(098) God Conversations that Expose Sin â Don Barry
Monday, May 26, 2025 ⢠Duration 38:35
Voices in the Muck: When the Spirit Wonât Stay Silent
When Don arrived to take up a leadership position at his new church, the Holy Spirit gave him a dream. He saw a group of men dressed in white hazmat suits. They were cleaning out piles of horrible muck from a culvert and moving it to the roadside nearby. Don woke up thinking how horrid it was that the muck was being exposed to all those driving by. Two days later, the nature and depth of the "muck" became clear as one by one, six different women came to Don to confess an affair with the former senior pastor.
This episode of the God Conversations podcast is a heavy but important one. Our guest is a pastor from New Zealand who has decades of experience in ministry but has also been privy to some God conversations heâd rather not have. Along with his wife Karen, he led Gateway Church in Hamilton, New Zealand for 20 years. During this season, they watched God restore a church that had been torn apart by the sexual failure of its senior leadership to become a thriving congregation of over 1200 people.
Don Barry is a gifted teacher whose ministry has been appreciated throughout New Zealand and many other nations. Youâll learn so much from his wisdom born of experience walking with the Spirit.
On the show youâll hear about:
Donâs spiritual journey and pathway into ministry leadership, beginning with a startling God conversation that led Don and Karen from their church in Cambridge to a church in Hamilton. Don reflects on how the Spirit used a feeling of being unsettled and then spoke through three different people to speak the same message. God may speak clearly but doesnât always give the details!
Donâs dream that God gave him twice when he arrived to take up a leadership position at his new church and the events that occurred almost immediately after, with six different people  confessing affairs all independently of one another.
A second vivid dream that showed how God was bringing sin to light so that it could be cleaned up. Instead Don faced pressure to cover it up.
âI knew it was the Lord and we needed to know it was the Lord because a couple of voices from our executive said to me that this is the devilâs attempt to destroy a good manâs ministry. You should keep this coveredâŚâ
Don reflects on the reasons why sin cannot be hidden. The only way God can transform our hearts and set us free is to convict and expose our sin. Transformation requires truth - you cannot receive grace without first confronting truth, ugly as that may be.
Covering up is the worst thing we can do. There are rotten apples in any barrel. The test is what leadership do with them. The answer is not to put the lid on and hope they go away. People felt safe confessing it to you. Perhaps there was safety and integrity in your heart.
Uncovering sin is painful. Thereâs no such thing as "Dr Painless the dentist." We must confront the ugliness of of our lives. Itâs not to condemn but to deliver, but it does require the drill!
The need for safe and trusted spaces so that sin can be exposed and people can be restored. Don reflects: âIf could be our turn next week.â
The role of conscience in relation to Godâs voice. For Don, the longer we walk with Jesus, the more our conscience and Godâs voice close ranks!
Godâs purpose in exposure is always redemption. There is no shame or condemnation.
God has incredible love for his church. If we donât discipline our children, we hate them. Truth-telling is an act of love - not a thing to be feared, but to be welcomed.
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Bio
Don Barry has been involved in church leadership for five decades. For the last 30 years he has been a senior leader of Gateway Church in Hamilton, New Zealand. During this season he has watched as God has restored a church, broken and bruised by the sexual failure of leadership, into a thriving congregation.
(097) The Audible Voice of God â Patrick Hegarty
Monday, April 28, 2025 ⢠Duration 35:17
How Does Godâs Audible Voice Really Sound? Insights from a Modern-Day Encounter
Some people talk about hearing the audible voice of God. What does that sound like? And should we expect to hear it?Â
On this episode of the God Conversations podcast, weâre talking about the "audible" voice of God, why God rarely speaks this way and what our expectations should be for how the Spirit speaks.
Our guest has heard the audible voice of God five times and has plenty of insights from his story. Patrick Hegarty is a pastor of a church in Brisbane, Australia but also heads up a a national church planting organisation. Heâs also authored several books on spiritual formation and renewal.Â
In this episode, youâll hear about:
Patrickâs back story, raised in an atheist environment and becoming a Christian at age 19. After 20 years of working in business and âavoiding Godâs call,â Patrick changed careers and became a full time minister.
