Learning To Hear The Holy Spirit's Voice

In an earlier post I've written about God's dealings with me about a calling to missionary work in the Philippines. The Lord has been kind enough to provide more guidance in recent weeks, which I want to record for your edification...and mine (I get blessed every time I revisit these events).

I met with the missions pastor at my church, and he suggested that I take the Pathways To Global Understanding course. I had heard from several saints how this course changed their lives, and it is changing mine. Any American who has an interest in reaching the nations with the gospel should take this course (the class is only available in the USA). Therefore, every American Christian should take it. It is inconceivable to me how one can be a Christian yet have no interest in reaching the nations.

During the third weekly class, at break time I was waiting for a chance to ask the teacher something. The facilitators had been instructing us about an assignment in which we should come up with a strategy for reaching an unreached people group for Jesus. While I was waiting, I remembered that challenge and quickly said to myself, "That's easy. My wife and I will adopt five or six Filipino orphans and teach them to love Muslims. Some of them will go to Muslim nations, and some will reach Muslims in the Philippines." Though I've long been aware of the strategic benefit of sending Filipinos rather than White Americans to reach Muslim nations, we had never even considered doing what popped into my mind! As I wondered why on Earth did I think such a thing, I felt the Spirit of God all over me, and I started to weep. I never did get to ask the teacher my question.

I thank God for my dear wife Gina. Every time I tell her that I believe God is asking us to do something, she happily agrees that we should do it. Mahal kita, B.W.E!*

A couple of weeks later, the speaker was teaching us about the desperate lack of missionaries in the Muslim world. My eyes fell on the notes he had prepared for us, focusing on a quote that has long been my favorite: "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are made for." (William Shedd, missionary to Iraq) Gina and I had been asking the Lord for guidance about exactly where in the Philippines we ought to live. As I read Shedd's words about safety vs. duty, the thought occurred to me, "How can I raise my kids to reach Muslims if we're afraid to live near one of the Muslim areas of the Philippines?" It seems that every time God really speaks to me I cry (because I'm overwhelmed with joy & gratitude), and this time was no exception. Again, thank God for a wife who wants to be in the center of God's will. She had been hoping we would live in the far north of the Philippines, where her family lives. The Muslim areas are in the south. Gina agreed that we ought to obey God.

I think the most important thing about hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit is obedience. If you aren't willing to do what he says, why should he speak to you?

*Mahal kita means "I love you" in Tagalog, and B.W.E. is one of my pet names for Gina. It means best wife ever.