Featured Articles
HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD
By Dyrie M. Francis
Amidst the clutter and noises of everyday life, some would relegate hearing the voice of God to pastors and spiritual leaders whose vocation requires them to commune with God for enablement to minister to His Church. The truth is, God delights to speak to His children and to have them listen to Him. Scriptures are replete with examples of individuals and even a nation that heard God speak.
From the beginning, God enjoyed fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until sin disrupted the relationship between God and humankind (Genesis 3:1-10). God spoke to Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham) and directed him to move to a country He would give to him and his descendants if he obeyed God’s commands. God promised to bless all nations through Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Imagine Samuel, a young boy hearing God calling him by name in order to have a conversation with him. Jeremiah, whom God ordained as a prophet to the nations, felt inadequate for the task, but God promised to enable him (Jeremiah 1:4-10). Exodus 33:11 records that God spoke with Moses “as a man speaks to his friend.” Joshua, Moses’ successor, encountered God as deliverer and Savior in a time of military defeat against the nation of Ai. God revealed to Joshua the reason Israel was defeated and the steps to regain victory (Joshua 7:4-11).
The New Testament records many instances when God spoke to the disciples; for example, on the Mountain of Transfiguration (Luke 9:35); to Saul the persecutor of the Church, while he was on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-6); and to Peter while he was in a trance on the rooftop (Acts 10:9-16). Lastly, John the beloved apostle recorded the end-time revelation of Jesus (Revelation 1:11; 2, 3, 22:12,16, 20).
God desires to speak with every one of His children still today! God speaks through dreams, visions, the Scriptures, by feelings or thoughts, and less commonly, audibly. But His children are often desensitized to the gentleness of His voice.
My then four-year-old son once asked, “Mommy, why does God speak so soft?”
I asked, “What do you mean?”
He responded, “I have been trying to hear God, but He speaks so soft!”
It was a great teaching moment coupled with a deep sense of joy that my four-year-old desired to hear God audibly. I encouraged him to listen more keenly and even ask God to speak more plainly to him. God answered about a year later when my son woke suddenly and asked about a missionary our family prayed for regularly. He told us something was wrong with her. He also told us that one of our local pastors (whom he mentioned by name) was undergoing a problem. We encouraged him to pray for both persons and joined him in prayer. Shortly after, the pastor revealed that his church was going through a serious split. We also received news that the missionary was having some challenges overseas as well.
Four factors that help us hear God’s gentle voice are focus, time, self-discipline, and faith. Through the goodness and grace of God, we can hear Him while growing in these areas.
Factor #1 — FOCUS
We must guard against distraction, our number one enemy when it comes to hearing from God. The plethora of distractors in our personal environment from waking to retiring to bed clamors for attention and draws focus away from God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, our teacher and guide. Our homes and automobiles are filled with technological gadgets. The cacophony of music genres, movies, world news, sports, and electronic games compete for the minds and captivate the heart. Jacob’s instruction to his family to put away their foreign gods, purify themselves, and then come seek God together at Bethel (Genesis 35:2-3) would benefit our culture. Sadly, some gadgets are now taken to the house of worship. Regardless of age, believers must be aware of the impact of the distractions and intentionally secure a “quiet” place to meet with God. Even a quiet corner, a closet if need be, a spot outside the house or apartment, or a parked vehicle may change the trajectory from distraction to the ability to discern God’s presence and hear Him speak.
Factor # 2 – TIME
Everyone is allotted the same 24 hours daily – or 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. The popular maxim reminds us that “time wasted can never be regained!” Consider the benefits to the average person who reflects on the wastefulness of the seconds, minutes, or hours spent on activities that do not foster spiritual growth and chooses instead to reverse their course and listen and meditate more on the Scriptures and on hearing God.
Commonly, our prayers are more like monologues. We speak, God listens, and we run off without allowing Him to speak to us. We blame our lack of prayer, meditation, and hearing God on our overwhelming schedules. Life becomes an endless cycle of activity after activity! Yet in 1 Kings 19:12, when Elijah needed to hear from God, he observed that God was not found in the noisy wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire. Elijah heard God in His still, gentle whisper. We must choose to listen to hear!
