults! More so, Jeff reflects on how understanding Jesus and encountering the Spirit changes the way we do education.

You’ll hear about:

Jeff’s back story and his own God conversation story that led to the miraculous conception of his first child.
How the revival at Hillcrest College began when staff were inspired by the events at Asbury University, USA and felt led to pray. An altar call at the school chapel service followed and 400 students came forward…

One boy who was suspended at the time felt God’s presence come on him in his home. He rang the school and said, “what happened?”

The difference revival has made in the school. Jeff tells of the damage done to students’ learning ability through exposure to certain material to the internet, and how the Holy Spirit is restoring hearts and minds.

People without faith know there’s something different – they just can’t understand what it is.

How Spirit encounters reorient us to a more wholistic approach to education. The spiritual dimension is necessary for success!
The need for safety and vulnerability to experience God. Jeff explains that the Holy Spirit is free to move when we feel safe and secure. This includes our emotions.
A school without rules? Jeff explains how the school aims to shift from a negative orientation to a positive, redemptive approach that is based on the way of Jesus. The goal is for relationships, safety and emotions to be a part of education so that students can come to school seeking to grow not thinking they’re going to get into trouble.

This is the power of the Holy Spirit in education. We encourage you to listen to Jeff’s interview and pass it onto parents, teachers and school leaders or anyone who is seeking to learn!

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About Jeff DavisJeff Davis is the Executive Head of College at Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast, Australia. With over 35 years of experience in education and more than 20 years as a principal, Jeff has led some of the largest and fastest-growing schools in Australia. His passion lies in challenging current education norms and driving change to provide a world-leading educational experience. At the core of this approach is a focus on wellbeing and emotional intelligence, aiming to prepare students for the evolving global landscape.

Jeff believes holistic learning involves developing the whole child across four domains: Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, and Wellbeing. He shares his insights on innovation and leadership at conferences, on radio and various podcasts, and through his latest book ‘Leading the Learning Revolution’.

Hillcrest Christian College has achieved remarkable growth and recognition under Jeff’s leadership, labelled one of the fastest-growing independent schools in Australia and receiving an Innovative Schools Award from Educator Magazine. In 2018, Cambridge University recognised Hillcrest as one of the top 100 Most Innovative Schools globally.

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Hearing God in a dream can be a life-changing experience, but it can also be a confusing one! Dreams speak a symbolic and sometimes confusing language and the process of interpretation is not well understood, making it subject to mistakes and abuse. It’s no wonder the claim to hearing God in a dream is often met with skepticism, disinterest and even mockery.

Dream interpretation is more art than science, so it isn’t always straightforward or formulaic, but there are some principles we can learn that will help us hear God more clearly in this creative and powerful way.

In this episode of the show, I talk with British dreams expert Tony Cooke about the common mistakes people make when learning to hear God in dreams. We unpack the dynamics of the God-dream experience so that you can confidently discern God’s voice as we sleep. You’ll discover:

A little of Tony’s back story and how he became interested in dream interpretation when prophetic experiences broke out in his church.
Mistake 1: misunderstanding the symbolism of people in our dreams.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is when they see a related person in their dream and they assume the dream is about that person.

Mistake 2: over-reliance on dream dictionaries. A dream dictionary is helpful in teaching us about symbolism, but has limited use, because symbols must be understood in the context of the dreamer’s life.
Mistake 3: fixating on individual symbols while not considering the bigger picture.
Mistake 4: dream interpreters who lapse into prophecy and thereby add to the message of the dream.
Mistake 5: the inability to discern between soul and spirit in a dream.
A reminder that making mistakes is part of the learning process! Given our propensity for error, humility in dream interpretation is crucial. We also need to receive training and be willing to reflect on our experiences in community.

The biggest mistake of all is not getting trained properly. Humility says, “I need to know how to do this properly or I can do damage.”

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About Tony CookeTony is the founder of The Dream Academy (www.thedreamacademy.online), an online training and support site for biblical dream interpreters. He and his wife Dwee planted pastored the Cheltenham Vineyard Church in 2009 and later continued to teach and train in many countries including The Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, India, South Africa, USA, Spain and Ireland. Tony is also on the Leadership Board of Patria Ministries International, a global family of businesses, churches, ministries and itinerant ministers which provides a highly interdependent personal environment where leaders can build relationships and be strengthened and equipped for greater Kingdom influence. Tony and his wife Dwee have two grown up children and live on the south coast of England.

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Bob heard God speak at a Bible Study with Prisoners. Then this happened…Jesus was known for the way he interacted with those on the margins of society – the tax collectors everyone despised, the lepers no-one would touch, the cripples and the prostitutes society rejected. Jesus’ teaching and interactions constantly reflected God’s heart for those who had been forgotten and left behind. So today, when we hear the Spirit as Jesus’ continuing voice, we shouldn’t be surprised that we find themselves in similar places! That is, we will be led to love the poor as Jesus did.

In this episode, we talk about the revelatory work of Holy Spirit among the poor with someone who is doing just that. With his wife Gracie, Bob Ekblad lives out the heart of Jesus through the power and revelation of the Spirit. After living several years working in sustainable farming in Honduras and then studying theology in France, Bob and Gracie lead a church community known as Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Washington state USA. Here, they come alongside immigrants, street people, addicts and prisoners to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical and profound ways.

You’ll hear about:

Bob and Gracie’s fascinating story from a kibbutz in the Middle East to the cornfields of Honduras, the study halls of Paris and the streets of Washington state…
How working with impoverished peasants in sustainable farming led to an unexpected request: “A lot of us are tough. Some of us are violent. We don’t put God first, but we notice you do. Could we begin our weekly farming courses with a Bible study?” Bob tells of his surprise and excitement as well as a deep sense of trepidation:

“You pull out a Bible in that setting, and the people look like stray city dogs who are used to being kicked. They sleek off and lurk away, fearful of being beaten by the Bible, because that’s how the Bible has been used…”

How reading the Bible with semi-literate, impoverished Latinos expanded Bob’s view of the Gospel story

“When people are marginalised and from the lowest classes of society, they abandon all hope and throw themselves into a life of drinking and violence.”

A defining moment in Bob’s journey towards understanding the Holy Spirit… Bob and Gracie came from a background of seeing only the abuses of Holy Spirit ministry and were fearful of engaging with Charismatic Christians. Yet, they recognised that their ministry desperately needed the power of the Holy Spirit, particularly as they were dealing with hardened criminals and addicts who easily relapsed. When Bob found himself in a charismatic conference, he felt the need to pray a prayer of protection over the Christians praying as they prayed! Then he received a piercingly accurate prophetic word that changed his life:

“I see you in a circle of men in red uniforms sitting on blue plastic chairs. I think they’re prisoners. I hear the Father saying, “I love how you love my prisoners.”

The shift in Bob’s ministry after receiving prayer for a healing anointing. Bob tells how Jesus’ teaching from Luke 15 became relevant for a self-confessed racist, neo-Nazi gang member in jail who wanted to learn how to get along with Mexicans. After the Bible study, a word from God and a simple prayer led to a miraculous healing for one of the jail members.
The connection between hearing the Spirit and developing a heart for those who have suffered, even violent offenders. Bob shares how hearing God speak about the health conditions and root emotional problems of others revealed the kind of grace that did not require change of even faith to bring healing. In his words, “pre-emptive love doesn’t require a response – it elicits a response.”

About Bob Ekblad

Bob and Gracie Ekblad are founders and co-directors of Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Burlington, Washington. Together they minister at Tierra Nueva and at their home-based retreat centre, New Earth Refuge in the Skagit Valley. They have three adult children. Bob is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), holds a ThD in Old Testament and is known internationally for his courses and workshops on reading the Bible. Gracie is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) and holds a Masters in Theology. She pastors and teaches at Tierra Nueva and beyond, emphasizing discipleship, holistic healing and liberation. More @ www.bobekblad.com

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If you had to sum up the ministry of Jesus, it would include three features: teaching, exorcising demons and healing! As followers of Jesus and recipients of his Spirit, the church should also be known for healing. But how does it work, and what role does the Spirit’s voice have to play?

In this episode of the God Conversations podcast, we talk with Kirk Delaney, Pastor of Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane Queensland, Director of the Australian Vineyard Churches and a follower of Jesus who is experienced in hearing God’s voice for healing.

You’ll hear about:

Kirk’s initial attraction to the Vineyard movement that came about because they were not just concerned with moral and spiritual transformation, but in partnering with the Holy Spirit to do the empowering works of Jesus, including healing the sick and casting out demons.

“My question was, why are signs and wonders happening in the Majority world but not in the West?”

The first major healing Kirk witnessed when the Holy Spirit fell on a woman with a pronounced curvature of the spine and a large protrusion on one of her shoulders. Over 45 mins of prayer, Kirk watched as her leg grew, her spine straightened and the bump on her shoulder disappeared like a deflating balloon. Kirk’s response was, “God, I don’t know you, do I?!”
The connection between compassion and the the healing ministry of Jesus. Holy Spirit speaks to move us with love for hurting people in the manner of Jesus.
The mandate on every person to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing. Everyone has authorisation to engage – not just the “super healers” on stage!

“Everyone gets to do the work of Jesus!”

The first time Kirk stepped out in hearing God’s voice and healing, involving an unusual story of a woman who had recently lost her husband and was suffering from an arthritic pinkie finger. Kirk explains how we hear God through all the senses – feeling, seeing, hearing – as God draws our attention to something in another person.

“God I know you want to talk to me about healing for someone, but my right pinkie finger is really throbbing!”

Advice for starting out: start simply – ask God, “is there anyone here on your heart that you would like to touch with your love today?”
Kirk’s thoughts on why healing doesn’t always happen.

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About Kirk DelaneyKirk is married to Nichole and they have three young adult children and a new son-in-law. Together they pastor the Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane and serve as the national directors of Vineyard Churches Australia (https://vineyard.org.au/). Kirk has been serving in local church ministry for 30 years and has a big heart to see God’s people equipped for living the message, ministry and mission of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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All over the Western world, people are revisiting their history and in particular, their participation in colonialism. Many nations in the West were established in lands that were long inhabited by indigenous or First Nations peoples, with European settlement coming at a deadly and devastating cost. Debates rage as to how we should respond to a history that is often brutal and violent. For the Christian church, this means asking what the Spirit is saying about the topic. How do we respond to the cries of the native Indians of North America, the Inuit of Canada, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand and so many others who still suffer from the effects of colonial domination? What does the Gospel of Jesus look like when it comes to reconciling our past with our future?

On this episode of the podcast, we explore the question of what the Spirit is saying about First Nations people with Ps Lydia Read, leader of the New Wine Movement in New Zealand. Lydia is well-positioned to answer this question, having lived it alongside the Maori peoples of New Zealand.

You’ll hear Lydia talk with Tania about:

The history of the New Wine movement as well as Lydia’s personal story into her family’s adventures with the Holy Spirit. Lydia talks about the emphasis of New Wine on healing, reconciliation, justice and its role standing alongside the local church asking, “how can we help?”
Lydia’s experience of reconciliation with the first peoples of her land – the Maori. Lydia explains that we start by making deep friendships with First Peoples in a way that reflect the ideals of covenant. That is, we form relationships as brothers and sisters together as the family of God.
The need to watch our hearts and pursue the face of God in the journey of reconciliation. This calls us to deep humility. It involves learning together and talking about our cross-cultural differences.

You start with watching your heart – the wellspring of life. Reconciliation calls us to deep humility and seeking after the identity God has for us as a nation and the people of God.

How one of the earliest God conversations in the early church between people of two different cultures provides us with an example for us to follow. The Ethiopian Eunuch’s interaction with Phillip marked the first conversion in the church outside the Jewish race (Acts 8:26-40) and crossed enormous social barriers including race, sexuality and class. Lydia explain how conversations with the Maori about Scripture broadened her understanding of the Gospel.
What it means to do “church” with people of different cultures – while cross-cultural integration is challenging, we are so much richer for it! Lydia shared how she learnt to play differently as a result of her relationship with Maori!
The enormous significance of Jesus’ prayer that we may be one (John 17:20-23).
How the process of reconciliation leads us into the heart of God as the Holy Spirit challenges how we think, even while our upbringings have shaped our thinking and often led us to avoid those who are different.

When the Spirit falls and you pursue the things on God’s heart, everything falls into the right order. You start to see God’s justice and love for those on the margins.

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About Lydia ReadThe Spirit-stirring feeling that there must be more, and that a life of faith should mean a life of adventure is what first led Lydia (and husband Shane) to the New Wine movement (www.newwine.org.nz). A wild roller coaster ride of fun and adventure is one way to describe what’s happened since!

Lydia leads the charge at New Wine with joyful devotion! She is energised by God’s church and being with ordinary people who live dynamic personal faith journeys – the true heroes of the faith. With the rest of her time, Lydia masters the role of cool grandma to six mokopuna in addition to pastoring Hope Vineyard Church with her husband Shane, and being the financial manager of their farming and property business.

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How do we hear God’s voice? Perhaps the best way to describe the forms of Holy Spirit communication is by starting with the human forms we’re familiar with. This includes all of our senses! So we can hear God’s voice, but we can also see it, taste it, smell it and feel it!

On this episode of the show, we focus on hearing God through our “spiritual senses” with prophet and pastor Maria Mason. You’ll learn about:

Maria’s back story, from being raised in a Catholic family to walking away from God and later, coming to terms with her experiences of seeing in the Spirit realm from the age of five.
The variety of sensory ways we can hear from God. Just as we have sight, hearing, touch, taste and feeling as our five natural senses, we have five senses in the spiritual ream – spiritual eyes, spiritual ears, spiritual taste, spiritual smell and spiritual touch.

“God is a god of variety. It is the Father’s intention that each person has their sensory realm opened up.”

How God uses “Spirit feelings” to communicate. For example intercessors can receive “intel” from God through their emotional selves by tuning into God’s heart for a situation. There are plenty of examples of this in Scripture, such as with Jeremiah – the weeping prophet, and Isaiah who felt the groans of God. Prophetic people who are tuned into their senses can feel for other people and receive information about them.
The importance of emotional healing to sharpen our spiritual senses.

“Wounded emotions struggle to feel in a clean way. You get mixed intel…”

The profound connection between hearing God’s voice and healing. Maria says we need to become “students of our own hearts.” She reminds us of the proverb to “watch over your heart with all diligence because from it, springs life” (from Proverbs 4:23). Watching over our hearts includes noticing trigger points that come up and present an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to bring healing. As Jesus said, the Spirit is present to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18). Prophecy is not just for revival – it is one of the tools that God uses to bring emotional healing.

“The more our hearts get healed by the Father, the more we can be confident that we are experiencing clear communication in our human relationships and our relationship with God.”

The value of “Highly Sensitive People” (HSP). Neuroscientists have discovered that there are some brains (approximately 25% of the population) that are particularly sensitive to stimuli. That is, highly sensitive people are quicker to discern things when they walk into a room. They can be hyper aware of what is going on in relationships and can even sense the presence of demonic forces. HSP people are almost pre-wired to be prophetic!

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About Maria

Maria describes herself as a “cultural architect,” who lives to see the Church become powerful in God’s presence. Together with her husband Phil, Maria pioneered a community in northern NSW, Australia in 1998 called Tribe Church. She is a recognised prophet and speaks on the subjects of church culture, relationships, leadership, prophetic ministry, worship, community and revival. Maria loves to coach leaders and is an ordained pastor in the Crosslink Network and a member of the Australian Prophetic Council. Her books, “The Glory Community; Building Heaven’s Culture on Earth” (Part 1 and 2) and “Heart Prophet: a manual for feelers, seers and heart restorers” are designed to inspire the church to live in the realm of God’s glory here on earth.

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One of the most challenging times to hear God’s voice is in seasons of suffering and ill-health. Clarity is difficult to find in the midst of pain, fear and doubt. On this episode, we talk to someone who understands this more than most. British author, communicator and friend, Kate Nicholas joins us on the GC podcast to talk about her rollercoaster ride of cancer diagnoses and how she heard God speak in the midst of them. This episode will encourage anyone who is seeking to hear God’s voice in the midst of suffering.

On the show, we talk about:

Kate’s fascinating faith journey, beginning with her bohemian upbringing and faithful attendance at a Baptist church in childhood. This was followed by a season of rejecting her faith when she was unable to reconcile God’s goodness with her father’s mental illness. Finally, a time of spiritual exploration led her to travel, studying Buddhism in India and experiencing God’s presence in the Australian outback.
Kate’s first diagnosis with advanced breast cancer in 2014 and the extraordinary journey of healing that followed. The prognosis was devastating – Stage 4 cancer had spread to some of the main organs of her body – but through it all, Kate clung to a promise that God had given her – she would “not die, but live and declare the works of God” (Psalm 118:17). It was during this time that Kate wrote her first book, Sea Changed in order to show her children that God was with her and so that they wouldn’t reject God as she had.
Kate’s insights on healing – though Kate still doesn’t understand why some experience physical healing and others do not, she explains how God’s healing is bigger than a cure. She tells of one of her early meetings with the oncologist and how she experienced such a deep peace, that the oncologist questioned her understanding:

“You do understand the implications of what I’m saying to you, don’t you?” “Yes, you’re telling me that I’m dying. But I’m going to leave the door open to God.”

Kate’s second cancer diagnosis in 2021 – this time in the other breast and far more aggressive than the first. Though initially bewildering for Kate, the cancer became a profound gateway to a greater connection with God.
Kate’s discovery of the contemplative tradition. During her cancer treatment and the isolation caused by COVID, Kate learned about the contemplative practises used by the Apostle Paul, the early desert fathers, the Celtic Christians and the medieval mystics. These all focus on being close to God in solitude and hearing God in silence. As a self-proclaimed “raving extrovert”, Kate explains how this was a challenge at first!

“I discovered a whole tradition I knew very little about which goes back all the way to the dawn of Christianity. These contemplative practices focus on being close to God and hearing his voice in solitude and silence. This was a challenge for me because I am a raving extrovert!”

Kate reminds us that Christianity is an Eastern faith at its roots – and that sadly, the Western tradition has lost much of this emphasis. Kate tells of the riches to be found in Christian mindfulness, centering prayer and opening up to our intuition. She encourages us all to “be still and know that he is God.” (Psalm 46:10)

About Kate Nicholas

Kate Nicholas is a Christian author, TV presenter and speaker with over thirty years working experience as a journalist and editor and more recently global communications chief for Christian aid agency World Vision. She also preaches at the Amazing Grace Church of St Peter and St Paul in the British market town of Olney in Buckinghamshire.

When first diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2014, Kate was given a promise that she would ‘ not die, but live and declare the works of God’ (Psalm 118:17). And when, against all odds she survived, this became the mission of her life beginning with her first book Sea Changed – an account of her unconventional journey of faith and healing. But seven years later, her cancer returned with a vengeance and her latest book To The Ocean Floor tells the story of her second cancer journey which became a gateway into a deeper intuitive connection with God.

Kate’s books, Sea Changed, Soul Scribe and her new book, To the Ocean Floor are available here (www.katenicholas.co.uk)

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Lyn Packer thought that one day she’d end up in a mental institution. As a young prophet, she experienced revelatory encounters on a regular basis, but didn’t understand the nature of her gifting. Her church wasn’t much help either since they didn’t believe in modern-day prophecy. So Lyn just thought she was weird.

Mixed in with the confusion, Lyn was suffering the effects of sexual abuse from the hands of both her father and grandfather up until the age of 16. Again her church wasn’t much help – they frowned on both medication and professional counselling. That left Lyn to work out much of the healing journey on her own.

Thankfully the Holy Spirit stepped in, leading her step by step into a place of healing and wholeness. Today, Lyn draws on the wisdom of her experience to talk about an area that is often fraught with unhelpful and misguided ideas. You’ll love hearing her story and the insights that she brings.

In the episode, you’ll hear about:

Lyn’s back story – how she became a Christian at 16 in a youth meeting and how her decision to follow Jesus led to a confrontation with her father and grandfather about their abuse. At that point the abuse stopped, but Lyn still slept with a knife under her pillow in case they tried to attack her again.

