August 8, 2025 • 28 mins
What does it mean to follow God when His guidance comes in whispers rather than wonders? In this profound and soul-stirring Topic Talk, Dr. Angela Chester sits down with Christian mystic, educator, and author Mark K. Olsen to explore the quiet ways God leads us—especially during seasons of uncertainty, stillness, and change.
Mark shares insights from his deeply spiritual walk and writing, offering timeless truths about hearing God's voice, trusting divine timing, and staying faithful when the path ahead is unclear. This is a must-listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of spiritual discernment, contemplative faith, and the mystical beauty of walking with God in quiet surrender.
Mark shares insights from his deeply spiritual walk and writing, offering timeless truths about hearing God's voice, trusting divine timing, and staying faithful when the path ahead is unclear. This is a must-listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of spiritual discernment, contemplative faith, and the mystical beauty of walking with God in quiet surrender.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello everyone, and thank you so much for joining me
for Daily Spark with Doctor Adela. You guys know who
I am. I'm Doctor Angela bout Chester, and you know
what I like to do on my show, Say it
with me. I want to enlighten, inspire and empower you
to become your best self. No scripture reminds us that
the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches,
(00:24):
but a tiny spark can set a great forest on
a fire. And that's what we want to do today.
We want to get you fired up about our topic
and our guest. Today we will be talking about when
God leads quietly, trusting the whisper, not the noise, and
our guest Mark ka Olsen. So you know what I'm
(00:46):
gonna tell you to do. Go on, get comfy, get cozy,
get your coffee or get your tea because we are
about to get started. Hello Mark, Thank you so much
for joining me here on Daily's Spark with Doctor Anela.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It's always a pleasure to see you, Doctor Angela, and
even to talk with you.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Absolutely. I love our conversations and our listeners enjoy our
time together as well, So thank you for being a
guest with us. Now our topic today when God leads quietly,
trusting the whisper and not the noise. You know, sometimes
(01:29):
God doesn't shout, He whispers, just like a really good
parent with you, right, We don't always need the loud
and booming. Sometimes we knew the stillness and the calm
voice instead, And especially in a world filled with noise,
that could be hard to follow sometimes. But what if
(01:50):
the quiet moments are more powerful moments than the loud
ones are? And today we are going to talk about
what it means to be in that space where God
leads us quietly. And you are such an awesome guest
for this topic, so I cannot wait to explore how
(02:11):
we can recognize His whisper, how to move forward in that,
and to make sure that we are clear on the
path of where how we can anchor ourselves and our
faith in God. So I love it. Now, before we
get started, I just realized I don't want to be
a bad host here. That there may be some new
(02:33):
listeners that we have with us today and they're unfamiliar
with who you are. Mark. So first question to you
is tell us just a little bit about who you are,
what makes you you?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well? I grew up in Minnesota in a Christian home.
I went to high school and college. I was draft
and sent to Vietnam, and then when I got back,
I started a real pursuit of Christ. I have found
out that when the good things are happening with me,
it's Christ coming through me, and when the bad things
are happening, it's me getting in the way.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Absolutely, I think that's true for most of us as well.
I love that answer. I love it. So my first
question for you is when God leads quietly the first
part of our talk today, what does that mean to you?
What does that sound like? What does that look like
(03:32):
to you?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, when I saw this question, I immediately loved it
because it's just a topic I love to talk about.
Sometimes you have to be still to hear God's voice.
In the Psalms, it says, be still and know that
I am God. In Mark, Jesus says peace, be still,
(04:00):
Psalms that Beloved twenty third Psalm. He leadeth me beside
the still waters, and to be still.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
We have to slow.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Down our mind, because our mind is the thing that's
churning and getting in the way of picking up God's guidance.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
That's why.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I love contemplation where you can kind of reflect on
something and there's little pauses in there, and that's when
God's guidance comes through. Now let's say you've done that
and you've contemplated it and there's still nothing coming through.
Then you might have to go by your wisdom pool
(04:39):
because sometimes God wants us to figure out ourselves what
to do so that we grow. If we were always
just told what to do, we wouldn't grow. So sometimes
He leaves us in kind of limbo and we have
to decide based on our study of the Word and
what we we've learned is the right thing to do
(05:02):
to the best of our knowledge, and do that and
we will know after that if it was right or not.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
God will show us.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
M hmmm hm oh. I like that. Well, let's look
at the other part of that. The whisper right sometimes.
