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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Author: Teresa Seputis ts@godspeak.net http://www.godspeak.net

Practical Prayer Tools For A Prophetic Person

By Teresa Seputis

Lesson 7
Listening Prayer

Listening prayer is a great way for a prophetic person to build deeper intimacy with God, and to get to know Him better. It can take on either of two forms. The first (which I call "Passive Listening Prayer") is to just ask God to talk to you and let Him choose the topic. The other way is to ask God questions about how He feels about things and then listen to His answer. I call that "interactive listening."

Both of them are great prayer tools.

Passive Listening Prayer

Passive listening prayer is precisely what it sounds like. It is listening to God on whatever topic He feels like talking about. The big question is: "How do I get God to talk to me about things?" The answer is simple--ask Him.

At times He will answer you the instant that you ask, but at other times He will get back to you a bit later...maybe later that day or in a few days or even in a week or two. There are many times when I asked God to please come and speak to me, and He began doing so right when I asked. But there have been other times when He did not answer me when I asked. Most of the time when that happens, I get the answer the next morning when I am doing devotions or taking a shower. In fact, many times when I am in the a shower, God will breaks in and start an extended dialogue with me. That is because He knows that He has an open invitation to speak to Me any time He feels like it--I am always hungry to hear from Him and I tell Him that all of the time.

One way you can get started with listening prayer is by earnestly asking God to speak to you about a certain topic/area. There will also be times when you don't even have to ask God--sometimes He initiates a conversation even if you never sought Him on the subject.

What types of things does God like to talk about? Sometimes He speaks to you about an issue that you are facing. Other times He may talk about an aspect of your character or nature that He desires to "work on." Sometimes God chooses to tell you about things you had not even thought to ask Him. Sometimes He gives instructions on something He wants you to do, other times He just loves on you assures you that you are accepted in The Beloved.

Occasionally God will tell you something about heaven, and how things are done there. For instance one time He started speaking to me about how angels carry out their assignments. I had never wondered about it and had no idea why He picked that particular subject. He told me that most of the time when He gives an angel a message to deliver, He leaves it up to the angel's discretion about how to deliver that message. The angel might choose to give it in a dream, or he may choose to do an angelic visitation, or perhaps some other way. God usually lets the angel decide the precise details of how to carry out the assignment, and He allows them to use their creativity in serving Him. (However, there are also times when He wants things done a certain way, and at those times He gives them explicit instructions down to the last detail.)

I was really surprised when He talked to me about angels, because I didn't think I needed to know those details to be effective in my walk with Him. I mentioned that to Him. God sort of laughed at me, then He told me that it was true that I did not need to know this, He just "felt like" sharing it with Me.

It doesn't matter what subject God chooses to talk with you about, listening prayer will draw you much closer to Him. It will also help you to get to know Him better.

At times, God will meet you in private places to talk with you. For instance, He frequently talks to me when I am in the bathroom. God often talks to a close friend of mine when she is driving alone in her car. God may or may not choose a favorite spot to chat with you. But if you begin explicitly inviting Him to speak to you, God will "break in" to your routine and start talking to you about something.

God can touch on any number of topics. He may just speak to you verbally, or He may tell you to sit down and write, then speak to you as you write. At times He may choose to tell you about His character or nature. Other times He will talk about very practical things that you need for your Christian growth. Sometimes He discusses an area of your life that you need to turn over to His lordship. Or He may choose to talk to you about something He is going to do in your live.

Let me give you an example. God was about to bring me into a training module on His holiness. He told me to sit down to write, telling me in advance what He was going to do, so that I would be prepared when it happened. Here is a portion of what He said to me:

I am going to begin to reveal My Holiness to you. This will be a frightening time for you, for it is a fearsome thing to come before the very presence of Almighty God. Child, know that your sins are forgiven. When you stand before Me and taste of My holiness, you will be overwhelmed with your own sin. Know that each and every sin is under the blood of the Lamb and is forgiven and cleansed.

You are going to find that My presence, which you have so desired, is not at all like you expect it to be. It will truly be terrifying for you, but at the same time it will be a time of awe for you. It is not possible to come before the presence of the living God and not be totally overwhelmed. When you stand before Me, you will be aware of every imperfection and every impurity. And child, you will be horrified with how you will see yourself.

Know in advance that I am not horrified with you. You have been seeing Me through a very thick cloud, through a veil. I am about to lift the corner of that veil and give you a glimpse of My glory. You will not be able to handle it, no human being can. You will be so frightened that you will want to run away from Me. But fear not, I am going to prevent you from doing that, for if you did, you would "kick yourself" over that behavior for a very long time.

You will be so terrified and overwhelmed with My glory and My holiness that you will not be able to think clearly. Do not be frightened of making inappropriate responses. Child, it will not be possible for you to respond to Me in a manner that you consider appropriate; you will not be in control at all. I will be in control.

You will find that I am good and I am loving and I am full of mercy and grace. At the same time, child, you will find that I am truthful and I am realistic. I am going to examine some areas of your life where you will not measure up. But fear not, I am not coming to condemn you, but to reveal and then to transform. Child, you will feel very small in My manifest presence. But know this, I am with you and I am for you and I will cause you to be changed and transformed.

Interactive Listening Prayer

In passive listening, you let God choose the subject. In interactive listening, you ask Him questions and then listen to how He answers them. There are times when I just get quiet before God and then I ask Him questions. I ask Him how He feels about things. I might ask Him what could I do to make Him feel happy right now, or I might ask Him what is on His mind, etc.

Sometimes, I just listen and other times I write down the question and His answer, then go back and prayerfully read it after I am done writing.

If you want to try interactive listening, There are several different questions that you can ask the Lord about. (A lot of people find it easier to start with interactive listing because it is a tad more structured that passive listening.

What I recommend is that you try it with paper and pencil, or open your favorite editor on your computer. Then sit down and ask the Lord a question and write down His reply. I recommend you try it for the next five days, giving yourself 15 to 30 minutes a day to listen to God and write what He says.

If this is new to you and you are not sure what type of questions to ask God, I am including a few that you can choose from. However, please feel free to substitute a question about some situation you are in, or about some decision you have to make, etc.

Here are some questions you might ask God:


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-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

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