Heaven Blog Podcast - by Julie Bonn Blank

HeavenBlog.org - Julie Bonn Blank
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Receive eternal hope, encouragement, healing, and insights from a Heaven visitor and Christian reporter, right to your inbox. We feature interviews with those who walk close to the Holy Spirit, have visited Heaven, and authors with an eternal perspective. www.heavenblog.org

  1. 20 Oct

    Audacious Word Power & Social Media Crash (Heaven Blog Julie & Sally)

    Canceled Meta Social Media & A Prayer On Grief An interesting week (and few months indeed) in my household as I navigate massive changes, and am now packing up and moving from a four-bedroom (somewhat filled) home back into a solo adventure—a huge reduction of EVERYTHING POSSIBLE. Grief is real. God is good. He has not left me but has pulled closer, enlisted angels to stand in front and behind me, and continually shows me His presence. I am so very grateful. That truly is everything important right there. It is a spiritual attack for sure. Since satan did not succeed in killing me off for good two years ago, he chose to attack my family; my family chose to believe his lies, and for some reason, the Lord allowed this. But please don’t worry about me—I will be just fine. With Him, Julie can do very hard things! Amongst the pain—there has also been a lot of light and hope. I choose to continue trusting Him. Keep listening for the issues with Facebook / Meta and please look up my new profile there by searching "Julie Bonn Blank New." Facebook HOWEVER, a few days ago, the enemy attacked my social media and (potential) reach for Jesus, as well as part of my livelihood. Facebook/Meta chose to disable my account with over 7k of you on it. Because they own a lot of the world (lol), this also took down my Instagram, WhatsApp (how I connect via MY phone number with others, especially if they are outside of the USA), and Threads. At this point, they are refusing to reinstate it, even though I have pages and groups I oversee, both for my nonprofit and other nonprofits that I serve with. Social media is mostly how I sell my books. 😅 Let’s just say at this point, I am very grateful that Meta does not own Substack. And I hope that Substack never goes that direction. Join me at https://heavenblog.org This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

    Audacious Word Power & Social Media Crash (Heaven Blog Julie & Sally)

  2. 28 Sept

    Heavenly Events (NDE Journal 16)

