Guest Contributor: Steve Dekkers

For cross-cultural workers, the sentence “I don’t know what to do!” can come up every hour! Away from familiar resources, cultural understandings, and support structures, serving in ministry overseas is a challenge and an opportunity to depend on God. Learning to hear God’s voice is a critical component for thriving and in pioneering ministry. However, many of us feel under-experienced or confused with the topic of listening prayer.

Our guest contributor Steve Dekkers is a missions mobilizer and trainer based in Texas, who is someone we (Steven and Jenn) have greatly benefitted from in learning about prayer and the Holy Spirit. These posts are adapted from a training that Steve has given on listening prayer that is our favorite!

These posts on listening prayer will provide some biblical foundations around the topic of listening prayer, give some different activities to engage in listening, and help you know how to discern God’s voice in your listening.

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Disclaimers

First, I want to start with a disclaimer that there are many different theologies, church backgrounds, and personal experiences. Listening prayer might be a topic that is familiar for some or can range from confusing to unsettling for others. This post is simply an introduction, so my encouragement is to keep pressing in and learning and following up as the Lord leads. Curiosity about this topic has helped drive many people to learn more about listening prayer, and that’s been my journey as well.

This training isn’t meant to try to change your theology. I’ll try to share as much as I can about where I see this in Scripture, but I also acknowledge that a lot of peoples’ perspectives about listening prayer are heavily influenced by their own personal experience, mine included.

If you read this and don’t agree with what is shared, that is OK! My suggestion is to read this with an open mind and allow the Lord to search your heart and see if there’s anything here that will be beneficial to your relationship with Him. Seek out others that practice listening prayer and ask them questions.

Secondly, for those that want to learn more about listening prayer and how God speaks, this is a process. I want to make it very, very safe, especially if you try some of these activities and don’t have a strong sense that you’re hearing anything or get something specific! 

It’s completely safe and OK to feel like you didn’t hear something. It takes a lot of faith and boldness to try and listen. But it also takes boldness to say, I didn’t get something even though it kind of feels like you’re supposed to. There’s no shame there because you’ve tried and that’s OK.

Also, it might not be your role for a certain time. Your role might be to receive from someone else that has heard something and shares it with you. That doesn’t mean you don’t have God or you’re not saved. It actually means that God is probably communicating to you in lots of other ways. In listening prayer, it’s OK not to get something.

In our training group where we practice listening prayer, we had a guy named Joe who embraced that. He wasn’t resistant to listening prayer, but He would listen and a lot of times just think of Scripture. And that is also from the Lord!

It’s important to continue seeking and engaging, preferably in a safe place with your community. As you pursue God in this process, I’m confident you will grow in hearing His voice!

The God of the Bible is a God who Speaks

The God of the Bible is a God who speaks.

Before we talk about how to engage in listening prayer, this is something we need to be confident in from Scripture. In Genesis 1, God introduces Himself to all the world as the God who speaks creation into existence. And He continues speaking in all of the pages of the Bible to the very end.

God is a communicating God. There’s some examples like Esther and Ruth where they are just trying to be obedient in the situations they are in and see God at work through that. But there are even more examples like Jonah, Moses, Samuel, David, Philip, Paul, Peter, and many more where they communicate with God pretty directly, through prayer and through the word of the Lord coming through other people. We’ll give a few examples here that include different ways that God communicated to His people.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

In Acts 8, we see God communicating with Philip to evangelize to the Ethiopian eunuch. In verse 26, “an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’” Philip doesn’t even know the purpose of this instruction, he just hears from an angel messenger to go and he obeys.

When he gets to that area on the road to Gaza where the Ethiopian eunuch is traveling, “the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’”

Philip’s there by the side of the road, and sees the Ethiopian eunuch who he knows is royalty. Philip hears the Spirit tell him to go near the chariot, and he runs towards it! From anyone’s point of view, Philip looks like a robber. There’s no reason for him to run towards a chariot!

But Philip obeys and RUNS immediately upon hearing the Spirit’s voice. He doesn’t say, “What’s that voice? Was that God? I don’t know if I’ve heard God speak before.” Philips hears and runs to the chariot. He shares the gospel with the eunuch and baptizes him immediately by the side of the road. Church tradition says that this Ethiopian eunuch may have been one of the first to bring the gospel into Africa.

When we are in an unreached place and out on the road and the Spirit tells us to go towards a person that He has prepared to hear the gospel, will we RUN forward in obedience? Will we be able to recognize His voice?