“The Christian meeting was bound to be a little better than watching my grandparents at home getting drunk.”

Lyn’s call to be a prophet as she read from the book of Isaiah (even when she didn’t know what a prophet was!)

“I used to think I was weird because even as a child I could see stuff in the Spirit.”

Lyn’s long healing journey beginning in her early 30s. During this time, she would be triggered by something, a traumatic memory would surface and she’d find herself shaking in the bathroom. She was later diagnosed with dissociative amnesia, complex post traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety. She lived with this condition daily – even as a pastor. At first Lyn suffered in silence, trying to deal with it on her own, but then the Holy Spirit led her to embrace medication and counselling as well as prayer.
Some of the spiritual encounters that were instrumental to Lyn’s healing, including a vision she had while lying on the bed where the abuse took place.
How to discern the difference between the voices of the demonic, the effects of trauma and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
The relationship between healing and forgiveness. Lyn explains that forgiveness requires healing first – not the other way around.

“To say, ‘just forgive and get healed’ is like putting a bandaid on an infected wound. It just covers it so you can’t see what’s underneath. True forgiveness comes only as you heal.”

Some advice for pastors and leaders, including the role of anti-depressants, the fear and shame associated with exposure and the importance of being trauma-informed.

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About Lyn PackerLyn’s call and gifts are expressed multi-dimensionally as a speaker, teacher, prophet, author, and artist. Her ministry carries a revelatory anointing that is catalytic, bringing breakthroughs and shifts to both individual lives and Churches as she ministers. As a prophet, Lyn carries the heart of God and calls the church to walk in the fullness of its identity in Christ. She is a member of the New Zealand Council of Prophets, facilitates the New Zealand Prophetic Network, and is part of a group of prophets who run the annual School of Prophets Aotearoa. She and her husband Rob live in Christchurch, New Zealand and attend Living Waters Christian Centre. Find out more: www.robandlyn.org and www.nzpropheticnetwork.com

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Lucky Te Koha was a prominent leader of an infamous crime gang in New Zealand. His was a life of extreme violence, crime, drugs and prostitution. Lucky was known across New Zealand prisons. His nickname was ‘Famous’ – and you didn’t mess with him.

But five years ago, everything changed when a local church pastor invited him to church. At first Lucky hated it. But then God met him when the local cop – and a member of the church – prayed for him. Today Lucky is a pastor, leading gang members and others in a pathway of healing and reconciliation through trauma workshops, speaking at police conferences and training churches. We have virtually nothing in common except perhaps the most important thing – believing in the importance of listening and following the Holy Spirit!

On this episode Lucky shares his breathtaking story, including:

His dissatisfaction with life: As he approached 50, Lucky was outwardly “successful” making big money in crime syndicates, owning a large house and luxury cars. There was a lot of drugs and women – life was a “full time party.”

“I had everything, but I had nothing.”

Finding camaraderie in boys’ homes and gangs: “they were the only people who wanted me.” After being raised in a home where violence alcoholism and sexual abuse was the norm, here was a brotherhood where everyone was just like him.
Being invited to the local church by the “stalker” pastor who kept showing up unexpectedly when he was in town. Lucky’s innate inability to lie meant that he was cornered into accepting the pastor’s invitation every time. Lucky tells of his first two visits – how much he hated everything about church – the music, the sermon and all those church people who “kept looking at him and wanting to give him a hug.”
The day everything changed. After being inadvertently found in church the day after he was arrested, Lucky spotted the very cop who had arrested him! Dave offered to pray for him and Lucky literally felt his old heart being squeezed out and replaced by something new.

God said, “I’m giving you a new heart. Your heart was too cold and too hard. Now you will feel empathy for people like you never have before.”

Lucky’s vision and calling with a new ministry called Kingdom Brotherhood. This is largely a men’s ministry that involves helping others deal with their emotional wounds and trauma. In this, Lucky leads the way by sharing from his own story. He tells of how confession, vulnerability and honesty can open up the way for healing. Lucky’s vision came directly from God, to “raise up an army” of righteous and fearless leaders.

“I thought I’d just be cooking the sausages. Now I run a trauma program with the gangs, because I’m an ‘expert on trauma’ – I’ve had every trauma you can think of!”

The story of how a whole chapter of the Black Power gang surrendered their life to Jesus and were baptised.
The continued journey of healing and freedom in his own life. Lucky shares how God spoke to him when he prayed for healing for his eyes: “Why would I heal your eyes when you watch so much rubbish?” When Lucky responded to the Holy Spirit and stopped watching violent videos on YouTube, his eyes were healed instantly.

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Does our personality have anything to do with hearing God’s voice? How does our human imagination, thinking and intuition interact with the Spirit? Our guest on this show Mark Chironna, calls our human interaction with God a “dance,” where God never violates our humanness and the journey to wholeness is the place where theology and psychology meet.

Mark calls himself a dysfunctional Italian from New York City. He grew up in a Presbyterian church, but was disillusioned by the lack of evidence of the power of God. So he dabbled in metaphysics, esoteric Christianity and even the occult before finding himself radically converted to Jesus at 19 years of age at the height of the Jesus people movement (Think the movie, Jesus Revolution). Mark says he knew the devil and that scared him enough to realise Jesus must be real!

Today Mark is a theo-semiotician, prophetic minister and media personality who holds a Doctorate of Ministry in Future Studies and a Master of Arts in Psychology. While at times in the church, psychology was seen to be a kind of enemy to spirituality, Mark firmly believes theology and psychology need to be in conversation with each other. He brings a unique and necessary psychological perspective to the experience of hearing God’s voice. This is a rich and deeply insightful conversation!

Tania and Mark talk about:

Mark’s story and how he experienced prophetic inclinations at an early age. He “just knew things about people.”
The interaction of our humanness and God’s divinity:

“At that place where the divine and human interact, God never violates the way he made us, so there’s this dance – this participation with the Spirit – that graces us to yield to insights and intuitions that come.”

The importance of quietness and contemplation in hearing God.
The interaction of personality and hearing God. Mark suggests that that people who lean towards the prophetic tend to be more introverted and spend more time in self-reflection and self-awareness.
The connection between creativity and prophetic expression.
How our pain and suffering teaches us to listen and hear. This is very different to “magical thinking,” where we’ve been inundated with the idea to “make this decree and it will come to pass.”
The importance of the cross in recognising and understanding the Spirit’s voice.

“There is no prophetic without cruciformity. The cross has to touch all of us: introvert, extrovert, thinker, feeler, judger and senser.”

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About Dr. Mark ChironnaHelping people learn how to flourish and become life-long learners has been Mark’s life’s journey. As an avid student, Dr. Chironna is a theo-semiotician, holding a Doctorate of Ministry in Future Studies and a Master of Arts in Psychology (www.markchironna.com). He is also an author, BCC certified coach, and is currently seeking a Ph.D. at the University Of Birmingham, UK. Most importantly, Dr. Chironna has been in the people-helping arena for over forty-seven years, guiding others towards growth in Christ and all areas of life.

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Have you ever heard God speak in a riddle or a pun? God is a masterful communicator with a great sense of wit and humour!

We see God’s communicative ability from the beauty of creation. The same God who breathed diversity and creativity into the natural world continues to speak with the same qualities by his Spirit.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2)

On this podcast episode, Tania talks to pastor and prophet, David Shadbolt, a minister from the UK who is passionate about communication with both God and people.

In this episode, David shares his experience of Holy Spirit’s creativity, including:

His first experience of hearing God’s voice and the simple advice of his mentor, “read the Bible, listen to God and ask what you should do.”
His insights about the importance of having the freedom to step out and explore what Holy Spirit is saying.
The importance of hearing God in the small things of our lives.

“God speaks into the context of our lives. Most of the time, God speaks about simple and small things, but the small can become extraordinary in the hands of our God.”

The power of the prophetic Spirit who reveals the secret of our hearts and we learn that God is really among us (1 Corinthians 14:25)

“When God reveals the secrets of our hearts, we realise that God is no longer just historical – the God of the dusty Bible – he is also one living among us.”

Some wild and creative God conversation stories that involved riddles and puns.
How to expand and deepen your prophetic imagination.

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About David

David Shadbolt is the founder of the School of Prophecy in the UK and part of the wider leadership team across the five congregations of Hope Church in the borough of Bromley, Kent, UK. He is a speaker, entrepreneur, author and prophetic teacher in the marketplace. and has authored a number of books including ‘God’s Healing for Businesses’. David is based in London, but travels globally ministering into a range of church and business contexts. He helps people discover for the first time, or maybe afresh, the wonder of true spiritual communications and the myriad of ways that God communicates to us – and then, through us, to others.

School of Prophecy UK

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Ps. Adam Dyer grew up with the "Titanic Gospel.” Here the only thing that mattered was people’s “souls.” The ship was going down so, you had to get as many people to heaven when they died. This perspective failed him as a child and along with a moral failure of his pastor (his father!), led him through a process of deconstruction as a young adult. Later God called him into pastoring and he reluctantly obeyed. His question then was, where did the church go wrong and how can we do it differently?

On this podcast, Tania and Adam discuss the much bigger gospel and how the Spirit works both inside and outside the church to bring about the reconciliation of all things under God. The Gospel.. “should be good news for everybody, not just good news for a few and terrible news for everybody else.” In the podcast, Adam:

Tells his personal story of deconstruction as he struggled with the person of Jesus and the church who had failed him. Shares his hearing God experiences and how as a young boy, he just “knew stuff about people; “Sensing the Spirit moving was like sherbet running through my veins.” Tells of growing up with the “Titanic Gospel.” Reminds us that the Spirit isn’t just what shows up when “we sing the right songs and get the right key change.” The Spirit shows up in families who are trying to navigate chaos and brokenness.

“When you encounter Jesus in the homeless person, you encounter a different Jesus to the sanitised version you might sing about on Sunday morning.”

Tells the story of woman on suicide watch and how volunteering with the church’s homeless program (even as a non-Christian) saved her life. Shares the conviction that if God is involved in community, the whole community should be blessed whether they believe in Jesus or not. Tells a story about the signs of spirit at work when a formerly homeless woman bought a stack of potato chips (crisps!) from the supermarket and insisted on giving them out. Shows us how to work with the Spirit inside and outside the church.

“It’s not about about choreographing the Spirit. We create space for God to do things. It’s a posture shift… God is saying 'Stop trying to do things for me!'"

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Ps. Adam Dyer is leader of Yeovil Community Church in the south west of England. YCC is a vibrant church who is pioneering in community transformation. Adam is also the executive director of Jesus Collective and the author of Unknown: What if God’s Not Like That? He is married to Rachel who also leads at YCC, and together they have four children and two grandchildren.

Find Adam at:

Jesus Collective

Yeovil Community Church UK

Adam's Book: Unknown: What if God’s Not Like That?

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God Told Arthur Guinness to Make a Better Drink and other Famous God-conversations in History God is and always has been a talking God. The Hebrew Scriptures alone record over 3500 different God-conversations. Then in the New Testament, we read of at least another 30 more. But God continues to speak beyond the stories of ancient Israel and the early church. God has spoken throughout history and the stories continue to be thrilling.

On this episode, I join North American evangelist and filmmaker Reverend Carl Wesley Anderson, to talk about God conversations in history. You’ll hear about Carl’s own life-changing God-conversation in his journey through cancer as well as three others that changed the course of history. 1. Carl Anderson (21st C): “Choose this cancer treatment” God spoke to Carl throughout his recovery from Stage 3b skin cancer, including a dream of his oncologist revealing which cancer treatment he should opt for. 2. Evan Roberts (20th C): “Preach this sermon” God told Evan Roberts to preach to the young people of his hometown. God even gave him the four key points. When Evan did what God said, it sparked a powerful revival that led to 100,000 people coming to faith in 5 months. 3. St Patrick (5th C): “Go! Your ship is ready" Patrick was an English slave in Ireland when God spoke to him in a dream, “Go, your ship is ready!” Patrick escaped during the night and walked 100 miles to the coast where he found the ship from his dream ready to return him to England. Some years later, Patrick had another dream - this time, he saw a group of people on the shores of Ireland beckoning him to return. Again, Patrick heeded God's voice, moving back to Ireland to preach. So began the transformation of a nation. 4. Arthur Guinness (18th C): "Make a better drink" God spoke to Arthur to make a better drink than gin with minimal alcohol and high levels of nutrients. And so Guinness was born. The profits from this God-conversation and Arthur’s very successful drink was used to finance a range of philanthropic projects including missions to China and beyond.

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Watch Carl's series: Love Speaks, Episode 1 for free!

20% discount on Love Speaks Documentary Film Series. Use the CODE "TANIA20" at the checkout!

SUBSCRIBE to Carl's YouTube channel "To the Ends of the Earth.” About Carl Wesley Anderson

Rev. Carl Wesley Anderson (B.Comm Arts, M.Div) is an international equipping evangelist and documentary filmmaker. His vision is to inspire and equip believers for passionate discipleship and hearing God’s voice through itinerant ministry and as a “media missionary." Carl is the Founder and Executive Director of Born to Blaze Ministries, the author of the book Love Speaks, the writer/director/producer of two television series, Love Speaks & From History to Hope and documentary Does God Talk Back? He resides in Buffalo, Minnesota, USA with his wife Sarah and their three children.

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We’re called to become more like Jesus. But does that mean we’re supposed to become more like a Middle-Eastern man?

When we become a Christian, we learn that the goal is to grow “more like Jesus.” As a young person, I used to wonder what that meant. I wasn’t very enthused by the thought that I should aim to become like someone other than myself!

So what does it look like to become spiritually mature?

Spiritual growth is work of the Spirit and involves deep and thorough transformation. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17).

But that doesn’t usually mean that God snaps his fingers and the work is done. Formation is a process outworked in conjunction with the Holy Spirit. In other words, we have an important role to play too.

In this episode of the God Conversations podcast, Tania explores the process of spiritual formation and how we co-operate with the Spirit to make us new. Her guest is Ps Ally Cawthorn from Western Australia. Ally pastors a church with her husband and is the founding director of ‘The Immersion Academy’, a spiritual formation academy that seeks to reimagine ancient Christian formation practices for a contemporary context.

The episode covers:

Ally’s story and how spiritual formation came to be a key part of her leadership journey.
The goal of spiritual formation – to become our true selves. That involves letting go of false ways of being and removing the masks we often wear. The Spirit works to set us free from death-producing behaviours and become the person we’ve been created to be.
The pathway of spiritual formation as individualised. While the goal is spiritual maturity, the pathway will look different for every person.
Spiritual practices that facilitate the work of the Spirit – including contemplative practices such as slow-down prayer and slow reading of Scripture, journalling, silence and spiritual direction.
The way triggers in our behaviour such as anger, jealousy and anxiety can act as opportunities for reflection and growth.

In following Jesus and allowing the Spirit to work in us, we become more like true selves.

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Ally Cawthorn (D.Min, MA. Bib. Stud.) pastors Urban Church in Western Australia along with her husband. She is the Vice President of Australian Christian Churches (ACC), Western Australia and was elected as a member of the ACC National Executive in 2021. She is also the Founding Director of ‘The Immersion Academy’ (www.theimmersionacademy.com), a spiritual formation academy that seeks to reimagine ancient Christian formation practices for a contemporary, Pentecostal context. Ally is passionate about equipping believers to live a prophetic life and is seeing Christians experience a deeper relationship with God.

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There’s a lot of talk around discipleship at the moment, but what does discipleship actually look like? We know it’s all about following Jesus. But if Jesus isn’t here, how do we follow?

This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Before Jesus left the planet, he said that the Spirit would come to remind us of everything Jesus said and then to speak about things to come (John 14:26, 16:13). So to follow Jesus is to heed his continuing voice, the Holy Spirit.

In this episode, we talk to Prophet and Pastor Murray (Muz) Newman about the relationship between hearing God’s voice and discipleship. We learn that hearing the Spirit and discipleship is essentially about building intimate relationship with God.

“There’s no topic that’s taboo. There’s no topic that the Lord won’t talk to you about.”

Listen to Muz and Tania talk about:

How everyone experiences the voice of the Spirit differently. Therefore, discipleship involves helping people recognise how God speaks to them.
How a sense of love and concern for others led to the development of the gift of prophecy in Muz’s life. Hearing God involves “keeping our eyes open to what God is saying and doing in other people.”
The need to “exercise” our spiritual senses; it’s “lots of practice doing a very simple thing.” “…that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
The exposing God! In our walk with Holy Spirit, there’s no topic that’s taboo.

“Holy Spirit gets under our skin to transform us from the inside out.”

Muz talks about an everyday example of what this looks like in his own life:

In the midst of our problems, ask God, “what are you doing in the midst of this?”
Hearing God’s voice involves following through and acting on what we’ve heard.
What stops us from following the Spirit? Pride, unbelief and maybe, a motorbike…

Murray Newman, known locally as “Muz,” is both an expert in hearing the Spirit and discipleship. He helps to pastor a church in the central coast of NSW Australia, travels and consults in many other churches around the world and is passionate about communication, healing and the miraculous. Find out more abut his ministry here.

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A Dream of a Child’s Toy and Feet Full of Maggots One Christmas morning Nicola had a dream that would change her and her family’s life. It involved a Buzz Lightyear toy, a child in the African slums and feet infested with maggots.

In this podcast episode, Tania talks to Nicola Neal about her journey into ministry, beginning in a church in the town of Bath, UK and finishing in the slums of Africa. You’ll hear the dramatic way God turned Nicola’s life around through a vivid God conversation, how that same God-conversation was confirmed multiple times and how it led Nicola and her family to pack up their life in the UK and move to an unknown region of the world in just eight weeks.

There Nicola began to understand the dream she had experienced so many years earlier. She and her family saw the supernatural work and grace of God in the face of extreme poverty, violence, sickness and death. You’ll be inspired as Nicola shares God’s heart for the poor and how the kingdom transforms at the deepest level.

We also talk in the episode about everyday God-conversations and how each of our interactions with the Holy Spirit lead us step by step into God’s plan. Nicola shares how we hear God’s voice most of the time through the small, quiet and the everyday. A lot of time it feels like tuning into a whisper and sense on the inside that God is with us. As with any relationship, with time and intentionality, we gain clarity.

About Nicola Neal

Nicola and her husband Simon served as church leaders up until 2009 when they followed God’s calling and moved with their two children to Uganda. There they got to see life as it really is for those living in the slums of Kampala and became passionate about bringing the God-given potential to light in people’s lives. Not only through partnering with them to see change in their homes and families but by helping them encounter their heavenly Father.

Since then, Every Life has grown into the team of over 50 dedicated men and women it is today. Simon and Nicola have now relocated back to the UK with their family, where they work with the International Office, guiding and overseeing Every Life’s mission bases around the world. Nicola regularly speaks at churches and conferences around the country. Learn more at everylife.org.uk. Nicola’s books Gold and Journey into Love are available at nicolaneal.uk

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We all know that we should do it, but the question is how? Prayer - one of the main callings of Christians and the key means to relationship with God. The question is how do we approach this mystical thing called prayer: What works and what doesn’t? And how does prayer connect with listening to the Holy Spirit?

Today’s podcast is all about prayer and we have a brilliant guest to guide us. Ps Stacey Hilliar is on the Executive team at Neuma Church in Melbourne, Australia and looks after the prophetic leadership of her church.

We talk about:

Stacey’s church and their innovative “fivefold model” which means her job title is the “prophetic pillar” of Neuma Church. The story of how God led Stacey to work in prophetic ministry in the local church. Stacey became familiar with the voice of God as early as 8 or 9 years old. As she tells the story, she just “knew” things. But growing up in church that didn’t believe in Spirit speech made her experience difficult. Let’s just say it was a messy start. How a demonic encounter led Stacey and her husband to return to church after a dark season. The truth that prayer fuels power. A key question is to always ask; “Have you prayed about it?” Specific spiritual practices inspired by ancients such as Ignatius of Loyola - reading the Scripture slowly four times slowly out loud (also known as “Lectio Divinia”). This involves picturing yourself in a scene with Jesus and allowing Holy Spirit to speak to you. How God can speak to us through our redeemed imagination. Why discipline is important for our prayer-life. This means we pray regularly even when we don’t feel like it. ie. Put the phone away! The role of music in prayer. How the Holy Spirit spoke to Stacey about her own personal development through a Jesus story.

