Ep 88: How Do I Know God Is Speaking To Me with Suzy Holling

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Transcript

Today. We are diving into a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. I don’t know about you, but as a mom raising four kids, there were always voices screaming at me all the time, and I mean. All the time, not only the voices coming from the outside, mom, do this. Oh, Misty, can you help with that? Hey, I need to be at such and such a place at such and such a time.

But there were also voices screaming from the inside. You’re not enough. You failed again. You missed the mark. No one really likes you. Why try and on and on? I had to learn. How to silence the racket. My sanity depended on it. My ability to parent from a place of peace and presence depended on it. I needed to hear from heaven, but the problem was, how do I discern God’s voice from my own?

Is that God? Is that me or is that the enemy? Well, beloved, hang on to that question because That is exactly what I’m unpacking today with my friend Susie Halling. She’s a bestselling author, a transformation life coach and founder of True Self Academy.

Hey there. Welcome to Mom-to-Mom Mentoring. This is a podcast for kingdom minded moms who are doing all the right things but still feel like there’s something missing. You can’t quite figure out how to find that place of abundant life that you are promised in the word of God. I’m your host, Misty Hughes.

I’m a certified leadership transformational coach for women. I’m a podcast host wife, mom of four Grammy to six amazing humans, a former single mom who knows exactly what it’s like to carry the weight of the world and wonder when do I get to rest. Okay, maybe you’re listening today while you’re folding the laundry, sitting in the carpool line, or sneaking five minutes in the bathroom just to hear yourself think I see you.

And guess what? Today’s guest, Susie Halling recommends doing that very thing to find a still place to hear God’s voice. Here’s what she says.

[00:02:43] Suzy : just being silent. And even if you can start with one minute and if you have toddlers, lock yourself in the bathroom, sit on the toilet and set your timer for one minute.

[00:02:54] Misty: Yeah, you heard that, right? God meets us right where we are. Even in the bathroom, maybe you’re wondering if God really speaks to you specifically. Maybe you’ve prayed and felt like you’re shouting into a void.

Maybe you’re exhausted from trying to be everything to everyone. Craving a deep well of peace that can only come from heaven. I see you. God sees you, and I want you to know this podcast. Is just for you. For years, I ran on my good ideas and trust me, I have a lot of great ideas and the responsibility to get ’em all done.

I raised four incredible adults, built a life rooted in faith, and I juggled more roles than I cared to count. From the outside, I looked strong, like I had it all together, but inside I was actually. Exhausted and craving [00:04:00] something I couldn’t seem to find. I wanted to live fully alive, fully aligned with the heart of the father.

 And I wanted to create that safe space for my own children and other women to discover what that life living from that wellspring of abundance looked like.

 that’s what led me to start a women’s ministry for moms. I gave leadership to hundreds of moms for over 12 years. Eventually, I landed right here on this podcast and in my coaching business, creating a space where moms can find encouragement. Practical tools, and most importantly, learn to hear the voice of the good shepherd for themselves.

if you are ready to stop surviving and start living from this abundant place and alignment, hearing the voice of God and leaning into his leadership, I want to invite you to our mom to mom mentoring Facebook group.

It’s a safe space where. We’ll be asking the question, when was the last time you heard God speak and what did he say? Jump in, share your story, and let’s encourage one another because when we share what God is doing and speaking, it builds our faith and reminds us that he is really with us. Also, if you’re hungry for more and want to go deeper into discovering your identity, finding confidence, and creating life-giving rhythms, I’m opening up a 12 week group coaching cohort where I will serve as a gentle guide for a small group of women on their journey of discovery.

Head to the show notes to get on the wait list now. let me introduce to you today’s guest. Susie Holing is a woman who’s walked through her own journey of learning to hear God’s voice through her retreats, her coaching, and her true self, 40 days of transformation journey. She creates powerful spaces where women encounter God’s love in life changing ways, and get this before all that.