Jesus directed His disciples to “come aside . . . and rest” (Mark 6:31, NKJV). This rest was more than physical rest. It was resting in God, away even from the miracles of healing and deliverance and the mighty revival. It was gleaning from God’s love and compassion for the lost and broken and gaining power to minister effectively. Working for God is no substitute for resting in God! Jesus commended Mary for choosing “the better part” in contrast to Martha, who had immersed herself in preparing for the physical needs of Jesus but neglected His lifegiving spiritual food in the process (Luke 10:41-42). The enemies of time spent with God are the busyness and often non-edifying activities that eat away the irreplaceable 86,400 seconds allotted each day.
Factor #3 – SELF-DISCIPLINE
Self-discipline impacts our ability to hear God speak. The Oxford dictionary defines self-discipline as “the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.” The story is told of an Asian pastor who had ministered in the villages all day and arrived home after midnight. Yet he awakened at 4:00 a.m. to pray and seek God’s help for the day. His visiting western companion was alarmed at the pastor’s early rising. The praying minister responded that he needed to hear from God far more than his body needed sleep.
David meditated on the Lord day and night (Psalm 63:6; 119:164) and enjoined us to offer God the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Jesus, a model of self-discipline, rose early and went to a quiet place to pray and commune with the Father (Mark 1:35). In His most sorrowful moment, He separated Himself from the disciples and entreated God the Father for strength to face His “cup” of suffering at Calvary for our sins.
Guard against self-indulgence, the enemy of self-discipline. We are tempted to indulge more than we should at the expense of self-discipline which goads us to continue to do what is right despite challenges we may encounter. The lines of a famous hymn “Lead Me to Calvary” strengthen my resolve to seek Him despite my challenges and limitations.
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee
Even Thy cup of grief to share
Thou hast borne all for me
Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary
Factor #4 – FAITH IN GOD
Faith in God is critical for hearing Him speak. Jesus promised to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who would teach us all things (John 14:16-17, 26). Often, we choose our ways and make decisions based on market principles. But faith holds firmly to God’s promises and is undeterred by trials. The enemy of faith is unbelief (Ephesians 6:16). The writer of Hebrews emphasized, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Growing in these four areas can help us become more sensitive to God’s voice. Some Christian denominations teach that God does not still speak outside of the written text. Over the course of my Christian experience, God has spoken clearly to me many times. Once was loud, sounding like thunder. Most often He has spoken to me through my thoughts and Scriptures. Some of His messages were instructive; others corrective or futuristic. Two of the messages warned of impending disaster to our nation which occurred on 9/11 and at the Olympic Village in Georgia. Witnesses can testify to the latter two since I reported God’s revelation at a prayer gathering before they occurred.
One of the most difficult assignments I received was when I was given a message for a couple that I respected highly and considered role models. God’s message was a call to repent, or else “they would be like Ananias and Sapphira” (Acts 5). I was petrified and unwilling, pleading with God to release me from this assignment, but He did not! I hoped no one would be home as I rang the doorbell and literally ran back to my car. But before I could turn on the ignition, the front door opened and a voice said, “Wait!”
The tears of dread flowed. I blurted out the message and began to make a hasty retreat. Only the wife was present, and she asked me not to leave. She began to weep and made confession.
I was shocked! I had judged God to be hard on these “good Christians.” I prayed for the family and left saddened and broken. God cares about everything that concerns us.
We must continue to pray for sensitivity to God’s Spirit, hearing ears, a discerning spirit, and an obedient heart. May He help us to focus on the “better part” as Mary did, to guard the seconds and minutes because they add up to days, weeks, months, and years; to grow in self-discipline, and increase in faith nourished by the Word of God. Then we are more likely to pray, listen, and hear God speak to us! Keep the spiritual line open. God continues to speak in our generation (Revelation 3:20)!
About the Author
Dyrie Francis R.N., M.S.N., M.A.C.L. lives in South Florida, where she and her husband, Karl, pioneered Living Word Open Bible Church in Cooper City, thirty years ago. The congregation is comprised of believers from 22 countries, including a minority of Caucasian Americans. The church celebrates unity in diversity and eagerly pursues the fulfillment of the Great Commission regardless of race or color. God and family are central to Dyrie’s life and ministry paradigm. She loves people and serves through teaching the Word and the ministry of prayer. Underlying her calling to service is a deep and inescapable sensitivity to God’s heart on justice and the plight of the oppressed. She serves as a bridge to many and will continue by the grace of God. Dyrie and Karl have two adult sons, Jonathan (married to Andrea) and Bryan (married to Terrone) and one granddaughter, Christine Noelle.