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We highly recommend Stacey’s podcast: available here on Apple and Spotify.

Ps Stacey Hilliar and her husband Jai live in Melbourne with their four children. Stacey is on the Executive team at Neuma Church, overseeing the Prophetic Pillar globally. Neuma Church has multiple locations across Australia, Bangkok, Thailand and San Francisco.

Stacey is passionate about equipping and empowering individuals, churches, families and teams to grow in freedom, intimacy with Jesus, and build prophetic cultures with excellence in their love for the Church. Whether it is preaching, teaching, worship leading, podcasting or writing, Stacey loves to represent the fullness of joy and freedom found in Jesus, and she’s always up for a good laugh.

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We highly recommend Stacey’s podcast: available here on Apple and Spotify.

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I grew up in a church that believed that God had stopped speaking outside of the Bible. This teaching, known as Cessationism, is seen throughout the church world today and has appeared periodically in history. But the question is, why would someone believe God has stopped speaking, given that the New Testament is clear that the Holy Spirit was given to everyone to hear from God on the Day of Pentecost? (Acts 2:16,17). The Apostle Peter himself said that this promise was for all generations - beyond the early church and beyond Jerusalem and Judea (and beyond the canonisation of Scripture!) (Acts 2:39).

One of the answers lies in the theological problem of how Spirit relates to Scripture. That is, how do my Spirit-speaking experiences today relate to the Spirit speaking experiences of Scripture? God’s words are both a vessel of his power and a reflection of his character. Therefore, any claim to hearing God’s voice today represents a claim to divine authority. This looks as if we’re placing our experience on par with the Bible, something most Protestant Christians would emphatically reject.

This episode of the podcast begins to resolve the problem by featuring a reading from my new book, The Church who Hears God’s voice: equipping everyone to recognise and respond to the Spirit. It’s the third in a 3-part series that features readings from the book - a bit of an entree before you enjoy the main meal!

In the episode, you will learn about:

The questions of a real life situation. If God said it, should I obey it? Four answers to the theological problem. The first answer to the theological problem: “God on Mute” (Cessationism) The second answer to the theological problem: Christians who don’t read the Bible! (Why would you if you have the Spirit)

The remainder of the chapter goes on to discuss a third (“Good but not as good”) and fourth answer (“This is that”). The fourth option is the one I arrived at and expand at more detail in the rest of the book. You’ll begin to see why this question is so important and how it has practical implications for how we experience the Spirit today as well as how we read the Bible. The theological conundrum can be solved and it all starts with looking at how the early church dealt with it. I pray it is a blessing to you!

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The concept of hearing God’s voice for yourself bears enormous potential, but it is also fraught with pitfalls. Indeed, the entire scope of history tells of the problems associated with claims to divine revelation. Torrid tales of manipulation, deception, and even murder have all been justified by the claim: ‘God told me’. The proliferation of a wide range of unorthodox beliefs and abuses of power have been so heinous, it’s not surprising that many church leaders throw their hands up in the air and reject any idea of personal communication with God!

The dynamic experience given at Pentecost not only has the power to bring God’s kingdom to earth but can also work astoundingly against it. How are we to harness the potential of hearing God experiences in our churches and deal with the problems that arise from them?

This episode of the GC podcast is the second in a three-part series that features readings from my new book, The Church who Hears God’s voice: equipping everyone to recognise and respond to the Spirit. It’s a little entree before the main meal! In this episode, you'll learn about:

The potential for breaches in theological orthodoxy in hearing God. The book tells of two men and their spiritual experiences. One heard from God and changed his world. The other made claims that added to Scripture and we still live with the consequences today. The pastoral fallout that occurs when people try to hear God's voice,

You may have seen and heard about these kinds of problems in your own life. When I was writing the book I felt the Holy Spirit say to tackle the "hard stuff" in church life. To that end, the book contains both the good stories and the bad!

The good news is that there are some simple ways to address the ministry issues that arise when we seek to hear the voice of the Spirit. Admittedly, they won’t all disappear - the fallenness of our humanity guarantees that(!) - but there are certainly things we can do to mitigate the problems. I pray it helps you in your own walk and in the life of your church!

Enjoyed the excerpt? Purchase the book here.

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Hearing God’s voice may well be the most powerful experience on earth. Think about it. How was the earth created? It began with God speaking (Gen. 1:1). How are people healed? It is the word ‘sent forth’ that overcomes disease and death (Ps. 107:20; Mark 7:34; 9:25; John 11:43). How are people saved? It is made possible through the living Word, Jesus, who became flesh to atone for our sin (John 1:1). This is the pattern throughout the Scriptures. It all starts with God speaking!

This episode of the podcast is a special one. It’s the first in a three-part series that features readings from my new book, The Church who Hears God’s voice: equipping everyone to recognise and respond to the Spirit. It’s a little entree before you may choose to enjoy the main meal. In the episode, we learn about

A God-dream that saved a drought-stricken Australian farm The power of hearing God's voice in biblical history and, The impact of "love energy": what sociologists tell us about the power of hearing God's voice in the contemporary church.

Hearing God is powerful because God’s words are powerful. The Scriptures present the experience of the revelatory Spirit as central to God’s plan. That truth calls us to listen to what the Spirit is saying to us.

Enjoyed the excerpt? Purchase the book here.

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During my time in church life, I’ve heard some pretty interesting prophecies. Some of them have been couched in a strange “King James” language. Others have been so vague in content that they count for little. But I’ve also received some breathtakingly accurate prophetic words that are unmistakably from God. Prophecy is when we hear God’s voice on behalf of another person. We become like a “messenger” for God. But how do we prophesy? Can we all hear God’s voice for others? And how do we improve our ability to prophesy?

Pastor and friend Roma Waterman joins us in this episode of God Conversations to talk about the gift of prophecy. Roma has an unusual ministry mix. She has been one of Australia’s foremost Christian artists for over 20 years and is also an internationally recognised prophet. She combines these two passions to lead worship and teaching on the prophetic, worship leading and songwriting. Her passion is to “release heaven's song over the nations” and to teach others to do the same.

In this episode we talk about:

Roma’s story - how she became a worship leader, songwriter and prophet. Roma compares finding your calling to taking off a pair of 6 inch heels and replacing them with a comfy pair of slippers. The difference between the gift of prophecy and the calling of a prophet. The misplaced idea of prophecy as telling the future - akin to visiting a fortune teller or looking into a crystal ball. Prophecy is primarily a “message from God.” God may speak about the past, present or future. Jesus - the best example of a prophet we have. Some tips on how to prophesy. How God speaks in different ways: through seeing, hearing and feeling. We often have a predominant spiritual sense and should avoid copying others. A simple key for growing in the prophetic.

To find out more about Roma’s ministry and her prophetic school, go to romawaterman.com

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"Listen to the Holy Spirit" is not the usual advice you hear at a business seminar. Yet this is the approach pastor and business consultant David Balestri takes every time he goes into an appointment. It’s a practice he’s also applied to his own career with great success. On one occasion, God told him to say just one word to address the lack of productivity at a company who was struggling to meet its targets - work performance increased so much that David was tasked with rewriting the training manual!

When we think about hearing God’s voice, we often think about the times when we’re sitting in a church or singing worship on a Sunday. But God can speak to us anywhere at any time. So what happens when we hear God’s voice outside of church - when we’re going about our everyday activities during the week?

On this episode, Tania talks with David, a man who has one foot in the church and another in the business world. He is a nationally recognised prophet with 20 years of ministry and works as the Executive Pastor of Hope Unlimited Church on the Central Coast in NSW, Australia. David is also a “marketplace minister” and heads up several businesses with his wife Nicole.

This episode is full of incredible God conversations! Tania and David talk about:

David’s spiritual journey - how he came to God through his Mormon girlfriend, the unwavering prayers and clever intervention of his mother and when he read the bible story of the woman caught in adultery. Am I a pastor or a business person? - how David reconciled a call to church ministry and a call to the business world by breaking down the unhelpful divisions we make between sacred and secular spaces. David redefines sacred space as “anywhere God is.” This understanding effects how we live, and how we speak! (No “Christianese” here) How the Holy Spirit helps David advise CEOs! The reason why God initially asked David not to coach Christians in business, and how leaders described David as a “futurist” and a man who “knows things about people.” Some great advice about hearing God for others outside the four walls of the church. David’s thoughts on a person who had a dream about the stock market and made a lot of money as result. Is this Holy Spirit insider trading?!

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David is a recognised prophet and works with senior pastors, networks and denominations in building functional prophetic architecture and strategies for the extension of the kingdom in the context of local church, territorial and national expressions. He sits on the national leadership of the Australian Prophetic Council and travels extensively around the globe as an advocate for the apostolic and prophetic ministry.

See more at:

www.newpropheticdimension.com

www.marketplaceinvasion.com.au

www.elitehumandevelopment.com.au

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What does hearing the voice of the Spirit look like in the business world? How do you balance the tension between working with the natural and and the supernatural in starting and building a business?

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to someone who knows the answers to these questions... Meet the man behind the coffee! Peter Irvine cofounded the Gloria Jeans Coffee franchise in 1996. By the time the company was sold in 2014, there were over 400 Gloria Jean's stores across Australia and over 800 coffee houses in 39 countries worldwide!

Today, Peter is currently the CEO of Kingdom Momentum LTD and has more than 50 years of experience in business at a high profile management level. He is passionate about providing tools, encouragement, advice and expertise to businesspeople both inside and outside the church.

On the show, we talk about:

Peter’s business journey and some highlights of his work co-founding Gloria Jeans’ coffee. The Holy Spirit as the Great Problem Solver. Peter shares a time when God spoke to him from a passage in the Bible (Isaiah 48:6,7) about his ability to give us creative and innovative ideas for business. The ultimate purpose of business to be a blessing to others. As Peter says, “It’s not about us.” Prosperity has a purpose! The importance of patience and clear communication. Success comes not so much by financial growth, but by our own growth and development. The dynamic of God-connections and how to watch out for them. How to partner with the Holy Spirit - allowing for the supernatural input of God as well as our own natural input from Proverbs 21:31: The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.

Learn more about how to connect Christian faith to business via Peter’s YouTube channel.

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In a dream, a man saw a vision of Jesus. To his surprise, Jesus gave him a "Liverpool kiss” (a head-butt in English football terms!) The dream led him to make a decision to follow Jesus. But how does a dream about a head-butting Jesus result in someone becoming a Christian?

Dreams and visions are the most common form of God-conversation in the Bible, but they’re the one we know least about. Dreams are often full of weird and wonderful scenes and symbols. How do we know when they’re from God? And then, how do we know what they mean?

On this episode, we talk to Ps Zoran Paunovich, a well-known Australian church leader who has been teaching on the topic of dreams and visions for over 30 years. Zoran has also been involved in a wide range of ministries, including youth work and Bible College lecturing. He is currently the senior pastor of New Life Chapel in Victoria, Australia.

This episode will help you understand your dreams and recognise God’s voice in them. It will also explain why a dream of a head-butting Jesus could change your life... Listen to hear more about:

Zoran’s personal journey into hearing God in dreams and visions. Zoran shares a fascinating experience of how God answered his question about relocating to another city. God’s answer came in the form of a dream with three men dressed in suits conversing around the dinner table!

Why Christians are often skeptical of hearing God in dreams and visions.

The power of picture language and why God might use visual imagery and symbols.

Zoran’s advice for those who say they can’t hear from God in dreams.

The key to understanding symbols and how they are tailored to the individual.

How dreams reflect the God who incarnated himself in Jesus who walked and talked among us.

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Notes The story of Elisha and his servant Gehazi is found in 2 Kings 6:8-20.

Herman Riffel’s book, Dreams, God’s Neglected Gift mentioned in the podcast is no longer available. An updated version, Dream Interpretation: A Biblical Understanding is recommended and available here.

Zoran’s book, In Your Dreams - both hard copy and e-version - is available here.

Dream Interpretation: A Biblical Understanding

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In church life, there seems to be two groups of people. There’s the group who seem to hear from God easily… God’s speaking about this; God’s speaking about that. It’s like God is speaking every day! Then there’s another group who struggle to hear God’s voice. They heard God speak five years ago and there’s been silence ever since.

Which group do you fall into?

If you find it hard to hear God's voice, this episode is for you. We have the perfect guest to learn from! Ps. Pernille Liland is a prophet, teacher, author and business leader from Denmark who has many years of ministry experience and prophetic expertise.

On the show, Pernille distinguishes between two types of experiences - the first - a distinct voice that seems to interrupt your thoughts and comes on God’s initiative; and second - the experience that seems to occur on our initiative when we create space to connect with God through the imagination. During the process, we take time to wait on the Spirit and develop our spiritual senses, including hearing, smell, taste, touch and feeling. We become aware of our thoughts, meditate on Jesus and allow the Spirit to take it from there.

Some may have questions about using our imagination in the process of hearing God, but all this means is that we are engaging the Spirit in the realm of our minds. Scripture itself alludes to this process (eg. Daniel 7:1,15). Where our spirit meets with God, revelation comes.

Pernille takes time to break down the experience simply and clearly, making it accessible to everyone. She reiterates how personal God is and how the gift of the Spirit is for everyone, not just a prophet, priest, pastor or pope. We can all hear the Spirit for ourselves!

Reference

Gregory A. Boyd, Seeing Is Believing: Experience Jesus through Imaginative Prayer. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2004.

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About Pernille

Pernille has been preaching and prophesying in Northern Europe for 25 years. She has been involved with the planting of several local churches and a bible school. She leads the Nordic Prophetic Apostolic Network, runs the Danish School “Prophets In Training”, serves on the “European Council of Prophets” and the “Global Council of Prophets”. And just recently, her and her husband Andreas, launched a new church in the city of Sorø, Denmark.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels

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God is speaking to Muslims all over the Middle East and he’s doing it through dreams of Jesus! You may have heard the stories. In a vision, Jesus appears in a robe of blazing white. The dreamer is filled with a deep sense of love and is drawn to follow him. Missiologists tell us that between 1 in 2 and 1 in 3 Muslims have become Christians because of a dream. The Spirit is at work drawing people to himself and it’s all happening while they are sleeping!

In today’s podcast, we have two special guests all the way from Texas, USA. Tom and JoAnn Doyle have been reaching out to the people of the Middle East for 20 years. Their ministry inspires the church to share the good news with Jews and Muslims in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian territories of Israel.

On the show, you will hear some of the incredible stories coming of the Middle East. Many of them are hard to believe! Tom and JoAnn tell of how a dream of Jesus often marks the beginning of a journey for Muslims to discover more about the man they call Issa. For Muslims, Jesus is an important prophet, but not the Son of God. They also believe the Bible has been corrupted. But when they experience the love of Jesus for themselves, these arguments are instantly dashed and they become motivated to find out more.

One woman had been having dreams of Jesus for 30 years and was waiting for someone to tell her what they mean. She finally received answers when she met Tom at a petrol station and prayed a prayer of submission to Jesus. Another woman said “I have never felt so safe with a man in my life as I have in dreams of Jesus. He loved me like a father.”

This episode will not only inspire you to worship the God who is constantly reaching out to people, but to become like him in connecting with Muslims in your own neighbourhood. A great way to start the conversation is, “Have you ever had a dream of Jesus?"!

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! About Tom and JoAnn Doyle Tom Doyle fell in love with the Middle East on his first Bible tour of the Holy Land. In 1995 he became an official tour guide for the state of Israel and developed a passion for ministering to the Israeli people, Arabs and Jews alike. He and his wife, JoAnn, felt a call from God to full-time ministry there in 2001. In 2017, the Doyles launched Uncharted Ministries, which seeks to inspire the church to reach Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and uncharted territories around the world. They serve in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Palestinian territories of Israel and often lead groups to the Middle East through their Lands of the Bible tours. Tom is a master storyteller with several books highlighting God’s miraculous work among the Muslim people. His best-known books are Dreams and Visions, Killing Christians and Standing in the Fire. Learn more about their ministry at https://unchartedministries.com

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It's Not Safe to Believe

DREAMS AND VISIONS: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?

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"My Mum was clinically dead for 8 minutes. She saw a beautiful light and moved towards it, but then she heard a voice say, 'you don’t have access here.'"

"An inmate who was deaf in one ear prayed for his friend who was blind in one eye and they were both healed."

How is God real for us? Stories like these reveal the reality of God and his heart for people. But how does this work for us? I can still remember how at 21, I sat on a beach in New Zealand reflecting on my life up until that point. I believed in God, Jesus and the Bible, but God wasn’t real to me - I couldn’t put my finger on a single incident where I’d experienced God's reality in a tangible way. Thankfully, since then I’ve witnessed God in action and it’s changed my life. But I’ve also watched as others have lost their faith, particularly as they’ve moved from childhood into adulthood. How do we help people experience the reality of God?

In this episode we’re talking with a man who's made it his life mission to make God real for people. Pastor Andrea di Meglio is a local church pastor, itinerant speaker and film-maker who oversees several ministries focussing on the supernatural in his hometown in Bern, Switzerland and beyond. Andrea and his team have made two life-changing documentaries about the reality of God. The first, Christ in You, depicts ordinary people experiencing signs and wonders and healing on the streets. The second, The Voice, looks at how to hear God’s voice for others, including those who don’t know God. Both films are full of inspiring stories and interviews with world leaders like Bill Johnson, Heidi Baker and Randy Clark.

Andrea also shares the story behind the movies and their unlikely beginnings in a Filipino prison. His own journey began as a child being raised in a home where unusual and frightening spiritual happenings were part of the norm. He tells the story of his Mum, who began her spiritual search after a near death experience and dabbled in witchcraft and New Age practises before she found the source of light in Jesus. Andrea also shares how to experience God’s reality in your own life and in the lives of others. You’ll be encouraged to seek after the God who continues to show himself powerfully to those who seek him!

You can find out more about Andrea’s ministry at https://andreadimeglio.com. The Film: Christ In You - The Voice The voice of God changes everything! This documentary features a captivating exploration of the power of prophecy. It shows ordinary Christians, who set an example by partnering with the Holy Spirit and releasing God’s perspective wherever they go. Amazing interviews with Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Lisa Bevere, John Bevere, Graham Cooke, Bob Hazlett, Raniero Cantalamessa and more provide wisdom in navigating towards a prophetic lifestyle.

Check the films out here: https://www.christinyoumovie.com

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Andrea di Meglio is an author, filmmaker, leader and itinerant revivalist. He is on pastoral staff within his local church, the Vineyard Bern, where he has served since August 2012 and leads, coordinates and oversees several ministries related to the supernatural. He is passionate about equipping the Body of Christ to live supernaturally.

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor.

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“Everybody’s looking for something,” the Eurythmics once sang. Augustine referred to a “god-shaped hole” within each one of us that longs to be fulfilled. There seems to be a universal human need to find meaning and purpose in our lives. But where do we find it?

During the time of the first Christmas, people were searching too. The wise men, King Herod, Simeon and Anna were all “looking for something” around the time Jesus was born. As we celebrate the festive season, this podcast reflects on the journey of each of the Christmas characters to see if they found what they were looking for. Their stories give us insight into our own.

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Photo by Jonathan Meyer

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"The root of disappointment is misplaced expectations. The question is, what should our expectations of God be?" - Lynn Moresi What does God promise when we sign up to follow Jesus? I still remember as a young woman dreaming of the future. We had such expectations for "greatness." God was going to give us the desires of our heart. He was going to make all our dreams come to pass. The future was guaranteed and it was bright. But, then the future hit and it was full of disappointment. Death, sickness, loss, divorce. We felt attacked, let down and betrayed. Did God fail us? Or was our disappointment due to misplaced expectations about what God had promised in the first place?