Suzy was a PE teacher in Saipan. I love those little nuances about our history that not too many people know. She’s also a mom with some wild and wonderful stories, including one involving her boys, some fireplace ash, and a confetti party. And if you’ve hung around me, you know, I’m. All about confetti parties.

So without further ado, let’s dive into this beautiful conversation about hearing the voice of God.

 Suzy.

I am so glad you’re here today and I’m so excited to talk about what we’re gonna be talking about and I have to share just a little bit. I just came back from a amazing. Women’s retreat with no more dry ground, in Utah. And actually, from what I understand, you’re like the, the grandma of that retreat or the mama of that retreat, I don’t know, but, but that retreat was birthed, out of one of your spaces that we just talked about.

Right.

[00:07:41] Suzy : Yeah. Yeah. It’s giving me chills.

[00:07:43] Misty: I know. Giving me chills. So, so we’re kind of related in a way, right?

[00:07:48] Suzy : Yes. It just is so good, what God can do.

[00:07:52] Misty: Yeah. And he just keeps doing it. I want. The mom that is listening to this to really [00:08:00] get to know you because you are the real deal.

So just a few little details. Uh, how many kids do you have?

[00:08:12] Suzy : I have three.

Two boys and a girl. Now I have a junior. He’s 16, a freshman who’s 14 and a seventh grade girl.

[00:08:20] Misty: you’ve obviously lived through a little bit of chaos that comes with parenting.

Now, Susie, did you grow up in the church? Yes, I did actually.

[00:08:32] Suzy : I received him at an early age, but I didn’t really have assurance of salvation or know, like how to walk in his faith, like walk by the spirit and his help, until college

Yeah.

[00:08:49] Misty: so that’s really when, the whole idea of a relationship. Started to really come about, right?

[00:08:56] Suzy : Yeah. I struggled through it like on my own, through junior high school. I wanted to do good. I wanted to be good. I wanted to be in my Bible, but I didn’t hunger and thirst righteousness until.

College.

[00:09:09] Misty: Now there’s a reason I’m asking like all these little detail questions, because we’re gonna talk about hearing from God. And so I, I’m curious to know, you were a busy mom raising kids, in church you’re doing all these things.

So when did the, I guess the revelation that God speaks and that God is speaking to you happen in your journey?

[00:09:40] Suzy : Uh, my children were actually toddlers, so I had three under, four years old, and I went to a retreat myself and really. Truly felt God’s presence. so my kids were young.

I was trying to do good. I was trying to be in the Bible and hear his voice through his word, but I didn’t really fully realized that I already heard him on a daily basis until this. Holy moment that I had at a retreat.

[00:10:14] Misty: Can you tell us a little more about that Holy moment?

[00:10:18] Suzy : Yeah, so we, um, there was this cross that had been painted in red and we had this invitation to go up to the cross, put our hands on it, We would then go on our knees and have, people who were gifted in the prophetic come and pray over us and speak life over us whatever the Holy Spirit was saying. And so I put my hands on this paper. This is probably gonna sound crazy, but the only way that I can explain this is when Jesus was walking through the crowds and the bleeding woman came and touched his tassels.

And he said, somebody touched me. And they’re like, well, of course somebody touched you, Jesus. And he is like, no, I felt power go from me. And I felt like power go from my hands. And I’m like, oh my gosh, my hands. And at that moment, the gal over me spoke. She says, you have healing hands. I’m like. What do I do with this?

Mm. So at that moment, I just like had that assurance because I truly felt it, it truly struck my heart. And then I’m like, how, how am I going to use my hands, Lord? Like how do I do this? once my daughter was in kindergarten, like probably three years later, I,

Went into training at the healing rooms and that’s where I really stepped into knowing that I was hearing the voice of God working that muscle. how we all hear and see him differently. ’cause we all have different giftings and that is where I feel like I ca became more secure in hearing his voice was by practice and stepping out.

And so was it the healing rooms at Spokane? Um, we have the headquarters here.