Patrickâs experiences of Godâs audible voice. Patrick describes it as feeling âalmost normal," since it involves the God you know in everyday life. When God speaks out loud, it is almost like the Spirit is shouting in the moment, but as you reflect, you realise no-one else heard it.
âGodâs voice is normally very disruptive. Iâve never found God to speak at a convenient time!â
The God conversation that inspired Patrickâs book on leadership and discipleship such that he finished 90,000 words in just three weeks.
Patrickâs God conversation in Kenya. Patrick was on a ministry trip surrounded by poverty and devastation in the biggest slum in Africa when God spoke out loud: âI remember these people, I want you to remember them.â In Patrickâs words, it was like âlistening to heaven while looking into hell.â As a result, Patrick started a charity in the area that continues to this day.Â
As I was looking down in the valley - the biggest slum in Africa - I saw toddlers looking in a stream of rubbish and sewage for food. I had my ears listening to heaven and my eyes looking into hell. Suddenly I heard the out loud voice of God. Everything else went quiet. âI remember these people, I want you to remember them.â
The difference between Godâs âquietâ voice and Godâs âloudâ voice. Patrick sees the audible voice as Godâs way of making a point that would otherwise be difficult to make. At the same time, the out loud voice is not necessarily the preferred form, since God wants to speak in our everyday moments. The quieter voice also tends to call us to actively seek and listen to God. Like a game of spiritual hide and seek, itâs in the seeking that we build the spiritual muscles we need. The outside voice has to be the exception, while a quiet voice is a mark of intimacy.
We should always seek the person not the experience.Â
Advice for hearing Godâs voice. Patrick says with a smile, âbuyer beware.â Godâs voice calls for transformation and action!
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About Patrick
Patrick has worked for over 20 years in a broad range of Christian movements. Having authored several books on formation and renewal, led and planted churches, and taken over 10,000 people through courses and spiritual retreats, he has seen God do many incredible things across the globe.
Patrick leads Kenmore Church in Brisbane, founded the Connexa development incubator, and is currently launching M4 Australia, a national church planting organisation. Previously an engineer and business owner, Patrick has been married to Trish for 36 years, with whom he spends any spare time along with their two children and six grandsons. Find out about his work on spiritual formation at thegrowthtrack.com.au.
(088) The Spirit Among the Poor with Bob Ekblad
Sunday, June 23, 2024 ⢠Duration 42:27
Bob heard God speak at a Bible Study with Prisoners. Then this happened...
Jesus was known for the way he interacted with those on the margins of society - the tax collectors everyone despised, the lepers no-one would touch, the cripples and the prostitutes society rejected. Jesus' teaching and interactions constantly reflected Godâs heart for those who had been forgotten and left behind. So today, when we hear the Spirit as Jesusâ continuing voice, we shouldnât be surprised that we find themselves in similar places! That is, we will be led to love the poor as Jesus did.
In this episode, we talk about the revelatory work of Holy Spirit among the poor with someone who is doing just that. With his wife Gracie, Bob Ekblad lives out the heart of Jesus through the power and revelation of the Spirit. After living several years working in sustainable farming in Honduras and then studying theology in France, Bob and Gracie lead a church community known as Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Washington state USA. Here, they come alongside immigrants, street people, addicts and prisoners to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical and profound ways.
Youâll hear about:
Bob and Gracieâs fascinating story from a kibbutz in the Middle East to the cornfields of Honduras, the study halls of Paris and the streets of Washington stateâŚ
How working with impoverished peasants in sustainable farming led to an unexpected request: âA lot of us are tough. Some of us are violent. We donât put God first, but we notice you do. Could we begin our weekly farming courses with a Bible study?â Bob tells of his surprise and excitement as well as a deep sense of trepidation:
âYou pull out a Bible in that setting, and the people look like stray city dogs who are used to being kicked. They sleek off and lurk away, fearful of being beaten by the Bible, because thatâs how the Bible has been usedâŚâ
How reading the Bible with semi-literate, impoverished Latinos expanded Bobâs view of the Gospel story
âWhen people are marginalised and from the lowest classes of society, they abandon all hope and throw themselves into a life of drinking and violence.â
A defining moment in Bobâs journey towards understanding the Holy Spirit⌠Bob and Gracie came from a background of seeing only the abuses of Holy Spirit ministry and were fearful of engaging with Charismatic Christians. Yet, they recognised that their ministry desperately needed the power of the Holy Spirit, particularly as they were dealing with hardened criminals and addicts who easily relapsed. When Bob found himself in a charismatic conference, he felt the need to pray a prayer of protection over the Christians praying as they prayed! Then he received a piercingly accurate prophetic word that changed his life:
âI see you in a circle of men in red uniforms sitting on blue plastic chairs. I think theyâre prisoners. I hear the Father saying, âI love how you love my prisoners.â
The shift in Bobâs ministry after receiving prayer for a healing anointing. Bob tells how Jesusâ teaching from Luke 15 became relevant for a self-confessed racist, neo-Nazi gang member in jail who wanted to learn how to get along with Mexicans. After the Bible study, a word from God and a simple prayer led to a miraculous healing for one of the jail members.