Church planting isn’t for the faint of heart. All church plants require faith, but it takes a special kind of crazy to “parachute plant,” where church planters “parachute” into a new place, starting from nothing with few resources or contacts. After seven years of pouring our hearts and souls into CityLife Church, a parachute church plant in Wilmington, North Carolina, my husband Mike and I were pretty certain God was calling us to do something different. We genuinely believed God was calling us into missions. In hindsight, I guess He was – just not in the way we pictured it.
This time, our “yes” led us into what was at that time the murder capital of America.
Neither one of us had a desire to plant another church, but the thought of doing something new was exciting to us. So, towards the end of our tenure at CityLife, we let the stirring of something new brew within us even though we had no idea what was coming.
During this season, a couple of things happened that God used to speak to our hearts. The Vanartsdalens, close friends of ours at CityLife, came to us with the news that they were moving to help plant another church within Open Bible (read more about their story HERE). As we celebrated what God was doing with our friends, it reignited a feeling within us that we had forgotten. (Never underestimate how your “yes” might affect someone else’s!) That feeling was the excitement and spiritual rush that comes with church planting. Neither Mike nor I expected to feel this again, and we were surprised to find the desire in our hearts to plant another church.
Everything changed after a conversation with our Open Bible Regional Director, Nathan Hagan. When we shared our initial desire with him, he began to brainstorm some different options for us to consider. One idea jumped out to both of us: “If you guys were interested in planting another church in the region, maybe it could be someplace like New Orleans.” Nathan mentioned other places, but the only one we remembered is the one that stuck to our hearts like glue. New Orleans: the word was spoken, and the Spirit responded!
Mike and I decided early on in our marriage that whatever God called us to do, we would say yes. This time, our “yes” led us into what was at that time the murder capital of America: New Orleans, Louisiana. It is extremely hard to uproot your family and your life and move hundreds of miles away to a place where there are no family, friends, or security. Despite these challenges, we sold many of our possessions, took what we could in a truck and trailer, and headed off into the unknown!
As soon as we put boots on the ground, we quickly realized that this city, this plant, and this call would be different from anything we had ever done. Almost immediately after moving, we were met with a triple homicide four houses down from ours, I was violently robbed at gunpoint, and our kids had a gun pulled on them while playing outside in our neighborhood. We faced circumstances that most people assumed we would run from, but when you know the Lord has called you to a land, you must trust that He will protect and prosper you in that land. Suffering is part of the calling; if we aren’t willing to suffer for the calling, we won’t partake of its full blessing. “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).
To rewind just a bit, when we knew for sure that we were moving, Mike sat our kids down and had them help compile a dream/prayer list of people we’d love to have on our team. Some on the list were Spirit-led, some were hopefuls, but all of them were people we thought might be crazy enough to consider moving with us!
Back before we’d moved to North Carolina for our first church plant, we had told our friends Greg and Tina that we felt they were supposed to come with us. I think Greg laughed at Mike when we first shared this, but they are now the pastors at CityLife! In similar fashion, we had another friend couple in Ohio that we video chatted with as we prepared to plant in New Orleans. We shared the news of where we were moving then asked them to pray about joining us. They agreed to pray, but I’m certain they thought we were crazy!
We faced circumstances that most people assumed we would run from, but when you know the Lord has called you to a land, you must trust that He will protect and prosper you in that land.
It’s amazing to see how God works in lives, stirring people’s hearts to be part of things that take an incredible amount of faith. Here we are two years later, and Pastor Eric and Lindsay Baker are in New Orleans with us putting their hands to the plow! They moved from a one-light farm town to one of the wildest cities in the world. They and their seven kids gave their “yes” to the Lord, leaving everything they had ever known. They have had their car stolen twice, and yet here they remain. In addition to the Bakers, God sent us another person from our dream list without us even having to ask; Mike’s mom, Lynne, joined the team and lives right next door to us now!
Fast forward to present day: we are so excited to see what God is doing at OHR City Church! “Ohr” is the Hebrew word for “light,” and it also means “to bring order amid chaos” (so fitting for this city!). Almost nothing has gone how we thought it would here, yet we believe everything is going exactly how God designed it.
We are currently meeting every Sunday night in our house where we eat, worship, dream, pray, and study the word of God together. While the adults meet in our house, the kids go to Momma Lynne’s house next door! Our team is growing, and we are all becoming a family. None of us knows exactly where the Lord is taking us yet, but everyone is on board to find out!
If you feel God calling you to something, I encourage you to step out in faith and give God your “yes”!
*Want to read more from Mike and Cala Dickey? Read their related article: Five Ways to Support Church Planting
About the Author
Cala Dickey
Mike and Cala Dickey are the lead pastors at the Southeast Region of Open Bible’s newest church plant, OHR City Church, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before heading down to the bayou, Mike and Cala planted CityLife Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. They are passionate about pioneering and planting churches in areas that desperately need Jesus. The Dickey family is excited for what God is doing through OHR City Church in New Orleans! To learn more, visit Ohrcc.com.
Featured Articles
Un «Sí» costoso: Plantar una iglesia en la capital del asesinato en Estados Unidos
La plantación de iglesias no es tarea fácil. Toda plantación de iglesias requiere fe, pero la «plantación en paracaídas», en la que los plantadores «saltan en paracaídas» a un lugar nuevo, partiendo de la nada y con pocos recursos o contactos, requiere un tipo especial de locura. Después de siete años de derramar nuestros corazones y almas en CityLife Church, una iglesia plantada en paracaídas en Wilmington, Carolina del Norte, mi esposo Mike y yo estábamos convencidos de que Dios nos estaba llamando a hacer algo diferente. Honestamente, creíamos que nos llamaba a las misiones. En retrospectiva, creo que lo estaba haciendo, sólo que no de la manera en que lo imaginábamos.
Esta vez, nuestro «sí» nos llevó a lo que en ese momento era la capital del asesinato de los Estados Unidos
Ninguno de los dos deseaba plantar otra iglesia, pero la idea de hacer algo nuevo nos entusiasmaba. Así que, casi al final de nuestro período en CityLife, dejamos que la emoción de algo nuevo se gestara dentro de nosotros, aunque no teníamos ni idea de lo que se avecinaba.
Durante ese tiempo, sucedieron un par de cosas que Dios usó para hablar a nuestros corazones. La familia Vanartsdalen, amigos cercanos de CityLife, nos comunicaron que se mudarían para ayudar a plantar otra iglesia con la Biblia Abierta (lea más sobre su historia aquí). Mientras celebrábamos lo que Dios estaba haciendo con nuestros amigos, se reavivó dentro de nosotros un sentimiento que habíamos olvidado. (¡Nunca subestimes cómo tu «sí» puede afectar al de otra persona!). Esa sensación era la emoción y la urgencia espiritual que viene con la plantación de iglesias. Ni Mike ni yo esperábamos volver a sentir esto, y nos sorprendió descubrir el deseo en nuestros corazones de plantar otra iglesia.
Después de una conversación con nuestro director regional de la Biblia Abierta, Nathan Hagan, todo cambió. Cuando le contamos nuestro deseo inicial, comenzó a pensar en algunas opciones diferentes para que las consideráramos. A ambos nos sorprendió esta idea: «Si ustedes estuvieran interesados en plantar otra iglesia en la región, tal vez podría ser en algún lugar como Nueva Orleans». Aunque Nathan mencionó otros lugares, el único que recordamos es el que se nos clavó enseguida en el corazón. Nueva Orleans: ¡se pronunció la palabra, y el Espíritu respondió!
Desde el comienzo de nuestro matrimonio, Mike y yo decidimos que diríamos «sí» a cualquier cosa que Dios nos llamara a hacer. Esta vez, nuestro «sí» nos llevó a lo que en ese momento era la capital del asesinato de los Estados Unidos: Nueva Orleans, Luisiana. Resulta sumamente difícil desarraigar a tu familia y tu vida, mudarte a cientos de kilómetros de distancia a un lugar donde no hay familia, amigos ni seguridad. A pesar de estos retos, decidimos vender muchas de nuestras pertenencias, cargamos lo que pudimos en un camión y un remolque, ¡y partimos hacia lo desconocido!
Tan pronto como comenzamos a trabajar, nos dimos cuenta de que esta ciudad, esta plantación y este llamado serían diferentes de todo lo que habíamos hecho hasta entonces. Casi inmediatamente después de mudarnos, nos enfrentamos con un triple homicidio a cuatro casas de la nuestra, me asaltaron violentamente a mano armada y apuntaron a nuestros hijos con un revólver mientras jugaban al aire libre en nuestro barrio. Tuvimos que hacer frente a circunstancias de las que la mayoría de la gente supondría que huiríamos, pero cuando sabes que el Señor te ha llamado a una tierra, tienes que confiar en que te protegerá y te hará prosperar en ella. El sufrimiento es parte del llamado; si no estamos dispuestos a sufrir por el llamado, no participaremos de toda su bendición. «En cambio, alégrense mucho, porque estas pruebas los hacen ser partícipes con Cristo de su sufrimiento, para que tengan la inmensa alegría de ver su gloria cuando sea revelada a todo el mundo.» (1 Pedro 4:13, NTV).