[00:11:53] Misty: I totally resonate with your journey, So there are a few words in there that I wanna make sure everybody’s on the [00:12:00] same page that you used as you shared one, of the words that sometimes people don’t understand what it means.

 so maybe we can unpack it a little bit, is, is the, prophetic Yes. And, you know, and it sounds like. That people were just going around praying for you. Right. And so when you use the word prophetic,

So what does that mean to you? I

[00:12:25] Suzy : there’s like the position in the seat of a, of a prophet, but we all have the gift of prophecy in that we can hear from God for each other. So when I hear, when I just ask the Lord, so if, if I was praying for Misty today, I’d be like, Hey Lord,

What is one thing that you have for Misty? And so I would ask him and. Either through, um, maybe I would have a vision, maybe I have a Bible verse, maybe a song would pop up in my head. Maybe a, sometimes I get full movies, whatever the Lord is telling me that I’m hearing, sensing, feeling that is a word from the Lord for Misty, and that is.

What I would call prophecy is when I’m speaking that over her and praying it over her, which happened to me. So somebody saw that I had healing hands somehow from the Lord, and they spoke that over me and, and it’s, it’s edifying.

[00:13:18] Misty: Yeah. Yes.

[00:13:20] Suzy : Yeah.

[00:13:20] Misty: And the thing I love about your experience, I, I heard this, phrase years ago is, confirmation is better than revelation.

Like we love revelation, but the Lord confirmed what he was speaking to you and doing in you. Through that woman, like it was confirmation and your, your spirit comes alive because I love when the Lord comes in his kindness and confirms what he’s showing or what he’s speaking. I’m gonna share my, eight, 8-year-old. Definition of what prophecy means because I used to work, with children and, in an equipping center and we created space and set the expectation for kids to hear from God. I would say you’re just like the Apostle John, he just leaned his head on the breast of Jesus and he heard the very heartbeat of Jesus

A beat of love. Right. And so when you say it’s edifying, it’s encouraging. Jesus wants to encourage his sons and daughters. He wants to edify, he wants to build up. So to me it’s just simply intimacy. It’s leaning my head on the breast of Jesus. And like you say, asking, what do you think? What do you, what are you, what are your thoughts about Susie?

And he loves to share them with us. so thanks for unpacking that. I hope everybody is like, Ooh, that sounds exciting. And, that you’re encouraged to just Give it a try. Just ask. He loves when we ask. so. In your journey then you said you had this encounter, this, this amazing time with the Lord at this retreat.

Then you go back home and life you’ve got Three kids, what? Under five or something at that point. So what happened and how, ’cause some of these moms that we’re talking to, they’re right there. They want Jesus, maybe they heard him last month, that church or something, but life happened. So how do you cultivate that when you go back home off the mountaintop?

[00:15:45] Suzy : At that point in my life, I was just still cultivating community and relationships. So I was leading mops, I was leading a Bible study in my home and I, and so that was like my lifeline [00:16:00] because with toddlers I felt like I was in survival mode and, I wasn’t able to commit to things out of the home so my life was ministry in motherhood at, at that point and trying to keep myself within a community.

[00:16:18] Misty: That’s awesome. I love that. You knew what was the most important thing in that season of life

And then when you had the opportunity mm-hmm. You went and, learned and grew in that gifting and what it meant. what. Else did you do to cultivate confidence that you were actually hearing from the Lord?

[00:16:43] Suzy : Mm-hmm. That’s a good question because I think that like we can feel crazy like, did I hear from him? Did I not? Am I doing this right? And I think because I had mentors in my life and because I had the word and accountability through people. I used all of that to not feel crazy and so I would bounce things off of these people in my life.

 hearing his voice day to day was just being grateful for where I was at. I was able to. Speak life into my children. I definitely had dishes in the sink and did not have the put together home, but my kids were happy and we played in the mud.

Um, so it was like. Taking a breath and, and I probably didn’t do it as well then as I do now, but amongst the chaos, just like taking that breath, like, okay, God, you’ve got me, you’ve got my kids. Like, everything’s gonna be okay. And trying to just step into peace in, in amongst chaos. he just spoke to me in sweet ways, like through nature and through friendships and.

