Newsletter June 2008

When I was a child I grew up in a pentecostal church, I remember me sitting on a wooden chair with my legs dangling down. A sketchbook was on my lap while I was drawing during worship service. Suddenly I felt and knew that something happened. A thick blanket of the presence of 'something' rest on me. I remember me bowing my head deeper and deeper in awe. People around me kept singing, but softer and softer until everybody stopped. There was a deep silence. I felt a prickeling sensation going up and down through my body and stopped drawing. At that moment I felt something important was going on. Silence was eardeafening.
No one told me this was the presence of the Holy Spirit which was so tangible. I just knew this was God Himself. This was a moment in which I met the Holy Spirit Himself.
You can easily miss the spiritual dimension of the Kingdom of God. Christianity has a definite spiritual dimension. Jesus promised when He went to heaven that He would send the Conforter who would reveal things in our innermost being. The Holy Spirit speaks in our innermost being and reveals the heart of God to people. Through the ages God never ceased speaking. He still speaks!
Understanding the speaking of God is vital, surely when you want to paint prophetically or move in some other way in the spiritual world. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in a number of ways: through dreams, images, bibletexts, experiences, through other people. The Holy Spirit speaks but do we hear Him, do we even bother to listen to Him? How can we listen? Actually what is listening?

The first condition to listen is to aim our full attention to the person who speaks. Our activities that are being done right at that time will have to be put down. Through all of our bodylanguage it should be clear that we are listening. You can't listen properly to someone when you turn your back on them. We have to face this person and take a relaxing position. Even better would be to look at he person who is speaking with full attention.
And still then we are not ready to listen. For have we also understood the speaker well and did we interpret the speaker properly? We could check this by repeating the spoken words out loud and asking if we understood correctly. Then we will know if we understood well. We could also ask questions about that what was spoken to us but wasn't really understood quite well. This additional information will help to complete the picture. This also could be repeated and checked if understood correctly.
The checking part is a very important part of listening. In communicating there are always two parties (or more) involved. The one who listens has his own way of interpreting if only by his specific upbringing or social background. To check is important and clears out misunderstandings.

Listening is not only listening. It has elements of paying attention to someone, taking time for someone, turning to someone, getting into what someone just said and checking if you understood correctly. Every person has filters that cause us to interpret the things we hear in a certain way. Listening to God is vital. Our filters and coloured glassed can deform the things He speaks. But the Holy Spirit is mercyful. He loves to be with us and correct our mistakes. Listening to the Holy Spirit is a lifelong school with moments of realising that we already heared something but didn't notice at that time.

Psalm 62:5 says: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him."

Underneath you will find an exercise in listening to the Holy Spirit. Please take your time to practise and also do so in this order. It is important not to continue to the next point before finishing the first one.

1) Find a quiet spot where you are not disturbed. Sit down with a notepad and bible. Shut your eyes and bring yourself to peace. Breath slowly and regularly. Take your time.
2) If any thoughts pass through your mind of tasks to be done, write them down so you will not forget them and make room to focus on God.
3) Focus on the Lord. Breathe slowly and regularly. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Write down in short notes the things that touch you most.
4) What is the Holy Spirit showing you about the short notes you took. Write this down or draw it if it comes in an image.
5) Are there specific points that the Holy Spirit shows you to act upon. Write them down.
6) Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 once again. Are there any new things coming up? Write them down.
7) Study your notes one by one and ask the Lord to give you revelation about your questions. Write down thoughts, ideas, insights.
8) Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 once again. Thank God for the revelation He gave to you.
9) Paint or draw the revelations. This exercise comes from a great book with prophetic teaching Approaching the heart of prophecy by Graham Cooke.

The King's HeART