God’s most common way of speaking in biblical history is through dreams and visions. But today many of us are more likely to dismiss our visionary experiences as the product of a spicy meal rather than a potential message from God. But could we be missing out on the voice we so long to hear?

Today’s show is a different one where we flip the roles around on the show! Hosted by one of our volunteer God Conversations team members, Ali Kennedy, we hear from Tania Harris, Director of God Conversations and the author of the brand new book, God Dreams: How to Hear God’s Voice in Dreams and Visions. You’ll get a taster of what the new book is all about, plus a peak behind the scenes of the writing process.

You’ll hear about:

I told my friends about my God dream and they thought I was strange. I told my pastor and he said I was strange. Then I read my Bible and I realised they were strange too, because they heard from God in dream-visions all the time!

Some of the most pivotal points in biblical history happened while someone was sleeping.

A picture really does tell a thousand words!

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Inspired by the interview? Check out God Dreams the book!

Jesus’ last words on earth was to go into all the world and share the good news (Matt. 28:18-20). But at the same time, we know that it’s not our job to convict, convert or save anyone! The Holy Spirit alone works in people’s hearts and we should never try to control or coerce another person’s choices. So how does this work in practise? What role does the Holy Spirit play in evangelism?

These days, evangelism doesn’t have such a great name. Whether it’s the image of the Bible-thumping, money-seeking TV evangelist or the fire-breathing angry preacher on the street corner, no-one seems to be listening. Perhaps we’ve forgotten what our job is? What should evangelism look like when the Holy Spirit is working with us? 

Our guest Dave Shepherd is here to offer some insights. Dave is a Baptist preacher from Adelaide who had a spectacular God conversation in his teens that changed his life. His insights point us to a way of working with the Holy Spirit that is powerful and beautiful. And it takes the pressure off!

On this episode of the show, you’ll hear about:

Jesus was literally standing right in front of me and he had tears in his eyes and he looked at me and he said, “this is why.”

I cannot change anyone no matter how convincing I am, how great my theology is or how wonderful my apologetics are – none of that can make faith come alive in a person’s heart.

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About Dave Shepherd

Dave Shepherd is the Lead Pastor of Hills Baptist Church (www.hillsbaptist.com), a multisite church community in Adelaide with a vision to see Jesus glorified, lives transformed and the hope of the Gospel revealed throughout the world. Dave is a co-founder of Ignite Ministries and the One Church podcast, where he works with other believers and church leaders to call the Church to unity, prayer, and worship. Dave’s heart and gifting is to fearlessly proclaim the truth of the Gospel, to raise up the next generation of leaders, and to plant churches that plant churches. Dave is married to his wife Jo and together they have three children, Bailey, Mabel and Benji.

The Salvation Army is an incredible movement that works in 136 countries around the world and began in the streets of nineteenth century London by William and Catherine Booth. It is both a church and charity, known for its focus on justice, compassion, and supporting the welfare of others. But did you know that the Salvos began in the power and revelation of the Holy Spirit?

On this episode of God Conversations, we talk to Major Kim Haworth about the God conversations that shaped the Salvation Army – affectionately known (in Australia!) as the Salvos. Kim is a major in the Salvos and leads the state of NSW/ACT as Divisional commander. She explains that the Holy Spirit was at the centre of the Salvation Army work from the very beginning.

You’ll hear about:

I heard in my mind, “you know you’re going to be an officer don’t you?” To which I replied “yes!” and felt this crazy sense of peace from the top of my head to the tips of my toes – that is until I realised what I said!

“There is no gospel, but the social gospel – salvation is wholistic – the total redemption of mind, body and spirit. People can’t hear about the gospel while their tummies are rumbling.”

“We see God move most in our lives when we’re out of our depth.”

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About Kim Haworth

Major Kim Haworth is the Divisional Commander of the NSW and ACT Division of The Salvation Army. She has served in pastoral ministry for 10 years with her husband, Steve as Corps Officers (lead pastors) in country Victoria and Melbourne, as well as four years as the Divisional Commander for Tasmania. Kim has completed undergraduate and post graduate studies in Ministry and Theology and holds a Vice Chancellor’s Scholar award from the University of Divinity. She have three great adult kids – Jayden, Stacey and Bryce. Kim is passionate about living in the presence of God every day, and sharing the life of freedom and joy, that Jesus died to give all people who call on His name.

When we think of the Holy Spirit, we think about the God who saves us spiritually, but did you know that an encounter with the Spirit also helps us to learn? Experiencing the Holy Spirit could even improve your grades at school!

In this fascinating interview, I talk with Jeff Davis, Principal of Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast, Australia. In the past year, they’ve experienced incredible revival among their students, with over a hundred baptisms, the commencement of over 20 new bible study groups and enthusiastic mosh pit worship sessions. Jeff talks about how the faith of the students has become real; how they’ve seen healing and transformation of behaviour and how they students have even been leading the adults! More so, Jeff reflects on how understanding Jesus and encountering the Spirit changes the way we do education.  