At that point, I honestly wasn’t in the word as much as I am able to be now. so he would give me these just one verse of food that I could eat, you know? Mm-hmm. He would still show up in those simple, beautiful ways that I knew he was there and that, everything was gonna be all right.

[00:18:22] Misty: I think that it’s so easy to give ourselves a task list of things that we need to do There is a reality of, of the value of being in the word and worship and all those things, but at the end of the day, Jesus knows our frame And the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. he’s not gonna be like, Susie, you didn’t spend an hour in the word with me today. So, you know, we need to talk about this healing gift. That is not who God is. I love how he sustained you and, held you during those, playing in the mud seasons of life, right?

but practically speaking,

How do we know that we’ve heard from God?

[00:19:10] Suzy : well we talked about one already was like confirmation through other people, also, God’s word says my sheep hear my voice and I believe like. Our conscience, like he is speaking to us in our minds. but we also have the enemy who’s like throwing these fiery darts that I’m not enough or I’m unworthy, or I just am worth, like there’s all these.

So if it is edifying, if it is true, if it is, that that is the Lord already speaking to you, if, if it’s good, like God is good. So if he’s saying, oh, maybe you should stop and help this mom in the market. Like if it’s something good, I’m like, that is God. it’s more simple than we [00:20:00] make it

[00:20:00] Misty: to be.

 We complicate it, don’t we? when I worked with kids, it was such a refreshing time of life because they don’t have all the filters that we have developed as adults. They were wrestling on the floor one minute, and then Jesus says this, and you’re like.

That’s in the word. Yeah, he does say that.

[00:20:24] Suzy : I think we want like a checklist how do I get to point C? But there’s no checklist. You, you hear his voice. It’s just being willing to sit and ask or listen or, or actually you’re already hearing it and being like.

Oh, that was God.

[00:20:43] Misty: how can we practice or lean into hearing his voice? Because it’s kind of like a muscle, right? So how can we, how can we develop that?

[00:20:57] Suzy : I like to practice in the mornings. By, just being silent. And even if you can start with one minute and if you have toddlers, lock yourself in the bathroom, sit on the toilet and set your timer for one minute.

 I’ve worked myself up. I try to do it for like 15 minutes now I always have a notepad next to me because when I sit in silence. all these things pop up, like all the things I need to do today, and when I write it down, I, it’s like releasing it that has helped.

 I try to just think of nothing.

 And that’s when these most deeply intimate moments and places the Lord takes me, that’s changed my life is just by being silent.

Places he takes me, sometimes he takes me to this meadow under and he is like, he’s been there throwing a tea party for me. And I sit there and then I just like get to lay my head on his heart and just listen to him.

 we walk and sometimes we’re dancing. This happens a lot actually through worship. Like I’ll just imagine us dancing together I’ve even gone on magic carpet rides above the Earth. So it’s, there’s these different places, but it’s, his idea that comes in my imagination. So the way the Lord speaks to me is like through my imagination a lot. And at first I’m like, oh, this is just me being crazy, but really it’s like, no, he planted that thought in my mind and now I’m like, that’s so God. So that’s another part of hearing his voice is, is my imagination.

[00:22:25] Misty: Yeah. I always think of God gave us our imagination as a gift. It’s a place of encounter he’s beyond what we can think or even imagine. And so often I’ll be like, okay, I’m gonna imagine as much as I can imagine, and oh my gosh, he’s beyond that, You use that space of your imagination to meet with your beloved, to dine with him or dance with him, or ride across the galaxies with him, whatever it is. one thing that I do, I love the word, sometimes I’ll write just a line or just a phrase and I’ll think about it and I’ll write my thoughts about it. this is what I think about this. What do you think, father? And then I’ll sit and listen to what he thinks about that.

And usually I’m blown away and

[00:23:25] Suzy : I’m, it’s mind blowing. Like even so 23, it’s like the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, like that’s mind blowing. I don’t have to want. I don’t have to be in want

[00:23:39] Misty: I hear the Lord just saying that I don’t want you to want, I didn’t create you to want, I created you to have everything you desire fulfilled in me. Oh, and then you can just sink down and find a place of rest for your soul, have there been times in your life [00:24:00] where you’re not. Hearing the Lord.

