Six religious lies that keep you from hearing me more clearly.

Mark Holloway's picture

Mark I want you to tell people that the purpose of these conversations is to enthuse them to listen to me. Not to you. But to me.  I want them to hear less from you and more from me.

So let’s start out with why you, and so many other charismatic Christians have a completely flawed idea of how to approach and hear me.

I want to discuss why you’re so religious, and what to do about it.

Good one God! The majority of people reading this will be charismatic Christians. And you know that we don’t like to hear any criticism of the ways we’ve been taught to do things.

It’s up to you, and to them. If you want to listen to me you’re welcome. But there’s no pressure. I can wait for another generation.

Not on your life God! You don’t get away with that. We want to hear you.

Do you? I’m not so sure. You’re all very comfortable with the way you approach me. A method of approach which prevents you having the relationship you were designed for. A method of approach devised and supervised by your enemy. A method that guarantees that you DON’T hear nearly as much from me as you need to if you want to succeed in your life. If you want success in your life you need to hear more.

God I might as well be talking to myself. NO ONE is going to read any more of this conversation. To suggest the enemy is supervising our Christian culture, will itself be considered a demon-inspired comment. The traditions of the Charismatic way have been taught and perfected for well over a hundred years God.

By men.

Ok I give up. What do you want to say God?

That there’s a better way. A much less ostentatious way of relating to me, one on one.

So God I can hear you saying you want us to hear as much from you as you do from us. But I don’t want to write it down because you’ve said it to me so often lately and I’m starting to sound like a stuck record. Even to me.

No. It’s not you who sounds like a stuck record, it’s me. Why do you think that is? I’ll tell you Mark. It’s because I am stuck. I’m stuck with people who, just like you, no matter how much I tell them I love them and accept them and would like them to relax and hear me and talk ‘at’ me less, they refuse. They insist that they need to get themselves right before they can hear me. You’re all  running the show, determining the agenda. Sounds like Paul when he was busy crucifying Christians don’t you think? He was deciding what God wanted, instead of listening to me. When I finally interrupted, this amazing priest, the man full of zeal and with an incredible command of scripture…. He had no idea who I was. ‘Who are you Lord?’

You charismatic Christians are in grave danger of NOT knowing who I am when I speak to you. You’re not familiar with my voice. That’s a worrying indictment Mark. Sounds like the opposite of the scripture ‘my sheep know my voice.’  Do you think that Paul, when I appeared and he asked ‘who are you Lord?’ would you say that he was acting like ‘my sheep’?

No. Of course not.

Mark you’re judging with the wrong criteria. Look past the murdering and look to what happened. He didn’t know my voice. My sheep know my voice Mark. Paul didn’t. He wasn’t my sheep because he didn’t know my voice. Not for any other reason. Not because he was a bad man. Outside of the persecution of Christians he was almost perfect. As far as the law goes. So forget his actions, focus on whether he recognised my voice. He didn’t. I was gracious to him just like I want to be to this generation of Christians. I want you to learn to recognise my voice. Are you prepared to show others how to do this Mark?

I guess. But it’s hard yacker God.

Why?

Because so many in authority don’t want a bar of it. They don’t want to acknowledge that people can hear you without being all cleaned up and going to church the right number of times, and tithing etc.  It crashes straight across the bow of their religion. They think I’m hearing my own voice when I hear you. They say I’m ‘musing’ when I hear you say that we can come to you and hear you first and THEN LATER you clean us up. At your speed not ours.

Why?

Because they say it contradicts what you’ve taught. It contradicts that you hate sin.

But I DO hate sin. Which is the very reason why I want you to hear me. And then together, after you start hearing me, we can deal, at my speed not yours, with anything that needs cleaning up in your life.

God you know that my mother in law made a very valid comment, she pointed out that so much of the bible seems condemning, a standard we can’t live up to.

She’s right, it is.

Ok well I’m going to pack it in now. You’re not supposed to agree with her! You NEVER disagree with the Bible.

You’re right. I don’t. I never disagree with the bible. It’s my words. And I’m not disagreeing here. I’m explaining what the Bible means. Do you want to know?

Yes of course.

Hmmm. Possibly not as much as you think. However I’ll explain. The reason the bible seems so often condemning is because of the way it’s been taught to you.

There you go again God. That will completely upset the bible teachers. Which means their followers will be upset too. After a lifetime of fighting with everyone and making everyone’s lives miserable I so want to learn the skills of peacemaker but you go and say stuff to me that will just make everyone mad.

Great. It’s going to force people to come and ask me if you’re bonkers, possessed, just plain mischievous or whether you’re actually hearing me. Although they have no option, many will refuse to ask. They think they know already and furthermore, don’t want to run the risk of hearing something that doesn’t fit with their agenda.

But if they do ask, I’ll tell them. The answer will astound many for differing reasons, but if they ask I WILL explain.

Ok, ok. You’ve just said the bible seems so condemning because of the way it’s been taught to us. What do you mean?

The enemy got involved right at the start of the new testament. That’s clearly documented. Peter, and many others, men and women of God, hearing the enemy’s take on things instead of mine. One of the reasons it’s documented Mark is to show you that it happens, even to the greats. The enemy lies to you about what I’m saying. If he can do it to Peter, he can do it to you.

‘Peter exclaimed, "Absolutely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke a second time, "Never consider unclean what God has made pure."’

‘But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.’

So the enemy lied to Christians, they infused his lies into their teaching and taught others and so it went. Even Peter was susceptible to this. What makes you all think that although Peter could teach the enemy’s error, that for some reason you can’t. You all need to get over yourselves and realise you make mistakes. It’s ok. You just need to learn from them instead of insisting on repeating them. There is so much error that could be so easily corrected simply by listening.

So let’s wind this up Mark. You all think you need to approach me by leaping through hoops and achieving lots of tasks. I’ve said this often to you, but now I’m going to elaborate. In your charismatic Christian religion you and so many like you believe that if you’ll just do ‘THE SACRED LIST’ you’ll somehow achieve a state where you’ll hear me freely.  But you’re wrong. Way wrong.

Six religious lies about how to hear God more clearly.

  1. Read the bible endlessly! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the more you read the more able you are to hear me. The Pharisees knew much of it off by heart but they didn’t even know who I was. It’s not a competition Mark. Just read what I show you to read. The bible is a place to go when I tell you. Relax. And you don’t have to memorise large numbers of scriptures. You turn my words into a religion just like the Pharisees did. I told them that to get into the kingdom they had to be born again and become like little children. Little children listen Mark.
  2. Constantly pray ‘at’ God. I don’t want to have to listen to you all day long. I WANT A CONVERSATION! I want you listening to me too. You can do that without having to meet up to all the religious rules you force on yourselves.
  3. Become free of all your besetting sins. Cleaning up your life is a good goal Mark, but you won’t achieve it without hearing my voice. Listen to me first and your priorities will change. I’m not waiting for you to get clean before you can hear me.
  4. Increase your church attendance. Don’t fall into that trap Mark. Meeting together is good Mark, but it won’t bring you closer to me. That only happens when you make a decision in your heart. You can do that in church or out. But for it to last, you MUST do it first and foremost on your own. THEN you can take me with you to meet with others. But hear me first. You’ve all got the order round the wrong way.
  5. Increase your membership responsibilities, serving in church etc. It’s great to help others Mark, but ask me who I want you to help. Don’t you dare take it for granted that what you hear in Christian circles is what I’m saying about who you should serve. Ask me! You’ve got a family. Serve them first. The bible makes it clear that if you don’t you’re in big trouble. You used to serve yourself Mark. Don’t make the mistake of transferring your service from your own needs to religious duties.
  6. Increase your tithes. You can never buy your way into hearing me more clearly.

Related Resources: 

How to Hear God's Voice!   

Related Blogs: 

How to Hear God’s Voice   
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Anonymous's picture

Hi Mark, just wanted to let you know, that i enjoy all of your blogs. They are really a blessing to me. I don't know how to hear God like you do; and write down the conversation. But reading your blogs, makes me hunger for God even more. Because I have always desired a more intimate relationship with God, where I don't do all the talking. I want to know what He is saying. Can you give me any advice Mark???