    My heart has been filled to the brim in many ways in the past couple of months and I am so grateful to Jesus, Who not only brought more opportunities to hang out and connect deeply with more of my Heaven family, but also continues to push me forward in my Heaven Minded Mission Manifesto in speaking, intercessory prayer and writing. I am a sponge. I have always been a sponge. I love to learn and never stop learning. I was so very grateful to learn and experience even more while in Heaven and to discover that learning abounds in Heaven! Yes, we continue to learn both formally in more classroom-type settings and informally through reading, fellowship and absorption there. The Lord saw to it that our ‘brains’ (if one can call them that) would also be fed on an eternal basis. Of course, all the learning there is focused on our Lord and Savior—the best kind of learning ever. “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3–4 (NIV) My Lord has not just increased the steps of learning in my life, but continues to open the door for each info curve gently, ushering me in with His hand on my elbow, or so closely behind or beside me that I feel His ubiquity, sometimes even hand-in-hand with me. Someone asked me that recently, ‘I heard He holds your hand, even now on earth. What does that feel like?’ I held one hand up in the air, grabbed it with my other, and asked them to do the same. They clapped their hands together and held tightly, then started to laugh. ‘There ya go,’ I said. Sure enough. But add in the blessing of warmth flowing through my hand on all sides and often most of the rest of my body too. My presence knows His presence. My body and soul know His. My brain knows His voice, instruction and gentle correction. He ensures that I hear what I need to hear, especially when praying over others in His family, and sometimes those seeking His family. And while writing, too. As Gabe Poirot said while speaking yesterday at Compass City Church in Washington State, ‘just one more person will do.’ He didn’t set out to touch millions, although his testimony has. Each person has tremendous impact. Each person’s heart is vital. And each person can set off a surge. We aren’t done until ‘just one more person’ on loop hears our stories and begins to trust the maker of Heaven and earth. Until just one more experiences the amazing hope of the Lord and opens their heart to their mission manifesto. Until just one more experiences enough healing that their hope-bucket is overflowing and ready to drip, or perhaps pour, onto other people. I watched, learned and helped out yesterday as Gabe spoke, signed books (we ran out, of course) and prayed over people who desired that. I am learning the ‘terms,’ and Gabe is definitely a hearer and seer. As people approached, he had Words for some and already knew what they struggled with. It was truly a God-filtered experience. There were many kids, teens, and families, and those in his age group (I am way above), but also other ages. I got to pray with some too, and I am always appreciative when the Lord chooses to use me. Anytime. Anywhere. I want you to know that Gabe has my trust. I knew this before I met him for real and helped out. But my time with him just confirmed this. At one point he turned the camera on me and then seemed surprised that my description of Jesus was so close to his own. He said, ‘Wait, and you didn’t hear my testimony before you went to Heaven?’ And I was like, ‘Dude. No offense. I had no idea you people existed until I came back from Heaven and decided there must be other people …’ LOL. But now I am so very grateful for my Heaven-fam. All of them. Many of you already read Randy Kay’s post about the Life After Conference he (and his wife) and I attended in Arkansas recently. That conference was another education push for me in intercessory prayer and healing. After Randy spoke amazing words that the Lord brought to him about what he saw around and for me, and prayed over me, he sent me up front to the prayer line—to pray for others. We both knew where I needed to be, I guess! My Jesus so completely filled my heart as the Lord healed and I did His bidding, saw interesting things manifest for the first time and helped people get their Jesus-groove back. A total whirlwind. I experienced massive spiritual attacks pre-conference AND all three times I was supposed to be up front serving (these stories will be in the second Heaven book), but in the midst of the service-tornado, I cried out to the Lord, asking if this is why He sent me to Heaven!? ‘YES,’ He answered me. “Now, go set my captives free.’ Here I am, Lord. Send me. Pick up Gabe’s NY Times Bestselling Book Here. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 (NIV) See more NDE Journey Posts Here Spiritual Home Cleansing Several have asked about the process I used recently when spiritually cleansing my home, so I am also including it here. Note: I can’t tell you how God wants you to spiritually cleanse your home—please seek Him there. However, I will share what I have done in my home recently. * I got rid of any obvious tool that could become a sin, including the wine and some things I won’t mention. * I asked God to bring to mind the rooms in my home where sin had occurred, and I went to each one. * I turned on the lights, cracked open the windows, and burned my Heaven candle in each one for a while. I’ve heard that some people use incense. I also have a diffuser and use essential oils. They can be powerful and healing. * Within that room, I prayed aloud and revoked any agreements made with the enemy there. I asked for forgiveness on behalf of my family and then verbally rededicated the space to the Lord for His purposes. * Some of you might remember my post on jasmine and how the smell reminds me of Heaven. (I have an interesting new story about how one up and died within my home within hours when a presence entered my home that I will tell you sometime). I’ve spent some time rearranging plants, breathing in the blooms and picking a stem or two while out and about to keep on my kitchen windowsill. * I continue the cleansing as often as needed and especially after other people enter my home and then leave. * I created louder worship by playing my music aloud (and singing) as much as possible. * I use my anointed oil on my wrists as I sit down with Jesus and before I pray with people (I usually ask to touch them in some form). Let me know if you want some oil—I currently have two blends that have been very effective. Three times each year Solomon presented burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord. He also burned incense to the Lord. And so he finished the work of building the Temple. I Kings 9:25 NIV Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV Finally, don’t forget to fill your spiritual house back up with godly things. This is what could happen when you do not: When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. Matthew 12: 43-45 NIV Heaven Blog by Julie Bonn Blank is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