The connection between hearing the Spirit and developing a heart for those who have suffered, even violent offenders. Bob shares how hearing God speak about the health conditions and root emotional problems of others revealed the kind of grace that did not require change of even faith to bring healing. In his words, "pre-emptive love doesnât require a response - it elicits a response."
About Bob Ekblad
Bob and Gracie Ekblad are founders and co-directors of Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Burlington, Washington. Together they minister at Tierra Nueva and at their home-based retreat centre, New Earth Refuge in the Skagit Valley.
(087) Godâs Voice and Healing â Kirk Delaney
Episode 87
Monday, May 27, 2024 ⢠Duration 44:23
If you had to sum up the ministry of Jesus, it would include three features: teaching, exorcising demons and healing! As followers of Jesus and recipients of his Spirit, the church should also be known for healing. But how does it work, and what role does the Spiritâs voice have to play?
In this episode of the God Conversations podcast, we talk with Kirk Delaney, Pastor of Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane Queensland, Director of the Australian Vineyard Churches and a follower of Jesus who is experienced in hearing God's voice for healing.
Youâll hear about:
Kirkâs initial attraction to the Vineyard movement that came about because they were not just concerned with moral and spiritual transformation, but in partnering with the Holy Spirit to do the empowering works of Jesus, including healing the sick and casting out demons.
"My question was, why are signs and wonders happening in the Majority world but not in the West?"
The first major healing Kirk witnessed when the Holy Spirit fell on a woman with a pronounced curvature of the spine and a large protrusion on one of her shoulders. Over 45 mins of prayer, Kirk watched as her leg grew, her spine straightened and the bump on her shoulder disappeared like a deflating balloon. Kirkâs response was, âGod, I donât know you, do I?!â
The connection between compassion and the the healing ministry of Jesus. Holy Spirit speaks to move us with love for hurting people in the manner of Jesus.
The mandate on every person to continue Jesusâ ministry of healing. Everyone has authorisation to engage - not just the "super healers" on stage!
âEveryone gets to do the work of Jesus!â
The first time Kirk stepped out in hearing Godâs voice and healing, involving an unusual story of a woman who had recently lost her husband and was suffering from an arthritic pinkie finger. Kirk explains how we hear God through all the senses - feeling, seeing, hearing - as God draws our attention to something in another person.
âGod I know you want to talk to me about healing for someone, but my right pinkie finger is really throbbing!â
Advice for starting out: start simply - ask God, âis there anyone here on your heart that you would like to touch with your love today?â
Kirkâs thoughts on why healing doesnât always happen.
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About Kirk Delaney
Kirk is married to Nichole and they have three young adult children and a new son-in-law. Together they pastor the Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane and serve as the national directors of Vineyard Churches Australia (https://vineyard.org.au/). Kirk has been serving in local church ministry for 30 years and has a big heart to see God's people equipped for living the message, ministry and mission of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(086) Hearing God with First Nations Peoples â Lydia Read
Friday, April 19, 2024 ⢠Duration 34:17
All over the Western world, people are revisiting their history and in particular, their participation in colonialism. Many nations in the West were established in lands that were long inhabited by indigenous or First Nations peoples, with European settlement coming at a deadly and devastating cost. Debates rage as to how we should respond to a history that is often brutal and violent. For the Christian church, this means asking what the Spirit is saying about the topic. How do we respond to the cries of the native Indians of North America, the Inuit of Canada, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand and so many others who still suffer from the effects of colonial domination? What does the Gospel of Jesus look like when it comes to reconciling our past with our future?