Samuel

We see another example of God communicating clearly with Samuel. At this time, they already have the Torah from Moses. But the early Jews knew that they were supposed to continue to receive the word of the Lord – not to just get the Torah and be done. After Moses, God spoke through prophets to the people of Israel. But 1 Samuel 3:1 says “the word of the Lord was rare in those days, there was no frequent vision,” which must have been really concerning.

Eli is the priest and Samuel is serving as a boy. In this story, the Lord calls out to Samuel but Samuel gets confused and thinks it is Eli calling him. Eli perceives that it’s God calling out to Samuel and encourages him to answer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”

God gives Samuel a prophecy about Israel. God begins communicating with Samuel directly and “Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground… and the word of Samuel came to all Israel.”

Even when it feels like we haven’t heard God’s voice for a long time, or maybe if we feel like we have never heard God’s voice, He can still start communicating with us at any moment! Can we posture our hearts like Samuel to say – “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”

David

Next you have David. Saul is a king that prophesied a few times but he has Samuel as his main connection to hearing the Lord. But David actually starts to operate as a prophet, a priest, and a king!

9 times in 1^st and 2^nd Samuel it says that David inquires of the LORD. When David inquires, he is specific, and he is obedient. He asks specifically of God, what do you want me to do? Should we go here? Will we have victory? He waits for God’s response and obeys.

The best example of this is in 1 Samuel 30, where David and his men go to battle but return to their city to see that the Amalekites have raided their city and kidnapped all the women and children. David and his men “wept until they had no more strength to weep” and “the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord” (1 Samuel 30:4, 6).

This is probably one of the hardest points in David’s leadership. But he does something unbelievable here, with his people ready to stone him. 

He inquires of the Lord. 

Should I pursue, will I overtake them? And God says yes and that he will rescue them.

What else is David supposed to do here except pursue?! The people would’ve certainly stoned him. But David doesn’t do what is obvious, doesn’t do what his followers expect, doesn’t do what he thinks is right – he obeys the Lord after he inquires of the Lord. David is a man after God’s own heart, and he knows God’s heart by communicating with Him.

Cornelius and Peter

In the book of Acts, we see some types of communication from God that are more apostolic in nature. And what I mean by that is the Holy Spirit is guiding the Apostles and disciples to bring the gospel to places it has never gone, because the church is just beginning and spreading.

But later in the Epistles you see words that are more about sanctification in nature. These words are bringing us to look more like Christ, focusing on our union with Christ and oneness with Him.

In Acts 10, we also see a few different ways that God communicates. Cornelius gets a message from an angel to find Peter and tells him exactly where to find him. So he sends three men to find Peter.

At the same time, Peter goes into a trance while he’s really hungry and praying. So that’s maybe how you know you’re doing fasting and prayer well – you’re so hungry that you go into a trance and have a vision!

Peter gets a vision three times about supposedly unclean animals that God says that he can kill and eat. But God says it’s OK. And as Peter is thinking about this vision, the three men are at the gate, and the Holy Spirit tells Peter, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”

So there’s three types of communication just in this short passage – the angel giving a message to Cornelius, Peter receiving the vision from God, and the Holy Spirit literally saying to Peter what he’s supposed to do, to go with the three men. And the rest of the book of Acts is completely transformed by this moment because it opens the door for Gentiles to come into the Kingdom.

Ways that God Speaks

Now we’ve seen several different people in different times hear from God in different ways – visions, angels, prayer, hearing the Spirit’s voice directly, and through prophets and leaders.

In John 10, Jesus says that the sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice and “the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

The sheep know the Shepherd’s voice.

So that’s just my word of encouragement to you as you begin to hear God speak. You know your Shepherd’s voice. God is already communicating with you!

The sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

John 10:4

This was my “ah-ha” moment as someone taught me about listening prayer. When you’re praying and certain thoughts, words, Scripture passages, images, songs, visions, impressions, and even emotions enter your mind and heart, that is the Holy Spirit speaking! It really is!

Sometimes when the Spirit is speaking, it might be accompanied by certain emotions like peace or love or joy, or even physical expressions like warmth, waves of tingling moving down your body, goosebumps, or feelings of electricity.

As you hear those things, write them down even if it feels like it’s from left field. Obviously the random distracting thoughts like “what am I going to eat for lunch” or “what’s the score of the game” are probably just your own mind. In part 2 we will talk about a way to quiet your mind to remove distractions and find a place to meet Jesus and hear from him. We’ll also address the more difficult part in discerning whether some things you hear are from your own mind or are from God. 

