LISTENING TO GOD
by Charles Stanley
copyright: 1996
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No, I assure you, I’m not cursing with that review title; I mean it in the literal sense: One cannot be LISTENING TO GOD and simultaneously hearing the hellish voice of “this world.” [John 14:30]
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Several years ago, a friend in Alabama sent me a number of VHS tapes on which she had recorded Sunday sermons by CHARLES STANLEY that were broadcasted on TV. I was unfamiliar with him at the time, but he was her favorite man of God. Now, I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of TV evangelists – I’d sooner take my chances with a used car salesman or a politician. (OK, not the politician; I just tossed that in for effect.) And though I’m not what one would call a “proper” Christian, I was impressed with Dr. Stanley - theological disagreements notwithstanding. No, he isn’t funny like Adrian Rogers, he doesn’t have the powerful oratory talent of John Hagee, he doesn’t possess the charismatic presence of the legendary priest from the Russian Orthodox Church, Yoey O’Dogherty. But what Charles Stanley DOES have going for him is a thorough understanding of the deepest Spiritual principles; he is grounded in The Word Of God (a.k.a., The Holy Bible).
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I recently purchased LISTENING TO GOD by Charles Stanley because 2006 has been – Spiritually speaking – my worst year since accepting the Atonement of Jesus Christ a dozen years ago. (Every year ending in the number six for the last three decades has been bad for me. My personal 666? Just joking.) I even stopped meditating after more than eleven years of daily practice. Yeah, it’s been a rotten year! I thought that this book might reignite my passion for meditation (or “sitting before the Lord” as Dr. Stanley likes to call it). And it did. I’m now “shutting the hell up” for a period each day and listening for my Creator’s “still small Voice” again. [See 1 Kings 19:11-13]
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It surprised me to find that Stanley had written many things that I have so often said in counseling others over the years. For instance:
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“If you are going to develop a relationship with another person, you have to converse with that person in some manner. That means both talking and listening.” [pg. iv] (* STMcC: When a person has learned to hear God, I call it having a “realationship” with Him!)
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“I believe God dearly loves to see Bibles that are marked with oil from our fingers... and noted with dates and insights.” [pg. 1] (* STMcC: My Bible is loaded with margin notes. If you want God to clarify some Biblical passage for you, write a “?” next to it in the margin and then wait, watch, and listen.)
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“We may be trying to understand the Bible solely with our minds, which is always futile. The Bible is a spiritual book. It speaks to and is applied to the spirit.” [pg. 10]
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“It is not enough that we comprehend the truth. We must be conformed to the truth.” [pg. 13]
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“God works from the inside out.” [pg. 109] (* STMcC: Charles Stanley is correct, but do you know why? Because “the Kingdom of God is within you.” See Luke 17:21.)
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A Catholic friend of mine at work does not believe God actually speaks to us. He is wrong! My own transformation began on January 14, 1992, when I clearly heard God speak in my mind. He gently but effectively admonished me by merely asking me two questions, and my own answers were the rod of correction. Only an unfathomable, creative God could have pulled that off! Years later, He urged me to sobriety by saying with crystal clarity in my head, regarding alcohol, “It’s a false God. It’s a false God.”
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And that brings up another point. Stanley mentions the fact that often, God will send us a message and then confirm it. [See Genesis 41:32] Note that God repeated Himself in calling alcohol my false god. Although God usually communicates with us in subtle but unmistakable ways, (the “still small Voice”), Charles Stanley is right: “We must never limit God in the methods that He uses to speak to us.” Because occasionally He can even use the sledgehammer approach...
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Once, I woke up to find that in the night, my truck had been moved nearly horizontally in its parking spot. I had to track down a fellow and ask him to move his vehicle so I could back mine out. My faith had weakened and I had been depressed recently and the message seemed to be, “You’re out of alignment.” I pondered the bizarre event all day – it was unexplainable – and pulling back into my parking space that night after work, I thought: Well, if that’s REALLY a message from God, He will send a confirmation soon. In this case, "soon" meant 45 seconds later when I found myself locked out of my apartment by the internal chain on the door. When I finally managed to wake my Brother, who let me in, he insisted that he had not chained the door (we lived alone), and I believe him because he’d never done it before, and it never occurred again. It seemed my depression and lack of faith was "locking me out of my realationship with The Lord". I got the message.
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I also believe that on three occasions, God has sent angels to me with words of encouragement. But this sort of realationship with The Creator is really built in silence, LISTENING TO GOD. There is nothing like Bible study (not reading, but studying) and meditation to make us conscious of God’s Love and Presence in our lives. (A great Bible companion is the book [link> LEARN THE BIBLE IN 24 HOURS by Chuck Missler.)
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LISTENING TO GOD by Charles Stanley is 5-Star material in a 4-Star presentation. His writing, while brimming with profound insights, is a tad bland – similar to some of his sermons. And while he does illustrate some points using personal experiences, it is always in the vaguest of terms – not detailed enough to make them truly compelling. Still, this book is too important to downgrade from five stars.
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I have found it best to begin every meditation session with a prayer for someone else, especially an “enemy” [see Matthew 5:23,24], and also a slow, thoughtful recitation of The Lord’s Prayer [Matthew 6:9-13] And once you’ve initiated a daily meditation program, never stop (unlike that maroon, Stephen T. McCarthy). Well look, I’m gonna shut the hell up now and go listen for The Voice of Heaven, so... SHHHhhhh.....
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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