On this episode of the podcast, we explore the question of what the Spirit is saying about First Nations people with Ps Lydia Read, leader of the New Wine Movement in New Zealand. Lydia is well-positioned to answer this question, having lived it alongside the Maori peoples of New Zealand.
Youâll hear Lydia talk with Tania about:
The history of the New Wine movement as well as Lydiaâs personal story into her familyâs adventures with the Holy Spirit. Lydia talks about the emphasis of New Wine on healing, reconciliation, justice and its role standing alongside the local church asking, âhow can we help?â
Lydiaâs experience of reconciliation with the first peoples of her land - the Maori. Lydia explains that we start by making deep friendships with First Peoples in a way that reflect the ideals of covenant. That is, we form relationships as brothers and sisters together as the family of God.
The need to watch our hearts and pursue the face of God in the journey of reconciliation. This calls us to deep humility. It involves learning together and talking about our cross-cultural differences.
You start with watching your heart - the wellspring of life. Reconciliation calls us to deep humility and seeking after the identity God has for us as a nation and the people of God.
How one of the earliest God conversations in the early church between people of two different cultures provides us with an example for us to follow. The Ethiopian Eunuchâs interaction with Phillip marked the first conversion in the church outside the Jewish race (Acts 8:26-40) and crossed enormous social barriers including race, sexuality and class. Lydia explain how conversations with the Maori about Scripture broadened her understanding of the Gospel.
What it means to do âchurchâ with people of different cultures - while cross-cultural integration is challenging, we are so much richer for it! Lydia shared how she learnt to play differently as a result of her relationship with Maori!
The enormous significance of Jesusâ prayer that we may be one (John 17:20-23).Â
How the process of reconciliation leads us into the heart of God as the Holy Spirit challenges how we think, even while our upbringings have shaped our thinking and often led us to avoid those who are different.
When the Spirit falls and you pursue the things on Godâs heart, everything falls into the right order. You start to see Godâs justice and love for those on the margins.
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About Lydia Read
The Spirit-stirring feeling that there must be more, and that a life of faith should mean a life of adventure is what first led Lydia (and husband Shane) to the New Wine movement (www.newwine.org.nz). A wild roller coaster ride of fun and adventure is one way to describe whatâs happened since!
Lydia leads the charge at New Wine with joyful devotion! She is energised by Godâs church and being with ordinary people who live dynamic personal faith journeys - the true heroes of the faith. With the rest of her time, Lydia masters the role of cool grandma to six mokopuna ...
(085) Our Spiritual Senses â Maria Mason
Sunday, March 24, 2024 ⢠Duration 36:44
How do we hear Godâs voice? Perhaps the best way to describe the forms of Holy Spirit communication is by starting with the human forms we're familiar with. This includes all of our senses! So we can hear Godâs voice, but we can also see it, taste it, smell it and feel it!
On this episode of the show, we focus on hearing God through our âspiritual sensesâ with prophet and pastor Maria Mason. Youâll learn about:
Mariaâs back story, from being raised in a Catholic family to walking away from God and later, coming to terms with her experiences of seeing in the Spirit realm from the age of five.
The variety of sensory ways we can hear from God. Just as we have sight, hearing, touch, taste and feeling as our five natural senses, we have five senses in the spiritual ream - spiritual eyes, spiritual ears, spiritual taste, spiritual smell and spiritual touch.
âGod is a god of variety. It is the Fatherâs intention that each person has their sensory realm opened up.â
How God uses âSpirit feelingsâ to communicate. For example intercessors can receive "intel" from God through their emotional selves by tuning into Godâs heart for a situation. There are plenty of examples of this in Scripture, such as with Jeremiah - the weeping prophet, and Isaiah who felt the groans of God. Prophetic people who are tuned into their senses can feel for other people and receive information about them.
The importance of emotional healing to sharpen our spiritual senses.
