The Heartbeat of God: Learning to Hear His Voice | Summer Encore

Throughout the summer, we're revisiting some of our most meaningful conversations - stories of hope, healing, and life-changing collisions with Jesus that continue to encourage women year after year.This episode originally aired in June 2023 and we're grateful to share it again with you.Whether you're listening for the first time or returning to it again, we pray it meets you right where you are and reminds you of God's faithfulness, grace, and redeeming love.Have you ever wondered if God is speaking, but you're just missing it?Maybe you've prayed, waited, and wondered why God feels silent. Or perhaps you've convinced yourself that hearing from God is something reserved for pastors, "super spiritual" Christians, or people with extraordinary faith.What if the biggest obstacle isn't that God isn't speaking...but that fear, shame, or old wounds have made it difficult to recognize His voice?In this deeply encouraging conversation, Willow sits down with author and pastor Mike Neelley to explore how healing our hearts often becomes the doorway to hearing God's heart.Show NotesDoes God really speak today?If you've ever questioned whether God still communicates—or wondered why He seems silent when you need Him most—this conversation will breathe fresh hope into your faith.Author and pastor Mike Neelley joins Willow to discuss his book, Hearing the Heartbeat of God, and shares how years of ministry, inner healing, and learning to recognize God's love transformed the way he experiences prayer.Together they unpack the misconceptions many Christians carry about hearing God's voice, why fear often keeps us from intimacy with God, and the surprising ways God is already communicating with us every single day.Rather than focusing on simply hearing God's voice, Mike invites us to discover something even deeper: learning to hear God's heart.Whether you're longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus, wrestling with spiritual silence, or simply wondering where to begin, this episode offers practical encouragement and hope for your journey.In This Episode You'll Learn:How childhood wounds and past experiences shape the way we hear (or don't hear) GodWhy healing often precedes hearing God's voiceThe many unexpected ways God communicates—including through friends, books, nature, music, and everyday momentsHow to discern God's invitations in ordinary lifeResources MentionedNew Book: A Longing for More: Deeper, Wider, Further With the Holy Spirit by Michael NeelleyHearing the Heartbeat of God by Michael NeelleyCan You Hear Me? Tuning Into the God Who Speaks by Brad JersakThe Bondage Breaker by Neil AndersonReading the Bible with the Damned by Bob EkbladThe Deeply Formed Life by Rich VillodasConnect with CollideIf today's conversation encouraged you, we'd love to hear from you! Share this episode with a friend who longs to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus, and let us know what stood out to you.Subscribe to The Collide Podcast so you never miss an episode, and explore more resources designed to help women find healing, hope, and freedom in Christ.Connect with Willow - Website | Instagram | FacebookOrder Willow’s New Book! National Bestseller | Collide: Running into Healing When Life Hands You HurtFollow and Support Collide 🌐 Visit our website for upcoming conferences, helpful resources, and encouragement for women pursuing healing, purpose, and deeper faith.📲 Follow along on Facebook and Instagram🛍️ Shop for good at the Collide Store💛 Give today online or Venmo to impact lives📬 Subscribe to our Newsletter and be the first to hear about new podcast episodes, blog posts, events, freebies, resources and more!Mentioned in this episode:Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward HealingWhat if your pain is the very place where Jesus wants to meet you? In this six-session companion to the book Collide, Willow Weston invites you on a journey to experience powerful moments in the Bible when Jesus collided with people that were wounded, outcast, and broken - and to discover how He wants to meet with you, too. Includes video access to 6 teaching sessions from Willow.Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward Healing