You’ll hear about:

One boy who was suspended at the time felt God’s presence come on him in his home. He rang the school and said, “what happened?”

People without faith know there’s something different – they just can’t understand what it is. 

This is the power of the Holy Spirit in education. We encourage you to listen to Jeff’s interview and pass it onto parents, teachers and school leaders or anyone who is seeking to learn!

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Jeff Davis is the Executive Head of College at Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast, Australia. With over 35 years of experience in education and more than 20 years as a principal, Jeff has led some of the largest and fastest-growing schools in Australia. His passion lies in challenging current education norms and driving change to provide a world-leading educational experience. At the core of this approach is a focus on wellbeing and emotional intelligence, aiming to prepare students for the evolving global landscape.

Jeff believes holistic learning involves developing the whole child across four domains: Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, and Wellbeing. He shares his insights on innovation and leadership at conferences, on radio and various podcasts, and through his latest book ‘Leading the Learning Revolution’.

Hillcrest Christian College has achieved remarkable growth and recognition under Jeff’s leadership, labelled one of the fastest-growing independent schools in Australia and receiving an Innovative Schools Award from Educator Magazine. In 2018, Cambridge University recognised Hillcrest as one of the top 100 Most Innovative Schools globally.

Hearing God in a dream can be a life-changing experience, but it can also be a confusing one! Dreams speak a symbolic and sometimes confusing language and the process of interpretation is not well understood, making it subject to mistakes and abuse. It’s no wonder the claim to hearing God in a dream is often met with skepticism, disinterest and even mockery.

Dream interpretation is more art than science, so it isn’t always straightforward or formulaic, but there are some principles we can learn that will help us hear God more clearly in this creative and powerful way.

In this episode of the show, I talk with British dreams expert Tony Cooke about the common mistakes people make when learning to hear God in dreams. We unpack the dynamics of the God-dream experience so that you can confidently discern God’s voice as we sleep. You’ll discover:

One of the biggest mistakes people make is when they see a related person in their dream and they assume the dream is about that person.

The biggest mistake of all is not getting trained properly. Humility says, “I need to know how to do this properly or I can do damage.”

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Tony is the founder of The Dream Academy (www.thedreamacademy.online), an online training and support site for biblical dream interpreters. He and his wife Dwee planted pastored the Cheltenham Vineyard Church in 2009 and later continued to teach and train in many countries including The Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, India, South Africa, USA, Spain and Ireland. Tony is also on the Leadership Board of Patria Ministries International, a global family of businesses, churches, ministries and itinerant ministers which provides a highly interdependent personal environment where leaders can build relationships and be strengthened and equipped for greater Kingdom influence. Tony and his wife Dwee have two grown up children and live on the south coast of England.

Jesus was known for the way he interacted with those on the margins of society – the tax collectors everyone despised, the lepers no-one would touch, the cripples and the prostitutes society rejected. Jesus’ teaching and interactions constantly reflected God’s heart for those who had been forgotten and left behind. So today, when we hear the Spirit as Jesus’ continuing voice, we shouldn’t be surprised that we find themselves in similar places! That is, we will be led to love the poor as Jesus did.

In this episode, we talk about the revelatory work of Holy Spirit among the poor with someone who is doing just that. With his wife Gracie, Bob Ekblad lives out the heart of Jesus through the power and revelation of the Spirit. After living several years working in sustainable farming in Honduras and then studying theology in France, Bob and Gracie lead a church community known as Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Washington state USA. Here, they come alongside immigrants, street people, addicts and prisoners to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical and profound ways.

You’ll hear about:

“You pull out a Bible in that setting, and the people look like stray city dogs who are used to being kicked. They sleek off and lurk away, fearful of being beaten by the Bible, because that’s how the Bible has been used…”

“When people are marginalised and from the lowest classes of society, they abandon all hope and throw themselves into a life of drinking and violence.”

“I see you in a circle of men in red uniforms sitting on blue plastic chairs. I think they’re prisoners. I hear the Father saying, “I love how you love my prisoners.”

About Bob Ekblad

Bob and Gracie Ekblad are founders and co-directors of Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Burlington, Washington. Together they minister at Tierra Nueva and at their home-based retreat centre, New Earth Refuge in the Skagit Valley. They have three adult children. Bob is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), holds a ThD in Old Testament and is known internationally for his courses and workshops on reading the Bible. Gracie is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) and holds a Masters in Theology. She pastors and teaches at Tierra Nueva and beyond, emphasizing discipleship, holistic healing and liberation. More @ www.bobekblad.com 

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If you had to sum up the ministry of Jesus, it would include three features: teaching, exorcising demons and healing! As followers of Jesus and recipients of his Spirit, the church should also be known for healing. But how does it work, and what role does the Spirit’s voice have to play?

In this episode of the God Conversations podcast, we talk with Kirk Delaney, Pastor of Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane Queensland, Director of the Australian Vineyard Churches and a follower of Jesus who is experienced in hearing God’s voice for healing.

You’ll hear about:

“My question was, why are signs and wonders happening in the Majority world but not in the West?”

“Everyone gets to do the work of Jesus!”