But I want to help you grow to be confident in knowing that it was God who spoke. The more you know and recognize God’s voice, the more you’re going to stand on that rock until He gives you a new word, and continues to communicate with you more and more.

God Speaks to Be With Us

In many of these biblical examples, there’s a lot of instruction from God about what people should do. And that can be a strong motivation for cross-cultural workers as well when they are seeking God’s voice through Scripture and prayer – what am I supposed to do?

It can be really great when God tells you to go do something, and you go do it and it feels like it was exactly right. But a lot of what God tells you in listening prayer will be about your identity because he wants you to be loved and to be in him. He tells you about identity so you can be one with him.

If we read and study Scripture to increase our knowledge but miss out on loving Jesus more, we have missed the point. Jesus says to the Jews in John 5 that “you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

In a similar way, if our only motivation to increase in listening prayer is to receive guidance in what to do or receive just what we need but not to enter into deeper relationship with Jesus, we may also be missing the point.

Throughout his time with the disciples, there is plenty of instruction from Jesus to the disciples about what they are supposed to do. But in Jesus’ final words to the disciples, he says that he no longer calls them servants but friends. In his final prayer for the disciples in John 17, he prays for our unity, our joy, our sanctification, our perseverance, and ultimately that we would know Jesus in the Father. “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

It was a journey for the disciples to grow in their relationship with Jesus, and it’s a journey for each of us to grow in further maturity in our relationship with Jesus and that’s OK. Our prayer lives start with being like toddlers – “Look at me!” And we’re the ones talking and talking and talking at Jesus. Then it goes to being like a teenager believer, who is like, “I need this, I need that.” Eventually we get to the point of more maturity where we are experiencing oneness with Jesus. Where we’re in tune with him, we’re interacting and communicating with him. We don’t only ask for things or even ask what we’re supposed to do, but we ask him about his heart, about his desires, about what he wants us to know about ourselves.

For sure, it pleases God when we hear and obey his voice. But let our motivations to hear his voice mirror his heart, “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Questions for Reflection

1. What hesitations or doubts do you have about listening prayer? Offer those to God and ask Him to speak to you.
2. What are other stories in the Bible where God communicates? Do you believe He could communicate with you in those ways? Why or why not?
3. Have you ever felt like the Holy Spirit was speaking? What method did it come by (image, emotion, words)? What happened after hearing from God?
4. What is your motivation for increasing in listening prayer? Ask God to help you align your heart to His in seeking His voice.

Read Listening Prayer (Part 2).

Leadership Foundations Part 2: Why Are Leaders Needed?

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In the last two posts of the Leadership Foundations series, we covered the definition of leadership and some leadership principles, and answered the question – Why are leaders needed?

In this post, we’ll explore a question that many aspiring leaders ask: how do I know if I’m a leader? What does discerning a role of leadership in missions look like?

Discerning is a Process

Discerning whether God is calling you to be a leader is a process and shouldn’t be taken lightly or done too quickly. Many times on overseas field teams and in ministry in general, there is a ‘next man up’ view of leadership, meaning that whoever is available to be the leader will be regardless of calling, gifting, capacity, or character. The benefit of this reality is that there are many opportunities for leadership overseas because of the great need for leaders among the unreached – many leaders may need to return from the field for a variety of reasons (health, conflict, visas, etc.). The downside for this ‘next man (or woman) up’ view is that there can be very little discernment, clarity, preparation, or support for people who find themselves in a leadership role all of a sudden. This can lead to missed expectations, disappointment, and burnout for the leader and their team – and then, it’s the next next man up, perpetuating a cycle of poor leadership transitions and unprepared leaders.

In many biblical leaders’ lives, there is a process of testing, discernment, and development that God uses to help those leaders grow into the person that is prepared to lead, and for that leader to gain clarity and confidence in the role of leadership that God is calling them to. Between the time that David is anointed by Samuel to become King at around age 15, and when he is actually crowned as King at age 30, David endures 15 years of continuing as a shepherd, fighting Goliath, becoming one of Saul’s commanders, and even running for his life from Saul. During that time, I’m sure David may have asked himself the question, “Am I really supposed to be King?” Through all the testing and trial, God solidified David’s confidence in his calling to be King, as well as developed him into the person he needed to be God-glorifying in that role. Similarly, Paul had 13 years between his conversion on the road to Damascus where Jesus tells him that he is the “chosen instrument” to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, and when he is sent out with Barnabas from Antioch on the first missionary journey. This time was filled with testing (Paul had to escape persecution), development, and discernment as well. For the record, we’re not saying it will take over a decade for you to discern whether you’re a leader, but just wanted to provide some biblical examples of the discernment / development process that God has many leaders go through before they step into the position of leadership.