On the show this week, Rev Dr Lynn Moresi from Melbourne Australia joins me to talk about disappointment and what God is saying in the midst of it. Lynn is a preacher, prophet, lecturer and someone who knows how to hear God’s voice. She is also a biblical scholar who has experienced all the joys and disappointments of life and has thought about these questions for a long time.

We talk about:

Lynn’s journey hearing from God and some of the God conversations that have defined her life and ministry Why we are often disappointed by the challenges of life and how they begin with misguided expectations The “abundant life” (John 10:10) Jesus promised and what it actually means. We compare the meaning of "success" in our current culture compared to the meaning of success in God's kingdom. Some great advice for those who are going through a time of disappointment.

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Dr. Lynn Moresi is a popular itinerate minister and bible college lecturer with a prophetic edge that opens ministry moments in people’s lives. Lynn has the unique ability to combine strong biblical teaching with relevant personal stories that ensure her messages are always challenging and engaging. Her meetings are characterized by fun, laughter and a deep awareness of God’s presence where people are encouraged to engage personally with the Spirit. She is based out of CityLife Church where she pioneered the "School of Ministry” internship program, and travels regularly to teach and minister in seminaries and churches both here in Australia and overseas. She is married and has two adult children.

Image by Lisa Runnels

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Recently I completed my PhD in practical theology, examining the theology and practice of hearing God’s voice. Since then, people have asked me about my thesis and what I’ve learnt from it. As with all PhDs, it’s a long and sometimes complex read, so instead of you having to fossick through 80,000 words, we’re bringing you the highlights!

In this podcast, I look at three surprising theological insights from my PhD on hearing God’s voice. I first of all introduce the thesis itself including its general approach and methodology. The research involved approximately 100 people from three different Pentecostal churches on their hearing God experiences. A major focus was on experiences that occurred directly, without the mediation of other people or objects such as books, sermons or nature. These are the experiences that tend to cause the most problems in the church, but can also be the most life-changing!

Here are the three major insights from the thesis that stood out from the many discoveries I made: 1. The Neglect of Revelatory Experiences in the Protestant Academy and its Place in Catholicism One of the most surprising insights I discovered in my research was the neglect of the topic of hearing God’s voice in the Protestant academy. While, there’s plenty of related material available (such as the gift of prophecy, tongues and Spirit baptism and hermeneutics (the effect of revelatory experiences on Biblical interpretation)), there’s very little on the experience of hearing from God through experiences like dreams, visions and voices (also called “auditions”/“locutions”). In fact, it took four years of reading before I finally found a theologian whose work aligned with the experiences of participants in the study! Even more strangely, this theologian hailed from the Catholic tradition. This unexpected discovery only makes sense when you realise that Protestantism originally rejected revelatory experiences in their debates with the Catholics back at the Reformation in the 16th Century. This way of thinking has formed a trajectory that has shaped scholarly and popular works ever since.

The Central Place of Revelatory Experiences in the New Covenant and Discipleship The second insight in my research was the central role hearing from God plays in discipleship. Often in churches today, we see hearing God’s voice as kind of an “optional extra” to the Christian experience. But when we understand that the primary feature of the New Covenant was the ability for every person to hear God’s voice in the same manner as the Old Covenant prophets (Acts 2:16,17) and how Jesus described the role of the Spirit as a continuation of his ministry (John 16:7), we see how important hearing from God is for discipleship. Like the disciples of Jesus’ day, we recognise God’s voice and follow (John 10:27). This connection between Jesus’ ministry and the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost is missing in both the academic and popular literature (read any book on hearing God’s voice and see if you can find it). That means we don’t always link our Spirit experiences to the work of sanctification and mission. The Spirit speaks today to lead us to the cross, to crucify our old selves and make us into new creations. That means I’m more likely to hear God speak about forgiving my father than showing me the new red sports car I’ve been dreaming of. Hearing from God will always lead us down the path of discipleship and make us more like Jesus.
The Unnecessary Conflict Between the Scriptures and Spirit The final insight in my research provides an explanation for the conflict that people often see between the Bible and ongoing experiences of hearing God’s voice. This conflict is so significant that many churches around the world reject extra-biblical Spirit-encounters altogether (a position known as “Cessationism”). This was the position of the church I grew up in. In order to protect the uniqueness of the Bible,

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"This is a season of divine paradox. It looks like everything is 'Stop, stop!' but in God everything is 'Start, start.'” (Ps. Vicki Simpson) What is God saying in the midst of this pandemic? It’s been nearly six months since we first heard about the Coronavirus. But during times like these - disasters, big world events our thoughts turn to heaven. God what are you doing? We know that God is not the cause of the pandemic, but we also know God is brilliant at using difficult times like these for his purposes.

On the show we talk to someone who is well-qualified to know what God is saying. Vicki Simpson is an Aussie-Italian prophet, from Sydney, Australia. She is an ordained minister with the C3 movement and is nationally and internationally recognised as a dynamic prophet and preacher who brings breakthrough and releases faith wherever she goes. Sought after by ministers in local churches and conferences across the globe, Vicki also consults in her capacity as a prophet with church leadership teams, businesses and boards.

We talk about:

Vicki's story and how she was called into her current ministry What a prophet is and how they operate in the church of today What God is saying personally and corporately to the church during this pandemic.

You can find out more about Vicki’s ministry here.

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Photo by Anna Shvets

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“There are places in my heart that I am still hiding from God.” (Andy Wallis)

Why are we afraid to hear from God? I suspect it is because we fear what God might say. Most of the time we ask God to speak, we steer the conversation towards the things we need in life: Should I take this job; should I buy this house; should I marry this person? God is interested in these questions, but he is looking for more. His heart is for intimate relationship. That means he is likely to speak about the areas of our heart that we would rather not talk about. This is what it means to get up close and personal with the Holy Spirit.

In this episode of God Conversations with Tania Harris, we talk about how God speaks to us about the issues of the heart and how we can overcome the fear of what God might say. Pastor Andy Wallis is our guest and he is well-equipped to talk about this topic. Andy is an Australian, but has been ministering in Denmark for the past 15 years and is currently resettling back in his home country with his wife Hannah and their five children. He is a powerful speaker, worship leader and recording artist whose heart burns to equip local churches in the miraculous ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is also a man who hears from God and is passionate about helping others to hear from God for themselves. We love his ministry because he operates out of a spirit of humility and self-awareness. His ministry is authentic and powerful because he has done the healing work behind the scenes.

On the show, we talk about how God speaks to us about our identity. The Holy Spirit is described as a counsellor (John 14:26). Listening to him can be like going to counselling - it can be intimidating at times! But his words have the power to change us from the inside out. God's promise is for healing, wholeness and freedom. Then, it is out of our renewed identity that our behaviour is transformed and we are mobilised into God’s purpose for our lives. It's not the other way around! This is a deeply personal episode that focuses on being instead of doing. You will be encouraged to go further on your own journey with the Holy Spirit as you listen.

You can find out more about Andy’s ministry here.

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We know that God can speak in dreams, but it can be a challenge to know what God is saying. How do we know if a dream is from God? What do the symbols in our dreams mean?

This episode on the podcast gives us an opportunity to learn from the dreams of others. Our host Tania Harris draws on the dreams of five different individuals to provide pastoral guidelines and advice that will help you interpret your own dreams; a woman dreams of a snake stealing a gold chain; a man dreams of his surf rope getting stuck on a microwave that is sunken beneath the waves; a teenager dreams of being chased by a monster. The message of these dreams were significant, but they all required interpretation in order to be understood.

Not every one of our dreams are from God, but even the dreams that are not provide us with helpful insights into what is happening beneath the surface of our lives. Learn from the dreams of others in order to understand your own!

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Learn More This teaching was taken from the God Dreams course. This 6-session online course will equip you with everything you need to know about understanding and recognising God's voice in your dreams. It provides a biblical basis for hearing God’s voice in dreams and visions, an easy-to-use framework for understanding dreams and a guide for understanding symbolic language. Register here!

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Our podcast this week is an encore episode from a couple of years ago. Back then it was terror attacks in Paris and Beirut, a devastating earthquake in Nepal, and the Syrian crisis spilling millions of desperate refugees into Europe. Today it's a virus that threatens the health of millions and the stability of economies all over the world.

As Christians, how do we respond when we hear the nightly news? How do we relate from the positions of our comfy lounge-room chairs when we hear about the latest virus statistics? What is God saying to us in the midst of global chaos? On this podcast, be encouraged as we learn from the God Conversations of the early church and how we can apply it to our own global crisis today.

Just before Christmas in 2015, I spoke with John Peachey from Rhema's Morning Show in New Zealand. In this podcast, we talk about some of these important issues by looking at what God has already said. The first century church faced threats of persecution in their day not by terrorists, but by a brutal Roman empire. God's words came then in the form of a series of symbolic visions via the Apostle John - a message that is still relevant to us in our time. You may never read the book of Revelation in the same way! Our conversation also brings it back to the state of our own hearts and what our response should be, even in the relative safety of the West. We pray it brings you hope and inspiration as well as some tangible strategies to how to respond when you hear the latest news. Here’s Hearing God’s voice in the Global Chaos!

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Comments What has your response been the turmoil in our world today? We'd love to hear your thoughts here:

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Nightmares are common to us all. By definition, they are vivid and frightening dreams that have no resolution. You may see yourself being attacked by a fiendish character or find yourself in a death-defying situation. The experience can feel so real that your body has a physical reaction to it and you wake up sweating and traumatised. When children experience nightmares, they often dream about monsters or ghosts. Sometimes nightmares are recurring and cause serious problems with your sleep health. That's why it's important we talk about them.

In this episode of God Conversations with Tania Harris, we talk about where nightmares come from and how to deal with them. We know that God can often speak in dreams, but it's important to distinguish God-dreams from nightmares. Knowing where they come from helps to determine the most appropriate response. We discuss three possible sources:

Nightmares from God Nightmares from the Spirit Realm Nightmares from ourselves

In the podcast we look at a number of different real life scenarios to illustrate how to deal with each type of nightmare. A nightmare from God may be a warning that calls for preventative action. A nightmare that originates in the Spirit realm apart from God will call for prayer. A nightmare that comes from ourselves will require personal reflection and counselling. This podcast will help you understand the nature of nightmares and how best to respond to them in your own life.

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If I were to ask you, what was the one thing that was stopping you from being successful in your life, what would you say? Often we point to some sort of obstacle in our circumstances - a lack of money, a bad job or a poor turn of luck. But the truth is, the things in our lives that most thwart our progress are the obstacles inside of us. When we change us, we change our world.

On this episode, we’re talking about “Growing Pains” - how God speaks to us to change us from the inside out. When we choose to listen to the voice of God, he will call us to grow and change. God starts from the outside in. He calls us to become more like him. And as we do, we will become more fully ourselves.

Unfortunately that process isn’t easy. The greatest obstacles to our success lie within ourselves - feelings of inadequacy, a love of comfort and fears of failure. These are the growing pains each one of us will experience as God speaks and calls us to grow.

But there’s also greater pain that comes when we ignore what he is saying to us. It’s the pain of no growth at all.

On the show, we talk about how God leads us to grow and the process he takes us through. We encourage you to respond to what the Spirit is speaking to you about as you listen. When we follow his lead, we will see how he changes us from the inside out. The result will be the success and empowerment we all long for.

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We know that God is able to speak to us by his Spirit, but does God speak to those who don’t know him? You may have heard the incredible stories coming out of the Middle East where Jesus has been reported to be appearing to Muslims in dreams. Thousands of lives have been transformed as a result. Some missiologists say that around ¼-⅓ of Christians in the Middle East follow Jesus today because they've seen him in a dream or vision. But does that happen in other parts of the world as well? Does God speak to non-Christians everywhere?

This episode was recorded live at two "Awaken Your Dreams" events that were hosted by a local church for the community in New Zealand. Both events were sellouts! On the podcast, we share some of the testimonies that came from the events, as well as some of the biblical precedents for God speaking in dreams to those who don't know him. A quick overview of church history reveals a God who is ever reaching out to people, speaking to them in whatever ways he will be heard. Attending to the dreams of others not only provides insights into what is going on subconsciously in their lives, but opens up the opportunity to see where God may be speaking to them.

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Interested in hosting an Awaken Your Dreams Community Event at your church or organisation? Learn more about it here.

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Unforgiveness stops us from hearing God’s voice almost more than any other area. When we bear unforgiveness in our heart, we can’t get through to God and we won’t be able to hear him. Jesus spoke about unforgiveness many times. He said that if you’re coming to meet with God and you have an issue with someone, first be reconciled to them, then come to him (Matthew 5:23-24). In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus talked about asking God for forgiveness when we have forgiven others who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12).

At the same time, forgiveness is one of the most difficult challenges of living in a fallen and broken world. On the podcast, we look at how to forgive by sharing some stories of those who have forgiven under the most difficult circumstances you can imagine. We also look at what God does when we forgive, how forgiveness does not equate with condoning evil and what God does to bring justice on our behalf. The show begins with the story of an incredible Iranian woman who was seriously wronged. The Story of Ameneh Bahrami In 2004, Ameneh Bahrami was returning home from work, when a man named Majid Movahedi threw a bucketful of acid into her face, leaving her blinded and horribly disfigured. Bahrami had repeatedly turned down Movahedi's proposals of marriage which included promises to kill her unless she consented. Instead of carrying out that threat, Movahedi decided that if he couldn't have her, then he would make sure that no other man would want her. So he made sure of it by throwing acid own her face to permanently disfigure her.

The Iranian courts determined on a fine and prison sentence for Movahedi. But Ameneh insisted that she was entitled by law to retribution because, in it was "only in this way that he could understand her pain. Four years later she won her case.

On 14 May 2011, Bahrami's wish was to be carried out. Movahedi was taken to Tehran's Judiciary Hospital. There, under full anaesthetic, he would have drops of acid put into each of his eyes that would render him blind.

The day arrived. Movahedi was prepared by the nurses. But in the final minutes - just as the doctor asked Amenah what she wanted to do, she decided not to do it, saying instead: ”I forgive him, I forgive him.”

Back then, the story hit the international news. All sorts of opinions were given. Some said forgiving the perpetrator was a beautiful gesture - an act of incredible grace and kindness. Others said, no, she shouldn’t have forgiven him - it was right that he experience what she had. Her forgiveness him meant that justice wasn’t really done.

What do you think about Ameneh’s story? Forgiveness and Justice The podcast goes on to discuss what forgiveness is and what it isn’t. I share a story of a woman from Rwanda who forgave and adopted her son’s killer during the time of the genocide and what happened in her country afterwards as a result of her actions. We also talk about two young men, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumarun who were convicted of smuggling in Bali and the meaning of restorative justice in contrast to retribution.

May we learn the power of forgiveness! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy… Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us (Matthew 6:9,12 (NLT)). Listen to the podcast:

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At God Conversations, our emphasis is on how to recognise God's voice when he speaks back. However, this podcast is all about the other side of the conversation - how do we pray and how do we get better at prayer? We talk about what prayer is, what it does and most importantly, how we build the kind of relationship that invites two-way communication with God. What have your experiences with prayer been like? As a young girl, I would visit my friend’s place and there we would always say grace before meals. My childhood friend prayed the prayer her dad taught her - it took me years to work out what was being said; "forwhatforout about to receive… make us truly thankful, Amen.” When I finally worked out what it meant ("for what we are about to receive"), I thought it was a little odd to ask God to make us thankful - couldn’t I make myself thankful?

In the church I grew up in, prayer was a very solemn experience - heads were bowed and everybody sat in a tightly crouched position. It was very quiet – there were lots of awkward silences and people would often speak with a kind of King James English. Prayer was a serious activity that required deep reverence.

When I moved churches at 21, it was a bit of a shock to the system. In my new church, prayer was LOUD. People would often shout and prayer felt like a football match with regular waves of noise that built to a high-pitched crescendo. Instead of sitting down with our heads hunched over, we stood up. Hands were raised high in the air and everyone prayed at the same time. At first I found it intimidating - both because they were so emotionally expressive and because they prayed for so long... It made me want to run out of the door but I was impressed by their passion and enthusiasm.

A few years ago, I visited a Benedictine monastery in Europe and it felt like I was stepping back in time. Prayer took place at five set times each day, with the first at 4am (we didn’t attend that one). All the prayers were spoken or sung in Latin using traditional Gregorian chants. I couldn’t understand what they were saying and I wondered if they got bored repeating the same words day after day, week after week.

What is your experience of prayer?

What should our experiences of prayer be like? So, what is prayer? We often associate prayer with asking God for things, but it is much broader than that. Essentially prayer is communication between ourselves and God. We speak to him and he speaks back. Prayer then, is the substance of a relationship. You cannot have relationship without communication. At its core, prayer is about our relationship with God.

That means the way we view our relationship with God will impact our ideas about prayer. Conversation happens in the context of relationship. To understand prayer, we really need to ask, what kind of relationship do I have with God?

That is not always easy to answer. How do you describe a relationship with an invisible deity? I believe that’s part of the reason why the Scriptures use a lot of metaphors in their stories. Metaphors are a tangible way to describe a relationship with a God who is unseen.

For example, there’s the imagery of bride to groom. We are the bride, God is the groom. God is the King and we are his servants. God is the parent and we are his children. God is the shepherd and we are the sheep.

Each type of relationship will see prayer in a different way. The nature of our relationship with God will shape our conversation with him. So, using the metaphor of bride to groom (eg. Rev. 19:6-9), prayer will likely be intimate, full of love with elements of surrender and self-sacrifice. It may have romantic or adoring feelings attached to it. In contrast, the metaphor of servant to king (eg. Revelation 19:16) will have a different emphasis. In prayer, there may be a recognition of lordship and authority. Instructions, commands and submission will be key parts of the conversation.

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Have you ever noticed that some people seem to hear from God every day, while others seldom hear from God? What is happening here? We know that God is talking, but is he talking to one and not the other? In this episode, I talk about these questions by discussing the impact of personality on hearing God’s voice. We’re going to look particularly at how people interpret and discern their experiences differently and how some forms of hearing from God seem to be better suited to certain personalities. 1. Be careful not to attribute everything to God We also talk about:

The different criteria people use to discern their experiences. Some people are more likely to attribute experiences to God than others. More skeptical types are more likely to attribute an experience to coincidence, creative inspiration or intuition or memory recall. In the Catholic tradition, you need some sort of external evidence to know something is from God such as a sign or a miracle! Problems come when we compare our experiences - each one of us has a responsibility to work out our own faith within the reference points of our own personality and the journey we are on. When we do attribute every creative experience to God, we risk diminishing the potential of our human nature. God has gifted us with ingenuity and creativity and given us abilities that we have yet to fully tap into. We do not need to hear from God on every aspect of life. Some studies have linked diminished ego control to an over-emphasis on Spirit-leading. God’s way is friendship and partnership, not dictatorship (John 15:9-15) We need to be approach God-breathed experiences with reverence and be slow to attribute all experiences to God. Sometimes people use the phrase “God said” to sound spiritual or to claim extra authority for their position. Making the claim to “God said” is a serious claim to divine authority - it carries the weight of heaven behind it and demands our attention. God may have spoken, but we must always test our experiences before making emphatic statements.

Be open to growing in this area On the podcast we also talk about the need to grow in this area. While studies appear to show that hearing God is an experience that is more readily received by some personalities more than others, it also seems that noticing the voice of a Spirit when he speaks is a skill that can be learned. Prayer training that teaches people ignore the distracting world and to focus on the inner experience has been shown to have positive outcomes.

Whatever your personality type, I know you’re going to find this episode helpful.

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! References: Luhrmann, Tanya M, When God Talks Back (New York: Vintage Books, 2012).

Parker, Stephen E, Led by the Spirit: Toward a Practical Theology of Pentecostal Discernment and Decision-Making (Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996).

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Loneliness has become the plague of the modern world. Even though our widespread telecommunication systems and sophisticated transport networks make us more connected than ever before, we’re also lonelier than we’ve ever been. Recent sociological studies show that the levels of loneliness in Western urban society today are unprecedented. Last year, the British Parliament even created a new position for a “Minister for Loneliness”!

Sometimes people think that if you know the God who speaks back, you shouldn’t be lonely. If God is a God of love, surely he would fill every need? Sadly that’s just not true. We need people. God created us to be in relationship with others. Our heavenly father is not in the doorway to greet you at the end of the day. Jesus does not wrap his arms around you in a bear hug when you’ve just received the worst news of your life. Even though his presence is always with us, the Holy Spirit cannot take you literally by the elbow and escort you to that event you fear. God himself said, it’s not good for people to be alone (Genesis 2:18).

In this episode, we’re talking today about what to do when you’re lonely. We’re looking at some of the theology that needs to shape our thinking and the God-given need for intimacy we all share. We’ll look at how God uses people to be his hands and feet, and what practical things we can do in those times of loneliness that are inevitable as we go through the seasons of life.

Listen below:

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Dr Craig Keener tells the story of his wife to be. He and his wife met in seminary, but he confesses he was a bit slow on the uptake... Medine waited years for the love of her life. During that time, God encouraged her not to give up through prophetic words from three different people: "You'll marry a white man with a large ministry" they said. At the time, none of them knew the details of her situation. Today Craig and Medine are a happily married couple who can testify to the power of God's word in bringing them together.

But not all stories end this way. Although there are plenty of miraculous stories of God speaking, there are also plenty of not-so-great stories too... A person hears God speaking about marriage and filters it through their own emotions. God speaks randomly through Scripture verses, but it distorts the original meaning of the text. How do we avoid the mistakes and pitfalls of hearing God’s voice and instead, position ourselves to experience the same kind of miracles we see in the New Testament? Meet Craig Keener In this episode, we talk to Dr. Craig Keener. Craig is a professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is an incredible academic and teacher and is known worldwide for his work as a New Testament scholar. His award-winning commentary on the New Testament has sold over half a million copies. In addition, he’s authored another twenty books - works on hermeneutics, miracles, the historical Jesus, commentaries on Acts and Romans, Corinthians, the Gospel of John, five of which have won awards in Christianity Today. He has has taught in various countries at pastors and scholarly events as well as a diverse range of theological institutions.

Craig is not only a careful and brilliant academic, but he "walks the talk" with many God conversations of his own to share. Tania met Craig and his beautiful wife Medine at the Society for Pentecostal Studies Annual conference in Tennessee USA, where they talked about marriage, miracles and mistakes hearing God’s voice. This man brings a wealth of wisdom, sensitivity and depth to our topic. Enjoy!

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If we can all hear God's voice for ourselves, do we still need to go to church? The answer is, no. You don't need to go to church, visit a holy place or listen to a preacher to hear God's voice. That was how it used to be under the Old Covenant. Back then, the only way to hear God's voice was via his chosen mouthpieces - the prophets (eg. Numbers 11:24, Jeremiah 1:5,9). After the coming of Jesus, God's Spirit was sent to all people: "sons and daughters, "young and old" (Acts 2:16,17), so that everyone could hear his voice in the same way the prophets did. Under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit acts as the continuing voice of Jesus who speaks to us wherever we go. As the Apostle Paul describes it, each one of us is now the "temple" of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Personally I find God talks to me when I least expect it - when I'm in the shower or brushing my teeth! In other words, we don’t need a worship service, a church steeple or a liturgy to hear from God. This is why the new covenant is so much better than the old (Hebrews 8:6). Everyone who chooses to follow Jesus has access to his voice (John 10:27) regardless of where we are or who we are.

However, while you don't need to be in church to hear from God, it's far easier to recognise his voice when you are. Remember the church is not a building, but the gathering of God's people. That means, the more you are in healthy relationship with those who know God, the easier it will be to hear his voice.

There’s a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, in church we learn what God is like through the life and teachings of Jesus. This is the purpose of sermons. When we know what God is like, we can more easily discern what it is he is saying to us.

Secondly, God uses other people to confirm his messages. Since we can so easily get it wrong, having more than one "witness" provides a measure of safety and accountability. When two or three agree on an issue, it's more likely that the testimony is true. I can’t tell you how many times, God has spoken to me, then a fellow Christian has called saying: “Tania, I saw this vision about you" and it repeated precisely what I had heard. It is in the community of God's people that God speaks most loudly and clearly.

Jesus called the church to bring his plan to the earth and be the means through which we would follow him (Matthew 16:18). But the church can sometimes be a confusing place. In this podcast, we talk about the nature of church and how God uses it to help us hear his voice. We also discuss a number of different questions people ask about the church: Why are there so many different types? Can I be a Christian and not go to church? How do I find the right church for me? and What if I’ve been hurt by the church? Whether you’re a churchgoer or not, we pray that this episode helps you in your own God-conversations!

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What is God saying to us in the midst of our pain? On the show today, we’re talking about the questions we ask when life goes wrong. Some people say you shouldn’t even ask God the why question, but that’s what we’re going to do in this episode. We’re talking about how asking God questions is an act of intimacy, what God’s heart is in the midst of our pain and suffering and what to do when there seems to be no answers at all. There was a song that hit the top of the charts in the early 1980s - first in Australia and then in the US. It was re-released in Australia in 2004 and spent a long time at the top of the charts again, this time hitting the charts in Ireland as well. The song was called what about me?

What About Me? It isn’t fair, I’ve had enough, now I want my share…

It’s a song that asks a lot of questions from a position of pain. Somehow, the lines of this song resonated with thousands of people around the world - perhaps because when we find ourselves going through hard times, we end up asking the same sorts of questions. What about me? What about God? and What about them?

It’s often difficult to hear God’s voice when we’re in pain. His gentle compassionate words don’t always penetrate our moments of agony and confusion. The goal of this episode is to help you to see what God has said to other people in their pain - biblical figures like Job and Joseph - so that you can be open to hearing him in the midst of yours. We’re praying for you even as you listen to this podcast. May you feel the presence, comfort and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and may you be open to hear what the Spirit is saying to you. He may not have direct answers for your pain right now, but he is an expert in knowing how to respond to it, having been there himself.

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Money, sex and power are some of the most powerful agents in the world. Any one of them can take down presidents and pastors, politicians and kings. History is littered with stories of people who have been able to conquer nations but not their own lives. So how does God call us to handle them? I'm going to be honest with you. Travelling the world, I have the opportunity to hear a lot of stories - and tragically, they're not all good. Many of them involve abuse and hurt at the hands of leaders who haven't been able to handle one or more of three areas of life: money, sex and power.

Of course it's not just leaders who are susceptible - we are all subject to their misuse. But when money, sex and power are not handled well by those in authority, there are far-reaching consequences.

In this episode of the show, we look at:

How money, sex and power are morally neutral. They are tools that can be used for both good or evil. The key lies in how we use them and what place they take in our hearts. When it comes to money, sex and power, God calls us to operate by kingdom principles - which typically are the opposite of what our selfish nature leans towards. So, when the self says, use power for your own ends, Jesus says, use it to serve and empower others; when the self says, use money to indulge yourself, Jesus says it is more blessed to give than receive; when the self says, get as much out of sex as you can, Jesus says to seek the benefit of it for others in covenant love. The ultimate goal here is mastery over money, sex and power, such that when God's ways are followed, nothing else has the power to become a tool of self-interest. Everything in our lives needs to submit to his purpose. The result is that money, sex and power can all be used for his kingdom and for the benefit of others.

As you listen, I encourage you to tune in to what the Spirit of God may be saying to you. So often God is speaking to us about these three areas, but we don't listen. He longs to speak to us for our good, so that both ourselves and others don't pay the price of our inability to handle them.

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If you have a God-dream in the African church, no-one thinks you're unusual. Hearing God’s voice in dreams is common in this part of the world. Some churches even have a resident dream interpreter who offers counsel to congregation members! What can we learn from the African church where Christianity is growing at a rapid rate and where hearing the voice of the Spirit in dreams is a regular occurrence?

On the show this week, we're talking to a friend of mine and a fellow PhD student, Anna Droll. Anna is an ordained minister with the American Assemblies of God and founder of Kairos Global Missions. Her ministry is focused in Africa and she is an adjunct professor at Southeastern University and Northwest University. She is also a woman who is passionate about prayer and healing, has a heart of compassion for everyone she meets and offers some profound insights into this interesting and important area of spirituality.

In this podcast, we talk about:

Anna’s spiritual journey and how she ended up studying dreams and visions in Africa. Why dreams and visions are more accepted in Africa than in the Western church. What we can learn from Anna's studies and from the church in Africa. plus some great stories including how a God-dream led a former drug addict to help others find freedom.

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You don’t need to be a Christian to live a good life. Plenty of my friends live a great life without God. They are well educated, hold successful jobs and live in beautiful homes. For the most part they enjoy happy, contented lives - even with a few bumps along the way. In our Western world, it’s not difficult to live a good life. There are common sense decisions we can make, self-help books to read and plenty of resources at our disposal. In the Western parts of the world, we are blessed with opportunity and prosperity. Even with a bad start, you can turn things around if you make good choices and work hard.

But God has a very different life for those who choose to follow him. It’s a good life, but it’s more than good. The ‘God life’ is not an ordinary life because it involves walking with a supernatural God. This week on the show, we’re talking about the God Life - and how to live it.

The God life involves walking with a supernatural God. It involves living with an expectation of the supernatural intervention of God working through our circumstances. That means our lives will look different. We will make illogical decisions in the face of impossible circumstances. We’ll take risks when there’s not enough resources. We’ll step out into areas of fear just because he told us too. And when we do, we see the miracle working power of God.

But the God life also involves our natural selves. Our contribution comes through giving all of our gifts and talents, using all of our resources and working hard to use our creativity and intelligence. We live as full partners in the process and when we do, we’ll realise the full potential of who we were made to be.

Many people get confused over this dynamic. They either become passive and expect God to do all the work for them, or they become reliant on themselves and never follow the leading of the Spirit. But the God life is a partnership not a dictatorship. It’s not 50:50 relationship - it’s 100:100. All of ourselves and all of God. This is the kind of life God has called each one of us to live. Christianity is not a crutch for broken people to walk with - first God heals our legs, then he gives us wings to fly.

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How could God have created the world in 6 days when geological data shows the earth is over four billion years old?

How does the Bible’s description of human creation align with scientific evidence supporting evolution?

If Adam and Eve were the first couple, where did their son Cain's wife come from?

These are the kinds of questions that come up today when Bible-believing Christians read the story of creation in the opening chapters of Genesis. The various answers are often fuel for furious and acrimonious debate that has led to an artificial division between faith and science. While these questions may be important in our progressive world, our pre-occupation with them has meant we’ve actually missed the main point of the story.

The problem lies in the questions themselves. Genesis was written at a time when people were not asking the same kind of questions we’re asking today. Theirs was a world where science hadn’t even been invented - when there was no such thing as the “scientific method”. Understandings about the world was simple - the earth was a flat disc separating the waters below and the waters above. All of it originated at some point of time with the gods.

In the Genesis story of creation, God didn’t bother taking time to correct readers’ cosmology and explain that water isn’t held up by a dome with windows that allow the rain to fall through. Genesis 1-3 is not a scientific account given to explain how the world was created. Far more important issues were at stake. Genesis was written to show us who we are, why we're here and what we’re supposed to do. The answers it gives have framed the foundation of Christianity and have become the bedrock of Western civilisation.

Listen to the podcast! The Creation Story is about Who We Are To begin with, the creation account tells us who we are, but you’re unlikely to notice it without an appreciation of the ancient context. In the time of Genesis, religion was an integral part of life, but it was nothing like the religious world we know today. Worship was polytheistic, meaning people worshipped many gods with each deity closely tied to some aspect of natural phenomena. In this world, the gods acted like over-inflated humans. They were male or female; they fell in love, fought each other and got into bad moods.

Thus the aim of worship for the ancients was to keep the gods happy - particularly the ones whose help you needed at the time. If you wanted a good crop, you made sacrifices to the rain god; if you wanted a relationship, you appeased the deity of love, if you wanted to have a baby, you went to the fertility god. To do that, you would visit a temple where the presence of the god was said to dwell. There you would make an offering, bowing to the image of the god whose favour you wished to garner.

It is against this backdrop that the truths of Genesis shine most brightly. In the biblical account, the scene is a garden temple where the presence of the one true God dwells and where his only ‘image” is the flesh and blood he created (Genesis 1:26-28). Unlike the inanimate statues furnishing the rooms of ancient temples, this image represented his/her creator and was made in his likeness.

Thus humanity becomes the pinnacle of all creation, exalted above all other living things. As Genesis portrays it, men and women have God-like qualities and are fearfully wonderfully made (Psalm 139). They come from the dust of the earth, yet are destined for glory and honour (Ps.8:5-6). The big story of Genesis tells us who we are. The Creation Story is about What We’re Purposed to Do But more than this, the creation story also tells us what we’re designed to do. Images in ancient temples always represented the god in whose name the temple was built. In the Genesis account, humanity - the image in God’s garden temple - has been tasked with God-like activity. They have been given domain over all of the earth (Genesis 1:28). Like the owners of a house,

Seriously Dangerous Religion: What the Old Testament Really Says and Why It Matters

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Magnums are one of my all-time favourite ice-creams. I love the smooth Belgian chocolate and the rich ice-cream inside. But some years ago, Magnum launched a new marketing campaign, labelling each of their ice-creams with one of the seven deadly sins. There were names like “sloth” (caramel swirl ice cream and chocolate),“revenge” (raspberry ripple ice cream and dark chocolate) and “greed” (tiramisu, amaretti and chocolate). My favourite (champagne ice-cream and white chocolate) was ‘vanity’. It never felt as good after that.

Why is it that something as good as a Magnum ice-cream is associated with sin? Why is it that pleasure is often associated with evil? This is the topic of this week’s podcast: The Theology of Chocolate - how our twisted ideas turned God into a killjoy. (NB. Some of you are thinking this is an overzealous rant designed to justify a chocolate binge at Easter, and you may be right).

Magnum’s marketing campaign reinforces the idea that eating something enjoyable is sinful and therefore eating something tasteless is not. Or in other words, if you follow God’s ways and do the ‘right’ thing, you’re not going to enjoy life as much.

Where does this idea come from? Is Pleasure Sinful? The idea can be traced back to a system of thinking called Gnosticism that flourished in the early centuries after Christ. The Gnostics believed that earthly pleasure was the antithesis of heavenly good. The spirit was good and the flesh was bad. So, if you wanted to be spiritual, you should deny the physical. Spirituality was associated with pain and abstinence. If it was pleasurable, it was evil.

Later the monastic movement came up with similar ideals in reaction to the self-indulgence they saw in the world around them. Poverty, celibacy and isolation became the ideal. Vows were taken to deny sex in marriage. Simple food like bread and water were on the monastic menu, with some monks reported to feed on grass. Laughter was inappropriate and solemnity was the order of the day. Aesthetics such as bright-coloured clothing were rejected in favour of hessian garb. Isolation was lauded with some monks living in tombs or on the tops of pillars far away from the influence of relationships.

Of course, this is not meant to say that denial of life’s pleasures isn't sometimes appropriate. God sometimes calls us to deny them so that they don’t become idols in our hearts. The ability to exercise mastery over the self and to prioritise God above all else is the essence of spiritual maturity. Everything for Our Enjoyment But at the same time, we need to understand God’s heart for us here on earth. The truth is that God made the natural world, including our physical bodies. They are his creation and a reflection of his bountiful and beautiful design. In the opening chapters of Genesis, there is one resounding theme - the creation is good - a refrain that’s repeated six times. Everything God made is good.

After creating this garden paradise where he himself is seen to dwell, God places humanity in the centre - and says; “Enjoy it! Eat of it! Care for it! I’ve given you the best - all for you to enjoy.” A healthy biblical theology says that the physical world is as much a work of God as the spiritual one. That means, when I’m enjoying the physical pleasures of this life within the boundaries of wisdom, I’m expressing my God-given humanity and through it I’m glorifying God, honouring the Creator and above all; being spiritual.

What does this mean? For those who want to live the God-life, there is a way to live it to the full - and it comes without guilt and shame.

It looks like taking a proper day off each week. It means we allow time to celebrate the pleasures God has given us. It means that we don't compartmentalise our lives into the activities ‘which are spiritual’ and activities which are ‘natural’. It means that the experience of worship when I hike up a tall mountain is just as profound as a song sung on Sunday morn...

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Can anyone hear God’s voice? What about those who don’t know him? Can non-Christians or those who’ve never been to church hear him speak? And what about those from other religions?

On this episode, we’re privileged to have the esteemed Dr Amos Yong on the show to talk about some of these questions. Amos is an eminent theologian, a prolific author and researcher with over 20 titles based around the work of the Holy Spirit. They include a theology of disability, interfaith relationships, global theology - even a theology of Down syndrome. The title on this topic is called: Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions.

Amos shares his story of knowing God, and how his most common way of hearing God’s voice is through the Scriptures. We talk about the different ways people use "God-talking" language. His Mum for example, regularly says God speaks to her, but his Dad is more conservative in his use of this language and a lot less likely to attribute his experiences to God. We discuss how the Spirit is working in the lives of those from other faiths, how God is present in the lives of our neighbours and what God may be saying when we learn to love someone else.

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Have you noticed that God does a lot of talking at Christmas time? The first God-conversation with Mary was the one that started it all (Luke 1:26-33). But then God spoke a second time - to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-21), then a third time to the wise men (Matthew 2:12) and a fourth (Matthew 2:19-21) and fifth time to Joseph (Matthew 2:22). He also spoke to Elizabeth, Anna and Simeon. God speaks repeatedly throughout the Christmas story.

But what if the people hadn't listened? What if they hadn’t followed? What if Joseph had merely written his dream off as the spicy pizza (or lentils), if the wise men dismissed their dream as a paranoid nightmare or if Mary had rejected the words of the angel?

Because people heard God speak and because they did what he said, our Christmas cards show Jesus alive in Mary’s arms and we sing songs heralding his birth. Christmas pans out the way it was supposed to.

In this podcast, we talk about the five conversations of Christmas and how they shaped the event we celebrate every December. That first Christmas was unique, but God's pattern of working hasn't changed. He still speaks to initiate his plan. He still looks for willing people to receive his promise and carry it by faith. He still speaks to see protect his word and he still speaks to announce the time when it will come to pass. The God who spoke then is still speaking today. What is God talking to you about this Christmas?

Listen to the podcast:

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Stories of God talking to his people abound throughout the Bible, but we usually only get the highlights. We read; “God said; ‘Go to Egypt’”, and then; “Mary and Joseph left for Egypt.” We’re not told how God spoke, how they knew it was him or how they decided to act on what they’d heard.

This is how the blurb of my new book God Conversations reads. When I first read Bible stories about God speaking I thought, it sounds so easy for them - when the reality felt so different. That’s why I set out to write my book. I wanted to show more than the highlights. I wanted to show what really happens behind the scenes when we hear God’s voice.

In this podcast, we talk about how my book on hearing God's voice is different from others: It's all about the stories For one, it's all about the stories. The goal is to show you how God speaks rather than tell you. You'll notice there's no list of things for you to do; there's no five steps for you to follow. This was a deliberate style choice.

Have you noticed most of the Bible is stories? Most of Jesus’ teaching is stories. Stories turn principles from black and white to colour. They fill in the abstract and ground truth in reality. So the book is more show than tell - although there is telling involved too. From the feedback I've received, people relate most to the stories. They say; “I never thought I could hear from God, but now I realise I always have.” It gives more than the highlights We love the Bible, but we need to remember that the Bible only gives the highlights - the best stories. We read, "And God said to Abram; 'Leave your country and go to a new land' (Genesis 12:1) then, "So Abram went..." (Genesis 12:4). I often wonder if it was that easy! The Bible gives us nothing of what went on in Abram's head as he processed what he'd heard. Often the stories were told years later after a long time of editing and reflection. There's no detail about what went on behind the scenes.

