God Conversations With Tania Harris

2015 has been another year of global chaos and turmoil. From terror attacks in Paris and Beirut, drowned toddlers washed up on the Turkish coast, a devastating earthquake in Nepal, and the Syrian crisis spilling millions of desperate refugees into Europe, we’ve faced a constant stream of tragic and disturbing news. As Christians, how do we respond when we hear the nightly news? How do we relate from the positions of our comfy lounge-room chairs when we hear about the latest deadly attack? Most of us are not politicians, international diplomats or war strategists. We are just fellow humans who cry out to God when we hear the stories. So what is God saying to us in the midst of global chaos? Just before Christmas, I spoke with John Peachey from Rhema's Mornings Show in New Zealand. In this podcast, we talk about some of these important issues by looking at what God has already said. The first century church faced threats of persecution in their day not by terrorists, but by a brutal Roman empire. God's words

When God spoke to Joseph about his future destiny as a great leader, he waited until he was sleeping. When God spoke to the Apostle Peter about his strategy for building the church, he put Peter in a trance. When God answered Paul about which direction to go next on his missionary journey, he chose to answer in a dream. Why would God speak to us in the night and not the day? Why wait until we are sleeping?  In this podcast, we explore some of the answers to these questions. You'll learn how dreams can be used to get difficult messages through, how dreams make God's voice accessible to everybody regardless of their personality type and how dreams and visions reveal God's masterful creativity and his incredible heart to communicate. Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Learn More: The Awaken Your Dreams 3-part CD Series will equip you how to recognise God’s voice in dreams and visions. Learn how dreams are God’s most common mode of communication, how to understand t

How do you follow God’s voice for your life if there are two of you? What if both of you hear different things? Or what if one person gets the low-down from God while the other doesn’t? How does God lead married couples? On the show today we have some guests who are brilliantly qualified to answer these questions and I know you’re going to learn a lot from them! Brett Ryan is the CEO of Focus on the Family Australia. He’s spent more than 12 years as a Children’s Pastor at Citylife Church Citylife Church, Melbourne, Australia building a significant ministry to over 1,000 children across 3 different church campuses. Brett’s wife Kate has been a PE teacher for the past 24 years, first of all as a Primary teacher and then as a Secondary teacher. Today Kate and Brett work together to serve the community and the church with a heart to see families thrive. In this episode, I talk with Brett and Kate about: The story of how God led them through the various career changes in their lives What the story of Manoah

You may have heard it said that being a Christian is boring - that it’s all about keeping the rules and making sure you don’t do things you’re not allowed to. Today’s interview turns that thought on its head. I’ve often said that when we when we follow the Holy Spirit, we replace the ‘good life’ with the God life - one which is full of supernatural adventure. When you listen to God’s voice and follow it, you end up doing things you’d never normally do and seeing miracles you wouldn’t normally see. That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to Pastor David McCracken on the show today! If you live in Australia, you probably already know his name. David is a well known prophet both nationally and overseas. He heads up a wonderful team based in Melbourne (David McCracken Ministries) and has an incredible reputation, having been in ministry for over 40 years, first as a pastor and now as an itinerant ministering in the prophetic. This podcast contains some gems that will help you live the god-life with wisdom and

A few years after starting God Conversations, God spoke to me about a second branch of ministry. Unlike equipping people to recognise God's voice, this one was just for women. The vision of God Conversations for Women is to help women realise their God-given potential. The goal is to see God’s original plan when he cast both men and women in his image and commissioned them to steward the planet together (Genesis 1:26-27) fulfilled in the 21st century. The question of what a 21st C woman looks like is not an easy one to answer. Once it was simple. Women’s roles in the home, church and community were all very clear. But the feminist movement has changed all that. The last 50-100 years have seen seismic shifts in Western society. Today women can vote and go to university. They can get a job and travel without their husbands. They can fly aeroplanes, join the army, preach sermons and rise to the position of Prime Minister. It wasn’t long ago that all these things were unthinkable. But at the same time, these