  3. 18 Sept

    Heaven on Earth: How God Moves

    We missed you if you couldn’t attend the LIVE but here is the full version, just for you. :-) Thank you, Sally, for joining me and for great conversation and prayer, as always. Thank you also to TheJoyWeaverCommunity, Donald Ashman, Jacquie Hoekstra, and many others for tuning into my live video with Echoes of Memory by Sally Cave! Sally and I chatted about SO many things. The recent Life After Conference with Dean Braxton’s team (See Randy Kay and my conference recap here) and the angels Julie felt/saw, Julie’s life changes (thank you, spiritual family, for upholding me during this very hard time), how the LORD truly moved to heal and deliver at the conference, the increase of spiritual warfare these days, closeness with the Lord and how to get there—and a bit more about freedom. We started chatting about Communion and all that it means, and will make that topic a separate episode. :-) Praying that your week is amazing! Love, Jules This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

  4. 17 Sept

    Pentecostal vs. Charismatic Curious: The Woman Question (Part 2)

    In the last episode of our collaborative series, Julie and I shared our stories in connection with women preaching and leadership. As a woman, Julie has experienced this first hand. On the other hand, for me it was secondary through my wife and mother-in-law. Today, we’re going to dig into what the Bible says about the woman question. Even though Julie and I talked about addressing this topic from the Bible, we didn’t discuss any particular scriptures. So, I have no idea what angle she’s going to approach it from and vice versa. Ok, let’s get going... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

  5. 29 Aug

    Pentecostal vs. Charismatic Curious: What About Women Leading & Preaching? (Part 1)

    The woman question. In the corner of Christianity I grew up in, I never encountered the ‘women can’t preach’ doctrine. I may have heard rumbles of it. But it was never even remotely a question to me or the churches and ministries I was part of. When I arrived in Peru, it was a different story. Thanks for your support. Don’t miss an article! Join us at heavenblog.org Other Posts in This Series: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

  6. 24 Aug

    Two Years Ago Today, I Went To Heaven (NDE Recovery Journal 15)

