Step 5

Turn up GOD's volume

 

We all make assumptions as we speak, but GOD actually knows the truth and won't lie.  It's a miracle He can speak to us at all!

 

We need to always give Him the benefit of doubt since He's dealing with being perfect and without sin, while we only try being like that. Think of a perfect Being that will never lie, but has knowledge about every detail that has ever been or will be. If He told us the future, we would never make our own decisions thereby bypassing our freewill to mess up.  He needs to speak in vague generalities so He can allow us to make our own decisions. As we get to know Him better and His personality, we can interpret what He tells us better. He often speaks to us in pictures in our imagination and lets us draw our own conclusions.

 

Spiritual Disciplines:

Every creative idea we've ever experienced was GOD bubbling up in us.  To get more ideas bubbling up request to hear and know GOD better.  Read about Jesus to see our GOD the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit in action.  Fasting and praying in tongues/spirit can also help us turn up GOD’s volume.

 

Fasting:

Fasting from food helps us hear GOD better.  Whether we do it for a day, 3 days, or 40 days, any amount of fasting helps us hear GOD better.

 

Praying in Tongues:

GOD honors our efforts to hear Him. While I've never been given a gift of tongues, I did start imitating others who have been given that gift and GOD honored my efforts.

 

Whenever I set aside time (at least 20 minutes) to speak in tongues, GOD helps me by making it easier to continue.  I learn creative solutions, have brilliant ideas, and generally benefit greatly from my efforts to pray privately in tongues. Since tongues is a mystery and GOD does all the heavy lifting to make it work, trusting Him to honor our efforts isn't hard.

 

If He asks you to love on people...

 

When we say 'no' to GOD's gentle nudges to love others as His hands, feet, and voice, it hardens our hearts. Hard hearts make it difficult to hear GOD.

Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash

Step 6

GOD the Spirit

 

Holy Spirit is the first Person of the GOD Head that you will meet.

 

She seems to fill three main roles:

 

• Loving Trainer

• Powerful Advocate

• Mama Bear for you and others

 

NOTE: Forgive me for calling Holy Spirit a She. She feels and acts female to me, so I use feminine pronouns. I'm pretty sure She doesn't take offense to being called a 'He', so we can use whichever pronouns we want.

 

Holy Spirit makes us ready to accept Jesus.  When I first met Her, she came across as a micro-manager, but that was just because I was such a hot mess.  When I stopped fighting Her for control to screw things up for myself, I realized that doing things Her way made my life better and everyone around me happier. With results like that, She can train us to ask for Her advice as much as we want. The more I rely on Her, the more I'm ready at a moments notice to respond to Her nudges.

 

One of the main techniques She used to improve me was Her Plank/Speck technique.  While we're all hot messes to some extent, it's very difficult to see our own problems.  On the other hand, seeing other peoples' issues is VERY easy.

 

When She shows you another's character issue, ask Holy Spirit why She is showing it to you.  Most of the time, She is highlighting that you have the same issue and it's time for you to fix it with Her help. In my experience, it took years before She asked me to address a character issue in another. She knows best. I think it's better for everyone involved if we all depend on Holy Spirit to transform us to think, act, and love like Jesus rather than think we need to 'fix' others, but follow Her lead.

 

Personal Concern:

My experience with Holy Spirit is that She always wants me to follow Jesus. While I understand She is extremely powerful, She doesn't seek the spot light.  Many experts speak about Holy Spirit as if She is the One who needs to be followed rather than Jesus.  That is not my experience with Her.  She always points me towards Jesus who makes crazy turns. When I ask 'Where's Jesus?' She is standing beside me to steer me towards Jesus.

Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

Step 7

GOD the Son

 

Jesus is the second Person of the GOD Head that you will meet.

 

He seems to fill three main roles:

 

• Loving Friend, Savior, & TJ Leader

• King of the Universe He Created

• Master Tactician & Strategist

 

Jesus knocks at our hearts, but won't come in without an invitation. He's fully aware that He is the priceless Treasure that we would sell everything to possess, but He lets us do the 'inviting in' and 'following' as we choose.

 

As a woman, I first realized Jesus had moved in and made Himself comfy when my sense of humor changed.  I was in my late forties when puns and bathroom humor became hilarious to me.  There's a Biblical theology out there that Jesus doesn't live inside of us, but sits in the throne room of GOD at His right hand. That isn't what I've experienced so I suspect their 'Biblical opinion' is wrong.

 

The same GOD who created normal physics thought of quantum physics.  GOD could be following His laws of quantum physics to be able to co-locate in the throne room and within us at the same time.

 

My main tips for following Jesus:

 

First, have a great sense of humor. He's very punny.

 

Second, we need to be trained to follow Jesus through a valley of the shadow of death since none of us would go there on our own. This requires training. We need to follow Jesus through sharp left turns, sharp right turns, about faces, and strait ahead.  As our love and trust in Him grows, He begins to light our paths further ahead so we know where He's taking us.

 

It's been years in training, but He's showing me where He plans on taking me. I'm delighted and amazed with the adventures He's planned, but I wouldn't have gone with Him without years of training.  Why? I wouldn't have believed Him. His ideas and plans are too good to be true and I'm incapable of doing them. Now, with years of training I know that He will be doing all the heavy lifting while I'm the human He's chosen to partner with to accomplish our co-mission together.

 

Knowing that He's my Boss and I'm His administrative assistant helping Him accomplish His will is much easier for me to embrace.

Photo by RTBF at POACleanHouse.com

Step 8

GOD the Father

 

Papa is the last Person of the GOD Head that you will meet.

 

He seems to fill three main roles:

 

• Loving Papa

• Disciplinarian

• Perfectly Fair Umpire

 

We get to grow in our personal relationship with GOD the Father after we have learned to follow Jesus.

 

Papa is the proudest of Jesus who suffered and died so all of us could have a relationship with Him.  Anyone who says they know Papa, but minimizes Jesus and what He did for us raises questions for me. No one reaches Papa without knowing Jesus is so greatly honored by Papa for His victory over death, that Papa elevates Jesus over Himself.

 

In fact, they so love One Another that their relationships are inspiring.  Holy Spirit and Papa raise Jesus as the 'Most Important' and 'Most Deserving of Honor.'

 

Jesus raises Holy Spirit and Papa as the 'Most Important' and 'Most Deserving of Honor.'

 

And Papa raises Jesus and Holy Spirit as the 'Most Important' and 'Most Deserving of Honor.'

 

Being invited into Their circle of trust means you've internalized that Jesus, Holy Spirit, and Papa are the most important and most deserving of honor Beings in the Universe they Created.

 

GOD's Priorities:  That we love GOD with all our hearts, souls, and minds and that we treat (love) others as we would want to be treated.

 

GOD's Passions: His children. GOD wants us to love one another and treat the ‘least of these’ as if they are Jesus Himself.

 

Jesus can teach us to be super heroes like Him to work as His hands, feet, and voice to bring justice to all.

 

GOD's Perspective: GOD wants to transform our minds to become the mind of Christ Jesus.  We can be transformed to think, act, and love others like Him.

 

GOD's Plans: Install King Jesus' Garden-of-Eden Kingdom on Earth with your help.

Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash