Do you hear voices?

This is a guest post from a friend of mine Carl Wesley Anderson. You can read more about him at his website and blog here http://borntoblaze.com
With Donald Trump rising in the Polls, I thought I would share a little unknown fact about me: 10 years ago I applied for The Apprentice: the Mark Burnett hit show, starring the Trump Himself. After 4 personal interviews by casting directors in 3 different cities, I was invited to an all-expense paid week in L.A. as a Finalist for the show.

I was nearly cast as one of the most embarrassing potential Apprentices on NBC!

I endured a fun and grueling week of interviews with Producers and many exams (I am under contract still not to give away their secrets). But what I can share is: one of the questions on the exams was,

DO YOU HEAR VOICES? Circle Yes or No.

How would you answer that one? Most people if ever faced with that question would answer, “NO!” I mean, who wants to be locked up in a straight-jacket in a room with rubber walls for the rest of their life, right?

Well, needless to say, I am not “most people.” I am first and foremost a Christian.

What sets a Christian apart from the rest of the world?

The gift of eternal life in fellowship with God? Yes.

The infilling of the Holy Spirit (who comes to live inside your human spirit and lead you, day by day, in the will and ways of the LORD)? Yes.

This is a bit of an introductory devotional blog on the vast and amazing subject of learning to hear God’s “voices.” Yes—I did say, “voices.”

Now, when I say, “voices” I am perhaps introducing a kind of revolutionary truth. Each member of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, has a unique “voice” of their own.

To simplify this thought, I find in Scripture that the Father many times speaks through His Creation, the Son many times speaks through His living Word and through other people to you, and the Holy Spirit many times speaks from WITHIN your spirit and you “sense” His voice (watch for future blogs where I will elaborate more on each “voice”).

Most of the Christian world today follows the written WORD as the primary means of God’s speaking to man. I would agree that the Bible IS one of the most amazing means. Though, when you read the Book of Acts, you will find there multiple, different ways that God communicates to Christians; in other words, multiple different “voices,” through the Trinity, that He is choosing to utilize in His awesome love for you.

Here are just 7 of many examples of THE VOICES of God in the Book of Acts:

The “Inner Witness” of the Holy Spirit, combined with “intuition” (Acts 8: 29, 17:16).
Inner Desires, Feelings, & Emotions (Acts 13:1-5, 15:39).
Visions (Acts 2: 17-21, 16: 6-9).
Dreams (Acts 18: 9-10).
Prophetic Words & Confirmations by 2 or More People (Acts 19:21, 21:10-13, 23:11).
Angels (Acts 12:7).
Audible Voice (Acts 9:3-8).

Please note! These are “in order” of what I call, “most common” to “least common” ways that God speaks and communicates with His redeemed. The probability of you EVER hearing an AUDIBLE VOICE or chatting over your lunch break with AN ANGEL are very low; whereas, the probability of you hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, from within, as a kind of “INNER WITNESS” is very high.

I find God speaking to me multiple times a day in this manner. All I have to do is tune my spiritual ears to listen.

So in conclusion, what do you think I answered to my question as I prepared for the Final Round of casting for Donald Trump’s “Apprentice” show years ago?

I circled boldly a resounding, “YES!”

I DO hear voices! Every day. Everywhere I go.

And when I told the Producers this, they simply did not know what to do with me. In the end, I was too much of a “wildcard” for Trump, and did not get cast.

But that’s okay. I’m happy being an Apprentice to Jesus, the real Master Mentor, and listening to the many VOICES of the Trinity each week.

P.S. Video Bonus: enjoy a great 6 min. historical documentary video I filmed a few years ago in England about George Fox, founder of the Quakers, and how he lived a life of listening to the “inner witness” of the Holy Spirit…all the way back in the 1600’s. If he can do it, so can you!