    Today I choose to celebrate. The Lord has implanted so many lessons and new material into my brain in the past two years—I’m surprised it doesn’t weigh 20 pounds. But then again, maybe it does. :-) As I prayed about what I should share with you today in celebration of my Heaven anniversary, He spoke clearly of two things that pop out the most. We Are Called To Draw Even Closer I am more convinced than ever that we truly are in the last season of days, my friends, and I am going to relate to you a short conversation He and I had in Heaven: ‘Time is short.’ ‘As in, You are coming back!!!!!!!’ (Can you see me squealing and jumping up and down?) ‘Yes. And my Church is not acting urgently enough.’ We stand on the threshold of an hour late in the day. The signs of the times are not quiet whispers but clear signals that the return of Jesus is closer than ever before. Yet, a quiet complacency has lulled too many into treating eternity like a distant afterthought rather than an imminent reality. Now is not the time to coast, to hoard our gifts, or to live for temporal comfort while souls around us are searching for truth. The hour demands urgency, passion, and purpose. We are not called to be passive bystanders watching the clock run down, but active, courageously engaged laborers in the harvest field. And no matter what is happening in our personal lives—no matter the pain—we must think eternally. Please wake up. Step out of the shadows of hesitation, share the Gospel boldly, love without restraint, and live every single day with the holy conviction that our King is coming back soon. You Have Only A Few Weeks To Live My friends, I sincerely ask this—WHAT would you be doing if you knew you only had a few weeks left of life for sure? Perhaps you have seen a family member or friend experience this and taking it seriously. I suspect your activities would fit into these categories: * SHARE - Sharing Jesus with all your family and friends. I mean, who wants to arrive at the pearly gates and receive a less-than-stellar report? Not me. * PREPARE - Making arrangements to travel to your new Land, including learning the language, etc. Also, preparing those whom you love (whether they choose to listen or not) * INVEST - Spending as much time as possible pursuing what you love before you go. What about that bucket list? * SPIRITUAL PREP - Making sure you are spiritually ready and doing whatever your Heaven minded mission manifesto (eternal purpose) is. Because you will answer to Him for each and every activity and for each and every moment of your life. ACT LIKE THIS: Please pretend you have a death sentence, although I hope to see you in Heaven, as Heaven is incomplete without you. What is the Lord asking YOU to do? He asked me to draw incredibly close to the Holy Spirit, and this I have done with joy. You’ve been along for much of my journey, and I am so very grateful for you! He has now healed me of four medical issues (the latest two I’ve not even shared with you yet), activated tongues and has me speaking and praying over others—as well as writing books, of course. (Heaven Book 2 in progress! Do you have a heavenly story to share?) But beyond that, I feel a deep need in my community. The other day, I was extremely delayed in getting to the post office and felt a bit frustrated. But His whisper to ‘go now’ was unmistakable. I dropped what I was doing and flew out the door. In the almost-inevitable line I waited, smiled at the lady behind me, and made pleasantries and watched a young gentleman already at the counter, who was growing increasingly agitated. His fingers tapped persistently on the counter, and he started almost bouncing on his heels as his body sought to posture a bit taller. At the same time, he would not make eye contact and had coverings on his face. The worker helping him is a long-term community member—I go to church with his mother. Then the customer grew angry very quickly. His house had caught fire, he had no belongings, people had been mailing things to him at the wrong address. To a home that no longer existed. Here we go, Lord. Will this end up being violent? And found it interesting that I felt no fear. I stepped up to the counter in the nearby section, which another worker opened up to help me. This man needed compassion, but he also needed to calm down. I saw his broken heart. I heard his spirit—just beyond the splintered curse words. I scooted along the counter, stepping a bit closer to the customer. What was I thinking? I was being a ‘mother', I think! Can I hug you, young man? LOL! Did I dare touch him? I decided against that. Nonetheless, the customer tilted his head at me. He knew I was there. But then he started arguing loudly with the postal worker, leaned forward over the counter, emphasizing certain words. He looked like he might jump the counter. I admit I had a quick thought, wondering if he had hidden a gun somewhere. Were we about to become a news story? Oh, well! The tongues started flowing from me. Yes, I was that muttering lady at the counter. Within two seconds, the customer calmed. And I noted the Postmaster coming out to stand a good distance behind his postal worker. "This is the wrong post office,” the worker finally managed to get in after telling the young man several times to take his sunglasses and coverings off. It was like a balloon losing air in the lobby of the postal office; I know of no other way to explain it. The young man deflated. The entire air of the lobby returned to normal. People started breathing easier. The unhappy customer settled back on the flats of his feet, relief etched in every muscle. In an instant, his entire attitude changed. ‘Thank you,’ he kept saying, using the postal worker’s name now. ‘Thank you. I understand. You are a good helper. You did well.’ Complete turnaround! The relief on the postal worker’s face was evident, as well as on everyone else’s faces. And as the young man left, I assured the Postmaster that his worker had done well and was not to blame. And then I spent some time reassuring all who stood there, because the Lord had stepped in. Where are you needed in your community? We Are Often Possessed (pretty much!) A double minded person is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). “Double Minded” in Greek is dipsuchos. It literally means double-souled. Spiritual warfare is at an all-time high. The enemy is attacking our families, our marriages and our livelihood. Unless you have spiritually cleansed your home recently, you likely have influencers partying. They aren’t even bothering to hide in the basement. Anywhere sin has occurred is stained. Anywhere a window to satan has been opened, trust me, he has entered. We have a longstanding belief that we have the Holy Spirit in us and therefore cannot be possessed by evil. It is true that He within us is greater than he that is within the world. However, God does not heal free will. Remember that He gave us free will because He loves us so very much, and we are free at any time to open the window to sin and the enemy’s influence. Picture this. The air is a bit funky in your home and you crack open a window. You never hear the tornado coming around the corner that then catches the lip of the window and rips it completely from your wall. But that is what happens. A silent storm. One that eventually starts howling. We start to allow sin in small ways. Such as: *Believing the lies of the world, instead of the truth of God. These lies start small and build because satan is whispering in your ear. These might be that people are rejecting you, that you aren’t good enough/capable, you should be ashamed, and the list could take up this entire page if I typed them all out. What lies are you believing? *Allowing a small amount of alcohol in your home (‘just wine or beer’ as an example) and before ya know it, relying on it every night, or perhaps purchasing the heavier stuff. Or maybe you’ve allowed another substance or habit, or sexual perversion/porn, to enter. Before long, it n… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

