Category Archives: Communicating with God

Communicating with God, Hear God

The Presence of God – Understand and Engage

The following article on understanding and engaging the Presence of God was written and posted by Zane and Keturah on their website back in 2017 (shared here permission).
Do you know that one of the ONLY thing that sets the Saints apart from the rest of the world is their conscious acknowledgment of God i.e His Presence? Do you know that the only thing that separated the [circumcised] Israelites of the Old Covenant from the the [uncircumcised] gentiles, was the residence of the Presence of God? As a matter of fact, where there was contravention to the terms and conditions of the Old Covenant the Israelite was threatened with being “cut off from His Presence”.
This is not a light matter. And it would be of great benefit to identify the mechanics of engaging His Presence.
All throughout Scripture, starting from the Torah (The Law), the Presence of God was the central theme that its fine print revolved around. The Prophets were -in want of a better expression- the guardians of it (Him). It is undeniable in Scripture that the Presence of God was the basis or the foundation upon which all, and I mean all, the men of God operated and did ‘signs and wonders’ as well as had fellowship with God.
THUS, it would be most intelligent for the New Covenant Saints to maintain conscientious recognition of the simple and yet MOST POWERFUL fact, that the Presence of God dwells with us. i.e FREELY, as well as ETERNALLY. And, not to mention, that it is the basis of our existence and ONLY means of functioning actively and directly in the Kingdom of God. In fact, the Presence of God and the Kingdom of God are one and the same.

SO, HOW EXACTLY DOES ONE LIVE ENGAGED IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD?

The word “Presence” is defined by the Meriam-Webster Dictionary as:
  1. :something (such as a spirit) felt or believed to be present
  2. :the actual person or thing that is present
What does the Bible say about the “Presence of God”? Let’s commence by perusing the Scriptures:

The Saints must DWELL in the Presence of God

What exactly is the presence of God?

Psalm 51:11 Amplified Bible (AMP) reads:

Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalm 139:7 Amplified Bible (AMP) reads:

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

These two verses parallel the Presence of God with the Holy Spirit.

They indicate that the Holy Spirit is in fact the Presence of God.

Now, all Saints are fully aware of the fact that by Jesus’ sacrifice i.e His Blood, that the Holy Spirit has been freely given to us and resides with us eternally (1 John 2:20). However, it has not been promulgated amongst the popular church doctrines as to how to live through Him or in His Presence.
If the Presence of God is in all of creation (as Psalms 139:7 alludes), and not everyone is experiencing the Kingdom actively, then there is a mechanical means of engaging it or disengaging it. After all, Adam (Genesis 3:8) hid from it (The Presence of God).
So, question: How does one engage or live (dwell) in the Presence of God?

Romans 5:5 Amplified Bible (AMP) reads:

Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

According to the above mentioned verse, the love of God in conjunction with, as well as, in addition to the Holy Spirit is present in our hearts. What exactly does that mean? How do we live from this place, “our heart”?

2 Corinthians 1:22 Amplified Bible (AMP)

it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life].

The word Heart in the Greek New Testament is the word:
kardia kar-dee’-ah
translated as:
the heart, i.e. (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle.
To be a little more specific, let’s identify what exactly thoughts and feelings are. Again, according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary:

Definition of thought

  1. something (such as an opinion or belief) in the mind

Definition of feeling

  1. the undifferentiated background of one’s awareness considered apart from any identifiable sensation, perception, or thought
  2. the overall quality of one’s awareness
  3. conscious recognition : sense