This kind of approach makes sense since the Bible writers had the big picture in mind. They were more concerned about communicating the message than revealing the process. I think that's partly why God led me to give more detail in the book. He wants us to know that he understands our struggle and that he has answers to the fear and doubt behind it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31aSdOq_VCc&t=2s It reflects on contemporary God-conversations in light of ancient ones. In the book you’ll notice I find myself in the middle of situations seeking to understand them. The first place I turned to was my Bible. Had anyone else had a God-dream like me? Had anyone seen dead bodies used to symbolise lifeless hopes? Had anyone had to trust God’s word for a big geographical move? Had anyone received a funny sign to confirm what God had said?

We need to remember that God has been speaking for a long time and the patterning of his call is the same even though circumstances differ. And of course, people in the Bible are just like us. They make mistakes, they hear what they want to hear, they sometimes disobey and have to face the consequences. So the Bible is like a journal of God-conversations for us to learn from.

That's why in the book, my story is spliced with the story of the Bible characters. Each chapter starts with a time that God spoke and the questions surrounding it. Then we cut to a God Conversation in the Bible and learn from that. At the end of the chapter, the questions are answered by the resolution of the story. Underlying each story is an important teaching principle about hearing God’s voice and following it.

At heart, we all have the same questions: What does God sound like? How do we know it’s him and how do we respond to what he says? God Conversations invites you on a journey to find the answers.

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A few years ago on an Australian reality talent show, a young man expressed his dream to be a famous singer. The emcee told of his dedication in preparing for this moment. His mother spoke of his deep passion and commitment. When the man took to the stage, the audience applauded in great anticipation.

In spite of the lead up, the performance was awful. This young man had plenty of zeal, but absolutely no talent. One judge known for his honest feedback didn’t hold back: “Your dream will never happen. No amount of hard work will make you a good singer. You will never be on the stage.”

It was a brutal moment, but it was also an act of grace. This man’s dream was completely misplaced. It wasn't based on who he was or how God designed him to be. He was believing a fantasy and without the reality check provided by the judges, was headed towards even greater disappointment. When We Grow Up? What are we going to be when we grow up? It’s a question we usually ask children, but it’s a question we all need to ask ourselves. God has a purpose for each one of us, but it’s not a product of wishful thinking or misplaced illusions. God’s dream for our lives will match who we are and how we’re made. We’re going to love what God has for us!

The next question is, how do our God-given dreams come to pass?

I remember at 26 years old hearing God’s vision for my life for the first time. It was a vision that echoed the deepest desires of my heart. I waited a week, then two. A month later and nothing was happening. I wondered if I’d really heard from God at all.

At the time I didn’t understand that realising my dream was not going to happen overnight. There was a process to walk through - and each step of that process was conditional on my response. At each point there were lessons to learn and decisions to make. I had a choice in how I responded and that choice impacted how the plan of God unfolded in my life.

As I followed God’s lead, I saw God’s spectacular plan unfolding and watched his sovereign hand at work. As Ephesians 3:20 says, it was beyond anything I could have ever asked or imagined. The Dream that Never Dies God wants to work in each one of us to bring his plans to fulfilment, but the onus is also on us to respond. On the podcast this week, we’re talking about How to Live your Dream. We’ll examine the process by which a God-given dream comes to pass by drawing on the patterns in the lives of biblical greats like Abraham, Moses and Joseph. We’re going to talk about how a dream is birthed and how a God-given dream works to transform us from the inside out. We will also see that when God is the author and leader of our lives, his dream never dies.

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What would Jesus say to a terrorist? Just this week we've received news here in Australia of another terrorist plot. Our nation remains on high alert after police uncovered plans to allegedly bring down a commercial airline with a bomb or toxic gas.

It's difficult not to feel helpless every time we hear those kinds of reports. Most of us are not politicians, international diplomats or war strategists. How are we to respond to the constant threat of terrorism we receive across the world today?

Today's podcast looks at the 'Jesus way' to approach terrorism. What would Jesus say to a terrorist? In order to answer that question, we're going to take a look at what he's already said. This is not the first time the world has been threatened by terrorism. History has been here before - with the early church facing similar questions to what we do today. In their case the enemy wasn't ISIS, but the Roman empire - a force that was actually far stronger and just as brutal. Some people in the church had already been martyred for holding to their faith.

It's in this context that God speaks back and shows clearly how his people should respond. His answer is found in our Scriptures in the book known as Revelation. It's incredibly creative (there's lambs, blood-dipped robes and a wedding feast) and, as often the case with God, entirely different to what we'd expect.

In the podcast we talk about:

God's viewpoint from behind the scenes How Jesus overcomes evil in the most unlikely of ways How God's people are far more powerful than we realise The most effective weapons God has given us to fight terrorism

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How do we get better at hearing God’s voice? The answer doesn’t lie in a formula or a set of rules: "Follow these 3 steps, take time out or spend 15 minutes with God each day."

Hearing God's voice happens in the context of relationship, so if we want to get better at it, it’s the state of our relationship that becomes the focus. This week on God Conversations with Tania Harris we’re talking about how to get better at hearing God’s voice. It’s one of the most important questions to ask because it lies at the heart of knowing God.

We’ll get better at hearing God's voice by applying the same principles that we use to grow communication in our human relationships. In the podcast, we look at three different principles that apply: 1. Make a commitment to improve your communication Learning to hear God's voice is a process that develops with time and practise. We learn to recognise his voice.

The prophet Samuel was a man who knew how to hear God’s voice. He was the expert. The Bible says of him that not one of his words fell to the ground - they all came to pass (1 Samuel 3:19). In fact Samuel became the prototype for all prophets to come. But he wasn’t always as good as hearing God’s voice. The first time he heard it, he thought it his mentor calling. He heard the voice three times and still he didn't get it right! (1 Samuel 3:1-15).

As we see, Samuel learnt. He got better at hearing God's voice as he got to know the person behind the voice.

So first, we need to understand that learning to hear God's voice takes time. Then, we need to commit ourselves to learning. We ask God to teach us. We listen for his voice. We ask him questions. Then, when we think we’ve heard his voice, we go back and check. We ask God to confirm. We pray; "Make yourself clear Lord." We start in the small things and we learn in the same way Samuel did. 2. Learn to trust his communication (as he learns to trust yours) Communication is an issue of trust. We learn to trust that others mean what they say - and they learn to trust that we mean what we say.

In the same way, when it comes to hearing God, we need to learn to trust his communication - to learn that he means what he says and that he delivers on his promises (Numbers 23:19). That means when he speaks, we need to act on his words. We need to follow and obey.

Then when we will see his faithfulness and trustworthiness, we'll be able to continue hearing him speak. When we learn to trust his communication, we will find it easier to hear his voice.

But there’s another side to it as well. God also needs to trust our words. So when we say things to him like; "I want to follow you", he's watching for our response. When he says, "Ok I want you to do this for me", will we do what we says? Jesus said that if we love God, we will obey and then he can show more of himself to us (John 4:21). When God sees that we mean what we say, he can entrust us with more. It's like any relationship we have on earth. We will have clearer and more meaningful conversations when we grow in trust for each other. 3. Become more honest in your communication (as he becomes more honest in his) Finally we get better at hearing God's voice when we become more honest with God - when we open up our hearts to him in both the good times - and the bad. A close relationship means that we share our true thoughts to God and don't distance ourselves when circumstances go awry.

This principle also means we need to allow God to share his true thoughts to us - to allow him to speak into every area of our lives. We need to be prepared to listen to him no matter what he says. This level of honesty builds relationship and we find ourselves being able to hear more of what God is saying.

These are the kind of conversations that change us. They set us free. Jesus said his words are spirit and they are life (John 6:63), that they are bread to our bodies, food to our spirits and life to our souls - that we can’t live witho...

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Back in the first century, it wasn’t normal for men and women to be friends. They didn’t meet for coffee in morning tea breaks or discuss current affairs over the water-cooler. They didn’t sit next to each other in the synagogues and swap ideas about their theology. They certainly didn’t discuss their spiritual lives by the village well.

That’s why the actions and behaviours of Jesus with the Samaritan woman were so radical. Even his disciples couldn’t fathom his socialising with a woman, let alone one with such a scandalous reputation (John 4:27). Somehow Jesus managed to interact with the opposite sex in a healthy way, even being alone with them in a public setting.

Jesus shows us that it is possible to engage meaningfully with our female and male counterparts. In the radically new equality of the kingdom he inaugurated, it’s not surprising. It’s when men and women relate together that they are seen to fully represent the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28).

The question is how.

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What does prophecy look like in the contemporary church? How do we handle the fact that we can get it wrong when we try to hear from God? And what could God possibly be saying to someone when he gives her a vision of a yellow peacock? In this episode of God Conversations with Tania Harris, I’m excited to be talking to Professor Mark Cartledge, a British scholar who pioneered in the field of practical theology by looking at how contemporary prophecy functions in the Church of England.

What I love about Mark is not only is he a very smart man, but he is also a practitioner who has been involved in local church life for over 25 years. He’s a worship leader and preacher as well as a theologian and a lecturer. It’s a winning combination!

In this podcast we talk about:

How God knows our passwords - God speaks through the preached Scriptures but he also speaks specifically into the details of our lives. What Mark discovered in his pioneering research and how common it was for followers of Jesus to just “know things” they wouldn’t ordinarily know The need for humility in our God Conversations. How there should be a general reticence towards using the words: "God said" and more commonly preferring the words; “I believe the Lord is saying this.”

Listen to (034) God Knows Your Password:

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Mark Cartledge is both a scholar and an anglican priest. He is currently a Professor of Practical Theology in the US and is ordained in the Church of England (UK) for over twenty-five years'. He has worked in parish ministry, overseas theological education in an Anglican seminary in Nigeria as well as campus ministry in the UK (Universities of Liverpool and Durham). He has also taught in seminary (Durham) and secular University departments (Lampeter and Birmingham). During this time he has remained active in ordained ministry at parish level and regularly leads worship, preaches and participates in congregational life.

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How do we know the will of God for our lives? It’s a question that is often hotly debated with one side emphasising the need for God’s direct guidance for our decisions and the other emphasising human free will (Listen to: Is God’s will a Narrow Path or a 6-Lane Freeway?).

In this podcast, John Peachey from the Mornings show at Rhema New Zealand and I take a different tack. We explore this commonly asked question by drawing on the story told in Jessica Kelley’s book Lord Willing. Against the backdrop of her dying 4 year old son’s battle with brain cancer, Jessica challenges the popular idea that God has some sort of master plan where he ordains and controls every decision. In this view, God's plan did not include her son Henry’s cancer, nor did he even “allow” it. As Jessica so vividly communicates, Jesus came to give abundant life, not to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), so he could never be to blame for her son’s tragic death. God's sovereignty does not mean he is a controlling micro-manager (Read: What We Mean When we Say God is in Control?), nor he is never to blame for the evil in the world.

Jessica’s conclusions about the nature of God’s sovereignty, the presence of evil and the dynamic of human autonomy help us to better understand how to navigate God’s will in our own lives. If we believe in the so-called 'blueprint view', God will always get the blame, ‘everything happens for a reason’ and there is little room for free will. In this way of thinking, we will be paralysed until we hear God's voice and we will approach decisions with a fear of getting it wrong. But if we understand our world to be a powerful interplay of God’s intervention with the fallenness of humanity, we can be better equipped to navigate the ‘will of God’ in our lives.

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More about Lord Willing? by Jessica Kelley Does God's perfect plan really include this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvnDJOx4R98 When her young son was diagnosed with brain cancer, Jessica Kelley couldn't stomach Christian clichés. God's will? Divine design? The Lord's perfect plan? In Lord Willing?, Kelley boldly tackles one of the most difficult questions of the Christian life: if God is all-powerful and all-loving, why do we suffer? For Kelley, this question takes an even more painful and personal turn: did God lack the power or the desire to spare her four-year-old son? For those dissatisfied with easy answers to why evil and tragedy occur, Lord Willing? offers a refreshing, hopeful journey straight to the heart of God. Be prepared for something more beautiful, more pure, and more healing than you can dare to imagine.

Lord Willing?: Wrestling with God's Role in My Child's Death

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One of the most difficult times to hear God’s voice is when we're in the throes of making a big decision. Shall I take this job, will I marry this person, or will we have children? Each of these decisions have life-changing consequences; they tug at our heartstrings and our emotions are deeply invested in the outcomes. That makes hearing God in these areas particularly fraught with difficulty - to the point where some say you shouldn’t even try to hear from God for them.

We’ve already looked at hearing God’s voice for marriage in episode 29 when we discussed some wisdom for hearing God’s voice for Mr and Mrs Right. But today we’re talking with someone who has heard God speak about two other highly sensitive areas: career and children.

Ps. Lisa Woods is the Senior pastor of Wheatland District Church in north West Victoria, along with her husband Dion. She has worked as a youth pastor, school chaplain in the local secondary school and local member of Yarriambiack Shire council, the youngest councillor to be elected to this position. She is an extraordinary woman of vision and passion who inspires all those around her to flourish. Today she is talking with us about hearing God speak about a job and a baby. I know you will enjoy her and learn from her story! Hearing God for a Job We look at how God spoke to Lisa and her husband Dion about their role pastoring Wheatland District Church and how God worked to ensure they had no doubt about the decision they were making. Such is the power and beauty of the new covenant where more than one person is hearing from the Holy Spirit! Hearing God for a Baby How do we hear from God about the things we most want to hear? How do we avoid mistaking God’s voice for the voice of our own desires? Lisa gives some advice as she reflects on how God spoke to her and her husband about the thing they wanted most - a child.

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We'd love to hear from you. How has God helped you make the big decisions of life? How have you been able to distinguish between hearing God's voice and the voice of your own desires? Leave a comment below:

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Does God still speak today? I grew up in a church that didn’t believe he does. We were taught that as soon as the last pages of the Bible were written, God stopped talking (known as Cessationist theology). That may sound illogical for some - after all the Bible is full of God-conversations - surely if he spoke then, he would continue to speak now. But there was a good reason for it. People thought that if I claimed to hear God speak today, that would diminish the authority of what he had already said. The Scriptures gave us everything we need, so why would we need to hear anything else?

But then I heard God speak. He spoke prophetically, miraculously and in ways that resembled the way he spoke in the Bible. That left me with a whole lot of questions. How did my experience compare to the experience of the Bible writers? What authority did it have in my life? Is it okay to say ‘God told me’ as they did in the Scriptures? And what about those times when people claim to hear God’s voice, but then it doesn't happen? These kinds of questions are the subject of my current PhD study as well as today’s podcast. 1. The Questions of a Contemporary Story My questions arose directly out of personal experience - specifically when God spoke to me in 2000 about moving interstate. His words were clear and directive and were confirmed on multiple occasions through other people. They led me to uproot my life and move to an unknown city believing for God’s words to come to pass. But should I have trusted my experience? Could I guarantee that God would do what he said?

At the time I encountered a range of possible answers. Well known theologian Wayne Grudem in his book The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today1 suggested that my experience was not on the ‘same level’ as the Bible writers, and was therefore not considered authoritative or trustworthy. This position made my move questionable and brought little reassurance to me in the midst of a bold step of faith!

A similar approach was reflected in my church at the time with the popular distinction between two Greek renditions for the meaning of ‘word’ in the Bible; rhema and logos. The ‘logos’ was understood to be the ‘written’ word and could always be trusted, but the rhema as the ‘spoken (contemporary) word' was far more subjective and therefore not to be trusted (eg. See Mark Virkler’s Dialogue with God 2 for an example of this). Such an understanding didn’t make sense to me since the written word of God was once the spoken word, tested and written down. Authority comes from the speaker so whether it was spoken or written wasn’t the point - the question was - did it originate from God?

Then there were other teachers like Joyce Meyer in her book, How to Hear from God3 who suggested that the ‘supernatural’ methods of hearing God’s voice were not as reliable as the more ‘non-supernatural methods’ like the ‘wisdom of counsel, commonsense and the circumstances’. That meant I couldn’t trust any of my experience, because it had largely come through those ‘supernatural’ methods: dreams, visions, and prophecies. Yet the Bible itself demonstrates that such experiences were normative for the early church.4 So why would they be seen to be questionable for me?

The whole problem boiled down to one key question: How does the written word in the Scriptures relate to the spoken word of our contemporary experience? 2. Why This Matters Some would ask why this question matters. When I look back at my Christian walk before I heard God’s voice compared to my own experience now, they are worlds apart. Growing up with Cessationist theology meant that my spiritual life was dry and secondhand. I only knew God through intellectual study and the experiences of others. Like the Pharisees who had studied the Scriptures seeking to find him, I’d never heard God’s voice (John 5:39-40). Our theology of hearing God’s voice matters deeply because it impacts on our ability to know him for ourselves...

The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today

The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority

Dialogue with God: Opening The Door To Two-Way Prayer

How to Hear from God: Learn to Know His Voice and Make Right Decisions

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In the Western world, one of the biggest challenges we find in hearing God’s voice is the ability to take time out to listen to him. The ever-pressing demands of a fast-paced life mean that prioritising time to pray often finds itself at the bottom of our endless to-do lists. Then when we do find the time, it’s difficult to quieten our minds long enough to focus on what God is saying.

This was the subject of a question asked at the website. Karen asked; “Can you give us some tips on how to just be still & listen to God...how to stop the chatter in your mind?” There is good news for those who find themselves wanting to hear God’s voice in a busy season. In this podcast, which is an encore episode from the show, we share the good news that finding time alone is not the most important prerequisite to hearing God’s voice. God can still speak to us even when it’s impossible to take five hours out to sit cross-legged on a mountaintop…

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How have you maintained your walk during God through busy seasons? Has God spoken to you when you're 'too busy'? Share below!

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Last week, a new reality show called Married at First Sight was launched on Australian TV. I have to confess, I’ve been glued to it from the first night and the early episodes have not failed to disappoint. In the series, a man and a woman meet for the first time on their wedding day after being paired together by a group of three experts. There’s a neuropsychotherapist who considers pheromones and ‘chemistry’, as well as a psychologist and relationship expert who draw on personality profiles and extensive interviews to make their best scientific match.

Once having participated in a (non-legal) wedding ceremony, the newly married couples spend their first night in a hotel, then leave for the honeymoon. After returning and living together for a month, they make the decision whether or not to continue their relationship. Last year the whole process worked out beautifully for one of the four couples, Alex and Zoe, who are now happily on their way down the non-reality TV wedding aisle. It’s all gripping viewing. For my friends outside of Australia, here’s a moment the producers die for when, at the wedding of the third couple, Jono the groom doesn’t get what he ordered in bride Clare.

It may sound like just another one of those awfully sad reality TV shows that happily exploit our voyeuristic tendencies, but as I’m watching the look of utter terror on the brides’ faces as the step out of their limousines, I can’t help but be reminded of the ancient biblical equivalent. Think Jacob meeting the weak-eyed Leah only after he lifts up the wedding veil or Isaac meeting his betrothed in the marital tent after she was chosen for her competency watering camels. Back in those days of course, the pairing was done largely by the parents and was based on the potential for wealth, power and territory rather than a remote notion such as science or even romantic love.

The show again begs the age-old question, how do we decide on Mr or Mrs Right? E-Harmony has a survey, Tinder just a photo, but what does God say about the process of deciding who to marry?

These are incredibly important questions - one of the most important ones we ask, since the identity of our life partners deeply effects who we are and who we become. Maybe you’re dating and considering the question right now; maybe you’re parents and seeking to counsel your young adult children through the process, or maybe you’re single, widowed or divorced later in life and wondering how to do this well.

In this episode of God Conversations with Tania Harris, we’re going to take time to look at these all-important questions. We talk about:

The fact that no one size fits all. While there may be no biblical blueprint for this process, there are a number of sound wisdom principles we can apply. How essential it is to consult God and involve him in the process The challenges involved in receiving guidance in this area and what it means to respond when God says ‘no’. What to do when God doesn’t speak specifically about our marriage partner What to do if God does speak about our marriage partner, and If there’s such a thing as soulmates!

