The Truth Booth

For many years the emphasis on getting alone with God and have a “come to Jesus” meeting was constantly encouraged--but rarely done. Finally, one particular man who knew the Bible very well—extremely powerful in his gifting, a great speaker, and discipled by several times at great discipleship homes,—fell again. Hard. He would go strong for about six months and then fall backward so far he would almost kill himself. Everyone he ministered to when living clean became disheartened.

The “round table” got together and decided to require this disheartened man to ride a bike up the mountain and ask God questions, then write down His answers. He spent hours alone with God in His beautiful creation. We came up with several questions for Him to ask, such as, “God, who am I trying to impress?”

He loved it and wrote pages of notes of God’s answers. At that point, his life wasn’t changed, but his understanding of his wrong thinking came to light. He knew, beyond a doubt, what he needed to surrender to God if he wanted to live free. 

That experience opened up our eyes to the necessity of incorporating listening prayer into our weekly program. (Amazing how we will do anything to avoid asking the Holy Spirit to reveal specific spiritual truths in our lives.) 

Since that time the ranch has incorporated the “question of the week” for everyone to get alone with God and seek His specific wisdom for them to deal with. Everything we do helps direct our residents to know better how to grow in oneness with Christ, but listening prayer, often in our little “truth booth,” is arguably the most productive.

Listening prayer is not a “silver bullet.” Simply hearing what God wants to tell us doesn’t mean someone will change. It means that God has uncovered hidden truths or given them confirmation on what to do. Now they know beyond a doubt what needs to change. If a pastor or teacher tells them, they can walk away saying, “They don’t know what they are talking about.” Many can read His Word and conveniently rationalize, “This passage is meant for someone else that hasn’t gone through what I have experienced.”

God may tell someone, “When you play the victim card, you insult what My Son has done for you. So stop. Walk in My strength and I will make a way for you.” But, they may prefer being the victim because it provides them with excuses to avoid responsibility. If they don’t change, they know they got their rebellious hearts “caught red-handed in the cookie jar.” 

Repentance is a secondary question that requires a greater love for Christ over ourselves.  Repentance has hit a person when they are done breaking God’s heart.

We aggressively teach the whole counsel of the Word of God for all to know God’s general will for our lives. Beyond that, to live in a listening relationship with the Author of the Book, we teach them to pursue His wisdom for insight into their difficulties and direction. When they leave the ranch they take with them the spiritual skill to search out the heart of God on their own, for all the trials that come next.

God Inspires Our Thoughts…Are You Listening?

“My sheep hear My voice…” John 10:3

Listed are questions to ask God, then listen, then write down His answers.  Often, to allow us to hear God’s heart, we must first ask the Spirit to search our hearts to have “no heart of our own in the matter.”  

Why assume you know God’s thoughts before asking?  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, …” Isaiah 55:9   “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” Eccl. 5:2

Listening prayer is essentially asking God to tell you something you don’t already know.  When done, one often realizes, “Wow, I never thought of it that way before.”  Or, “God turned my knowledge into spiritual wisdom.”  1 Corinthians 2,3

It is highly recommended to take one week per question.  Many times God reveals more to us as time passes, sometimes spontaneously when we least expect it.

1.   Who in my life am I trying to impress?  Me, others, or You?

2.    Tell me what You mean when You say You are my Friend? 

3.   How do You measure me?  Am I concerned how others measure me?

4.    What have I done that I have not accepted Your forgiveness for?

5.    Do I harbor unforgiveness against anyone?

6.    Tell me something about Your love for me that I do not understand or believe?  Am I trying to earn Your love?

7.    Do I serve You for Who You are or what You can do for me?

8.    How hungry am I to know You more to love You more? 

9.    God, tell me something true about me that I don’t want to hear.

10. What do You want me to do to make my loved ones happy?

11. How do You look at my strengths and my weaknesses?

12. Who You want me to show kindness to is who I want to show kindness to.  Who do You want me to show kindness to? 

13. Are my emotions listening to my voice or Yours?

14. What makes You angry makes me angry.  What makes You angry?

15. Do I respect the authorities in my life?  If not, what does that say about my respect for You?

16. What or who do I fear?  How do You want me to trust You?

17. How You want me to treat those who have hurt me is how I want to treat those who have hurt me.  How do You want me to treat them?

18. What thoughts do I entertain that do not honor You?

19. What thoughts You think are worthy of praise, I think are worthy of praise.  What thoughts do You think are worthy of praise?

20. Do I have a critical spirit?  Towards who?

21. Who You think are important people I think are important people.  Who do You think are important people?

22. Do I really want to live in oneness with You?  What am I afraid of?

23. Do I blame others for my attitudes or actions?  What excuses do I make for myself that You find offensive?

24. What is Your purpose for me this week, month, year?

25. How You see people in need is how I see people in need.  How do You see people in need?

26. Do You see me as free?  What holds me in bondage?

27. Am I teachable?  Whose wisdom do I value more: mine, others, or Yours?

28. God, You choose my attitude towards my body, money, future, abilities, loved ones, failures, etc.

29. What food You want me to eat I want to eat.  What food do You want me to eat?

30. How You want me to spend my money is how I want to spend my money.  How do You want me to spend my money?

31. Do I entertain vain imaginations?  About what?  Why?

32. Do I believe You are a rewarder of those who diligently seek You?

33. What You think is entertaining, I think is entertaining.  What do You think is entertaining?

34. Who am I having conversations with in my head?  Do they honor You?

35. What You think is funny I think is funny.  What do You think is funny?

36. If you gave me less than a month to live, how do You want me to live this day?

37. What You want me to do with my free time is what I want to do with my free time.  What do You want me to do with my free time?

38. What lies do I choose to believe?

39. Where in my life do I think and live as though You were not in control?

40. Am I learning of You and listening to You to actually obey You?  Or do I learn then decide if to obey?

41. Do I pray to know Your heart when praying for other’s needs? 

42. Do I believe You are as loving as You are powerful?

43. Do I live with everything in my life on the altar?

44. Ask yourself, “Do I live with a clear conscience?”  Then ask God, “Do You agree?”

45. When I am acting patiently with others do I truly have Your loving attitude for them?   

46. What burdens do I carry that You did not give me?   What opportunities do I ignore that You want me to take?

47. Am I committed to Your cause or surrendered to Your Person?

48. What dead plants do I water?  What fruit bearing plants do You want me to start watering?

49. How enormous are my biggest problems to You?  What little things do I not trust You with?

50. What is the real reason I am not fully committed to knowing You as my Father?  Will I surrender?

51. Do I expect You to make exceptions for me that allow me to live disobedient to You or fruitless for You?

52. Do You see me as “easy to please and hard to satisfy” with others?  Do I enable others to live below Your expectations of them?  Do I encourage those who are moving forward, however slowly?

53. Do I avoid important issues to address urgent issues?

54. Can my commitment to You be bought?  Is so, by what?

55. What am I doing in my life that requires faith?

56. Do I care how much You want me more than I care how much others want me?

57. Do I make what people did to me and what I did to people bigger than what Jesus did for me?

58. Where do I obey You to avoid pain of sin and where do I obey You simply because I love You?

59. Where do I allow disunity with other believers?

60. When Your plans for me are not my plans for me, do I choose to trust in Your wisdom and love?

61. Do I choose to love others with Your love? 

62. Create your own question, specific to your life, that you believe God wants to talk about.

ETC.