So I signed my daughter Irene up for a ministry called “LieBusters” at the David’s Tent worship festival.
Five minutes in, her “LieBuster” asks her, “What is God saying to you?”
Irene sits there, taken aback, and then tears stream down her face.
“Nothing. I can’t hear a thing. I didn’t know it was going to be interactive.”
The leader: “Oh my goodness. What did you expect?”
Irene: “I don’t know. My parents signed me up.”
The leader: “Oh my goodness! Do you know Christ? Or do your parents expect me to bring you to Christ too?”
Irene: “I know Christ.”
Leader: “Well, you never know. Some parents expect me to convert their children. Parents can be mean.”
* * *
The leader then prays for her to be able to hear God’s voice, and reader, she does.
“I heard God loads, mum, in words, and in pictures too. Mainly pictures.”
She was radiant with happiness.
* * *
Now, reader, while Irene was going through her session, I was going through a LieBuster session of my own.
And every few minutes, the leader asked, “What is the Lord saying to you? What do you see?”
And like an eager, overachieving student, I felt an answer was expected of me.
And so I rummaged at the outer rim of consciousness–Had I seen something? Had I heard something? The back of the Lord as he passed, as Moses saw? The hem of his garment? And I shared the vaguest hints of impressions. Sometimes, they were platitudes, oh yes. And sometimes, I clothed in words something nebulous, numinous, that I was just about seeing or hearing.
* * *
I did get something out of my LieBuster session. Yes, I believe I did.
But not as much as if I had, with simple honesty, said, “I don’t hear very much. I don’t see very much. I need more time” and had accepted prayer for my spiritual senses to be sharpened. Or simply waited until I did hear.
* * *
There is magic in honesty, in the spiritual life as in any relationship. There is magic in owning exactly who you are, without pretence, to God, and to another person.
We enter into the spiritual life through a very narrow gate, a low tunnel, and the name of that tunnel is honesty. Never pretending that we feel what we do not feel. That we believe what we do not believe. That we have experienced what we have not, in fact, experienced.
Once we pretend, we are lost in the shadowlands; we join the crowds pretending that the Emperor has clothes, when in fact, as far as we can see, he does not.
And the greatest loss is that we lose the possibility of experiencing the richness of the spiritual life. Lost in our lies, we lose the chance of seeing Jesus.
Honesty, humility, simple words, gateways to the pearl without price.
We need to go low; stop pretending; tell the truth; enter as a child.
And then maybe, like Irene, we will confess that we do not in fact hear God, and we will be prayed for, and then we will indeed “hear God loads.”
Amen
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A friend of mine attended a liebuster session and she told me that she was told “there is a curse on your family form the 16th century. This curse has meant you have never been able to make money”
I have no idea if what she told me was true or not.
I have been to David’s tent twice before and really enjoyed it.
It is a bit hard for me to comment on something that a friend of mine told me as for al I know someone who had been through the lisbuster training would never say this.
I am a little worried though incase what she told be was exactly true ans a “liebuster” might say this type of thing.
I would like to know if that indeed is the kind of thing that might be said to someone , I am also unsure of how someone becomes a liebuster.
My impression is that you pay to do a course and become a liebuster and that liebusters charge money for what they do
I am quite concerned about this as twice before at David’s tent and this time I left early as I am “concerned” about what my friend told me, I am also unsure what happens for someone who does not have any money to pay for this service,
Anyways I have really enjoyed David’s tent before but I will not go again until or if my questions are resolved.
I have no idea how I would do that
All the best
Peter
Not really an expert on Liebusters. Went through one session at David’s Tent out of curiosity, and found it good. Helpful. Cathartic. I would recommend it, though I obviously haven’t done so publicly so far, as I don’t yet know enough about the ministry. I guess like all one on one ministry, such as prophetic words, the ministry is only as good as the minister you get.
The liesbuster session I went through at David’s Tent was free.
Here is a link to the liebuster website http://www.liebusters.org/get_lie_busted. If you play around, it describes the process of becoming a liebuster.
My husband had a Liebuster session with the founder, Jonathan Cavan, while at David’s Tent, and was impressed with him and it.
Thank you for replying
I appreciate your answer and I although I believe God can use anyone to speak a word to us it seems to me there are some people who seem to have a quality of relationship that they seem to hear from him more consistently.
I do not think that any particular method qualifies someone to do this .
I think someone who maintains a healthy relationship with God and is open to be used by Him can speak words into ones life that an bring change
Like you I have no real knowledge of liebusters and felt a little “english” about raising my concerns.
They are certainly enough to stop me going to David;s tent again so I would like if possible to understand some if the points I mentioned in my first post.
I suppose I could write directly to liebusters and ask them if they believe it possible to get the level of detail into ones ancestry that a friend of mine claimed they had.
I am a middle class profesional . I have been in christian groups , often where a lot of the people who went were ex homeless and strapped for cash.
So the other question I have would be how they would deal with someone with no income if the wanted a liebusting exercise.
So at least I have formalised the two questions I would ask,
For some reason I have no “peace” about asking them these two questions straight out I would like to know not just for idle curiosity.
I would not attend David’s tent again without having this bottomed out.
Anyways in your kind reply you mentioned you are no really an expert on this maybe someone who is might read this and answer.
all the best
Peter
Oh Anita! Lovely honesty about the different reactions people have to that kind of question! 🙂 I wouldn’t dare – or think I should – sign my kids up to anything, when they were kids! There are different ways of parenting … and different kids – and God works individually, and differently, with everyone. Keep going along the path …
Thanks Clare 🙂
Thanks so much for this heartening message. Irene is so right when she said, “I heard God loads, mum, in words, and in pictures too. Mainly pictures.”
You remind me of the several times in my life when I heard God talk to me in an audible voice. All were wonderful experiences. All pretty nuts-and-bolts type of things that God said, too. Nothing “mountain-toppy.” But, that’s okay.
And, I hear God from time to time in pictures, too! I am SO happy for Irene. What a wonderful gift. @chaplaineliza
How lovely to hear an audible voice. I never have, but have heard clear-as-crystal sentences which have changed the direction of my life.
Lovely to hear from you again, Elizabeth!
John 4:23-24 New King James Version (NKJV)
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
I so agree with you, David was always honest with God and poured out his heart. One of the groups of people God hates are those who lie … God is truth so we can only communicate when we are speaking in the spirit of truth. Even if we are hopping mad we still need to speak to God and discuss our emotions with Him. Thank you for your very beautiful truth which you shared with us.
Martin, thank you indeed!