  7. 11 Aug

    Pentecostal vs. Evangelical: How Do You Turn Up The Volume On God?

    Welcome to **Two Paths, One Voice**—a conversation between two believers whose journeys couldn’t have looked more different, yet somehow led to the same destination. Our stories don’t match. Our church backgrounds don’t match. Our experiences with God don’t even follow the same timeline. One of us was raised in a Pentecostal world where the gifts of the Spirit were familiar from childhood, though their meaning unfolded more deeply over time. The other was shaped by a conservative faith tradition, experienced an unexpected encounter with Heaven, embraced speaking in tongues much later in life, and still resists fitting neatly into any label. We come from different nations, different generations, and different spiritual starting points. Yet despite those differences, we’ve discovered something remarkable: God’s voice isn’t reserved for one denomination, personality, or life story. Each week we’ll explore the same questions, then answer them independently from our own experiences. Sometimes we’ll agree completely. Sometimes we’ll arrive there by different roads. Either way, our hope is to encourage you to recognize that God is still speaking—and that learning to hear Him is a journey available to every believer. Two stories. Two perspectives. One faithful God. What are the top 3 ways God speaks to you most often? I would say the top three ways God speaks to me are these: * The Word of God, the Bible. * Dreams. * Remembrance. The Word Of God, The Bible The Bible is foundational to hearing God’s voice. I call the Bible, the Book of His Voice. Because it’s the book inspired by and written under the direction and influence of the Spirit of God. Other books were inspired and influenced by other spirits. So then they are the books of that spirit’s voice. If you want to hear God’s voice, open the Bible and start reading. He’ll speak to you. Dreams God uses dreams to speak to me a lot. I’ve written about how He began to speak to me in dreams and I didn’t understand what they were all about. When I asked the Lord why all the dreams, He spoke to me and said, dreams are the beginning of the prophetic. This area of dreams continues to be something that amazes me. Often He uses a dream to start a new conversation with me. In other words, He’ll show me something I didn’t even know to pray or seek Him about. It was completely unknown to me. Then I’ll go to the Word of God and He’ll show me from the Word. But He started the conversation in a dream. Remembrance The term remembrance comes from a scripture in John 14:26. Jesus said Holy Spirit will “bring back to your remembrance all things I have spoken to you.” So, Holy Spirit reminds you of what Jesus already said. This is an ongoing occurrence. He’ll remind me of scriptures. Phrases from scriptures. Dreams or visions He’s shown me. Holy Spirit uses those things to connect the dots and lead in the direction He wants me to go. This has changed a bit over the years for me. I think I mentioned in the last post that as a youth, He spoke quite a bit through what I might call tools like songs, His Word, etc. And of course, He used people, and He still does. If I had to pin it down to (let’s say) since I went to Heaven and came back, I would say He still uses tools but I mostly hear His voice in my head now, as well as have visions and dreams. Or at least that seems to be what I pay the most attention to. What is one way God hasn’t spoken to you, but you’d like? One way God hasn’t spoken to me yet is what is typically called an “open vision” in Pentecostal circles. Yes, God speaks to me in spiritual visions. A spiritual vision is like Paul’s vision in Acts 16 of a man from Macedonia. Paul didn’t see a physical man. A man didn’t walk into his house. It was a vision from the spirit that was “played” in the imagination of his mind. An “open vision” is different because it sees in the physical. Like Moses, for example, with the burning bush. Or Paul on the road to Damascus. When the angel came to Cornelius in Acts 10. Or when the angel arrived at Mary’s house. In Daniel 9, it says the angel arrived at the time of the evening prayer. Hagar in the desert in Genesis 16. She said, “I have seen The God Who Sees Me and I lived.” Those were open visions. God spoke to them in the physical. Peter in Acts 12 is also a good example. Because the angel kicked him to wake him up. And the angel opened the prison doors and they walked out. Peter thought he was seeing a spiritual vision. In other words, that he saw the vision played in the imagination of his mind. It wasn’t until the angel suddenly disappeared that he realized it happened in the physical. So, this is one area of God speaking and communicating with me personally, that I am believing for. Obviously, we don’t live by experience. I’m not basing my Christianity or relationship with Him on seeking experiences. We live by