Mark Holloway's picture

The first thing to remember is this is difficult. So don't for a moment think that the conversations you see me write are easy. They're not. I struggle with Doubt, that slimy being, every line of conversation I get from God. Whether I write it, speak it out to myself or think it out. It's hard. He shouts, whispers, taunts, mocks -- 'yes but did God REALLY say that?'
 
My advice is that he's likely to say the same to you.
 
When that happens, (pretty much every sentence I write) I ask God, 'ok, was that really you?' And he replies yes or no, and whatever his reply, Doubt starts in with the opposite opinion. When this first started I thought maybe I was going mad, hearing voices, but after four years of it, apparently I'm not displaying the symptoms of madness.
 
so; my advice? Write God a question, write what comes into your mind. Then write the next obvious question, ask him if it was him, and then write what comes into your mind next, and then write the next obvious question, 'was that you?'
 
It will be the most difficult and demanding thing you can ever do. But worth it? You tell me. Nothing worth doing is easy, or 'no pain, no gain.' Or 'it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, the glory of Kings to uncover a matter.' If you want to be a king or queen, you're going to have to work hard to uncover what he is saying. But he will tell you. And the key is NOT to be all holy. Listen first, and let him point out any changes he wants. DON'T try to get yourself all holy first. You WILL NOT find that precedent in scripture.
 
HOPE THAT HELPS.
MARK.
PS: Mark Virkler's book 'The 4 keys to hearing God's voice' is an excellent resource, or you can try my own book available on this website ; 'The Freedom Diaries - God speaks back.'
 

Anonymous's picture

Thank you for your posts, Mark. My heart jumps with excitement when I read them. God has been speaking to me about staying in Constant Contact with Him. Listening to what He is telling me. Learning from Him directly. I listened to Mark Vikler's videos on Hearing the Voice of God and have been applying the two-way journaling. I've been so amazed at the love God has shown me and the revelation. I'm so excited. I have a blog www.rewriteyourmemovie.com that is shifting to being in Constant Contact with the Holy Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to help us rewrite our life, to rewrite the hurts and pains that we've experienced,and to entering into an intimate relationship with God.

Please continue your posts.

Anonymous's picture

Hi Mark, The LORD has given you so many golden "nuggets" from His treasures, and like the disciples, you likewise, have passed them (the Living Bread) unto us so that we also will practice the kingdom of God as well. Thank you for this encouragement that builds us up in the faith. Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!

Mary

Anonymous's picture

Hello Mark,

You are not musing....I for one believe it. I think my conscience got very much active when your blog was started. I believe there was a real reconnection now with our Daddy.

I thought I was musing as well but this time it is different. Nowadays, whenever I get frustrated with my wife, my teenager daughter and young boy, there is this reminder in my head to go easy on them because God has been and always been easy on me and my faults/sins. I guess I want to be much in control of my family's life.

I have undergone Mark V.'s Hearing God's Voice seminar and I applied it in my life. I was hearing God but somehow it was "muted" so it never really grew in my life until reading what God has to say in your blog. There was an activation that has happened and now my daily "musings" are now replaced actually with our Father really conversing with me. I love it! There were times when going to work, while walking, I would approach somebody (as I feel in my spirit) and just tell them that God loves them and their face brighten up.

I still get angry at times with my loved ones but lesser and lesser. Now, there's regret and saying sorry. Continue with your blog, Mark. I am guilty of these 6 lies and now I have a better understanding. Father, thank you for Mark and thank you for loving each one of us readers of his blog.

Anonymous's picture

I have experienced the same thing. I too like to be in control. But as I have listened he seems to remind me of how easy he goes on me. The devil tells us how terrible we are. We want to believe him and then we begin first to punish ourselves and eventually we find that, having applied far too hard a standard to ourselves, we then want to apply the same hard devil's standard to those around us. I'm finding it's much better to try and apply the standard God uses on me. Forgiveness. Thanks again. MARK.