Volvamos atrás, cuando supimos definitivamente que nos íbamos a mudar, Mike se sentó con nuestros hijos y les pidió que le ayudaran a elaborar una lista de oración de las personas que «soñábamos» que formaran parte de nuestro equipo. Algunos de los nombres en la lista fueron guiados por el Espíritu, otros eran candidatos, pero todos eran personas que pensamos que podrían estar lo suficientemente locas como para considerar mudarse con nosotros.
Antes de mudarnos a Carolina del Norte para plantar nuestra primera iglesia, les habíamos dicho a nuestros amigos Greg y Tina que sentíamos que ellos debían ir con nosotros. Creo que Greg se rio de Mike cuando compartimos esto por primera vez, ¡pero ahora son los pastores de CityLife! De forma similar, teníamos otra pareja amiga en Ohio con la que nos comunicábamos por videochat mientras nos preparábamos para plantar la iglesia en Nueva Orleans. Les contamos que nos íbamos a mudar y les pedimos que consideraran orar para unirse a nosotros. Estuvieron de acuerdo en orar, ¡pero estoy seguro de que pensaron que estábamos locos!
Tuvimos que hacer frente a circunstancias de las que la mayoría de la gente supondría que huiríamos, pero cuando sabes que el Señor te ha llamado a una tierra, tienes que confiar en que te protegerá y te hará prosperar en ella.
Es asombroso ver cómo Dios trabaja en las vidas de las personas, moviendo sus corazones para ser parte de algo que requiere una cantidad increíble de fe. Ya han pasado dos años, y el pastor Eric y Lindsay Baker están en Nueva Orleans con nosotros poniendo sus manos en el arado. Se mudaron de un pueblo pequeño a una de las ciudades más desenfrenadas del mundo. Ellos y sus siete hijos dieron su «sí» al Señor, dejando todo lo que habían conocido. En dos ocasiones les han robado el vehículo y, sin embargo, aquí siguen. Además de los Baker, Dios nos envió a otra persona que estaba en nuestra lista de sueños/oración sin que ni siquiera tuviéramos que pedírselo; la madre de Mike, Lynne, se unió al equipo y ¡ahora vive justo al lado de nosotros!
Ahora, estamos muy emocionados de ver lo que Dios está haciendo en OHR City Church. «Ohr» es la palabra hebrea para «luz», y también significa «poner orden en medio del caos» (¡tan apropiado para esta ciudad!). Aunque casi nada ha salido como pensábamos, creemos que todo está saliendo exactamente como Dios lo diseñó.
En la actualidad nos reunimos todos los domingos por la noche en nuestra casa donde comemos, adoramos, soñamos, oramos y estudiamos juntos la Palabra de Dios. ¡Mientras que los adultos se reúnen en nuestra casa, los niños van a la casa de Mamá Lynne al lado! Nuestro equipo está creciendo, y todos nos estamos convirtiendo en una familia. Ninguno de nosotros sabe exactamente a dónde nos ha de llevar el Señor, ¡pero todos estamos dispuestos a descubrirlo!
¡Si sientes que Dios te está llamando a emprender algo, te animo a que des un paso de fe y le des tu «sí» a Dios!
Sobre la Autora
Cala Dickey
Mike y Cala Dickey son los pastores principales de la más reciente iglesia plantada por la Región Sureste de la Biblia Abierta, OHR City Church, en Nueva Orleans, Luisiana. Antes de ir al bayou, Mike y Cala plantaron CityLife Church en Wilmington, Carolina del Norte. Les apasiona ser pioneros y plantar iglesias en áreas que necesitan desesperadamente a Jesús. ¡La familia Dickey está emocionada por lo que Dios está haciendo a través de OHR City Church en Nueva Orleans! Para más información, visite Ohrcc.com.
In 2017, my husband Dyecol and I were asked to be the interim pastors of Word of Life Open Bible Church in Lehigh Acres, Florida. Little did we know that our two weeks as interim pastors would turn into seven years and counting. After accepting the call to be the permanent pastors, we moved to Lehigh in September, right after Hurricane Ivan had hit. There was no electricity in the city, and it felt like we were moving into darkness and chaos. I didn’t realize we were also moving into the rest of our lives.