“What? You’re a pastor?”  “What do you mean - like in a church?” "Do you think God called you because there was no man available?" “Are you in rebellion?” These are just some of the responses I’ve received over the past twenty years in ministry when I’ve been introduced to someone for the first time. The next question (if there is one - sometimes people just change the subject or walk away!) is usually: So how does it feel to be a woman in ministry? Even though the denomination I’m ordained in (the Australian Christian Churches) has always held an egalitarian position towards women in ministry, I’m still a bit of an anomaly - both in the church world and more so, in wider society. After sharing my initial journey into ministry on the podcast last year (listen to How it Feels to be a Woman in Ministry Part 1), in this episode, I talk a bit about the responses of others to my being a female pastor - yes, the good, the bad and the ugly(!) - and how I believe God is working in the midst of them. My purpose is

How can hearing God’s voice be easy? Admittedly it is a slightly provocative statement designed to get you reading my eBook, The Easy Way to Hear God’s Voice, but there’s also an element of truth in it. Let me explain... Many of us struggle to hear God’s voice and it seems we are not alone. Even in Bible times people experienced the same frustration: Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words? For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds... (Job 33:13-15) Though we know these words were spoken by someone who didn’t always have the right advice for his friend Job, they still give us a glimpse of the ancients’ experience in trying to discern God’s voice. God may well have been speaking to them in dreams, but like so many of us, they didn’t notice it. The premise of my book then is, that hearing from God may be as easy as falling asleep - something we can all do!

How did John know his Revelation was from God? I wonder how the seven churches of Asia Minor felt when they first received John’s letter. Along with the rest of the early churches, they’d been instructed to ‘weigh up’ prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29) and ‘test the spirits to see if they’re from God’ (1 John 4:1). Like today, there were many claims to divine revelation floating around. How did they know it was from God? And even more so, how did John know it was from God? We learn from history that the book of Revelation was received eagerly by the church - at first. By the third and fourth centuries, church leaders became sceptical. Some debated its source and you can probably guess why. The book of Revelation certainly has a chequered history. Even today eastern orthodox churches don’t use the book in their liturgies. Like the seven churches of Asia Minor, we are called to test the revelations we receive. The question of course is, how? We can learn from the early church’s example, applying these 3 tests 

What the Hallmark Designers Didn’t See at Christmas... The scene appears so peaceful on our Christmas cards. A soft glow over the manger. The serene face of mother Mary cradling her newborn. Joseph leaning in proudly. But the Hallmark designers weren’t sitting in the same seat as the Apostle John. They didn’t get to see what was really happening as the scene unfolded at Christmastime. A glimpse behind the curtain of the natural world reveals a completely different drama. There’s a seven-headed dragon with ten horns. An army of angels at war. A torrent of water and a providential earthquake. It’s a front row seat at one of the most pivotal scenes in history. We talk about it on today’s podcast and you can read about it in Revelation chapter 12. The scene is a classic example of how symbolism works in dreams and visions. Mary wasn’t literally given two eagle wings, but she was given freedom from the clutches of her attacker. Herod didn’t have ten horns, but he was a powerful king representing a tyrannical

How could Jesus have white hair if he was only in his early thirties? How can a lamb have seven horns? How could clothes be white after they’ve been washed in blood? It is perhaps easy to see why many of us steer clear of the book of Revelation, why it was the last book to be accepted into the canon in the 4th Century and why Martin Luther tried to oust it generations later. Many of the colourful scenes in this book of the Bible just don’t make sense. Or at least they don’t if you take them literally.  But Revelation was never meant to be taken literally. We don’t wash our clothes in blood and expect them to come out white. Prayers don’t vapourise into incense and cause earthquakes. Humans don’t resemble olive trees. The striking visions recorded by John in the book of Revelation are jam-packed with symbols. Symbols that need to be interpreted before they can be understood. Once we understand how, the message becomes clearer - first to the seven churches of Asia Minor, and then to us. You have to wonde