[00:24:04] Suzy : Yeah, I, I think I, I felt like I had a quiet season there. I don’t know if it was me or if it was him, I feel that, I hear that, but I think he’s always speaking.

[00:24:18] Misty: Mm-hmm. And it’s a

[00:24:20] Suzy : matter of clearing the noise. And maybe we have been. I trying to put this in the right terms, like oppressed or like something coming against us supernaturally that needs to be cleared.

that is real.

That’s why I’m so passionate about people having inner healing. So they can hear from the Lord.

[00:24:44] Misty: Yeah. You know what, that was, that was a really good segue there. Thank you. Because as you were saying sometimes it’s oppression.

I was like, Ooh, we need to talk about if we’re experiencing that silencer or maybe the, conflicting voices in our head what does inner healing have to do with hearing the voice of God and what is inner healing?

[00:25:07] Suzy : Hmm. That’s good. Um, so some of us are oppressed and we have no desire. To even look at the Bible, read the Bible and ’cause I hear that a lot. Like, I just can’t read the Bible or I, I can’t pay attention or I can’t hear it. And, and so there’s something blocking you because the enemy doesn’t want you to be in the word.

 the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And he will do that in any way possible. And he’s very sneaky, just how he was sneaky with Eve. He’s sneaky to us to this day. And so we. Can open up doors through sin, unforgiveness, trauma, even generational sin. those are ways that the enemy can come in and, and have a heyday.

We have heart wounds from experiences in our past, whether we’ve been offended. If someone hurt our feelings, like we may be replaying situations over and over in our head and. part of that may be the enemy trying to come against us, but I also think it’s the Holy Spirit, reminding me, oh, you still need to be healed from this.

Jesus says, after he teaches us how to pray the, Lord’s prayer, he says, I will forgive you the way as you forgive others,

So it is so important for us to release people in our life because it brings us healing. that’s one aspect that I am really passionate about I was molested as a child and date raped is how I lost my virginity. And so forgiveness was huge. Not even necessarily that I needed to forgive the people who hurt me, but in that I blamed myself.

I had to forgive myself to be fully released and get like full freedom in my life. And I feel as women, we are so hard on ourselves.

[00:26:57] Misty: if someone’s listening and wants a little bit more insight as to what you’re talking about with the inner healing and with the forgiveness, you have a. 40 day transformational journey, what’s that journey look like that you take women on?

[00:27:14] Suzy : I just like, oh, I love, I, I just love one-on-one with women. I’m more of a guide than a counselor I guide women into hearing God’s voice for themselves. And it’s so beautiful because it’s, it’s God doing all the work. I just ask the questions in prayer to ask God, what lies are you believing about yourself? What is true about me and the Lord responds every time, and it’s powerful because we know what is true about us, even what lies in my believing about my marriage? What lies am my believing about my motherhood? What lies am I believing about my past, my future, [00:28:00] my, my business? I just have a process that we go through each of these kind of parts of your life to, to heal and to bring out the truth of who you are so you can step more confidently into your calling.

[00:28:14] Misty: what are one or two really great questions that someone can sit with today and ask the Lord?

[00:28:22] Suzy : Yeah. Well, first off, I would, just pray that you would, Hear from God and God alone and sit. And, and the question I would just ask the Lord today is, what lies am I believing about myself?

And without editing, let it go.

What lies am I believing about myself? And then make sure that you flip that narrative. give yourself a few minutes and then you’re gonna ask the Lord what is true about me? And it’s always good. He is so gentle and beautiful and, what is true about you will also align with the word of what he says about you.

 and then if you have time to take a step further, it’s really important to release the lies. So I actually speak it out loud because our words have power. So I release every lie that I’ve. I wrote down, so I released that I am unworthy. I release that I’m not enough. I release that I’m a bad mom, and then I switched that and I, I, I receive that I’m worthy, I, I receive that I am enough.