Definition of sense

  1. conscious awareness

Definition of aware

  1. knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists
  2. feeling, experiencing, or noticing something (such as a sound, sensation, or emotion)
Therefore, by the definitions elaborated, we can safely and confidently agree that to access the Presence of God is to actively engage the conscious awareness, conscious recognition, or our conscious acknowledgment of God in us, as well as, in the atmosphere. Even in all the earth. This is what is referred to as the ‘Kingdom of God in us’. Actively sensing his proximity and his omnipresence.
Therefore, the Kingdom of God/ the Realm of God is in the active exercise, as well as the background conscious awareness of the Holy Spirit in us, as well as in all the earth and even the universe. Awareness of Heaven itself!
Do you know that is what prayer is for? According to the writer of Hebrews 11:6, when we pray we must believe.
The word, ‘believe’ in this verse of the letter to the Hebrews is the Greek word ‘pistis’ that means credence.
Credence is defined as the mental acceptance that something is true and real. This same “pistis” is expounded up in its mention in verse 1 of the same chapter. It reads:

Hebrews 11:1 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Now faith is the assurance (title-deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

Emphasis on: Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses (the five senses).
In other words, this excerpt in its opposite would read, faith comprehends as fact what CAN be experienced by the SPIRITUAL senses.
Therefore we know that prayer is in fact, faith practice, or mental awareness practice, regarding the active exercise of the conscious awareness of God.
So, since the definition of ‘pistis’ = mental acceptance that something is true o real, then obviously we must come to an understanding as to what our mental image of the Presence of God is, to be able to mentally accept that it is true or real.
So, what is the Presence of God likened to?
Concerning our dear and Holy Father,

Psalm 84:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)

11 
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Concerning our Lord Jesus, the Christ,

Malachi 4:2 Amplified Bible (AMP)

2 But for you who fear My name [with awe-filled reverence] the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forward and leap [joyfully] like calves [released] from the stall.

This is also confirmed in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 21:22-23 Amplified Bible (AMP)

22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple. 

23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light.

So, from these excerpts, we see that both our Father and our Lord and Savior (The Lamb) are suns.  Suns are entities of Fire/ Energy producing abundant Light.

Colossians 1:13 Amplified Bible (AMP)

13 For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

The opposite of darkness is Light.  And so, we know that we have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son which is the Kingdom of Light!

If the Holy Spirit is the Presence of God (as we noted earlier on in Psalms 51:11 and Psalms 139:7), then we know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of LIGHT.  God is LIGHT.

Therefore, we can safely conclude that the mental image that we must accept as true or real regarding the Presence of the Lord is, LIGHT.

Furthermore, we cannot, in any way, be negligent to the fact that the Holy Spirit is also given to us.  Therefore, the Presence of God is given to us, residing inside of us.  Christ in us is the expectation of glory.  We have been made suns just like Jesus Himself.  The Presence of God therefore resides with us eternally and we can access it at a moment’s notice.

Activation
So now that we are clear, with respect to what the Presence of God is and how one actively and consciously dwells in Him (The Kingdom of God/ Heaven itself), let’s now step into an activation exercise.
Pause for a moment, wherever you are and first acknowledge the Holy Spirit (the Presence of God) in you.   The word Presence is defined as something (such as a spirit) felt or believed to be present. 
  1. So just as the definition indicates you are going to believe and feel.  
  2. Believe by accepting your mental image of His Brilliant Light (like the sun) as true and real in you and radiating from you throughout your immediate environs, then throughout your neighborhood and then throughout the whole Earth.
  3. And feel, by sensing His Presence.  Feel Him in you.  Feel Him in your body.  Feel Him all around you.  This is what we call becoming consciously aware of Him.
Do this for a few minutes before proceeding to the following instructions.
Now, let’s proceed:
Look at just a few scriptural excerpts enlightening us about the Presence of God for you to acknowledge while in His Presence.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 Amplified Bible (AMP)

These people will pay the penalty and endure the punishment of everlasting destruction, banished from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

The presence of the Lord = the glory of His Power

Acknowledge that you are in the glory of His Power

Hebrews 9:24 Amplified Bible (AMP)

For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but [He entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the very presence of God on our behalf;

The Presence of God = Heaven itself

Acknowledge that you are literally in Heaven itself while in conscious awareness of His Presence

1 Chronicles 16:27 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Splendor and majesty are [found] in His presence; Strength and joy are [found] in His place (sanctuary).