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Comments Has God ever spoken to you about marriage? What advice would you give to someone who is asking these questions? Share here:

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Since I started my ministry eight years ago I’ve heard plenty of God-conversation stories, some life-transforming and God-glorifying, and some to be honest, I’d much rather forget. During that time, I’ve also been asked lots of questions about hearing God’s voice, questions that tend to be repeated wherever I go. Most of them are identical to the questions I’ve asked myself over the years.

So today’s podcast includes some answers to three most commonly asked questions. It’s some plain talking wisdom about hearing God for the personal issues of our lives in 2016 - much like a coffee and a chat at the start of the year! Perhaps they are questions you've asked too: 1. What is God saying in this area? Whether it’s a question about a new job, or a place to live or wisdom for a new relationship, we don’t always get a clear answer from God. Why is that? It’s not that he doesn’t want to speak to us about these deeply personal areas - the Scriptures are full of instances where he speaks into the specifics of people’s lives. In this, it's essential to remember that communication happens in the context of a relationship. In the podcast we talk about the necessity of first building our relationship with God in the everyday things and how the need for a strong bridge to carry a heavy truck across it helps us understand why. 2. What do I do when God doesn’t speak? Have you ever been in this scenario? You're praying and praying, but God’s not saying a thing! I’ve found that the dynamic of hearing God’s voice vs making our own decisions can be one of the most confusing in our spiritual journey. People often swing between two extremes - either not moving at all unless God speaks or relying entirely on human factors in their decision-making. In the podcast, we talk about a better way. 3. Why does God seem so slow? Isn’t this a tough one? How we struggle with God’s apparent slowness! I confess, this has been the case for me - I had no idea it would take so long for his promises to come to pass! It’s good to have patience, but it’s even better to have patience with understanding, so here’s some wisdom from the heart of God on why it takes so long for his promises to come to pass.

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Comments We'd love to hear your wisdom on these three questions. Share your thoughts here!

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2015 has been another year of global chaos and turmoil. From terror attacks in Paris and Beirut, drowned toddlers washed up on the Turkish coast, a devastating earthquake in Nepal, and the Syrian crisis spilling millions of desperate refugees into Europe, we’ve faced a constant stream of tragic and disturbing news.

As Christians, how do we respond when we hear the nightly news? How do we relate from the positions of our comfy lounge-room chairs when we hear about the latest deadly attack? Most of us are not politicians, international diplomats or war strategists. We are just fellow humans who cry out to God when we hear the stories. So what is God saying to us in the midst of global chaos?

Just before Christmas, I spoke with John Peachey from Rhema's Mornings Show in New Zealand. In this podcast, we talk about some of these important issues by looking at what God has already said. The first century church faced threats of persecution in their day not by terrorists, but by a brutal Roman empire. God's words came then in the form of a series of symbolic visions via the Apostle John - a message that is still relevant to us in our time. You may never read the book of Revelation in the same way! Our conversation also brings it back to the state of our own hearts and what our response should be, even in the relative safety of the West. We pray it brings you hope and inspiration as well as some tangible strategies to how to respond when you hear the latest news. Here’s Hearing God’s voice in the Global Chaos!

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Comments What has your response been the turmoil in our world today? We'd love to hear your thoughts here:

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When God spoke to Joseph about his future destiny as a great leader, he waited until he was sleeping. When God spoke to the Apostle Peter about his strategy for building the church, he put Peter in a trance. When God answered Paul about which direction to go next on his missionary journey, he chose to answer in a dream.

Why would God speak to us in the night and not the day? Why wait until we are sleeping?

In this podcast, we explore some of the answers to these questions. You'll learn how dreams can be used to get difficult messages through, how dreams make God's voice accessible to everybody regardless of their personality type and how dreams and visions reveal God's masterful creativity and his incredible heart to communicate.

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Learn More: The Awaken Your Dreams 3-part CD Series will equip you how to recognise God’s voice in dreams and visions. Learn how dreams are God’s most common mode of communication, how to understand the language of dreams and how to recognise if a dream is from God!

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How do you follow God’s voice for your life if there are two of you? What if both of you hear different things? Or what if one person gets the low-down from God while the other doesn’t? How does God lead married couples? On the show today we have some guests who are brilliantly qualified to answer these questions and I know you’re going to learn a lot from them!

Brett Ryan is the CEO of Focus on the Family Australia. He’s spent more than 12 years as a Children’s Pastor at Citylife Church Citylife Church, Melbourne, Australia building a significant ministry to over 1,000 children across 3 different church campuses. Brett’s wife Kate has been a PE teacher for the past 24 years, first of all as a Primary teacher and then as a Secondary teacher. Today Kate and Brett work together to serve the community and the church with a heart to see families thrive.

In this episode, I talk with Brett and Kate about:

The story of how God led them through the various career changes in their lives What the story of Manoah and his wife (Samson's parents) in Judges 13 can teach us about hearing God’s voice How to deal with the scenario when one partner has heard from God while the other hasn’t The role of the community in hearing God’s voice Advice for married couples looking to follow the voice of God in their lives

If you’re seeking to move forward together in God’s purpose with your partner, this episode is for you!

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To make use of all the resources provided by Focus and the Family, including their free counselling service, click here.

How have you experienced God’s voice in your marriage? Share your comments or advice here!

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You may have heard it said that being a Christian is boring - that it’s all about keeping the rules and making sure you don’t do things you’re not allowed to. Today’s interview turns that thought on its head.

I’ve often said that when we when we follow the Holy Spirit, we replace the ‘good life’ with the God life - one which is full of supernatural adventure. When you listen to God’s voice and follow it, you end up doing things you’d never normally do and seeing miracles you wouldn’t normally see. That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to Pastor David McCracken on the show today!

If you live in Australia, you probably already know his name. David is a well known prophet both nationally and overseas. He heads up a wonderful team based in Melbourne (David McCracken Ministries) and has an incredible reputation, having been in ministry for over 40 years, first as a pastor and now as an itinerant ministering in the prophetic.

This podcast contains some gems that will help you live the god-life with wisdom and without becoming what David calls ‘spiritually spooky’. On this episode, we talk about:

How God’s voice is not just heard in the words that are spoken, but in the tone that is used: “Don’t claim to represent my word if you cannot represent my heart.” Stories from his latest book, You Did What? including some audacious faith moves from his church planting days, leaving secure jobs and stepping out in ministry. Why we need to be willing to step out of the comfort zone to follow God and how getting it right is not as important as having a pure heart. How audaciousness must be balanced by strong accountability. Why "miracles are not the problem; but obedience is" - we chat about the hardest thing God asked David to do. “If we’re not willing to die to the dream, we’re not qualified to live it.” David’s passion to ‘de-spook’ the prophetic. The most important thing you need to hear God’s voice

and much more…

So tune in to an up-close-and-personal with an experienced prophetic voice:

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Learn More: Get David’s book: You Did What?! or more resources from David’ ministry here.

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A few years after starting God Conversations, God spoke to me about a second branch of ministry. Unlike equipping people to recognise God's voice, this one was just for women. The vision of God Conversations for Women is to help women realise their God-given potential. The goal is to see God’s original plan when he cast both men and women in his image and commissioned them to steward the planet together (Genesis 1:26-27) fulfilled in the 21st century.

The question of what a 21st C woman looks like is not an easy one to answer. Once it was simple. Women’s roles in the home, church and community were all very clear. But the feminist movement has changed all that. The last 50-100 years have seen seismic shifts in Western society. Today women can vote and go to university. They can get a job and travel without their husbands. They can fly aeroplanes, join the army, preach sermons and rise to the position of Prime Minister. It wasn’t long ago that all these things were unthinkable.

But at the same time, these kinds of changes have deep repercussions for who we are as women. We hear the voices of the secular worlds; the community and the marketplace, but what is God asking of us? What does it mean to be a 21st C Christian woman?

We’re going to tackle some of those questions today in one of the most fun and interesting radio interviews I think I’ve ever done. It’s an interview with John Peachey, presenter of the Mornings Show in Rhema Radio NZ and it was done to mark the official launch of God Conversations for Women.

I encourage you to have a listen - even if you’re a man! John and I talk about:

How changes in women’s roles effects our men, like who does the asking on a date Why some men (and some women) find it hard to accept women in leadership roles What being a woman in leadership means for femininity The role of the “pastors’ wife” today (and how to pastor a church if you’re not one) How gender stereotypes can be both helpful and unhelpful How God describes his vision for women in the 21st C (and what happens when you quote the Bible at God) Some advice for young women Why there’s so many great single women who can’t find a man and how not to put your life on hold while you ‘wait’!

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So welcome to our launch of God Conversations for Women! For more resources on how to be a 21st C Christian woman, subscribe at the blog here.

Your Thoughts

What do you think is on God's heart for the 21st C Christian woman? We'd love to hear your thoughts below (and yes, men we'd love to hear from you too!)

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“What? You’re a pastor?” “What do you mean - like in a church?” "Do you think God called you because there was no man available?" “Are you in rebellion?”

These are just some of the responses I’ve received over the past twenty years in ministry when I’ve been introduced to someone for the first time. The next question (if there is one - sometimes people just change the subject or walk away!) is usually: So how does it feel to be a woman in ministry? Even though the denomination I’m ordained in (the Australian Christian Churches) has always held an egalitarian position towards women in ministry, I’m still a bit of an anomaly - both in the church world and more so, in wider society.

After sharing my initial journey into ministry on the podcast last year (listen to How it Feels to be a Woman in Ministry Part 1), in this episode, I talk a bit about the responses of others to my being a female pastor - yes, the good, the bad and the ugly(!) - and how I believe God is working in the midst of them. My purpose is not to self-indulge, but to offer some understanding on the challenges we face in the church and how we can work towards the vision God gave us in creation where men and women are pictured working in harmony to steward the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). It’s a podcast about being a woman in church leadership, but it’s not just for women - for whatever happens in the lives of women, radically affects the lives of men!

Listen and enjoy!

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So how does someone who thinks it's heretical for a woman to be a pastor end up becoming one? Listen to Part 1 of How it Feels to be a Woman in Ministry.

What about you? What has been your response to the radical changes in gender roles happening in society today? As a man? As a woman? We would love to hear from you below!

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How can hearing God’s voice be easy?

Admittedly it is a slightly provocative statement designed to get you reading my eBook, The Easy Way to Hear God’s Voice, but there’s also an element of truth in it. Let me explain...

Many of us struggle to hear God’s voice and it seems we are not alone. Even in Bible times people experienced the same frustration: Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words? For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds... (Job 33:13-15) Though we know these words were spoken by someone who didn’t always have the right advice for his friend Job, they still give us a glimpse of the ancients’ experience in trying to discern God’s voice. God may well have been speaking to them in dreams, but like so many of us, they didn’t notice it.

The premise of my book then is, that hearing from God may be as easy as falling asleep - something we can all do!

Which then begs the question, if hearing from God was as easy as pulling up a pillow, then why aren’t more of us experiencing this? In today’s podcast, which includes an interview with Clayton Bjelan at 89.9Light FM Melbourne, we look at this question as well as a number other frequently asked questions about hearing God’s voice in dreams. Here are some of them:

Hearing God in dreams seems a bit mystical, fanciful, a bit out there - what would you say to that?

When we say God speaks in dreams, how does he actually do it? How can we know it’s him?

Do you need to be someone special, a certain kind of person to hear from God in a dream? Can we make ourselves more ‘susceptible’ to hearing God in this way?

What have you’ve learnt from listening to the dreams of others?

How do you decipher what a dream means? Is there a way to discern whether a dream is literal or symbolic?

Have you read The Easy Way to Hear God’s Voice? What did you learn about hearing God’s voice in dreams? Share your comments below, and pass the book onto your friends by using the social media buttons below.

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How did John know his Revelation was from God?

I wonder how the seven churches of Asia Minor felt when they first received John’s letter. Along with the rest of the early churches, they’d been instructed to ‘weigh up’ prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29) and ‘test the spirits to see if they’re from God’ (1 John 4:1). Like today, there were many claims to divine revelation floating around. How did they know it was from God? And even more so, how did John know it was from God?

We learn from history that the book of Revelation was received eagerly by the church - at first. By the third and fourth centuries, church leaders became sceptical. Some debated its source and you can probably guess why. The book of Revelation certainly has a chequered history. Even today eastern orthodox churches don’t use the book in their liturgies.

Like the seven churches of Asia Minor, we are called to test the revelations we receive. The question of course is, how? We can learn from the early church’s example, applying these 3 tests to our experiences: 1. Jesus in the Scriptures This is the first and foundational test. Does the voice I’m hearing sound like the voice of Jesus? Does it sound like something Jesus would say? The “spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus,” the angel says (Revelation 19:10). God’s voice is consistent throughout the ages.

In the visions of Revelation, we see that the ‘testimony of Jesus’ clearly lines up with his life and teachings half a century earlier. Jesus is pictured as a sacrificial lamb, a judge clothed in righteous white robes and a leader who fights with the sword of his mouth. The message of Revelation is true to God’s character seen in Jesus. This is the same test we need to apply to our own revelations. We ask, Is what I’m hearing and seeing consistent with the testimony of Jesus? 2. Community The second test is accessed through the community of believers. The Holy Spirit confirms his revelation through his people. We see this pattern operating in the early church. Since the Holy Spirit was given to John as well as the churches of Asia Minor, there is the possibility of agreement in the Spirit. This test is also used in the Jerusalem Council when the leaders were discussing Peter’s and Cornelius’ revelation about the Gentiles. “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28) they concluded.

Though we can’t get a glimpse of the discussions that took place when John’s letter was received, we do know that the early church found agreement with its message. History tells us that they heeded the call to lay their lives down as Jesus himself had done, with many testimonies of martyrdom in the early church. We see the church growing not by the sword but by a devotion to the lamb and his ways. We see them ‘clothing themselves with righteous acts’ of generosity and healing, such that in time even the Roman Empire stopped to take notice. 3. Signs The final test is the test of signs. Signs are tangible supernatural indicators that show us that the message is from God. The Father did this for people when Jesus was on earth (signs ‘followed him’ in order to confirm his message (John 6:26)) and he still does this for us today. So God will often package his words with supernatural knowledge (sometimes called ‘words of knowledge’) - so that we can know it’s from him. He speaks to us in such a way that the 'secrets of our hearts are laid bare' so we know; ‘it’s really God!’ (1 Corinthians 14:25).

We see the possibility of this occurring in the first three chapters of the Revelation as John revealed the heart and motives of the churches he was writing to. God’s message was made personal with specific details - perhaps details that John would not have ordinarily known.

In the same way, God often sends a supernatural sign to back up what he is saying. It's a confirmation of the source. His heart is to help us clearly identify his voice when he speaks. What Did They Do with It?

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What the Hallmark Designers Didn’t See at Christmas...

The scene appears so peaceful on our Christmas cards. A soft glow over the manger. The serene face of mother Mary cradling her newborn. Joseph leaning in proudly.

But the Hallmark designers weren’t sitting in the same seat as the Apostle John. They didn’t get to see what was really happening as the scene unfolded at Christmastime.

A glimpse behind the curtain of the natural world reveals a completely different drama. There’s a seven-headed dragon with ten horns. An army of angels at war. A torrent of water and a providential earthquake. It’s a front row seat at one of the most pivotal scenes in history. We talk about it on today’s podcast and you can read about it in Revelation chapter 12.

The scene is a classic example of how symbolism works in dreams and visions. Mary wasn’t literally given two eagle wings, but she was given freedom from the clutches of her attacker. Herod didn’t have ten horns, but he was a powerful king representing a tyrannical empire. There was no flooding in Judea, but the Enemy made several life-threatening attacks on Jesus. In this dramatic vision, the Holy Spirit was giving John and the seven churches of Asia Minor a glimpse into the spiritual realm. He was showing them how the evil we experience on earth is ultimately the product of a supernatural reality. There were spiritual forces at play in the birth, life and death of Jesus.

God was also showing his people how to respond to the same sort of persecution faced by Jesus two or three generations earlier. Since they faced the same enemy, they should follow his example, trusting in his promises and being prepared to lay down their lives if need be.

This was not the end of the story of course. The last few chapters of Revelation reveal the grand finale using some of the most beautiful imagery we'll ever see in a dream-vision. In the podcast we also look at the four symbols that denote the rewards that lay ahead. A wedding, a city, a temple and a garden all illustrate different aspects of future promise for those who followed the way of the Lamb. It’s a powerful climax to the life-changing story that began with Christmas.

How has understanding the symbolism of Revelation helped you understand its message? We would love to hear your insights below:

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How could Jesus have white hair if he was only in his early thirties? How can a lamb have seven horns? How could clothes be white after they’ve been washed in blood?

It is perhaps easy to see why many of us steer clear of the book of Revelation, why it was the last book to be accepted into the canon in the 4th Century and why Martin Luther tried to oust it generations later. Many of the colourful scenes in this book of the Bible just don’t make sense.

Or at least they don’t if you take them literally.

But Revelation was never meant to be taken literally. We don’t wash our clothes in blood and expect them to come out white. Prayers don’t vapourise into incense and cause earthquakes. Humans don’t resemble olive trees.

The striking visions recorded by John in the book of Revelation are jam-packed with symbols. Symbols that need to be interpreted before they can be understood. Once we understand how, the message becomes clearer - first to the seven churches of Asia Minor, and then to us.

You have to wonder why God didn’t send his message in words. Why he would enshroud it in a collection of motifs that read more like scenes from a sci-fi movie than something you would hear preached about on Sunday.

But the truth is images have the ability to communicate more effectively than words ever could. Remember it’s said that a picture tells a thousand words. When God speaks in dreams and visions, he often uses symbols and imagery to get his message across. He did in the first century and he still does today.

This podcast - the third in the series - takes an in-depth look at nine of the symbols we encounter in Revelation chapters 4-11. As you read Revelation and listen to today’s podcast, allow your imagination to work. Imagine what it would be like to view the scenes John saw. A lamb that had been slain, seven lamp-stands burning brightly, Jesus with hair like white wool, a gathering of fierce creatures too many to number.

Notice how the symbols work. Watch how they’re not designed to be taken literally - how each of them represents a deeper layer of meaning.

So we know that, even though Jesus never wore a white robe with a gold sash, the shining apparel he's wearing tells us of his role as righteous judge. As a Middle Eastern young adult, Jesus' hair was never white, but his bleached wool tresses show us he is infinitely wise. We know Jesus didn’t walk the streets of Judea with a sword protruding from his mouth, but we learn how he uses the power of God's word to fight evil and divide truth from lies.

Can you begin to see the stunning message that Revelation is sending? How visions of crowns and robes and lambs brought strength and direction to the First Century church?

When God speaks in dreams, he often uses symbolic language. At first the meaning may not be apparent, but once we’ve understood the nature of symbolism and taken some time to reflect on the experience, we'll be able to receive the powerful messages of hope and truth God is sending us!

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What about you? How has understanding the symbolism of Revelation helped to interpret the message? Had any God-dreams lately? How did you interpret them? Share your experience here.

Still new to hearing God's voice in dreams? Purchase the MP3 Download: While They Were Sleeping and read this blogpost: Acts 2:17 - Did We Get this Scripture Wrong?

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A beast with seven heads?

A prostitute drunk with blood?

A lamb with seven eyes and seven horns?

What was the author thinking? What had he been eating?!

We could be forgiven for asking questions like these when we start reading the book of Revelation. One could wonder if we’ve found ourselves in the middle of a scene from Lord of the Rings rather than a portion of sacred Scripture.

In order to understand the powerful and relevant message of this ancient book, we must recognise it is a dream-vision, one of the most common ways God spoke to his people in biblical times, and still uses to speak to us today. Dreams and visions usually speak a symbolic language and therefore require interpretation. In this series, we are using a five-question framework to help us discern the meaning of the book.

Last week we looked at the first question - What is the setting of the dream? We learnt that Revelation was a divine message to John who was in exile on the isle of Patmos for his faith. It was then passed onto seven churches in Asia Minor who were facing a similar threat of persecution by the Roman empire. Revelation was God’s ‘curtain call’ showing them what was going on ‘behind the scenes’ spiritually and bringing God's perspective to a dangerous and terrifying situation.