“God I know you want to talk to me about healing for someone, but my right pinkie finger is really throbbing!”

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Kirk is married to Nichole and they have three young adult children and a new son-in-law. Together they pastor the Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane and serve as the national directors of Vineyard Churches Australia (https://vineyard.org.au/). Kirk has been serving in local church ministry for 30 years and has a big heart to see God’s people equipped for living the message, ministry and mission of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

All over the Western world, people are revisiting their history and in particular, their participation in colonialism. Many nations in the West were established in lands that were long inhabited by indigenous or First Nations peoples, with European settlement coming at a deadly and devastating cost. Debates rage as to how we should respond to a history that is often brutal and violent. For the Christian church, this means asking what the Spirit is saying about the topic. How do we respond to the cries of the native Indians of North America, the Inuit of Canada, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand and so many others who still suffer from the effects of colonial domination? What does the Gospel of Jesus look like when it comes to reconciling our past with our future?

On this episode of the podcast, we explore the question of what the Spirit is saying about First Nations people with Ps Lydia Read, leader of the New Wine Movement in New Zealand. Lydia is well-positioned to answer this question, having lived it alongside the Maori peoples of New Zealand.

You’ll hear Lydia talk with Tania about:

You start with watching your heart – the wellspring of life. Reconciliation calls us to deep humility and seeking after the identity God has for us as a nation and the people of God.

When the Spirit falls and you pursue the things on God’s heart, everything falls into the right order. You start to see God’s justice and love for those on the margins.

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The Spirit-stirring feeling that there must be more, and that a life of faith should mean a life of adventure is what first led Lydia (and husband Shane) to the New Wine movement (www.newwine.org.nz). A wild roller coaster ride of fun and adventure is one way to describe what’s happened since!

Lydia leads the charge at New Wine with joyful devotion! She is energised by God’s church and being with ordinary people who live dynamic personal faith journeys – the true heroes of the faith. With the rest of her time, Lydia masters the role of cool grandma to six mokopuna in addition to pastoring Hope Vineyard Church with her husband Shane, and being the financial manager of their farming and property business.

How do we hear God’s voice? Perhaps the best way to describe the forms of Holy Spirit communication is by starting with the human forms we’re familiar with. This includes all of our senses! So we can hear God’s voice, but we can also see it, taste it, smell it and feel it!

On this episode of the show, we focus on hearing God through our “spiritual senses” with prophet and pastor Maria Mason. You’ll learn about:

“God is a god of variety. It is the Father’s intention that each person has their sensory realm opened up.”

“Wounded emotions struggle to feel in a clean way. You get mixed intel…”

“The more our hearts get healed by the Father, the more we can be confident that we are experiencing clear communication in our human relationships and our relationship with God.”

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About Maria

Maria describes herself as a “cultural architect,” who lives to see the Church become powerful in God’s presence. Together with her husband Phil, Maria pioneered a community in northern NSW, Australia in 1998 called Tribe Church. She is a recognised prophet and speaks on the subjects of church culture, relationships, leadership, prophetic ministry, worship, community and revival. Maria loves to coach leaders and is an ordained pastor in the Crosslink Network and a member of the Australian Prophetic Council. Her books, “The Glory Community; Building Heaven’s Culture on Earth” (Part 1 and 2) and “Heart Prophet: a manual for feelers, seers and heart restorers” are designed to inspire the church to live in the realm of God’s glory here on earth. 

One of the most challenging times to hear God’s voice is in seasons of suffering and ill-health. Clarity is difficult to find in the midst of pain, fear and doubt. On this episode, we talk to someone who understands this more than most. British author, communicator and friend, Kate Nicholas joins us on the GC podcast to talk about her rollercoaster ride of cancer diagnoses and how she heard God speak in the midst of them. This episode will encourage anyone who is seeking to hear God’s voice in the midst of suffering.

On the show, we talk about:

“You do understand the implications of what I’m saying to you, don’t you?” “Yes, you’re telling me that I’m dying. But I’m going to leave the door open to God.”

“I discovered a whole tradition I knew very little about which goes back all the way to the dawn of Christianity. These contemplative practices focus on being close to God and hearing his voice in solitude and silence. This was a challenge for me because I am a raving extrovert!”

About Kate Nicholas

Kate Nicholas is a Christian author, TV presenter and speaker with over thirty years working experience as a journalist and editor and more recently global communications chief for Christian aid agency World Vision. She also preaches at the Amazing Grace Church of St Peter and St Paul in the British market town of Olney in Buckinghamshire. 

When first diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2014, Kate was given a promise that she would ‘ not die, but live and declare the works of God’ (Psalm 118:17). And when, against all odds she survived, this became the mission of her life beginning with her first book Sea Changed – an account of her unconventional journey of faith and healing. But seven years later, her cancer returned with a vengeance and her latest book To The Ocean Floor tells the story of her second cancer journey which became a gateway into a deeper intuitive connection with God.

Kate’s books, Sea Changed, Soul Scribe and her new book, To the Ocean Floor are available here (www.katenicholas.co.uk)

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