His Presence/ His Place = Splendor and Majesty, Strength and Joy

Acknowledge that you are in His Splendor, Majesty, Strength and Joy

Jeremiah 4:26 Amplified Bible (AMP)

I looked, and behold, the fertile land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the [presence of the] Lord, before His fierce anger.

In the Presence of the Lord, God’s fierce anger pulls down the enemy

Acknowledge that the fierce anger of the Lord pulls  down the enemy all around you.

Psalm 68:1-2 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered;
Let those who hate Him flee before Him.
 
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked and guilty perish before [the presence of] God.

Before the Presence of God:  The enemy scatters at the Presence of God.  They are driven away like smoke and they melt like wax before the Fire.  The wicked and guilty perish before the Presence of God.

Acknowledge that the enemies of the Lord scatters when you are in His Presence.  Those that hate him flee.  Like smoke is driven away, they are driven away.  Like wax they melt before the Presence of God (FIRE), 

The study of the Presence of the Lord is rich. Dive in! You may find very enlightening information about your Father and your identity in Christ (The Presence of God).

In conclusion, what is presence defined as?

Definition of presence

  1. :something (such as a spirit) felt or believed to be present
  2. :the actual person or thing that is present

How do we live in the Presence of God/ the Kingdom of God?

By ACTIVE EXERCISE OF OUR CONSCIOUS AWARENESS of it (Him) in you, as well as, His omnipresence.

Psalm 84:11 Amplified Bible (AMP) reads:

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

The Lord God is a Sun and Shield

Dwell in His Presence/ His Sunshine Saints!

There is an entire REALM of POWER awaiting you!

Be  BLESSED!!!!

 

-Zane and Keturah –

 

 

 

Below is an abbreviated bio and their website and social media contact information.  A full bio can be found here:

Founders, President and Executive Vice President, and Master Teachers of the Zane kai Keturah International Institute of Pneumatology, R. Zane Pierre and K. Keturah Bartholomew are from the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in the West Indies.   They are Spiritual Mentors in the field of Pneumatology predominantly guided by the content of the Bible through the paradigmatic lens of the ancient Hebrews and particularly the authors of both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible.

Their groundbreaking progress in their pragmatic and experimental approach to Spirituality and the evidential Supernatural Power of the Spirit of God recorded in the Bible have brought to light the centuries’ forgotten mechanics of Spirit and given birth to the Zane kai Keturah International Institute of Pneumatology through which they teach Pneumatology (the mechanics of Spirit and spiritual concepts), particularly, from the reference point of Biblical Scriptures and Literature, to the Body of Christ, internationally.

 

To connect further with Zane and Kai:

website:  https://zaneandketurah.wordpress.com/

Email:  zkiinstituteofpneumatology@gmail.com

Amazon:  amazon.com/author/rzpierre

Youtube:  “ZKI International Institute of Pneumatology”.

Instagram:  @institute_of_pneumatology

Facebook Page: Facebook Page

Facebook Group:    Zane kai Keturah International Institute of Pneumatology

You may also join their more intimate Facebook community and become part of the official Zane kai Keturah International Private Members Club where mentorship is available.

Communicating with God, Healing, Hear God, Words of Knowledge

Soup and a Prayer – Prophetic Ministry in the Everyday

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About nine years ago, I met Barbara and her husband Roy. She was admitted to the hospital for a stem cell transplant and we met at that time. She has since been cancer-free for many years, and we were able to reconnect years later when she tracked me down over social media.

Recently she shared an encounter she had as she was going about her day and just being intentional about hearing and obeying God as she went about her day. This is reminiscent to me of the directive that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew 10:7-8 which says, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” It wasn’t that she went to have a “full time ministry” job of some kind, but that she chose to be intentional about ministering to others in her “as you go” daily life. I hope the testimony below encourages you “as you go” about your daily life as well!