Dyecol and I had never had children together. Shortly after our move to Lehigh, we saw a billboard for an adoption agency. Dyecol went to the agency’s office for more information, and it wasn’t long before we were taking a class on adoption. The instructor of the class emphasized how much greater our chances would be to adopt through fostering, and pretty soon we got our first call to foster a three-year-old girl named Isabella. I will never forget seeing that scared little girl walk through our doorway. I scooped her up in my arms, she laid her head on my shoulder, and my future was sealed.
We’d had Isabella for only a month when we got a call for a second little girl, Maria. Maria’s sister Ruby would join her a few months later, and not long after Ruby, we got a call for a fourth child, our first newborn. This baby was only six days old and had been born addicted to drugs. We were told her parents didn’t want her, and we became excited that this baby might become ours. We attached, weaned her off drugs, and she began to thrive. It was then that her biological father decided that he wanted her. As difficult as this was, it was further complicated by the fact that our hopes of adopting the other girls fell through around the same time. We were shattered. This taste of parenthood had convinced me that I wanted to be a mom again, but fostering was too difficult. I told myself, “Never ever again!” Until I got the next call.
Sometimes God walks you through a process of loss and then He dumps blessing on you when you least expect it.
“Ms. Walker, I have a little girl for you….”
“I don’t know, we’re taking a break.”
“Ms. Walker, I’m telling you, you’re going to want this little girl.”
(Deep Breath.) “Okay.”
Our case worker brought over this ten-year-old little girl with big old grandma glasses, fuzzy hair, and the cutest smile. That little girl walked into our lives, and she has changed us forever. Her name is Anna-Tae Walker, and she became our first adopted daughter. Two months later, we were introduced to our daughter Heavenly. We loved her from the moment we saw her. Sometimes you just know. I said to my husband, “She’s not leaving.” True to my word, Heavenly AND her brother Joshua became ours through adoption.
Sometimes God walks you through a process of loss and then He dumps blessing on you when you least expect it. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t have the first little girls we tried to adopt, but God said no. He knew who our kids were.
Despite my having three adopted children, I continued to take new placements. My first experiences fostering almost broke me, but as I continued to say “yes” to each new child, God reinforced my heart with His strength. Instead of shrinking with each loss, my heart grows bigger as I watch family reunifications. God has gifted me with the capacity to love and to lose.
One night as I was lying on my bed, the Lord gave me a word: “Walker’s House of Hope.” I told my husband, “This is what we’re going to name the house where we raise the children God brings to us.” We started praying, “Lord, if you give us a bigger house we will take more children.” At that time, we had seven children in a three-bedroom house. It wasn’t long before the Lord provided us with a four-bedroom house.
God has gifted me with the capacity to love and to lose.
I got the call almost immediately: “Ms. Walker, we have a sibling group of three.”
“You know I have seven children, right?”
“Yes, Ms. Walker, but you were born for this.”
Immediately the voice of the Lord came to me, reminding me of my prayer. He had given me a bigger house; I was obligated to fulfill my promise. So, we ran out and bought another bunk bed.
Today, we have ten children: three adopted and seven fostered. Every day after school, I hear ten voices at once, beautiful chaos. Each time I say aloud, “I have ten children,” I can’t believe it – not because it’s too much, but because it feels comfortable. When I dream about the future, I see myself with even more children, running around a big property and coming in to eat dinner around our huge kitchen table. I have found my calling, and I am believing for God to gift us with the house that’s as big as my heart.
I had a sign made that hangs in our current home: “Walker’s House of Hope.” When I look at it, I say to God, “This is not it. But this is it for now.”
Seven years ago, we moved to a city that was in chaos and darkness. Today, we live in a home of chaos and light. And as I look around my busy kitchen table, I have never been more excited about the rest of my life.
About the Author
Taneasha Walker
Taneasha Walker is currently co-pastoring Word of Life Open Bible Church in Lehigh Acres, Florida, with her husband Dyecol. She serves on the Southeast Regional Board as an At- Large member. Taneasha has gained experience in every area of ministry, using this knowledge to effectively care for the local church body as well as the children that have been entrusted to her. She is passionate about prayer, utilizing it in every endeavor. In her free time, Taneasha’s hobbies include reading, singing, and traveling.
