I am so happpy that you are joining us for Part 4Â of the series “Connecting With God Our Heavenly Father”.
In Part 1 of How To Connect with God, Our Heavenly Father we discussed:
Why does God want to connect with me?
Why do I want to connect with God?
In Part 2 of How To Connect With God, Our Heavenly Father, we discussed:
How will I know when God is reaching out to me?
How do I reach out to Him?
When will He reach out to me so that He can connect with me?Â
What do I do when God speaks to me at an inconvenient time?
When can I connect with our heavenly Father?
In Part 3 of How To Connect With God, Our Heavenly Father, we discussed:
Where will He connect with me?
Where can I connect with Him?
What is in store for us for Connecting With God Our Father (Part 4)? Read on, I know you will be blessed.
Who will our heavenly Father want to connect with?
God can connect with any of His creations and that include anything or anyone that He has created. He can speak to the wind, the clouds, the rain, any insects or any animals. He especially loves to speak to human beings who are created in His own image.
You may be surprised that He speaks to people that do not believe in Him. For example King Cyrus in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 where God stirred up King Cyrus’s spirit to build Him a house in Jerusalem.
In case you think that He only connects with holy people, you will notice that He speaks to Cain after he has murdered his brother, Abel (Genesis 4:9). He speaks to Saul, the persecutor of the church. He speaks to many men in the Bible but He also speaks to women (for example, Elizabeth, Deborah, etc). He also speaks to the young man (for example, Samuel) and old people (for example, Anna and Zechariah).
Photo credit: Pixabay                    Connecting with God – logic and creative parts of the brain
One thing that is very interesting is that men and women seem to use a different side of their brains when they hear something from the heavenly Father.
Our human brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left side, the logical side and the right side, the creative/intuitive side. Both sides exist for every person. When the Holy Spirit speaks to us, it imparts into our spirit and we begin to receive spontaneous thoughts or pictures or words that suddenly pop up in our thoughts on the right side of our brain. When this happens the logical side of our brain (ie the left side) starts to argue that it is our own thoughts or thinking. We, therefore, dismiss this, even though it is something that the Holy Spirit is trying to communicate with us.
It seems that most men use more of their left side of the brain and women use more of their right side of the brain. The mind will try to reason with the flow of the Spirit whenever the Spirit tries to communicate with us. In order for us to learn to connect with God at a more intimate level, we need to train our mind to inquire and ask questions of the Holy Spirit. We can ask the following questions: ” Holy Spirit, what do you want me to do about what you have just told me ?” or “Holy Spirit, how do I go about doing what you have told me to do ?” We should do this instead of using our reasoning and concluding what we have just heard is a fragment of our imagination.
God also does not have any problems connecting with children. However, God will connect differently with children than with adults. He will come down to their level and use words and experiences that they are familiar with or are able to understand. Children have pure hearts and they have no pre-conceived ideas or wrong theological teaching. By their childlike faith, if we tell them that they can connect with God by hearing His voice, they will have no difficulty in believing this. According with the level of their faith, they will start to hear Him and begin to connect with Him.
I remembered when I was teaching the 3-5 years old children in the children church. After the worship session, the children were encouraged to be quiet and to let God speak to them. Once during a session, I asked the children what was God speaking to them. One little boy said that God said that he must share his toys with his brother. Another girl said that God loves her. Another girl said that God wants her to love Him. Children are never too young to hear God’s voice and connect with Him. Samuel heard God’s voice when he was about 12 years old.
Connecting with God – When Children Pray
In Cherie Fuller’s book “When Children Pray”, she wrote:
” Children’s ability to hear God is often unsullied by past experiences. They seem to have a way of knowing, of being tuned in to a divine wavelength. And if you listen to them, we can learn much – occasionally something we really need to know.”
Back to you
Who are we that we can speak and connect with God?
Many people question whether they are one of those people that God really wants to connect with. These are some of the reasons that people feel that they are not able or qualified to speak to God or to connect with Him in any way.
- I am not the best spiritually
- I don’t attend church regularly
- I smoke and occasionally I swear and use bad language
- I am not smart or pretty like my friends or my siblings
- No one notices me so how can God even notice me?
- I am old and no one really wants to talk to me as I take a long time to formulate my words
- I became a Christian one week ago
- I am not baptized with the Holy Spirit
- I don’t understand a lot of the Bible verses
- I don’t know how to pray
- I am a very shy person
- I am currently living an alternative lifestyle (homosexuality)
The above list is not exhaustive and I am sure some of us reading this blog may be able to add more to the list.
We have been told a lie that we have to achieve some sort of standard or be good enough before a holy God will come down to our level and allow us to speak or connect with Him.  We know that our lives do not match His holy standard. Many times we fear punishment from Him when we think of connecting with Him.
There have been many wrong teaching and theology that tell us that we are not worthy of approaching God to speak to Him. We have been told we need to go through another holy person such as a priest or a pastor who is able to speak to God on our behalf.