âWounded emotions struggle to feel in a clean way. You get mixed intelâŚâ
The profound connection between hearing Godâs voice and healing. Maria says we need to become "students of our own hearts." She reminds us of the proverb to âwatch over your heart with all diligence because from it, springs lifeâ (from Proverbs 4:23). Watching over our hearts includes noticing trigger points that come up and present an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to bring healing. As Jesus said, the Spirit is present to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18). Prophecy is not just for revival - it is one of the tools that God uses to bring emotional healing.
âThe more our hearts get healed by the Father, the more we can be confident that we are experiencing clear communication in our human relationships and our relationship with God.â
The value of âHighly Sensitive Peopleâ (HSP). Neuroscientists have discovered that there are some brains (approximately 25% of the population) that are particularly sensitive to stimuli. That is, highly sensitive people are quicker to discern things when they walk into a room. They can be hyper aware of what is going on in relationships and can even sense the presence of demonic forces. HSP people are almost pre-wired to be prophetic!
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About Maria
Maria describes herself as a âcultural architect,â who lives to see the Church become powerful in God's presence. Together with her husband Phil, Maria pioneered a community in northern NSW, Australia in 1998 called Tribe Church. She is a recognised prophet and speaks on the subjects of church culture, relationships, leadership, prophetic ministry, worship, community and revival. Maria loves to coach leaders and is an ordained pastor in the Crosslink Network and a member of the Australian Prophetic Council. Her books, âThe Glory Community; Building Heaven's Culture on Earthâ (Part 1 and 2) and âHeart Prophet: a manual for feelers, seers and heart restorersâ are designed to inspire the church to live in the realm of God's glory here on earth.Â
(084) Hearing God through Cancer â Kate Nicholas
Sunday, February 25, 2024 ⢠Duration 35:28
One of the most challenging times to hear Godâs voice is in seasons of suffering and ill-health. Clarity is difficult to find in the midst of pain, fear and doubt. On this episode, we talk to someone who understands this more than most. British author, communicator and friend, Kate Nicholas joins us on the GC podcast to talk about her rollercoaster ride of cancer diagnoses and how she heard God speak in the midst of them. This episode will encourage anyone who is seeking to hear Godâs voice in the midst of suffering.
On the show, we talk about:
Kateâs fascinating faith journey, beginning with her bohemian upbringing and faithful attendance at a Baptist church in childhood. This was followed by a season of rejecting her faith when she was unable to reconcile God's goodness with her fatherâs mental illness. Finally, a time of spiritual exploration led her to travel, studying Buddhism in India and experiencing Godâs presence in the Australian outback.
Kate's first diagnosis with advanced breast cancer in 2014 and the extraordinary journey of healing that followed. The prognosis was devastating - Stage 4 cancer had spread to some of the main organs of her body - but through it all, Kate clung to a promise that God had given her - she would ânot die, but live and declare the works of Godâ (Psalm 118:17). It was during this time that Kate wrote her first book, Sea Changed in order to show her children that God was with her and so that they wouldnât reject God as she had.
Kateâs insights on healing - though Kate still doesnât understand why some experience physical healing and others do not, she explains how Godâs healing is bigger than a cure. She tells of one of her early meetings with the oncologist and how she experienced such a deep peace, that the oncologist questioned her understanding:Â
âYou do understand the implications of what Iâm saying to you, donât you?â âYes, youâre telling me that Iâm dying. But Iâm going to leave the door open to God.â
Kateâs second cancer diagnosis in 2021 - this time in the other breast and far more aggressive than the first. Though initially bewildering for Kate, the cancer became a profound gateway to a greater connection with God.
Kateâs discovery of the contemplative tradition. During her cancer treatment and the isolation caused by COVID, Kate learned about the contemplative practises used by the Apostle Paul, the early desert fathers, the Celtic Christians and the medieval mystics. These all focus on being close to God in solitude and hearing God in silence. As a self-proclaimed âraving extrovertâ, Kate explains how this was a challenge at first!
"I discovered a whole tradition I knew very little about which goes back all the way to the dawn of Christianity. These contemplative practices focus on being close to God and hearing his voice in solitude and silence. This was a challenge for me because I am a raving extrovert!"