 

Soup and a Prayer

I am beyond excited. As I got in my car to run my errands I said okay Lord, put me on. What’s on your agenda? And immediately came to my mind was “Go to Shari’s and order a bowl of soup. There will be a man wearing a plaid jacket that I want you to pray for.”

I did my errands and waited for my ‘soup run’ at the end of that time, feeling that was the way I should go. Before I went into Shari’s I asked the Lord for specific conditions that I would be praying for. I wrote them down so I could show the man a page of things I had already written before I met him so it would just add to the authenticity of God’s divine direction.

I went in, found a table, and ordered my bowl of loaded potato soup. That’s a bowl mind you, as instructed, not a cup, and I couldn’t finish it all so brought half home for my husband Roy. I finished and went to check out and still hadn’t seen anyone who fit the description God gave me. As I sat waiting for my turn to pay and a man walked in to order a pie. He was wearing a plaid jacket!

After this man made his transaction I engaged him in conversation and told him basically what I told you. I asked him if he had any of the conditions that were on my list, which I showed him, and he said his wife was at home sick with vomiting . . . so I checked that off the list. Next came knee and back problems, both of which he had! I learned his name is Ben, and he’s a believer. I got to joyfully pray for him and encourage him.

it brings me to tears to think of the measures that God goes through to get people’s attention, to let them know how much they are loved. I told Ben, I said “Do you realize God has His eye on you, and how much he loves you that he would set it up for me to pray for you?” I let him know how extravagant God’s love was for him to send me to specifically seek Ben out so he could be prayed for and encouraged. I’m just saying this is the best half bowl of soup I’ve ever had. I’m jumping for joy!

Communicating with God, Hear God, Jesus, Revelation, Spiritual Beings, Spiritual Instruction

You Can Hear God – Using a Prayer Journal to Hear God’s Voice

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There are many ways to hear God’s voice. One of my favorites is by journaling because it makes it so easy to hear what God is saying and at the end of your time journaling you will have a record of what God said to you.

I learned this technique for hearing what God is saying from Mark Virkler’s article: You Can Hear God’s Voice!

Mark Virkler was praying to learn how he could hear God’s voice. In fact, he even took a year off from his pastoral duties to focus on learning how to hear from God. During that year, Jesus finally came to him one night and woke him up with an audible voice and gave him four keys to effectively hearing God’s voice. You can learn more about Mark’s testimony by listening to him sharing his testimony and an introduction to hearing God’s voice or listen to radio and television interviews.

A brief summary of what Mark Virkler shares in his article is that hearing God’s voice can be easy if you follow four keys:

  1. Know what God’s voice sounds like
  2. Become still with a worshipful attitude
  3. Fix the eyes of your heart on Jesus
  4. Journal in faith

I would like to offer a few thoughts on the above points to help you get started. These thoughts are not meant to replace Mark Virkler’s article that got me started in hearing God’s voice through journaling. Instead, the following thoughts are meant to provide supplemental guidance. So you might want to read Mark’s article first and then read what I have to add.

Know what God’s voice sounds like

God can speak in different ways at different times to different people. A lot of people assume God would speak in an audible voice. He certainly can and does do that. But don’t assume that He will always speak that way to you.

In fact, if you consider that the eardrum receives vibration waves carried by the air and delivers a message to the mind, you have to wonder why almighty God would go to the trouble of sending his message through the air and then through the ear and finally into the mind when he can simply speak directly to your mind.

In my case, he normally takes the shortcut straight to my mind. My ear does not hear God’s voice. But my mind does receive God’s message. So, God’s words appear inside my mind like thoughts. These are the thoughts of God. In fact, the way I receive God’s thoughts can be compared to the concept of telepathy, which is the transfer of thoughts between individuals by means other than the five senses

So, when I receive a message from God, it comes as a thought quietly placed into my mind. Why do I say “quietly”? Because there isn’t the energy of my mind’s wheels behind that thought since my mind did not generate that thought. That is why people talk about the “still, small voice of God.” God’s thought quietly appears in my mind and I write it down and a new thought from God takes its place.

