Games with God – BREATHE

I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback about Poweful Prayers, thank you all so much! Of course I’m writing for the therapy for myself and because I feel like God asked me to, but it really is encouraging to engage with all of you and hear how God has touched you or is working in your lives too!! Please keep commenting on and sharing these posts!

So now that we understand some of the basics of how God speaks, let’s practice hearing God! Let’s learn to dive into this two-way conversation and take advantage of the intimacy Jesus died to give us!

Probably the simplest way to learn to hear God’s voice is with immediate affirmation. The goal of these games is to have that so you can KNOW you’re hearing God.

Right now, I want you to invite God to speak you. Pray & ask Him to speak clearly and straight to your heart. Then think of a Bible verse (You’ll think of it just like the birthday song!) and look it up. Does it speak to you? Sometimes right away you’ll think “Awesome! This has everything to do with what’s on my heart!” You know God is speaking. Sometimes not. At this point, just ask God to keep speaking throughout the day. Chances are, by the end of the day, if you look back at that verse, you’ll think “Ohhhhh that’s what He meant.” It now applies to something you’ve experienced. If not, keep asking for clarification, write it down and come back to it, maybe tomorrow. I do this with Bible verses or chapters all the time. Scripture is the most powerful truth in the world and the greatest weapon against the enemy. {You simply cannot have too much BIBLE in your life!}

Another aspect of this same game is with a favorite devo. (That’s out-dated Christian speak for a book of short “devotional” thoughts or verses… Usually a-page-a-day type of book.) I have a few favorite authors whose writing consistently speak truth to me. (My current top 2: Come Away My Beloved by Frances J Roberts & Savor by Shauna Niequist) I ask the Lord for a page number and look it up. This is my “thought for the day”. I pray and ask God to speak more about it in my heart. Sometimes it’s a wise word about something I’ve been worrying over or if a big situation happens in my day, I have that encouragement in advance to help carry me through. (Bonus if the page # is a recipe in Shauna’s Savor! Aaaaaaand now I have a meal plan.)

board center chalk chalkboard — (Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com)

So that game is full of little thoughts to you from God and you know you can trust them because it’s based in scripture. You can’t lose! However, the more you play, the more intimately God can speak and direct your heart. And the more YOU trust what you’re hearing, the more likely you are to ask specific questions.

~ Personal Experience~ I have asked God “Is my Elisee EVER going to come home!?” Honestly, I’ve doubted the word I heard from the Lord 10 years ago since it’s been so long and we’re not seeing movement or even hope. And the verses I received: John 14:18 “I will not leave you as Orphans. I will come for you”. And Isaiah 43:5-7 “So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west. I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places. I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.’” Well that’s pretty specific! I guess I’ll keep hoping, haha.

Back to our game: one more level up… Take this same idea and play with a friend! Do you know someone needing encouragement? Are you having a coffee date/playdate this week? Or just to show some love!! Ask God to speak a verse for someone else. I encourage you to pre-read the verse and check with your heart. Is this an encouraging word from the Lord for this person? Yes? Send it! Maybe/Maybe Not? Ask God to clarify – did you find the right verse? Or ask Him to give you a thought or picture to send with it.) Wouldn’t you love to receive a call or text like this out of the blue!?

Guys, this is not too hard. You don’t have to be crazy to hear voices. It’s a simple little game with exponential benefits. You’ve got nothing to lose. And don’t tell me you “just don’t have the gift.” God speaks to all of His children. What kind of parent would God be to only speak to some of His kids!? You’ll hear him. Trust your gut and have a little faith. God’s going to do big things in your heart this week!

Aaaaaaaand there’s another game coming soon… 🙂

I have another fun game: Treasure Hunting! This is a fun way to activate your “holy imagination” or the mental pictures that God speaks with. It could take a few minutes or a few hours for the whole exercise, so make sure you have a little extra time or some leeway in your schedule to stop if you find your treasure.

Start off by asking God for a picture of something in your mind. Sometimes a description is just as good: an orange rock, a red raincoat, a certain intersection on your drive to work. Ask for more details to be sure you’re not looking for just any old rock or tree or person. Imagine it, then ask God for a message. This may seem more difficult, but if you saw a tall woman in a red raincoat, then what would God want to say to that person? If you imagined that busy street corner downtown, what would God want you to pray for in that place? If you saw a pair of earrings, who made them or who would God want you to gift them to and why?

Next, put it on paper! The picture/description AND the message. (The very best part is when you come back after your treasure hunt and see how specific God is!!)

Now you get to hunt. Go throughout your day or head out on the adventure (this is so fun with a friend!) and keep and eye out for that person/thing/place you saw in your mind. When you find it, act on it!

The rest is up to God. Don’t expect to have the opportunity to share the Romans’ Road every time you find a treasured person and you don’t have to have an earth shattering revelation every time you pray in a new place. You are hearing God and discovering His treasure. That’s enough. Be prepared for the miraculous, of course, but know that just aligning your mind with that of Christ is the gift of a treasure hunt.

{ Introverts!! Here is your pep talk: You’ve got guts, this is not scary. You are brave. Speak that truth to someone, give them the note, pray in that place, give the gift. Nothing bad can come of this: You are delivering God’s love to that treasure. How amazing to be God’s hands and feet! }

Need a few more simple game ideas? Write down a word or verse for each day of the week or month of the year and check in on occasion to see if God is speaking something in your heart that lines up with that word. Ask God for a word for each of your neighbors or a few of your friends. Now pray about that word in their lives. A fun follow up to this is calling those peeps and asking “Hey, what’s God doing in your life lately?” *wink*wink* Sometimes I’ll color or doodle words while I pray and send the picture to whomever I’m praying for. This is also amazing to do if you’ve got kiddos. My kids and I will pray & color together then mail out a whole packet of prayer drawings to someone. It’s like a rainbow-crayon-bomb of God’s love!

**True story: One time we all ended up drawing birds of some sort and writing something about flying and freedom. Crazy enough the person we sent the pictures to called right when she got them and said she had a dream the night before about God releasing a cage full of doves! The combination really affirmed what God was teaching her about being a voice of freedom to people who were enslaved by fear. How incredible to call out a person’s true identity in Christ!!**

So the whole idea of playing games with God is to learn how to hear God’s voice more clearly. I want to press in and learn what His heart is saying and what His hands are doing, don’t you? We want to join Him in building His Kingdom on Earth and the more frequently we listen, the more easily we hear Him, and the more we’ll be on the same page with Him! Guys, I have so many more games, I could write forever but I know this is a stolen moment where you get a break from the daily crazy to read and breathe, so I’ll keep it short. Honestly the sky is the limit!

Use your holy imagination and run wild!!