faith. But faith isn’t stagnant. It’s always reaching. So, He will reveal to you more of Himself from the Word and say, “Believe me for it.” What’s more, faith is relationship based. And part of relationship is tangibility and experience. Open Visions, huh? That is the first I have heard that term. It sounds like Open Visions might be more verifiable by others? But perhaps not all of the time. In the last post, I mentioned the voice in the bathroom that my kiddo heard outside of the bathroom when no one was in there with me, so I wonder if that would count. I do now think of Jacob, who wrestled with a physical being that was either an angel or, I believe, God Himself, and wound up with a wounded hip. My desire would be longer conversations with Him. I do not receive long-winded paragraphs here on earth. It is usually just one direct, jumpstart sentence. Then sometimes when I ask for clarification or a question, I get one more. I was quite jealous when I read the book of Job last year and realized that the Lord spoke to Him (toward the end) in several long chapters. LOL. Speaking of remembrance, I love the verse that Eric quoted. When I first came back from Heaven, I thought I retained all the memories but I did not. As I wrote Routed to Heaven, He informed me that we walked and talked and more surfaced at very applicable times throughout the chapters. Of course, they were added in. After wrapping Routed, I thought the memories were done, but more arose as I wrote the Companion Study Guide. Now that I am working on the second book, I believe more will arrive, and that is one of the reasons the enemy has been very intent on spiritual attack lately in my life. Will we ever be done? I am not sure. This month is my second year anniversary of going to Heaven. According to the experts, full processing and recovery take (ironically but maybe not so much) seven years. You all might have messy Julie on your hands for quite a bit longer. Ha. Today, He spoke through my Bible App. Although I usually have a gift for mercy, I got very frustrated and unmerciful in some conversations (and texts - yikes) this week. Of course, I didn’t see it that way. :-) This morning, I sat at my dining room table hesitant about more conversation this afternoon. And ‘bing!’ After many months of not getting even one notification from my Bible App, the Verse of the Day popped up: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 NIV). What? Argh. Yes, I knew it was for me. I felt so convicted and quickly confessed. Thank you, Jesus, for the very timely reminder. What are some tips you could give to those wanting to hear the voice of God? There are two parts to my answer... First, I wrote a newsletter specifically addressing this. I go through 12 keys that I use to hear the voice of God. Actually, 13 because I give a bonus one as well. I personally use these keys all the time. They are not pie-in-the-sky stuff. It’s not theory. It’s not something I dug out of the Bible because I needed something to write. They are keys I put into practice over nearly 20 years of God speaking to me prophetically. Here is a list... * Intense hunger. * Fill yourself. * Think like Jesus. * Access it by faith. * Wait on Jesus. * Follow the road signs. * Write it down. * Speak it out. * Do it. * Pray in tongues. * Practice daily. * Learn the ways He speaks. * Fast. Plus, I’m in the process of writing very in-depth newsletters about each key. So, then if you want to dig into one specific key, there are 2-4 newsletters that go deep. Those will help you understand and put them into practice. Second, let me give you a couple extra tips here to help you position yourself to hear the voice of God... ● Decide what is important. Often our actions aren’t congruent with our beliefs. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. Use your time to do what is important. Anything unimportant, don’t give it time. Did you know we deliver right to your email box? Don’t miss a post! ● Set up your life to hear God speak. Being overly busy can stifle the voice of God in your life. I heard a minister say many years ago, “If you are too busy to spend time with God, you are too busy.” ● Spend a lot of time in the Word of God. It is the Book of His Voice. This should go without saying. But you’d be surprised how many people don’t read the Bible. Reading books and listening to sermons are good. But those shouldn’t replace time in the Word. The first two tips will help with the last one. But if you don’t address those first two, then it may be hard for you to advance spiritually, including hearing the voice of God. Ask Him. :-) Job did, and I have too. I do have people search me out to ask if I can help them encounter the Lord in a supernatural way. And there are others whom I beg God to provide an unmistakable encounter. To my knowledge, He has only honored this prayer from me once. I agree with Eric’s list, but let’s tack on #14. Ask. The Lord wants to he

