Forming Quotes

“This is Christian formation: developing an authentic relationship with God that is vibrant enough to change us from the inside out, and learning how to participate with God in ways that allow Him to bring about that change, so we can become more and more the person God created us to be.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“First, God's word to us is usually not very dramatic, as some might think, nor do we need to have any special spiritual gift. Rather, God's Spirit speaks into our spirit in ways that we can learn to sense as we pay attention to our heart while engaging with God.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Most of all, listening is an act of trust in our relationship with God, an expectation that He will reveal things to us that we need for both our relationship with Him and for our life.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“conversational prayer seeks to engage the whole mind, with emphasis on the reflective and relational parts of our brain.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“hearing from God has a different intent and is engaged in differently”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Hearing from God is a learned process.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Quieting our mind and focusing on God are an important part of hearing well. We need to quiet and focus each time we approach having a conversation with God, and most of us will need to stop and refocus from time to time while we are engaged with Him.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“All we really need to do is ask God to guard our heart and mind, and trust Him to meet us in the process.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Imagination is a good thing, because it helps us know who we are, where we have come from, and who this God is who cares so much about us. It truly is a good thing to imagine ourselves having a conversation with God!”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“This fear of using our imagination really makes very little sense. Consider the beauty of seeing a “treasure in earthen vessels” or envisioning ourselves as clay in the potter's hands.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“When Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would become their new teacher, did He not mean for them to think about how those conversations would be both similar to and different from the way Jesus had taught them?”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“How does one think about whatever is pure, true, just, honorable, or commendable (Phil.4:8) without imagining how those things might look in the real world?”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“many times in both the Old and New Testaments we are told to remember the things that God has done for us. In that sense we are commanded to use our imaginations”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“The truth is that God deliberately created our minds with the capacity to “see” things that are not in our immediate field of vision, and we use that ability constantly: every time we read a story; whenever we think of better ways of doing something; or whenever we rehearse possible outcomes before attempting a difficult task.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“asking Him to calm our fears and to help us let down our guard is an important part of letting Him have full access to our heart and placing ourselves in a willing place of receiving.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Focusing also involves a prayer for God to open our heart and mind to Him.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“On the other hand, if we believe God is in the room and engulfs us with His presence, our mind and heart will be far more receptive to whatever He has for us. Focusing on God means that we expect to meet Him, and turn to Him in anticipation of our soul finding air and water and food from His voice and His presence. We trust His heart, that He is for us, that He holds us in love and desires to be with us.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“we must learn how to let go of all of these things and quiet our mind and soul so that we can give our full attention to the Spirit of God.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“barriers to hearing God is the sheer magnitude of distractions that exist in our life. Aside from being overly busy, most of us have a lot of mental “static” going on in our head including anxiety, stress, expectations, not to mention the electronic gadgets that fill every spare moment we may have.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“The word focus describes the dual process of setting the eyes of our heart on “things above” and taking them off “things on the earth” (Col:3:2).”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Focusing on God means that we set aside time to meet with Him and make every effort to honor that time as we would any meeting with a friend or sweetheart.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps.46:10)”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Hearing God by Dallas Willard.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Most of all, God speaks to us as part of being fully present with us and relating to us.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“these verses tell us that God loves to teach, that we have much to learn, and that He wants to show us life as He sees it.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Jn.16:12-14. I have much more to say to you … But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what He hears … He will bring glory to me by taking from what is from mine and making it known to you.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Jn.15:26. The Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – He will testify about me. (NIV)”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Jn.14:26. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Jn.10:3-5,16,27. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice … I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice … My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace

“Jn.5:25. I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
― David Takle, Forming: A Work of Grace