By our own strength and ability, we can never achieve the expectation and standard required to approach a holy God. However, thanks to God because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we are justified and made righteous before God. This means that when we stand before God, He sees us through Christ. So at whatever stage of life we are in, no matter what names the world calls us, our Creator, the heavenly Father wants to connect with us.
Take the step of faith and try the practice exercises below. You will be surprised that God has always been speaking to you, no matter what you think of yourself or what the world says about you.  In God’s eyes, we are His children whom He lovingly created and He loves each one of us very much.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes I think and feel that I don’t deserve to have You connect with me. I am an introvert. You know my difficulties in connecting with people. I now know that this is the lie of the enemy. You care enough about me to connect with me. I really want to connect with you and hear Your voice. I desire to be able to experience for myself hearing You speak to me. I know that when I hear Your voice, it will be an experience that the enemy cannot take away from me. Open my eyes so that I can see You and open my ears so that I can hear you. Remove any anxiety, fear, doubt and unbelief so that nothing can hinder me from hearing your voice. In Jesus name. Amen
Practice questions to ask our heavenly Father
To prepare yourself, go to a quiet place. Have a piece of paper so that you can write or draw what He shows you. You can write down the thoughts that come to your mind (spontaneous thoughts) as you ask Him the questions below:
- Heavenly Father, can You please show me/tell me/let me sense “What do you think of me? “(He may show you a picture in your mind. You may hear a Bible verse or a sentence that He is speaking to you. You may feel/sense His love and He is smiling at you.).
- Heavenly Father, can You please show me/tell me/let me sense “What is one lie of Satan that I have believed that has made me feel worthless or condemned ?” (Write down what He shows you.).
- Heavenly Father, can You please show me/tell me/let me sense “What is the truth that You want me to know regarding myself so that I can replace the lie that Satan has said regarding me ?” ( Write down what shows you.).
Do not miss the concluding part of this awesome series “Connecting With God Our Heavenly Father”. Stay tuned.
This article is written by Rinda Ho, who is writing her first book. She will share snippets on how you can connect with God in your journey through this website. She will also share songs that the Holy Spirit has downloaded to her so that you can encourage someone through these songs. Rinda has used God’s gift to serve as keynote speaker, held Christian seminars and taught group leaders and small groups in various churches, educating Christians how to hear God’s voice. She delights in mentoring Christians and sees “ordinary” Christians fulfill their destiny, when the heavenly Father reveals to them the good works that He has prepared in advance for them to do.
Sistersheart2heart
I would like to share my testimony after reading the articles by Rinda. I have plans to start a business at a market and I was sure of the products God wanted me to sell. However, I was not allowed to sell some products now or in the future even though I meet all the requirements and am eligble to sell the products. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed as I was very confident that God has opened the door for me. The disappointment began to occupy my mind and I was doubtful and frustrated. I was thinking of returning to the previous job that I had for a few years.
I didn’t want to do my business on my own and I continued to ask God for guidance. I didn’t hear from him and came to my mind for a few days. I was almost losing my passion in the business. However, I still waited for a clear message from God because I had made a decision to be obedient to God. Amazingly, last Saturday morning, while I was brushing my teeth I sensed tbat God was speaking to me. “I approved it (my sunday market business) already. Why are you doubtful?”.
I regained my confidence and realized that God wasn’t happy with the way that I would order the products. Speaking of the products, they would costs a lot to import the products. I think God closed the door because of the high shipping costs and poor currency conversion. Instead, i have found a supplier locally who has other products from the same brand. I don’t need to be involved in a complicated process to order the products.
God was teaching me wisdom and insight which I really need to run my business successfully. Anyway, it was the first time I had His answer in sentences. Sometimes, I received words or physical signs. It was a very exciting moment as I feel confident in connecting with God. Now I feel so encouraged to continue connecting with God for the next steps. And I am confident my journey with God won’t be stumbled.
Thank you, Rinda for your help and your words truly helped me to be closer to God that I always longed for.
Hi Su,
Thanks so much for sharing your testimony that God answered you after you have asked the questions for some time. Not surprisingly when you were brushing your teeth !!! Our heavenly Father’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. He knows the beginning and the end and we can trust Him completely to direct our path as we trust in Him and acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). I think many times we tend to act first and when things get messy then we seek Him. How much better to ask Him first and let Him leads and directs us. I pray that you will continue to let Him speak to you regarding every aspect of your business and invite Him to be the “director” of your company. He is the one that prospers the works of your hands and He delights in the success of His children.
I am glad that you are beginning to experience the different ways that He speaks to you. As you allow the Holy Spirit to open all spiritual senses and not put God in a box, He will choose whichever ways He wants to communicate with you. You will begin to experience the excitement of hearing Him in every facet of your life. God bless, Rinda
Hi Su,
Thank you very much for sharing your testimony. It is so heart-warming to know that you did not give up connecting with God about your business and God answered in His own way. May you be blessed as you continually seek God and have Him as your GPS and compass. Please feel welcome to share Rinda’s articles and the contents of the website with friends and family. God bless. Lucy