In our opinion, your calling towards field leadership should be as solid as your calling to go overseas. The burden and responsibility of leadership can be as challenging, if not moreso, than the stressors of cross-cultural life and ministry. If this is true, then your calling towards leadership, and your preparation towards it, should be considered and pursued with intention!

Questions For Discernment

Here are some aspects to consider in your discernment for your preparedness and calling as a leader:

1. Have you been leading? How did that go, and where do you have room to grow? Have you ever led – anything? Experience leading in ministry settings would be great – this could include the welcome team at church on Sundays or a small group or a discipleship group. Even in non-ministry settings, have you ever been a leader on your sports team or in your workplace? How was your experience of leading – did people follow you? What was good and bad about that?
   
   If you haven’t ever led something clearly and you have an aspiration to, talk to a leader or mentor in your church or ministry. See if there are chances to lead by SERVING in your church, or by inviting others to join into a disciple-making team. (If you’re interested in how to start a disciple-making team, please contact us! One of the resources we use to help people get started is this book: Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World.)
   
2. Does your community (those that lead you, work alongside you, or follow you) affirm leadership in you? Ask your discipler, mentor, or leader and those in your church that know you if they sense or see leadership in you. Tell them, ‘I’m sensing that God might be calling me to step into a role of leadership in going overseas: what do you think? How can I grow? What are my strengths and weaknesses as a leader?’ It takes a lot of humility and a lot of courage to ask these questions. Be humble and receive the feedback – even if it is hearing, ‘you haven’t really been a leader yet and need to develop quite a bit before you can step into that role.’ The timing of entering into leadership is up to God.
   
3. Reflect on your motivations of being a leader. Is it for recognition or approval? Or to be faithful to God’s calling, and to serve others? In 1 Peter 5, Peter gives the elders and shepherds, spiritual leaders of God’s people, an exhortation for what motivations they are to have as leaders – ‘not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.’ A lot of leaders will struggle with pride, and it’s super dangerous. Just two verses later, Peter says that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Ask God to give you a humble heart, and to help you surrender any prideful motivations to instead be a humble and servant leader.
   
4. Spend time in prayer and listening. Ask God if a role of leadership is what He has for you. Ask Him how you need to develop. Submit to God’s calling one way or another, even if He is saying that you aren’t ready or just not yet. Ultimately, the best place to be is submitted to whatever role that God has for you. But I’m willing to bet that for many of you, He may be calling you into a role of serving through leading.
   
5. Count the Cost. As you discern whether or not you have a calling for leadership, it’s imperative that you take time to count the cost. Leadership is a heavy responsibility, and if leadership truly is serving, then it requires you to be thinking of your people and their needs, often even above your own. Are you willing to longsuffer with your people, and bear their burdens with them? Are you willing to sacrifice time to yourself or with your family for the sake of those you lead? Are you willing to go first, which many times includes failing first, in many ministry endeavors? Are you willing to engage in conflict and hard conversations as you develop those God has given to you? Will you give up your sleep and your free time and your preferences? Are you willing to take responsibility for the health, thriving, and direction of your team and teammates? If some of these things feel difficult to say ‘yes’ to, then process that with the Lord and ask him why you feel tension. Sometimes, this might reveal where we need to grow, and sometimes it might show us we aren’t quite ready for leadership yet.
   
   In our first year, Jenn and I were dealing with all the same cross-cultural stressors and difficulties of transitioning to the field. Learning a new language and culture is certainly a significant enough challenge! But as leaders, we were responsible for helping our teammates through those transitions as well. Whether it was helping a couple on our team through marital issues, staying with a teammate who was in the hospital for over a month, or mediating a conflict between team members, as leaders, we were called to be present, serve, and lead those that God had entrusted to us.
   
   Counting the cost does not mean just considering all the difficulties – the cost includes the reward. In that very same passage where Peter exhorts the spiritual leaders, he points us to the great and lasting reward given to those faithful in leadership.

“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

1 Peter 5:4

Ultimately, our role is to point those that we lead to the chief Shepherd – who shepherds those on our teams but also shepherds and cares for us! Are you willing to respond in obedience to God’s call on your life to not only go, but to lead others? The reward is to reign and rule with Christ in glory for all time.