If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of the series with more detail of the setting of Revelation, click here.

In this podcast we look at the second and third question of our guide to understanding dream/visions: Question 2: What is the emotion of the dream? The feelings in a dream often function as triggers that indicate what the dream is about. Does the dream frighten us, threaten us or give us peace? Does it offer us hope? Does it bring joy, or confusion? Answers to this second question will often provide a clue to the meaning.

In the case of Revelation, we see John’s emotional response to a throne-room scene where those gathered are seeking to find someone with the authority to open an important document (Revelation 4-5). John finds himself weeping when no-one is found. This is the core question of the vision: Who is worthy to open the scroll? You can sense the deep bewilderment and loss. Then when someone is finally found, there is a rapturous outburst of joy and worship. The depth of emotion and distinct change from grief to joy sends a clear message. In fact it's the source of John’s elation that lays the groundwork for the key message of Revelation. Question 3: What is the meaning of the symbols to the dreamer? It’s said that a picture tells a thousand words. Often images communicate more clearly and effectively than words ever could. A scene is presented and we are invited to share in it. Objects, animals and people appear as symbols in dreams and require interpretation. This is certainly the case in Revelation.

We answer this question by first understanding how symbols work. We learn how to associate meaning with an image. Some symbols in Revelation are obvious to us as modern readers. They are generic to all cultures and familiar even in our generation - for example, the colour white representing purity or the symbol of a prostitute signifying unfaithfulness or betrayal. Other symbols are more obscure and some research of ancient cultures may be required to understand them, such as the beast with seven heads.

With 2000 years distance, interpretation of some of the symbols in Revelation can be answered more definitively than others, so we approach the text with a degree of humility - just as we do with all God-dreams. We ask for wisdom and discernment and we ask God to help us understand the way he speaks to us.

Next time, we’re going to look more specifically at the meaning of the symbols in the first part of the book of Revelation. We’ll examine the seven lamp-stands, the crown of life, the saints dressed in ‘blood-stained white’ and some of those mysterious numbers that constantly reappear throughout the text!

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The last book in the Bible - the book of Revelation - can be a closed and confusing read. Graphic imagery of seven-headed beasts, gaudy prostitutes and winged creatures serve to make some of the scenes in the book resemble the Lord of the Rings movies more than the writings of sacred scripture. Yet Revelation contains a profound message that is as relevant today as it was to the 1st C church. This episode is the first in a 5-part series in How to Understand the Book of Revelation.

A first century rabbi once said that a dream uninterpreted is like a letter unopened, and this is true of the book of Revelation. To understand its message, you first have to realise it is a dream/vision that uses symbolic language and like most of these forms of divine communication, it requires interpretation. In this podcast, we will unpack the meaning of Revelation by looking at:

The genre of Revelation as a dream/vision The visions of revelation as God's 'curtain calls' revealing what is happening behind the scenes in the spiritual realm The five questions you should ask of any dream/vision The answer to the first question: What is the setting of the dreamer's life? We will look at the circumstances of the author and the churches to whom the message was addressed, including the looming threat of persecution by the Roman empire.

Once you understand the nature of symbolism, the book of Revelation is no longer inaccessible. Not only will you learn more about God's kingdom and the way of Jesus, but you will also be equipped to interpret the God-dreams in your own life. I encourage you to get your Bible out and cross-check the references as you go. Take time to dig into Revelation as we go through the series in the next six weeks. You won't regret it!

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! How does an understanding of the setting of Revelation influence your interpretation of what you read? Leave a comment below.

Learn More: The God Dreams course will equip you with everything you need to know about understanding and recognising God's voice in your dreams. The 6-session online course provides a biblical basis for hearing God’s voice in dreams and visions, an easy-to-use framework for understanding dreams and a guide for understanding symbolic language. Register here!

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On this week's podcast, Light FM radio host Clayton Bjelan and I chat about the experiences of listeners from Melbourne (Australia) in hearing God’s voice.

We hear from:

Robert who heard God’s voice on one of the worst days of his life. Bernadette who received a vision that helped her avoid a devastating car accident. Ken who received encouragement while waiting for his first child to be born. Marinella who unexpectedly landed the perfect job through following the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jessie who desperately needed reassurance that God was with her in a time of great distress.

Be inspired by their stories as they share of the life that comes when God speaks and how his words can warn and protect us! We learn that truly, God speaks to us for our strengthening, encouraging and comfort! (1 Corinthians 14:3).

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! What's your favourite God-Conversation story? Share in the comments below!

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“Gold told me; ...to park my car here.” ...to divorce my wife.” ...to kill the Muslims.” It doesn’t take long in church life before you hear someone saying it.

The words ‘God told me’ have been used to justify mass murder, the proliferation of a range of weird beliefs and abuses of power so heinous that you can’t really blame church leaders from throwing their hands up in the air in exasperation and saying you should never ever use them.

Yet the characters of the Bible seemed to have no problem saying them. Our most famous stories begin with; “And the word of the Lord came to.. or “God spoke unto...,” or in the New Testament you are more likely to read; “The Holy Spirit said…”

Is it ever okay to say ‘God told me’?

Let’s turn that question around for a moment.

It’s not okay when;

You are using it to manipulate. This usually looks like; ‘God told me that YOU should do this for me.” We are responsible for our own actions; never the actions of others. God is more likely to speak to others about their own actions as he will speak to you about yours. You are trying to add to your authority. After all, introducing a statement with those words silences any opposition. If the message were true, absolute submission is demanded and who are we to question the words of God? You are using them to strengthen your wish-list. This can often look like pulling out your favourite scripture and adding a ‘God said’ in front of it just to get what you want.

God’s words are powerful. He means what he says. When he sends forth his word he watches over it to see that it is fulfilled (Jeremiah 1:12). It can never return empty (Isaiah 55:11).

So when we make a claim to repeat his words, we are assuming sovereign authority and the power of heaven for our situation. There should be a deep hesitation. A solemn reverence. An understanding that God’s words are not to be messed with. Putting my words into God’s mouth is almost an act of blasphemy.

But Jesus said we would be able to recognise his voice and we would know it enough to follow it (John 10:27). In fact, the ability to hear from God directly is one of the marks of a New Covenant Christian (Acts 2:16,17). The coming of the Holy Spirit meant that we could receive communication from heaven through prophecy and dreams and visions.

So it is okay to say ‘God said’ - under one condition; when and only when the word has been tested and proven (1 John 4:1).

The problem is we don’t see clearly - our hearts are described as naturally deceitful which means we can get it wrong (1 Corinthians 13:12). So we are told to test the spirits to see if they are from God. Every ‘revelation’ must be put to the test. Only then can we be confident to follow those words with confidence and assurance.

Yes, you can say ‘God told me’, but be very careful when you do.

Do you ever use the words 'God told me'? Why? Why not? Leave your comment below

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Resources Bible references in this episode:

John 10:27, Acts 2:17 1 Corinthians 13:12 Deuteronomy 18:21 1 John 4:1 John 16:12-14

Resources for this topic:

DVD Series: The Other Side of the Conversation (Episode 6) Teaching Messages (CD and mP3): How Do I Know it’s God?

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I was first asked this question while pioneering my church in Melbourne around fifteen years ago; “How does it feel to be a woman pastoring a church?” Back then I replied; “I don’t know - I’ve never pastored a church as a man!” It is perhaps an unusual topic for a podcast on hearing God’s voice, but I’m asked this question often so I thought I would take some time to answer it.

In this podcast, we look at two issues affecting my journey as a woman in ministry: 1. Theology and 2. Identity, discussing what they mean for all of us, male and female, in the midst of sweeping changes to gender roles in the 21st Century.

We start with the Australian context. In the denomination I am ordained in, the Australian Christian Churches, an egalitarian policy was set from the very beginning - in fact many of our earliest churches were pioneered by women. But that isn’t always the case for most of our Australian mainstream denominations. Usually there are some ceilings on women in leadership, although you will find variations wherever you go.

The fact is, our society is in a state of massive transition in this area. It was only a century ago, that women were allowed the vote; only decades ago that they were given university entrance. Even in the church, we have held that women were not of equal value to men for most of our history. Augustine himself said that women were only made in the image of God when she was “joined to a man as one flesh”! Thankfully these days, no-one would argue that men and women are of equal value - the issue lies more in the roles that men and women should take.

For me today, being a ‘woman in ministry’ has no significant bearing on what I do, but it wasn’t always that way. I was raised in a very conservative environment where we understood that women’s place was always subordinated to a man. In our church, women couldn’t preach, speak in the public service or lead any ministry unless it was to women and children. We weren’t even allowed to carry the offering bags! So there were two major issues for me in my journey into ministry as a woman: 1. A Theology for Women in Ministry This perhaps is the most obvious one. Being raised in a strong Bible teaching church I couldn’t overlook some of those seemingly explicit statements in 1 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 that said women should be silent and they shouldn’t teach or lead a man. If the Bible said it, that was it; I couldn’t do it. So I needed to do some serious theological digging before I could fully pursue the call of God on my life. 2. The Identity of Women in Ministry This issue was far more challenging. If you believe that a woman should always take a subordinate role, it will impact who she is. I’d been taught both consciously and subconsciously that a woman should always be quiet and passive. She shouldn’t be strong, decisive, visionary or strategic. (That’s what a man is!) It took a strong mentor, an encounter with the Holy Spirit, and insights from the biblical story of Esther to show me otherwise.

Ultimately my conclusions led me to understand that both men and women are equally made in God’s image and called to partner alongside each other according to the gifts and callings of the Holy Spirit on their lives.

This journey is not just a woman’s issue. It is all our issue, because together we are called to build God’s kingdom. In the new creation God is calling us to work in co-operation, not competition where it is his Spirit that designates our giftings and callings and not our stereotypes or our societal structures.

Enjoy! Also, look out for Part 2 of this topic in the coming weeks - we will discuss the implications women in ministry for the wider community.

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Your Thoughts How have you handled the shift in roles and expectations for men and women? Men, have you been led by a woman? Women, how you have handled your journey in the sphere God...

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Yes, the podcast today is for those who can’t find time in their busy schedules to get away for hours and sit cross-legged on a mountaintop! It may be the longest headline ever, but I think it encapsulates what we all long for. The thoughts in this podcast provide some solutions to our busyness problem and how to hear God’s voice in whatever situation we find ourselves.

We start by looking at the introverted practises of the ancient mystics and the paradigms we have about hearing God’s voice as a result. Yes, it’s wonderful to get away, to extract yourself from life’s responsibilities and find a quiet place to clear your mind. But getting away is not always possible when there are toddlers running around our feet, or we’re pressing to meet that work deadline and our annual leave has run out.

The good news is that it is possible to hear God’s voice whatever our day to day lives look like. The beauty of the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit will be with us wherever we go, whatever we do. God is with us in the midst of the traffic jam, in the office when the boss is making demands and in the kitchen when there's flour in my hair. Jesus himself said that it would be better when he leaves (John 16:7), because the Holy Spirit can now speak to me wherever I am. We don’t have to go somewhere; we don’t have to retreat to lonely places to hear from God.

A more helpful emphasis to how to hear God’s voice in the midst of busyness is this; Adopt a seeking posture whatever you’re doing. Cultivate your hunger. We do this by:

Asking regularly for God to speak; asking him questions and communicating with him daily. Listening and being inspired by the God-conversations of others. Believing in faith that God will speak to you (Hebrews 11:6).

Then we can express that hunger to hear his voice in accordance with our personality and our lifestyle. We make it a habit to remember him and give our attention to him. Hearing his voice is more about the state of your heart than the state of your body. When we’re listening, his voice is able to find us wherever we are.

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Your Thoughts How do you best hear from God? On top of a mountain? In the car? Jogging on a track? Share your thoughts in the Comments below:

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“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." It's one of the most famous verses in the New Testament and a pivotal moment for the early church. The Holy Spirit 'fell' on a group of people as they gathered to worship on the Jewish Day of Pentecost. A number of miraculous phenomena occurred that day, but the Apostle Peter makes note of only one of them. Young and old, male and female - all people would be able to have "dreams and visions" and "prophesy".

But what did Peter mean by that?

In this podcast, we talk about the dreams of Acts 2:17 - what Peter meant by them, how we have managed to turn it into something else and in doing so, have missed one of the most powerful ways to hear God's voice.

You may also like to read; Acts 2:17 - A Turning Point, but What Does this Verse Really Mean?

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode. Your Thoughts Has God ever spoken to you in a dream or vision? Leave a comment below:

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Our response to God's voice is critical - both in terms of the consequences of our decision-making as well as our ongoing conversations with God.

In today's podcast I would love to introduce you to the person who taught me what to do when God speaks. Ps. Melinda Dwight is a pioneer and a visionary - raiser of leaders, personal mentor and the first woman to be a state executive member in the Australian Christian Churches. Currently she is the National Director of Alpha Australia. But apart from all those wonderful achievements, Melinda knows how to hear God’s voice. In this interview, hear how listening to God took her to the prisons of Nigeria and into the offices of the influential. Hear how when we listen to God, he can open doors no-one can shut, how faithfulness in the little things prepares us for the bigger things and ultimately, how blessing comes when we have the courage to believe what God says.

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Your Thoughts How has hearing God's voice taken you into unexpected places? Share your story below:

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How often does God speak?

Is it a rare, one-off event that we look back on and reminisce over? Or is it a normal part of my everyday experience?

Some make it sound like God speaks every single day. God said this, God said that. He told me what to wear today. He said, I should do this and go there. It’s like God is saying something new every moment.

My immediate response is, I don’t think so.

Yet at times I’ve been surprised by just how much he speaks. There have been times when he’s spoken loudly and clearly and repeatedly. There’s a dream, a vision, a scripture, a sermon, a prophecy. It felt like it came when I really needed it. I would say to myself; I didn’t realise God would speak so often!

But then there would are times when he says nothing. Absolutely nothing. Hello? Are you there? Is it a bad line? Are we out of range?

So how often does God speak? What’s 'normal'? And therefore, what should our expectation be?

Today’s podcast brings some thoughts to this interesting question. Listen to discover how often God speaks may relate to when we had our last meal and whether it was KFC or a really good fillet of steak.

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Your Thoughts How often does God speak to you? How often would you like him to speak? We'd love to hear your from you! Leave a comment below: Episode Resources Biblical references in this episode:

Exodus 16:1-36 Matthew 4:4 Isaiah 55:1-2 Ezekiel 3:3 John 16:12 Jeremiah 15:16

Resources:

DVD Series: The Other Side of the Conversation

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Men are better at parking cars and reading maps. Women are better at communication and intuition. The prevailing research shows that our gender differences are related to neurological processes in the brain.

So if women are naturally better at communicating, does this effect their ability to hear God’s voice? Why is it that more women are on prayer-teams than men, why do more women attend God Conversations seminars and why is this area sometimes viewed as a 'women’s topic'?

Yet it's the men in the Bible who are most regularly seen hearing from God. At least these are the stories that are recorded. The experience of Manoah and his wife is an exceptional one. In this story found in Judges 13, we see the woman receiving direction from God and her husband Manoah not having the slightest idea what is going on!

The promise given to us was that both sons AND daughters would prophesy and have dreams and visions (Acts 2:17). The goal is both men and women communicating directly with Almighty God. It’s not a good scenario when only one gender is hearing from God!

So what’s going on here?

Here are some thoughts from our discussion:

Perhaps an emphasis on the ‘alpha male’ makes it counter-cultural for men to ask and listen for God's help. Hunger and desire is necessary for both genders to hear from God. God tailors his message to the personality and experience of the listener, regardless of whether they are male or female. Women may be more suited to hearing God’s voice in dreams because these often include symbolic imagery that is more easily understood by someone who uses the creative processes of their brain. We need to de-spook the nature of hearing God’s voice.

Thank God the promise to hear him is given so that ALL people who receive the Holy Spirit!

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Your Thoughts How do we make God Conversations accessible to both women and men? Leave a comment below:

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Growing up in church, we would make fun of Gideon. Everyone knew that this was a man who did not have enough faith. He kept asking God for signs or in his case, ‘fleeces’ to confirm what God had clearly asked him to do.

I have since revisited that story and now I see it in a very different way. In this podcast, I am going to answer the question; 'Is it okay to ask God for a sign?' by looking carefully at Gideon’s story in Judges 6 and 7.

It’s one of the few occasions that we get insight into an Old Testament character’s experience hearing the voice of God.

We tend to think that the Bible characters had it easy; they simply heard God’s voice and confidently followed it. But in reading this account, it would seem that Gideon was a man just like us, stumbling along with his own fears and insecurities, unsure of what God sounds like and how he works in the world. We learn much from Gideon’s story!

The first thing we notice in this account, is that God answers Gideon’s request for a sign. What does this tell us about the heart of God?

The second thing we notice, is that when God speaks, hearing him clearly matters. Following his words can be risky and even, dangerous. Facing a ruthless enemy was extraordinarily difficult for a weak insecure Gideon. Then God makes it harder by reducing the odds even further. Getting it right was a matter of life and death.

The third thing we notice is that God takes the initiative in giving another sign even when Gideon didn’t even ask for it. This is key. God WANTS us to recognise his voice. He will do what it takes to help us know him. And he even uses signs to confirm his word.

However there are dangers in looking for signs. We don’t see things clearly. Our perceptions are muddied by our own selfish motivations and desires. This means that we can easily misinterpret what we see. We must test the things we see and hear, before blindly accepting them as divine messengers. We need to take our doubt and fear to God and let him confirm his word in the way he chooses and in ways we cannot manipulate!

Above all, God’s heart is that we will recognise his voice and follow him! (John 14:27)

Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode!

Your Thoughts

Have you ever asked God for a sign? How did you know it was him speaking and not mere coincidence? Leave a comment below.

Episode Resources Bible references in this episode:

Judges 6,7 1 Corinthians 13:12

Resources referred to in this episode:

DVD Series: The Other Side of the Conversation - Episode 6 How do I Know it’s God? CD and MP3

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Is God's will a narrow path where I must hear from God specifically for my life, then do exactly what he says? Or is it a 6-lane freeway where it doesn’t matter what I choose, as long as my heart follows Jesus, he will make it work for good.

So which is it? How much influence does God have or should he have in our decision making?

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

In this podcast, we look at both views; discussing first, the narrow path view, which gives a number of road signs we should follow for specific decisions. Then we look at the 6-lane freeway perspective which places its emphasis on our human capacity to gather facts and information, use common sense and follow wisdom principles.

These two views are often presented in opposition to the other. Some advocate the narrow path and emphasise God’s supernatural leading. Others suggest that supernatural guidance is not only unnecessary; it’s untrustworthy and we shouldn’t expect God would intervene in our decisions in such specific ways.

In this podcast, I take some time to discuss each perspective, and then bring them together with some of my own thoughts related to the nature of the divine-human relationship, as well as our tendency to create a one-size fits all pattern to the decision making process. I want to show you that sometimes it’s a tiny trail along a mountain path, and sometimes it’s a wide open highway at 100kph. I believe it’s going to bring some wisdom to your decision making and on a deeper level, to your understanding of what it means to be in relationship with God!

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Your Thoughts

What about you? Has God’s will been for you a narrow path or a 6-lane freeway? Leave a comment below.

Got an idea or question for a podcast? Let us know below!

Help us to equip others by rate the GC series on iTunes and writing a brief review. Or forward this podcast to a friend! Let’s get people around the world hearing his voice and living their lives life according to it!

Episode Resources

Bible references:

Proverbs 16:9 Acts 8:26, 16:9 Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 12:1-2 1 Corinthians 7 James 1:5-8 Acts 20:16, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2, Acts 6:2-4, Titus 3:12 2 Cor 2:12-13 Acts 15:22-28

Garry Friesen and J. Robin Maxson, Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View, (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1980).

Joy Dawson, Forever Ruined for the Ordinary, US: YWAM Publishing, 2006.

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