Into the Silence: Hearing the voice of God
5/5
()
About this ebook
The Bible goes far beyond rational experiences into a world of direct spiritual encounters. "Into the Silence" features: How to distinguish between rational thinking and the voice of the spirit, How to expose the enemy when he comes as an angel of light, and How to understand that dreams can be significant messages for God.
Related to Into the Silence
Related ebooks
It’S All About Him: Intimacy with God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe God with a Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The True Vine: a 31 day guide to prayer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings#FOCUS: Heaven's in Your View Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWho's in Charge: Living Life in the Spirit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Prodigal Brother: Making Peace with Your Parents, Your Past, and the Wayward One in Your Family Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHandling Life's Hardships: First Aid For Life's Difficulties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod's Promises and Answers for Women Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5God"s Eye Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbsolute Surrender Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLord, It’S Me Again Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeace in a Troubled World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secret Place of the Most High: “Divine Fortress” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings21 Days of Prayer: Self-Check: 2 Stay on the Narrow Path That Leads to Eternal Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear God Save Me Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCherish: Create in Me a Clean Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI’m Not Finished Loving You: Desiree’s Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Awful Silence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYour 40 Day Journey: Getting Closer to God Each Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThink to Win: The Power of Possibility Thinking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUncovering the Veil: Forgiveness Is the Key to Release All Strong Holds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod's Grace for Singles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeap of Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStart Praying Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Creature: How the Blood of Jesus Birthed a New Life Form on Planet Earth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blessing of Obedience Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuried: Freedom from the Secrets that Silence Us Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeven Woes to the Modern Day Pharisee Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeing Still: Notes from the Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeek HIM, Volume 2: Going Beyond Your Spiritual Comfort Zone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You've Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Into the Silence
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Into the Silence - Dennis Cummins
www.intothesilence.org
Introduction
In the movie, Night at the Museum, one of the characters portrayed is a tour guide for the museum. She is working on her doctorate degree and writing her thesis paper on Sacajawea, the great Indian scout. The museum has a wax figurine of Sacajawea on display, and she sits for hours staring at it and wondering what it would have been like to actually know her. She had studied for years about Sacajawea. She had exhausted every book she could find for research and historical evidence to learn about this great historic person.
It is very evident in the movie that the tour guide would trade all of her research and knowledge for just five minutes alone with the real Sacajawea. She realizes the difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing someone. You probably could have asked her any question about Sacajawea, and she could have answered it. Facts, figures, knowledge and information, yet there is one thing she lacked, that she would’ve traded anything for—a relationship with her. Did you know there’s a comprehensible difference? Because in respect to God, I believe most people do not.
There are many people in church that know about God, they know of a god but they don’t know God. In this book, we are going to explore the vast differences between knowing about a god and knowing God himself. I want to challenge the hearts of the occasional church attendee and the religious-hearted by exposing the humanistic undertones dominating much of the church today. I want to help people understand they can truly know God in heaven.
Chapter One: Knowing About God or Knowing God?
Most of those who attend a church do not see any significant reason for knowing God.
During the 1900’s, the Church experienced several facets of the Spirit of God. In the early part of the century the Church experienced Pentecost. In the 40’s and 50’s healing revivals swept the nation. The charismatic renewal was during the 60’s, and in the 70’s Christian television came on the scene. During the moves of the Spirit of God, there were also counterfeit moves of the spirit.
Some were the works of the devil, and others were nothing more than a work of the flesh. It didn’t matter what type of move it was, people would still categorize it as God
Doing a new thing in the Church.
People would run to different revivals or chase down high-powered evangelists to get a new experience or a Word
from God. After their experience, they would come back to church and tell everyone, God is doing a new thing.
They were certain that for others to experience what they had, they would have to go to where they had gone to get it; as though a church or evangelist had some type of monopoly on the Spirit of God.
On the other side, we would hear about damaging waves flowing through the Church, coined as a move of God’s Spirit.