Anonymous's picture

Thanks Mark,
This really speaks to me!!
Blessings,

Anonymous's picture

And Merry Christmas from New Zealand. God just wants a conversation. And everyone who tries it can have one. Doubt will come to try and snatch the words away. So when he does, ask God. Say was that you or not? When you read my conversations you don't always see the 'was that really you?' questions and thoughts. Some I leave in, some I don't. But if you find it hard to believe that what you hear really is God, don't give up. Stick with it. If David found it hard to believe it was God talking, then we probably will too. 'Has God forgotten his promises, has God forgotten to be merciful?' Stick with it. A conversation liberates you. MARK.

Anonymous's picture

Mark, this is so powerful. Thank you for hearing from God, so that I can hear from God. God bless you richly.

Judith

Anonymous's picture

The enemy always wants to snatch away what God has said. So when people like you tell me they are hearing God through what I have heard that thrusts a sword right in the devil's eye. It's wonderful and liberating for me. It helps me believe, reminds me why I do this. Thank you. MARK.

Anonymous's picture

Well that is very liberating thank you, I am pretty rubbish at a lot of those. So why does it often not happen for people? How long does He want us to listen until He talks to us? What does get in the way of hearing Him?

Anonymous's picture

The reason Doubt gets in the way is simple. He knows that if he allows us to hear God's voice, then it would set us free. And he does not want us free. He wants us bound up in religious lies, or the belief that God doesn't exist. Either option makes him happy. It doesn't really matter to him. He's happy if we believe God doesn't exist, and he's equally happy if we believe that God exists but doesn't speak, not to us anyway because we're too sinful. He loves it when we think that. It allows him to mock us and to mock God and his cross too.

You're in a battle. Ask God a question. Write down what comes in to your mind, no matter how crazy it seems. Then ask God if he really said it. And so on. It's difficult. If it wasn't it wouldn't require faith. God doesn't want us dancing around in easy white picket fence Christianity. He wants us to have a relationship like the Bible heroes had. Their lives were all about God interrupting and speaking, not a constant monologue from them to God, but him speaking back.

I can't tell you how many times I asked God if that was really him about the six religious lies. It's the opposite of what I've been taught and I just know that I'll get all sorts of grief from the chief priests and the teachers of the law. But everytime I asked, he said 'that's me?' Doubt gave me a constant beating about it, but in the end I had to go with what God said. It's not easy to hear. You need to work at it, peeling back layer on layer of what he is saying, all the while warding off Doubt's jabs and thrusts. Listening to God will teach you to hate the enemy. Simply because he will frustrate your efforts and constantly attack. Keep fighting.

The religious will tell you that if there is confusion or it's difficult, then it can't be God. I'm not sure which bible they read, but clearly not the one featuring John the Baptist's doubt, or Jeremiah's doubt and confusion, or David's doubt and confusion. I guess their Bible's have been sanitised of all that embarrassing stuff about how human those people really were.

We're human too, so I for one am happy I got the warts and all version of the Bible.

Thanks. I hope that helps. In the back of THE FREEDOM DIARIES Book there is a section on how to have a conversation with God and includes some thoughts on dealing with doubt and disappointment during the process.

MARK.

Anonymous's picture

Thank you for such a detailed reply, that's certainly helpful. I will keep trying and I look forward to reading the book.

Anonymous's picture

Hello,

God has His own timing with us, so I do not think all of us would hear from God all at the same time (this is not a bad thing actually). He is patient with us.

I guess the main reason is our expectation/doubt. Just like a child, when they expect something, they are purely convinced (wihtout a doubt! complete belief that they would receive it) and are anxiously waiting (e.g. when we promise to give them a gift Christmas time). I am guilty of hindering myself to hearing from God.

I know God wants to talk with us but when I start asking Him a question and He answers (i.e in my head, suddenly an idea pops up), I am astounded, I am unable to believe immediately that God really did answer. I even ask, "God is that really you?"

But with a child, when he receives the promised gift, he is just thrilled and happy to receive it. Hope that helps.

Anonymous's picture

Thank you for your reply. I think you could be right and that it is to do with God's timing. I will keep listening and waiting.

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