  8. 5 Aug

    Pentecostal vs. Evangelical: How We Hear God's Voice

    Welcome to TWO PATHS-ONE VOICE. If you put the two of us in a room, you might assume we learned to hear God’s voice the exact same way. But we didn’t. One of us grew up steeped in Pentecostal culture—speaking in tongues early, surrounded by the gifts, but only truly grasping the depth of it all as an adult. The other grew up conservative, had an unexpected visit to Heaven, received tongues just recently, and still wouldn’t call herself Pentecostal ‘per se’. We come from two different countries, and two differing generations. Although our spiritual backgrounds vastly differ, we’ve landed in the same place: a deep, daily desire to hear the voice of God. In this series, we’re taking the exact same questions and answering them side-by-side. No cookie-cutter answers, no church jargon—just two raw, honest perspectives on what it actually looks like to tune in to Heaven. When is the first time you remember hearing God speak to you? What happened? I had to think about this for a while. Here are three instances I remember clearly. The first one was an instruction to get my heart right while on a missions trip in North Dakota. At 15 years old, I had an encounter with God. The short version is, my dad made me go on a mission trip with my youth group. And while I was there, God completely rocked me. Several times throughout that week, the Lord showed me I had things in my heart He wanted me to repent of. Things like unforgiveness, bitterness and anger. I was thinking or praying about these. I had no idea they were in my heart. But while I was in God’s presence, Holy Spirit convicted me. The experience injected in me the fire and passion to seek God with abandonment. This caused me to go farther and deeper spiritually and begin to hear God’s voice with regularity. Cutting My Hair After Being In The Presence Of God Another time, my family went to some church meetings in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I was 16 years old, I believe. The presence of God was very strong. One service was at night at a church. We sat up on the balcony. After the night service, we went back to the hotel. But I couldn’t sleep. The whole night, the Lord dealt with me about my hair. He showed me that I grew long hair to rebel against my dad. To be honest, I didn’t know the reason I did it. I just thought it would be cool. But lying there in bed that night, it was clear to me. When God showed me, I couldn’t deny it. When we got back home, I went to the barber and cut it. Called To Preach One other time, I was maybe 17 years old. I remember I felt so strongly that God was calling me to preach the gospel. A friend of mine from church and I both went up front together. We told the church that God was calling each of us into ministry. And today we both are preachers. Those are the first times I remember God speaking to me. They weren’t “spectacular.” But they were powerful and meaningful to me. I had to think too. I recounted my first hearing from him out loud in Routed to Heaven, but I definitely remember Him speaking to me in various ways as a youth. Sometimes, His voice pointed me in the right direction when I was trying to make a decision, and at other times, directed me to speak about Him to someone nearby. It happened through a thought, a quiet voice, dreams, a song, the scriptures or a God-focused book, nature, or even via another person. He Spoke Aloud The time in my twenties that He spoke, it resonated around in my head like an emphatic declaration, and then I discovered that it wasn’t in my head at all. I suffered from a lot of back pain from a car accident and wound up on disability for two years with bulging and herniated discs. My husband at the time was also disabled, we had two children, and I greatly struggled in my role of mom/caregiver/breadwinner all at once, while in tremendous pain. As much as possible, I waited for the covering of the shower to express my emotions on the days I felt fragile. One day, after a shower, I wiped off the mirror. I not only