Become still with a worshipful attitude

To hear God, you will need to cut out the noise and activity. Don’t expect to hear from God while the TV is blaring and you are rushing to get dinner on the table. God is best heard when you find a quiet, restful place and focus your heart on the adoration of God.

I always start my journaling time with praise and worship because this helps me tune into God’s voice. If God’s voice stops flowing into my mind, then I return to worship and then I begin hearing him again.

One time while I was journaling, I wrote to God this prayer: “I desire to know you more and hear your voice better. Please guide me and show me the path step by step.”

In response, God spoke to me about the importance of being still to know him. Here is what God said to me:

You are my beloved son. I guide you and make you whole. Pursue me and know me. I am like the wind. I am always with you, always moving, always surrounding you. To know the wind you don’t chase it, do you? Don’t you open your arms and let the moving wind flow through you? You are still and let your senses be sensitive and experience the movement, force, and sound of the wind. So to know me, open your heart, be still, be attentive and become familiar with my movement, my energy, and my sound. I am your God. Always moving. Always coming. Always going. Always with you. You have seen me moving just as you have seen the leaves moved by the wind. But take your attention from the trees to feel me moving through and around you. Be the tree and know me.

Fix the eyes of your heart on Jesus

To truly hear God, you should focus on Jesus. Jesus is our open door to heaven. Through him we have unlimited access to God — including direct communication with God.

You will hear what you focus on. If you focus on your mind, you will hear your thoughts. If you focus on your problems, you will hear your worries. If you focus on your desires, you will hear your wishes. If you focus on Jesus, you will hear God.

One great way to focus on Jesus is to use your imagination to picture him and you in a scene you are comfortable with. For instance, you might imagine yourself sitting in a garden with Jesus sitting on a rock by you having a chat with you.

Journal in faith

What makes journaling such an effective way of hearing God is that it allows you to put aside your analytical thinking for awhile and just have an attitude of faith while whole-heartedly listening to God.

We hear God by faith. As Mark Virkler points out in his article, it is very important to put aside any doubts while you are in the process of listening to God’s voice. Just write. Don’t think. journalingWhen you are finished writing down your conversation with God, then you can go back and examine what you heard and see if it is from God — but try not to enter this analytical process of judgment until you are finished hearing from God.

When you put these four keys to hearing God’s voice together, you will find that hearing from God comes easily to you. It is recommended that you share what God tells you with a couple of your spiritual mentors who can help you confirm whether what you heard is really from God or not.

The first time I tried journaling as a way to hear God’s voice, I wasn’t sure if it would work. But I put all my doubts and questions aside and just tried it and the results were amazing.

Here is an excerpt from my very first conversation with God through a prayer journal (“T” is me and “G” is God):

T- Good morning God

G- Good morning my son. How are you today?

T- I’m fine. I’m happy to hear you!

G- I am always with you – to the end of the age and in the age to come.

T- Thank you for being with me. Are you happy with me?

G- You are my pride and joy. I am your Father and treasure all of my children.

T- How can I be a better son?

G- You must seek my face. Your heart is mine. I want to know you.

T- I want to know you too! Will you reveal yourself to me?

G- It is my pleasure to reveal myself to you. You are my son. I desire to show myself to my children.

T- Thank you God. I want to know you. Thank you for speaking with me. What would you like to say to me now?

G- My son, I want to tell you many things. Come to me and I will always be happy to talk with you. You are my treasure.

Since that first journaled conversation, I have had many amazing conversations with God. He has revealed my destiny. He has provided guidance for my future. He has taught me spiritual truths. He has shared his heart with me. It is always a very fulfilling way to spend my devotional time.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

You might also like to check out Mark Virkler’s books ‘How to Hear God’s Voice‘ and ‘4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice‘.