I receive that I am a good mom. So it’s speaking it because that’s retraining our brains to actually believe it.

[00:29:37] Misty: that’s a pretty simple way to begin to. hear from the Lord lean into his truth. So Susie, I wanna ask you. Mm-hmm. What does the Lord say about you?

[00:29:51] Suzy : He says that I am chosen. he told me the other day that I’m a heart surgeon, which is cool. I have infinite worth. And I’m limitless because I have him. It’s like I have access to more than I can ask, think or imagine, because I’m his favorite.

[00:30:10] Misty: And so when you say that, what does that do for you?

[00:30:15] Suzy : it just like builds me up. it helps me know who I am in Christ, in my identity

[00:30:20] Misty: And then you can go conquer whatever mountain he’s given you to conquer for that.

Day. Susie, I know there’s one more nugget in there that the Lord is speaking to you about even now that will be that encouragement or edification that this mom that is listening really needs today.

So what would that be?

[00:30:44] Suzy : Honestly, what’s coming up right now is that you don’t have to find it outside of yourself. You don’t have to find a prophet. You don’t have to find someone else to edify you because it’s within you. Because if you’ve received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he is in you. The Holy Spirit indwells in you and it, one Corinthians says, you have the mind of Christ, so you already have it.

[00:31:12] Misty: That’s beautiful. thank you so, so much for unpacking this with me today and helping the woman that’s listening really understand who she is and learn how to lean into that. It is, That’s the greatest treasure that we can give just creating that space.

And you do that. So tell us now how the lovely listener, can get ahold of you and go on this journey with you.

[00:31:43] Suzy : Yeah. I am on most social media platforms, Suzy Halling, Suzy with a y. and I also have the Ministry side of True Self that’s the, book I wrote.

It’s True Self. So on Instagram it’s called True Self Restored, or Suzy halling.com. pop in my [00:32:00] dms. I’d love to pray for you.

[00:32:02] Misty: Wow. I hope you caught that powerful truth Susie shared with us today. You don’t have to find it outside yourself. You don’t have to find a prophet. You don’t have to find someone else to edify you because. It’s within you because if you’ve received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he’s in you, the Holy Spirit indwells in you.

And one Corinthians says, you have the mind of Christ,

mom. Did you hear that? You already have what you need to hear his voice. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have the mind of Christ. You are not disqualified because you’re tired, because you’re in the trenches of motherhood or because life feels chaotic right now. I love that Susie reminded us. It’s as simple as sitting in silence.

Yes. Even on the toilet. If that’s the only place that you can find peace Here’s what I would like to invite you to do first. Take a minute today. Maybe right after this podcast is over, set a timer. Sit in silence. Ask the Lord, what is one lie I’m believing about myself? Write that down. Then ask what is true about me. Write that down too. Speak it out loud. I release. That lie, I receive that truth.

You’re retraining your brain to believe what God says about you. This is how you cultivate confidence in hearing his voice. This is how you silence the racket, both the external noise and those cruel internal voices that tell you are not enough.

Second, head over to our mom-to-mom mentoring Facebook group and answer the question, when was the last time I heard God speak and what did he say? Your story does matter, and when you share it, you give other moms permission to believe that God speaks to them too. Third, share this episode with a friend

Who needs to hear this today? You know, the one she’s overwhelmed, exhausted, and wondering, does God even see me? Send her this episode and let her know she’s not alone? Finally, mom, if this episode has blessed you, would you take 30 seconds and leave a review? It helps other moms like you find this podcast, and it encourages my heart to keep creating content that serves you well.

Before we close, I want to leave you with this truth from John 10 27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. You beloved are his sheep. You hear his voice, he knows you, and he is inviting you to come follow him, not in your own strength. But in the overflow of his love and his leadership.

And remember, beloved, when you shine, you give others permission to shine too. So, step into that light, step into his voice, step into the abundant life he has for you. Until next time, I’m Mr. Hughes. Keep leaning in, keep listening, and above all, keep shining.

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