A beast with seven heads? A prostitute drunk with blood? A lamb with seven eyes and seven horns? What was the author thinking? What had he been eating?! We could be forgiven for asking questions like these when we start reading the book of Revelation. One could wonder if we’ve found ourselves in the middle of a scene from Lord of the Rings rather than a portion of sacred Scripture. In order to understand the powerful and relevant message of this ancient book, we must recognise it is a dream-vision, one of the most common ways God spoke to his people in biblical times, and still uses to speak to us today. Dreams and visions usually speak a symbolic language and therefore require interpretation. In this series, we are using a five-question framework to help us discern the meaning of the book. Last week we looked at the first question - What is the setting of the dream? We learnt that Revelation was a divine message to John who was in exile on the isle of Patmos for his faith. It was then passed onto sev

The last book in the Bible - the book of Revelation - can be a closed and confusing read. Graphic imagery of seven-headed beasts, gaudy prostitutes and winged creatures serve to make some of the scenes in the book resemble the Lord of the Rings movies more than the writings of sacred scripture. Yet Revelation contains a profound message that is as relevant today as it was to the 1st C church. This episode is the first in a 5-part series in How to Understand the Book of Revelation. A first century rabbi once said that a dream uninterpreted is like a letter unopened, and this is true of the book of Revelation. To understand its message, you first have to realise it is a dream/vision that uses symbolic language and like most of these forms of divine communication, it requires interpretation. In this podcast, we will unpack the meaning of Revelation by looking at: The genre of Revelation as a dream/vision The visions of revelation as God's 'curtain calls' revealing what is happening behind the scenes in t

On this week's podcast, Light FM radio host Clayton Bjelan and I chat about the experiences of listeners from Melbourne (Australia) in hearing God’s voice. We hear from: Robert who heard God’s voice on one of the worst days of his life. Bernadette who received a vision that helped her avoid a devastating car accident. Ken who received encouragement while waiting for his first child to be born. Marinella who unexpectedly landed the perfect job through following the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jessie who desperately needed reassurance that God was with her in a time of great distress. Be inspired by their stories as they share of the life that comes when God speaks and how his words can warn and protect us! We learn that truly, God speaks to us for our strengthening, encouraging and comfort! (1 Corinthians 14:3). Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! What's your favourite God-Conversation story? Share in the comments below!  

“Gold told me; ...to park my car here.” ...to divorce my wife.” ...to kill the Muslims.” It doesn’t take long in church life before you hear someone saying it. The words ‘God told me’ have been used to justify mass murder, the proliferation of a range of weird beliefs and abuses of power so heinous that you can’t really blame church leaders from throwing their hands up in the air in exasperation and saying you should never ever use them. Yet the characters of the Bible seemed to have no problem saying them. Our most famous stories begin with; “And the word of the Lord came to.. or “God spoke unto...,” or in the New Testament you are more likely to read; “The Holy Spirit said…” Is it ever okay to say ‘God told me’? Let’s turn that question around for a moment. It’s not okay when; You are using it to manipulate. This usually looks like; ‘God told me that YOU should do this for me.” We are responsible for our own actions; never the actions of others. God is more likely to speak to others about their own

I was first asked this question while pioneering my church in Melbourne around fifteen years ago; “How does it feel to be a woman pastoring a church?” Back then I replied; “I don’t know - I’ve never pastored a church as a man!” It is perhaps an unusual topic for a podcast on hearing God’s voice, but I’m asked this question often so I thought I would take some time to answer it. In this podcast, we look at two issues affecting my journey as a woman in ministry: 1. Theology and 2. Identity, discussing what they mean for all of us, male and female, in the midst of sweeping changes to gender roles in the 21st Century. We start with the Australian context. In the denomination I am ordained in, the Australian Christian Churches, an egalitarian policy was set from the very beginning - in fact many of our earliest churches were pioneered by women. But that isn’t always the case for most of our Australian mainstream denominations. Usually there are some ceilings on women in leadership, although you will find varia