Kate reminds us that Christianity is an Eastern faith at its roots - and that sadly, the Western tradition has lost much of this emphasis. Kate tells of the riches to be found in Christian mindfulness, centering prayer and opening up to our intuition. She encourages us all to âbe still and know that he is God.â (Psalm 46:10)
About Kate Nicholas
Kate Nicholas is a Christian author, TV presenter and speaker with over thirty years working experience as a journalist and editor and more recently global communications chief for Christian aid agency World Vision. She also preaches at the Amazing Grace Church of St Peter and St Paul in the British market town of Olney in Buckinghamshire.Â
When first diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2014, Kate was given a promise that she would â not die, but live and declare the works of Godâ (Psalm 118:17). And when, against all odds she survived, this became the mission of her life beginning with her first book Sea Changed - an account of her unconventional journey of faith and h...
(083) Hearing God and Mental Illness â Lyn Packer
Monday, January 29, 2024 ⢠Duration 41:28
Lyn Packer thought that one day sheâd end up in a mental institution. As a young prophet, she experienced revelatory encounters on a regular basis, but didnât understand the nature of her gifting. Her church wasnât much help either since they didnât believe in modern-day prophecy. So Lyn just thought she was weird.
Mixed in with the confusion, Lyn was suffering the effects of sexual abuse from the hands of both her father and grandfather up until the age of 16. Again her church wasnât much help - they frowned on both medication and professional counselling. That left Lyn to work out much of the healing journey on her own.Â
Thankfully the Holy Spirit stepped in, leading her step by step into a place of healing and wholeness. Today, Lyn draws on the wisdom of her experience to talk about an area that is often fraught with unhelpful and misguided ideas. Youâll love hearing her story and the insights that she brings.
In the episode, youâll hear about:
Lynâs back story - how she became a Christian at 16 in a youth meeting and how her decision to follow Jesus led to a confrontation with her father and grandfather about their abuse. At that point the abuse stopped, but Lyn still slept with a knife under her pillow in case they tried to attack her again.
âThe Christian meeting was bound to be a little better than watching my grandparents at home getting drunk.â
Lynâs call to be a prophet as she read from the book of Isaiah (even when she didnât know what a prophet was!)
âI used to think I was weird because even as a child I could see stuff in the Spirit.â
Lynâs long healing journey beginning in her early 30s. During this time, she would be triggered by something, a traumatic memory would surface and sheâd find herself shaking in the bathroom. She was later diagnosed with dissociative amnesia, complex post traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety. She lived with this condition daily - even as a pastor. At first Lyn suffered in silence, trying to deal with it on her own, but then the Holy Spirit led her to embrace medication and counselling as well as prayer.
Some of the spiritual encounters that were instrumental to Lyn's healing, including a vision she had while lying on the bed where the abuse took place.
How to discern the difference between the voices of the demonic, the effects of trauma and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
The relationship between healing and forgiveness. Lyn explains that forgiveness requires healing first - not the other way around.Â
âTo say, âjust forgive and get healedâ is like putting a bandaid on an infected wound. It just covers it so you canât see whatâs underneath. True forgiveness comes only as you heal.â
Some advice for pastors and leaders, including the role of anti-depressants, the fear and shame associated with exposure and the importance of being trauma-informed.
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About Lyn Packer
Lynâs call and gifts are expressed multi-dimensionally as a speaker, teacher, prophet, author, and artist. Her ministry carries a revelatory anointing that is catalytic, bringing breakthroughs and shifts to both individual lives and Churches as she ministers. As a prophet, Lyn carries the heart of God and calls the church to walk in the fullness of its identity in Christ. She is a member of the New Zealand Council of Prophets, facilitates the New Zealand Prophetic Network, and is part of a group of prophets who run the annual School of Prophets Aotearoa. She and her husband Rob live in Christchurch, New Zealand and attend Living Waters Christian Centre. Find out more: www.robandlyn.org and www.nzpropheticnetwork.comÂ
(081) A Psychological Perspective on Hearing God â Mark Chironna
Sunday, October 15, 2023 ⢠Duration 34:47
Does our personality have anything to do with hearing Godâs voice? How does our human imagination, thinking and intuition interact with the Spirit? Our guest on this show Mark Chironna, calls our human interaction with God a âdance,â where God never violates our humanness and the journey to wholeness is the place where theology and psychology meet.