felt at the end of my rope that day, but the cord seemed to be fraying, slowly letting me go inch by jolting inch. Sobbing, I glanced in the mirror, and He said, “Julie, you are going to be OK.” Then one of my kids knocked on the bathroom door. They’d heard a man’s voice and wanted to know who was in there with me! What helped you hear God’s voice & how can others hear His voice too? I have three things. Coming from a Pentecostal background may be a little bit of an “advantage.” A Pentecostal could be more open to the things of the Spirit of God because the teaching supports it. Including hearing God speak. I didn’t have to overcome contrary teaching like “God doesn’t speak today.” I already believed He spoke. But then, at age 15, I encountered Him. This helped me hear His voice later. I’ve seen a difference between a Christian who encounters God personally and one who doesn’t. There is a different level of passion and dedication to the Lord. They have an inner fire and drive to seek to know Him more. And this includes hearing God’s voice. Thirdly, I structured my life to hear God’s voice. I made room to seek the Lord. Even as a teenager, I spent time with God in my room, in worship and reading the Word. When I went to college as a high school senior, that increased. Because I made it my habit to seek Him daily. Passionately. In my dorm room, I entered deep into the presence of God. Spending Time with God In 2009, I made it my goal to spend time seeking God every single day. And my relationship with Him took off even more. So, when I structured my lifestyle to seek the Lord, hearing His voice increased. Two Hindrances Regarding Hearing From God Two things that hindered me from hearing His voice as I look back. Distractions. One thing that has hindered me at times from hearing God speak is distractions. I think I could break those distractions into two basic categories. * Urgent distractions. Things that are urgent in life. Like work, cleaning the house, taking care of kids, etc. Obviously, these are things we need to do. But if we’re not careful, we can spend all of our time on the urgent things and never spend time with Him. This is why I structure my lifestyle to seek Him. Sometimes with young kids it is difficult. I set time either early in the morning or late at night to be with Him. * Meaningless distractions. Things that take time but produce nothing. We have a lot of these in our modern world. I chose to keep myself in a place of seeking the Lord. I want to be sensitive to His voice. So, I purposely limit these. I don’t have a TV. I don’t have social media apps on my phone. I’m not telling you what to do. I only share decisions I made to reduce distractions. Another hindrance to hearing the voice of God is an inconsistent walk. An inconsistent walk can be.... * inconsistent time with the Lord. * living an inconsistent life (sometimes hot, sometimes cold). Consistency in seeking the Lord and living for Him will help you hear God speak with much more consistency. Sometimes when I hear His voice, it is born of pure desperation, but not always. He remains very in tune with our emotions and loves us above everything else, except for His Father. His desire is to comfort us and give us the answers we seek. Even when we don’t agree with those answers. To be fair, I heard some from Him in the years that I struggled, didn’t make great choices, maintained a sometimes lukewarm spiritual walk and barely could fit in time with Him. Because of where I was, I did not always attribute it to Him—I found something else to explain it instead. But no doubt, I have heard exponentially more from Him in the years I walked close. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 His Voice Has Increased I had no idea His voice would increase as I pulled close to Him and finally got consistent. I held no clue He would also take me to Heaven for a visit (two now, actually!). Sometimes, I even hear Him a few t… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.heavenblog.org/subscribe

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