These waves were nothing but carnal or sensual experiences with God’s name attached to it. People would shake their heads in disbelief and say the Devil launched a new attack against the Church. The sad part is that most people didn’t realize that since the inception of the Church in Acts, there hasn’t been anything new happening in the Church—good or evil, spiritual or carnal. It may be a new experience to an individual, but certainly not to the Church. Ecclesiastes 1:9(New International Reader's Version)Everything that has ever been will come back again. Everything that has ever been done will be done again. Nothing is new on earth.
God is still God and the Devil is still the Devil. Neither of their natures has changed. God said he doesn’t change and Lucifer is not going to be asking for his job back anytime soon. God is still trying to save people, and the Devil is still trying to destroy people.
The nature of people has not changed either. We are still people who are born into sin in need of a Savior. Without a Savior, sinners deserve eternal punishment in hell. This statement is not hell and brimstone
preaching, it is simply the truth according to God’s Word. The truth does not change, regardless of its acceptance. This is where we can see the work of the Devil manifested in the church. This is in direct contrast to humanism which is being taught in the Church today. Humanism conveys that we are basically good people. It is a belief system that is based on the values, characteristics and behavior that are believed to be best in human beings, rather than on any supernatural authority. This is not a new attack from the Devil, but an old one that has been repackaged. People who buy into this doctrine are the people who merely breeze into church to fulfill some type of moral duty. They listen through their humanistic filters brushing away anything that might deal with conviction of sin or personal sacrifice.
Many may question the validity of my observations of the Church, but consider these statistics from a recent study performed by the Barna Research Group. George Barna notes that only seven percent of church-goers identified spiritual wholeness and development as the factor that will produce a successful life. The Christian faith commends sacrifice, servant hood and sharing as the means to significance,
he noted. How is it possible to have more than 120 million adults attending Christian churches on a regular basis, but only 15 million who grasp the message that success is not about personal accomplishment or material possessions
I believe this is a direct reflection of the church today. This is why the church at large in America has become highly ineffective. Most of those who attend a church do not see any significant reason for knowing God. They feel they can get along just fine without Him. A person who believes he is basically good has no need for God. What an amazing realization about our current culture. Only seven out of every 100 people see a direct benefit of knowing God. These factors relate directly to the lack of passion and involvement in the local church, and the lack of repentance and Godly sorrow. Our American-Christian culture tends to view church as nothing more than a place to get a pick me up
for the week or a place to instill some quality values in our children. Church has become somewhat like a retail store—only going to church when you need something. People who are not willing to serve or get involved in church are the ones who don’t see any direct benefit in knowing God. They only know of a god that somebody has told them about, but they do not know God personally.
Chapter Two: The Me First
Philosophy
We shouldn’t choose to live not for the now, but for what is going to last for eternity.
Do you know God or do you only know of God, or about a god? There’s a big difference. In Psalms 46:10 it says, Be still and know that I am God.
We have been charged as Christians to be still and know God. This is not a suggestion or an option as a disciple of Christ. This is God Himself speaking to us to take some time to get to know Him—His heart, His values, His Character, His Judgment and His love. According to the Barna survey, we can conclude that most church-goers don’t see any benefit in getting to know God let alone making any sacrifices for Him.
One of the biggest hindrances I see for people who are interested in knowing God is that they have no silence in their life. That equates to having no time for God because they are just too busy. I have to ask, what are we so busy doing—answering our cell phones, checking email, sending text messages and running to the store? I’ve never seen a day where parents indulge their kids so much. Oh, little Johnny’s got practice, and little Suzie’s got dance lessons,
never giving any thought to the importance of silence
in their lives. They’re living their lives through their kids without any infrastructure on which to build a foundation on. It’s all about living for the moment.
Married couples are taking on more work responsibilities to pay for their new toys and bigger homes. They live on the theme play now and pay later.
This value system fragments the family into complete chaos. I know of one couple who had overextended themselves on the purchase of a new