Lesson 6. The Dark Night of the Soul. The “How to Hear God” School was held at Father’s Blessing Church. Author – John Paul Jackson. Teacher – Dmitriy Leo
If we have a prophetic gift, we will have to change a great deal, and God Himself will prompt us to do so. The “dark place of the soul” is where our fleshly desires and self-reliance die. The soul is our feelings, emotions, and mind.
Sometimes God has placed us, is placing us, and will place us in situations where our souls experience a certain degree of restriction.
Restriction of the soul means:
– restriction of our feelings. We stop feeling His presence (warmth, goosebumps, and so on); we no longer feel like doing anything, and we do not experience fulfillment in our ministry.
– restriction of our emotions. We do not feel like singing, rejoicing, or smiling; victories from the previous week no longer bring us joy; we have no desire to pray or speak at all.
– restriction of our mind (understanding). We cannot find the reason for this condition of our soul. Where did it come from, why, when will it end, and what should we do?
This is what it means for our soul to be in prison.
Sometimes God places us in such a situation in order to speak to us, so that we may be able to hear His voice. He brings restrictions through which we draw near to Him. Restrictions bring us closer to God rather than drive us away.
Ps. 17:7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, to His ears.”
Ps. 141:1–7 “I cried out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice I pleaded with the Lord. I poured out my complaint before Him; I declared my trouble before Him. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. On the way in which I walked, they secretly set a snare for me. I look to my right and see that no one acknowledges me; refuge has failed me, and no one cares for my soul. I cried out to You, Lord; I said, ‘You are my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.’ Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me when You show me Your goodness.”
Our right response in times of restriction is to draw near to God and pray to Him. In such times, He seeks our attention; He waits for us to cry out to Him, and He is ready to answer us.
Why does God not speak immediately, but allows such times in our lives?
Through the dark night of the soul, He puts to death the desires of our flesh and our self-confidence. If we pray for His will to be fulfilled in our lives, we will have to humble ourselves greatly. Many want to see blessings in ministry, but forget that God will require our humility. We will not fulfill His will without humbling ourselves.
The dark night of the soul is one of the tools God uses to humble us. In such times, we usually do not want anything at all, and nothing works out for us. There is only one way out: cry out to God.
The Lord wants to make us dependent on Him. Sometimes we become so carnal that He has no choice but to allow these hardships to come upon us, or else He would simply have to punish us. At times, our feelings, emotions, and minds are consumed by worldly things—we are intoxicated with the wine of this world.
– we feel bad because we cannot buy everything we want.
– we feel that our husband, wife, children, parents, pastor, church, home, car, and clothing are not like those of others.
– we lose our joy when someone else has something better than we do.
God is not against blessing us; He is against the fact that many who are called and anointed for great ministry:
– instead of seeking His face, sit in front of their televisions,
– instead of abiding in the Word, they engage in gossip or indulge in idle talk,
– instead of seeking His will, all their thoughts are focused on how to improve their material or social standing in society.
Today, many have renounced their gifts through their actions, and those gifts are fading more and more with each passing day. Why does God allow restrictions on the soul? He is jealous for His Spirit within us when we neglect Him. Yet this reveals His love for us.
God, as it were, allows us to lose our way in a dark, unfamiliar room. When we realize that we are alone and there is no way out, we will either cry out in humility or remain there to die in our pride. But when we cry out to Him, He comes with an answer and reveals His will to us.
There is something else.
James 4:6: “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”
We may pass through the dark night of the soul not only because of our fleshly desires, but also because of our presumption, which is pride. The more gifted a person is, the more opportunities they have to rely on themselves and their abilities.
– I will achieve my goal if I pray at least 5 hours a day
– I must prosper because I faithfully give a portion of everything to the Church and give to the poor.
– I do a lot in the Church, I take part in everything, I give generously, and God will give me more revelation
– God must surely answer my need because I have begun fasting and praying
The dark night of the soul is necessary for everyone—the not-so-spiritual and the super-spiritual alike. In some, God puts the desires of the flesh to death; in others, reliance on their gift or works.
So, what should we do in times like these?
1. Understanding: God has allowed this, and everything is under His control. He wants to deal with my flesh or my hyper-spirituality. What exactly does He want to change in me? This? Why? Yes, exactly this. Thank You, Lord; I see that I really need to get rid of this.
2. Repentance: Thank You, Lord, for showing me… Yes, this is sin against You. I repent of… Amen!
3. Prayer: I ask You, Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, to reveal to me what to do next so that I will not act this way again. What is hindering me? What should I start doing?
4. Receiving: We need to set aside time to hear God’s answer. Pray, meditate on Scripture, quiet ourselves, and listen to what He is saying to our hearts. If prompted, browse through a book, listen to audio, watch a video, or seek advice from someone. God has 100 ways to speak to you—let Him do it.
End of lesson.
Father’s Blessing Church
Author – John Paul Jackson
Teacher – Dmitriy Leo