Mark calls himself a dysfunctional Italian from New York City. He grew up in a Presbyterian church, but was disillusioned by the lack of evidence of the power of God. So he dabbled in metaphysics, esoteric Christianity and even the occult before finding himself radically converted to Jesus at 19 years of age at the height of the Jesus people movement (Think the movie, Jesus Revolution). Mark says he knew the devil and that scared him enough to realise Jesus must be real!
Today Mark is a theo-semiotician, prophetic minister and media personality who holds a Doctorate of Ministry in Future Studies and a Master of Arts in Psychology. While at times in the church, psychology was seen to be a kind of enemy to spirituality, Mark firmly believes theology and psychology need to be in conversation with each other. He brings a unique and necessary psychological perspective to the experience of hearing Godâs voice. This is a rich and deeply insightful conversation!
Tania and Mark talk about:
Markâs story and how he experienced prophetic inclinations at an early age. He âjust knew things about people.â
The interaction of our humanness and Godâs divinity:Â
âAt that place where the divine and human interact, God never violates the way he made us, so thereâs this dance - this participation with the Spirit - that graces us to yield to insights and intuitions that come."
The importance of quietness and contemplation in hearing God.
The interaction of personality and hearing God. Mark suggests that that people who lean towards the prophetic tend to be more introverted and spend more time in self-reflection and self-awareness.
The connection between creativity and prophetic expression.
How our pain and suffering teaches us to listen and hear. This is very different to âmagical thinking,â where weâve been inundated with the idea to âmake this decree and it will come to pass.â
The importance of the cross in recognising and understanding the Spiritâs voice.
âThere is no prophetic without cruciformity. The cross has to touch all of us: introvert, extrovert, thinker, feeler, judger and senser."
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About Dr. Mark Chironna
Helping people learn how to flourish and become life-long learners has been Markâs life's journey. As an avid student, Dr. Chironna is a theo-semiotician, holding a Doctorate of Ministry in Future Studies and a Master of Arts in Psychology (www.markchironna.com). He is also an author, BCC certified coach, and is currently seeking a Ph.D. at the University Of Birmingham, UK. Most importantly, Dr. Chironna has been in the people-helping arena for over forty-seven years, guiding others towards growth in Christ and all areas of life.
(080) The Master Communicator â David Shadbolt
Sunday, September 17, 2023 ⢠Duration 38:09
Have you ever heard God speak in a riddle or a pun? God is a masterful communicator with a great sense of wit and humour!
We see God's communicative ability from the beauty of creation. The same God who breathed diversity and creativity into the natural world continues to speak with the same qualities by his Spirit.
âThe heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.â (Psalm 19:1-2)
On this podcast episode, Tania talks to pastor and prophet, David Shadbolt, a minister from the UK who is passionate about communication with both God and people.
In this episode, David shares his experience of Holy Spirit's creativity, including:
His first experience of hearing Godâs voice and the simple advice of his mentor, âread the Bible, listen to God and ask what you should do.â
His insights about the importance of having the freedom to step out and explore what Holy Spirit is saying.
The importance of hearing God in the small things of our lives.
âGod speaks into the context of our lives. Most of the time, God speaks about simple and small things, but the small can become extraordinary in the hands of our God.â
The power of the prophetic Spirit who reveals the secret of our hearts and we learn that God is really among us (1 Corinthians 14:25)
âWhen God reveals the secrets of our hearts, we realise that God is no longer just historical - the God of the dusty Bible - he is also one living among us.â
Some wild and creative God conversation stories that involved riddles and puns.
How to expand and deepen your prophetic imagination.
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About David
David Shadbolt is the founder of the School of Prophecy in the UK and part of the wider leadership team across the five congregations of Hope Church in the borough of Bromley, Kent, UK. He is a speaker, entrepreneur, author and prophetic teacher in the marketplace. and has authored a number of books including âGodâs Healing for Businessesâ. David is based in London, but travels globally ministering into a range of church and business contexts. He helps people discover for the first time, or maybe afresh, the wonder of true spiritual communications and the myriad of ways that God communicates to us - and then, through us, to others.
School of Prophecy UKÂ
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