Many SMALL conversations lead to one BIG picture when youre talking with a HUGE God

Mark Holloway's picture

God it’s the beginning of the year so I want to put a plan together with you for the business.

Good.

Can I expect immediate answers the way you tell me I can?

You can.

God?

Mark you know you can hear me.

I sure hope I’m not making this up God?

You’re not, you know you’re right on target.

Ok. Alright, so this year God, what do you want me to achieve?

I want you to make a whole bunch of changes.

God? I’m not sure you said that?

Mark it’s what I said.

Ok. Can you explain?

Yes. I want you to stick with the track you’re on in each of the most important areas in your life; your new life with Miri, the business, your book and your home; and yet I want you to be ready to make changes in direction as I give them to you.

I’m still not seeing an overview here though God, are you saying there are big changes coming?

No.

Come on God? You’re just saying that because you know I don’t really like big changes!!

Not at all.

Ok what then?

I’m saying there’ll be lots of little tweaks and corrections as you listen to me.

God this is getting a bit frustrating! I’m here talking to you so we can make a BIG business plan for the year, can you explain this a bit more please?

Yes of course. You’re seeing it already with Miri. She’s sensing she needs to listen to me day by day to get the direction I want for her – small daily increments of direction from me for large long term subjects. She doesn’t NEED to of course, I would happily accept her living by her own reckoning and decisions. Most Christians live that way and I readily accept it – but I’m keen to see you both live by the message you’re spreading. I want to see you explore it far deeper. Having explained this listening to me life to others, the next stage is to explore even further what a life like that really looks like.

I want you to experiment, to find out first-hand what it looks like to live the life you’re advocating. You’re going to be surprised.

Pleasantly or not?

Very pleasantly. More pleasantly than you could possibly imagine.

Arrrgh God I’ve come to you for direction for the business. What are you actually saying?

Mark you just saw it, you just heard it as a concept. I’m saying to listen, more and more. I want you to become obsessive about it, and to do it about EVERYTHING. That’s the goal, not a business goal, nor a home or leisure or relationship goal. Instead an overall goal – to listen to me, obsessively and fanatically until it commands your entire life. And in that listening, in conversation with me, you will learn what to do next, time after time, in all the areas that matter to you, and to me.

God I’m seeing that this is going to make me feel like I’m a bit directionless. My ‘big picture’ won’t be as big. Well I suppose it will be in a manner of speaking – my big picture will be little conversations, often and always with the big God. Hah! I get it now God!! I’ll be looking at the ‘BIG PICTURE’ all the time won’t I?  Your picture. I’ll be seeing more and more of your picture for my life simply by remaining in back and forth discussion with you more and more of my time.

Yes Mark. What do you think that’s going to mean?

Well… I guess it will mean that I appear a little crazy, a little mystic and separated from the reality of the world God. Which, btw, is a concept I’ve always hated. I HATE the idea of Christians with their heads in the cloud and a diminished ability to relate to and play their part in the real world.

Yes well that’s where you’re going. You’ll sometimes feel that you are not connected to the day to day requirements of reality, but in actual fact you’ll be more connected to reality than ever before because the inventor of reality will be in back and forward conversation with you more and more frequently.

God so you’re REALLY REALLY saying to stop trying to form big plans, and instead to have the LITTLE conversations with the BIG GUY?

That’s the long and the short of it Mark. And yes I really did just use that turn of phrase, I really did just say ‘the long and the short of it’. Does the fact that God would talk that way seem too familiar for your religious mind? Hmmm; consider this verse for a moment and read it out to Religion… ‘because you are my nearest kinsman’. You can’t get any more familiar than a nearest family member.

God I’ve looked that up and it wasn’t really talking about you. It was more about Boaz in the story of Ruth.

No but the analogy is there. Look for other verses and write them down here.

Ok God well it turned out there were heaps of verses and commentary about you being our kinsman. Stuff I didn’t even know about.

Exactly.

But God this is the one that stood out. I’m glad I found it because I was starting to think I might be making that part up.

‘I know that my REDEEMER [‘GAAL’ kinsman] lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.’ Job 19:25

 PRAISE FOR THE FREEDOM DIARIES

LOVE THIS BOOK!
Love this book. It’s changing my life for the better. Amanda Barber.


I CAN’T STOP SAYING WOW!
I can’t stop saying WOW as I read this book… it’s transformed Hubby’s life. Can’t wait to get to the end of the book to try it out too. So want more! Ang Low

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE THINKING IT'S YOUR OWN IMAGINATION WHEN YOU TRY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH GOD - read the 'Practical Tips' section. How to have your own conversation with God in The Freedom Diaries. 

You can purchase your own copy of Mark Holloway's book, 'The Freedom Diaries - God Speaks Back' on this website.

 

 

 

Related Resources: 

How to Hear God's Voice!   

Related Blogs: 

How to Hear God’s Voice   
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Anonymous's picture

Mark, my conversations with God were going great for about a week until I got an answer for something which didnt happen that I had written a couple times as God saying YES. I'm now in a rut because I don't know how to hear Gid if what I originally though was God? I'm actually frustrated & disappointed because I was really enjoying my times of converse with Him, now I'm not sure what to believe? HELP!

Anonymous's picture

Hi Anonymous. That's a GREAT question because it's so much the common experience when you're learning to listen. And actually, when you think about it, it's part of the process when you're learning to listen to people - your parents, your siblings, your wife or husband and your kids. When your wife or husband says something you often hear the words exactly but misunderstand what they actually meant. OR.... you think you heard them say one thing but actually they didn't at all. If you can get it wrong when listening to a human who you can see and touch and hear audibly, then the potential to get it wrong when listening to a God you CAN'T see, hear or touch is huge. Particularly when you're learning to hear him. Most of us have never really been taught much about how to hear him, Even though we've been Christians for years, for most of us the experience is him listening to us rather than the other way around. He's patient so that's ok, but it's still better the other way around.

So in summary it's very easy to get it wrong when listening to a human, and even easier to get it wrong when listening to God because of the lack of practise. Jesus said 'ask and keep on asking'. If you don't then you'll never give yourself the opportunity to learn to hear him, My advice is this, go back and demand answers. 'How come I heard you wrong?? How come you LET me get it wrong??? God likes to sit down and reason, argue things out. He likes it when forceable men (and women) take the kingdom by force. He wants back and forward interaction.

If you have a copy of my book THE FREEDOM DIARIES have a look at the very last chapter in the book about what to do when you think God has broken a promise. It gives some practical insight about how to go back to God and demand and get answers. The bible heroes ALL did it. We are invited to do so too.

Good luck!! :-)

MARK

Anonymous's picture

Thank you for your reply :) I was at the summer school seminar that you spoke at in January at Eastgate Auckland, it was amazing!! I began my conversations after that seminar, my conversations were amazing & mind blown until I got the answer for something that didnt happen and then I stopped because I wasn't sure anymore whether I was hearing him right. I will definitely begin again today & push God for answers :)
Ps, I am the girl with the long black braided hair that Sandra prophesied over.

Thank you for replying, because i did want an answer to why this happened & because I really loved the time I did have in conversation with God. Love & blessings to you Mark.

June.

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Prayers That Heal the Heart PowerPoint Download

Prayers That Heal the Heart PowerPoint Download

by Mark Virkler

If you are teaching the course Prayers That Heal the Heart, then these 181 Powerpoint slides will make your classroom presentation powerful and attractive.

The PowerPoint series follows the Prayers That Heal the Heart book and LEARN notebook, so you will want each of your students to have a copy of the LEARN notebook, and each family should have a copy of the full textbook. 

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Your Winning Team card

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