Hearing God

Hillsong New York City pastor identifies and deconstructs the most common myths about how God communicates - and then provides clear tools to accurately decipher and follow the voice of God in your life. So many people wish that God would audibly weigh in on life's greatest questions of calling, meaning, and purpose. What's crazy is that God is weighing in on those questions. We just haven't learned to listen. Nathan Finochio believes that God is constantly communicating with this world he's created. We simply aren't following the right advice when it comes to hearing what he has to say. Through biblical teaching and true life stories, Hearing God empowers and enables readers to separate fact from fiction, myth from meaning, and truly understand what God is saying to them about big decisions and daily living.

“Hearing God is a book for our times. If they had asked me to subtitle it, I might have even suggested Hearing God for Dummies. And I mean that in the best way possible. I’ve always been a fan of demystifying all things God and religion—and that is exactly what my friend Nathan has done with this effort. He completely hits the mark. As followers of Jesus, we all too often remember that the message should be accessible for everyone but forget that our language can create barriers to understanding God in ways He never intended. Nathan’s courageous attempt to explain this overwhelming but very real rhythm of faith is a guide we didn’t know we needed.”—Judah Smith, lead pastor of Churchome and New York Times best-selling author of Jesus Is _.
 
“Hearing God is a guidebook for those seeking to better hear what God is saying to them. Nathan Finochio teaches us to find confidence in belonging to God and to be led by the Spirit. He cuts through many myths to reveal a biblical foundation for a personal relationship with Jesus. He grounds the reader in the truth of God’s Word and debunks the myths often perpetuated through isolation, toxic community, and religion. You will be convinced that the Holy Spirit is seeking to speak to you in so many different ways and awakened to the many routes God takes to captivate your heart.”—Rich Wilkerson Jr., pastor of VOUS Church and author of Friend of Sinners

“Nathan Finochio candidly points our souls toward connection with our creator in Hearing God. He addresses the real questions of our hearts—even the questions we rarely voice—with genuine care and biblical insight. You will be encouraged with every chapter and will find yourself reflecting on every part of your life through the biblical lens Nathan so practically and generously shares with us.”—DawnCheré Wilkerson, pastor of VOUS Church

Autorentext
Nathan Finochio is the founder of TheosU and TheosSeminary, and lives in Palm Springs with his wife, Jasmine.

Zusammenfassung
Identify and deconstruct the most common myths about how God communicates—and then learn to utilize clear tools to accurately decipher and follow the voice of God in your life.

So many people wish that God would audibly weigh in on life's greatest questions of calling, meaning, and purpose. What's crazy is that God is weighing in on those questions. We just haven't learned to listen. Nathan Finochio believes that God is constantly communicating with this world he's created. We simply aren't following the right advice when it comes to hearing what he has to say. Through biblical teaching and true life stories, Hearing God empowers and enables readers to separate fact from fiction, myth from meaning, and truly understand what God is saying to them about big decisions and daily living.

Leseprobe

Chapter One: The Myth of Easy Conversation

Sometimes when my wife, Jasmine, talks to me, I feel a bit like a conversational Indiana Jones. Deep beneath the ancient sands, I’m trying to make out the hieroglyphics that hold the information I need. The secret must be here! I think, frantic. The treasure!

For example, let’s say she says “Whatever.” This does not mean a casual “Whatever,” like the “Whatever” one of my guy friends employs when I ask what movie we should watch or where we should grab a bite. When Jasmine says “Whatever,” it means I have somehow, in some way, failed miserably and that I need to retrace my steps and immediately make further inquiry to determine what I’m repenting for.

In this example, I ask what’s wrong, and she responds with “Nothing.” What she’s really saying is precisely the opposite, that there is indeed something wrong and that I’m in a relational minefield. Explosives are hidden, and I must throw out every possible “Is it…?” or “Did I…?” scenario until I hit the mine. Boom.

Now let’s say that Jasmine answers “It’s fine.” With the correct tonal inflection, this means nothing is fine. Everything has gone to the dogs. The world is about to end. I brace for impact and begin to apologize for anything that comes to mind, including the sins of my childhood.

Admittedly, we’ve been married for only five years, and we do still have a ton to learn about communication. But we are learning, slowly. It’s not that Jasmine is bad at communicating; she’s great. And it’s not that I’m bad at listening. But I’m still learning to listen to her. She’s not a high-maintenance person—quite the opposite. Our goal is to converse more effectively. Why is that necessary? Because we’re different as people.

The good news is that difficulty doesn’t doom possibility. As my relationship with Jasmine grows, so does my understanding of how she talks. How she expresses herself is not what I am used to. Okay. Buck up, Nathan!

Through time spent, understandings, and misunderstandings, I’ve had to unlearn certain meanings of words and tones and learn Jasmine’s. And she’s had to learn mine. It’s taking longer than I had hoped, but it’s happening in the context of relationship, and it’s clarifying over time. I’m still not perfect, and I still have a long way to go. That process of “two becoming one” and “blending” plays out over a lifetime. But in the end—if we’re diligent—I’m sure we’ll be finishing each other’s…

Sandwiches.

Here’s the point: conversation grows as we do. Maturity and experience are linked to communication. If Jasmine and I get to our fiftieth wedding anniversary and we’re still exactly where we were at our fifth, something’s wrong. Why? Because relationships should grow.

There are two myths about conversation that bite at the very foundation of hearing God. One is that hearing God is all about me. The other is that it is all about Him. The truth is that it’s about both, like any conversation is.

If a conversation is all about the will, needs, wants, and life of one person, it’s a monologue. Yet that’s how many of us think about our conversations with God. Either they’re all about us (this kind of crazy focus on me, me, me) or all about Him (this kind of crazy focus on theology and His will that never considers that we’re real people too). Both views are immature on our part.

What’s the goal in hearing God? Just as in marriage, it’s balance. Just as in marriage, it’s mutual understanding. Just as in marriage, it’s conversation.

It’s All Who You Know

Hearing God begins with relationship.

Consider the type of revelation John the apostle had about Jesus and relate that to his proximity to Jesus. John was p…