Yes, the podcast today is for those who can’t find time in their busy schedules to get away for hours and sit cross-legged on a mountaintop! It may be the longest headline ever, but I think it encapsulates what we all long for. The thoughts in this podcast provide some solutions to our busyness problem and how to hear God’s voice in whatever situation we find ourselves. We start by looking at the introverted practises of the ancient mystics and the paradigms we have about hearing God’s voice as a result. Yes, it’s wonderful to get away, to extract yourself from life’s responsibilities and find a quiet place to clear your mind. But getting away is not always possible when there are toddlers running around our feet, or we’re pressing to meet that work deadline and our annual leave has run out. The good news is that it is possible to hear God’s voice whatever our day to day lives look like. The beauty of the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit will be with us wherever we go, whatever we do. God is with us i

“‘In the last days, God says,     I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,     your young men will see visions,     your old men will dream dreams." It's one of the most famous verses in the New Testament and a pivotal moment for the early church. The Holy Spirit 'fell' on a group of people as they gathered to worship on the Jewish Day of Pentecost. A number of miraculous phenomena occurred that day, but the Apostle Peter makes note of only one of them. Young and old, male and female - all people would be able to have "dreams and visions" and "prophesy". But what did Peter mean by that? In this podcast, we talk about the dreams of Acts 2:17 - what Peter meant by them, how we have managed to turn it into something else and in doing so, have missed one of the most powerful ways to hear God's voice. You may also like to read; Acts 2:17 - A Turning Point, but What Does this Verse Really Mean? Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode. Y

Our response to God's voice is critical - both in terms of the consequences of our decision-making as well as our ongoing conversations with God. In today's podcast I would love to introduce you to the person who taught me what to do when God speaks. Ps. Melinda Dwight is a pioneer and a visionary - raiser of leaders, personal mentor and the first woman to be a state executive member in the Australian Christian Churches. Currently she is the National Director of Alpha Australia. But apart from all those wonderful achievements, Melinda knows how to hear God’s voice. In this interview, hear how listening to God took her to the prisons of Nigeria and into the offices of the influential. Hear how when we listen to God, he can open doors no-one can shut, how faithfulness in the little things prepares us for the bigger things and ultimately, how blessing comes when we have the courage to believe what God says. Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! Your Thoughts How has he

How often does God speak? Is it a rare, one-off event that we look back on and reminisce over? Or is it a normal part of my everyday experience? Some make it sound like God speaks every single day. God said this, God said that. He told me what to wear today. He said, I should do this and go there. It’s like God is saying something new every moment. My immediate response is, I don’t think so. Yet at times I’ve been surprised by just how much he speaks. There have been times when he’s spoken loudly and clearly and repeatedly. There’s a dream, a vision, a scripture, a sermon, a prophecy. It felt like it came when I really needed it. I would say to myself; I didn’t realise God would speak so often! But then there would are times when he says nothing. Absolutely nothing. Hello? Are you there? Is it a bad line? Are we out of range?  So how often does God speak? What’s 'normal'? And therefore, what should our expectation be?   Today’s podcast brings some thoughts to this interesting question. Listen to dis

Men are better at parking cars and reading maps. Women are better at communication and intuition. The prevailing research shows that our gender differences are related to neurological processes in the brain. One of the God Conversations Leadership team, Ps. Peter Wallis, Resource Manager, Sound Engineer and Pastor Extraordinaire! So if women are naturally better at communicating, does this effect their ability to hear God’s voice? Why is it that more women are on prayer-teams than men, why do more women attend God Conversations seminars and why is this area sometimes viewed as a 'women’s topic'? Yet it's the men in the Bible who are most regularly seen hearing from God. At least these are the stories that are recorded. The experience of Manoah and his wife is an exceptional one. In this story found in Judges 13, we see the woman receiving direction from God and her husband Manoah not having the slightest idea what is going on! The promise given to us was that both sons AND daughters would prophesy and hav