You know, when we were little kids, we were taught
that you don't whisper and mixed company because it was rude. However,
I think as adults we find that many times God
(05:34):
does whisper to us. How is that a powerful way
of God communicating to us, as opposed to speaking more
loudly or more directly, you know.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
I believe in signs. A friend of mine was asking
God what could she do.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And a little sparrow landed on a branch right by
her and started singing, that's God telling her what she
could do. I've had the horn hawk right after a
specific thought, and somehow I knew God was telling me, yes, Mark,
do that, or a lightning strike once right after a
(06:14):
thought about God and spirit and God talk to us
in those little ways with signs, dreams, little things that happen.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
And it's kind of funny.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
We've rather just said it in our mind, but I
don't think it happens that way very often. And if
we can be still, sometimes it'll come up from our
soul into our mind and we have this feeling that
God has laid something on our heart or something we
haven't even thought of, and suddenly, oh, my Lord, that's what.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
I should do.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
One time I was looking to get out of giving
an apology, and the Lord led me to give one
to the effect. And so sometimes the guidance is hard
to take. But once you know your guidance, that decision
is over.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You have to do it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
There's no decision to be made once you know what
God has left you to do.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
You are You are so right there, and I love
your your bringing in the animals. I've heard so many
times from my client base that, especially when they were
having those those very troubling times, not necessarily negative, but
(07:42):
just they were worried, they were really going over something
in their spirit, trying to make a decision, or sometimes
it was grieving and trying to get to the forward
movement in the grief process of moving past the the
shock and the hurt and the denial of the person
(08:03):
being no longer with us, and trying to move on
to the stage of acceptance. And I find that many
times people make that very same correlation that you know,
I went for a walk, I went to the park,
I went to the beach, and there was always some
animal that did something that was not necessarily out of
(08:28):
the ordinary, but seemed directly correlated to what they were thinking,
or that that animal was in that person's personal space
just enough for anyone, you know, even walkers by or
passers by, to say, hey, I think that squirrel's talking
to you, man, I think that bird is singing for you, lady,
(08:50):
Like even a stranger would be able to pick up
on that in your rate. I think I'm like that too.
I looked at how God talked to us in not
the loud and booming ways, but in the in the
very gentle ways as well. And one of those people
you don't have to yell at me to get it,
you know you can. You can just tell it to
(09:12):
be plain, and it's like, gotcha, not a not a problem. Now,
speaking of those times that we that we have with God,
has there ever been a quiet time in your life
where you know that that was definitely a God moment
in that quiet.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
You know? That's interesting you should say that, because when
these things happen.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Like an animal coming.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Up to you or a bird or something, you know,
somehow you know that that's from God. The timing is perfect,
and it's just amazing. With it comes that feeling that.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
The this is right, This is God talking to you.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I don't know how or why, but it comes up
from soul and spirit, and oh God, thank you you are.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
You are so right. And I've had it happen to
in my personal life as well, especially when I am
thinking about a loved one that has passed on and
and I miss them. You know something awful. It's usually
within like that first year of them passing, and you
(10:34):
know how your heart still kind of it hurts a little,
or you think of picking up the phone and calling
and sharing your good news with them, then you remember
that you can't do it like that anymore. And so
many times God has sent me just the cutest little
butterfly that for me. Again, I'm not trying to make
(10:54):
it more than what it is, but just for me,
and how I understand God, how send us cute little
butterfly buy and it just makes me smile and it
just tickles my soul and I'm like, thank you for
that God, like the reminder of they're fine, it's okay.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
That's right, Yes, that's fre And you know, when these
things happen that are challenging, we can.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Look at them any way we want.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
And even with loved ones passing I've lost almost everyone,
you have to if you can have God help you
to look at it with joy and to send them
good vibes and thanks for all the joy they brought you,
and to look for those good positive viewpoints of it,
because you can look at it any way you want,
(11:47):
and who wants to look at it in a in
a sour or negative way. We want to be in
joy even during the challenging times, and see that way
where it's not it's not a Pollyanna or making it up.
It's true that person that went on is happy and
(12:09):
leading a great light, and they want us to keep
being happy. So I think we can choose some of
these events we can't get in the way of they happen.
We can look at it the best way we can
and ask Christ for help in doing that.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Agreed, Agreed, and thank you for adding that line. It
is not Pollyanna. It is true. And yes, I'm sure
someone listening watching right now I can raise their hand
and say, yep, it has happened to me as well.
I love it. I love it well. It is time
for us to take a very short break, but don't
you worry. We are going to come back and continue
(12:50):
this conversation of when God leads a quietly, trusting the
whisper and not the noise. We'll be back right after this.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
There's something I need to tell you. This relationship isn't working.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
It isn't good for me.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
I'm breaking up with you.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
It's not me, it's you.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
I became dependent on you and You were always there
for me, even when I was at my worst.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
But I didn't realize the damage you were doing. You
created a toxic environment, not just for me, but others too.
You were suffocating me.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
We're just no longer compatible. Also, there's one more thing.
I met someone else. I'm respected in public, I'm making friends.
(14:21):
I feel like I can breathe again.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
That's how I deserve to be treated one.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
And it's a healthy relationship.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
You can't stop singing.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I love you and we are back. Thank you so
much for joining me for our daily Sparker, Doctor Angela.
I'm your host, Doctor Angela, but's Chester. My guest today
is Mark ka Olsen, and we are talking about when
God leads quietly, trusting the whisper, not the noise. Mark,
(15:23):
My next question for you is one that I know
that I get asked this question a lot, especially when
we're doing webinars or we're doing some type of speaking engagement,
and that is, how do you know the difference between
your own voice for people who have that internal dialogue,
(15:44):
how do you know the difference between your voice and
God's voice? How do you know you're not just talking
to yourself?
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Well, it's a great question because we all wonder that
The answer for me is devotions three times there more
a day, and practice makes perfect And if you practice
listening for the Lord's voice, you're going to get better
and better at recognizing it. Christ points this out in
(16:13):
the Word. We know that when Elijah was being talked
to by God, it was a still small voice. And
if you practice, and you're doing your devotions faithfully, you
will get better at picking up that voice. Excuse me,
this voice doesn't come from your mind. It comes from
(16:35):
deep within you, your intuition. It has a different feeling, and
if you practice listening for it, you can hear it.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That is that is so that is so true. You know.
I love that you're reminding people to spend that time,
that devotional time with God, and it is so helpful.
These scripture reminds me. You know, my sheep will know
my voice, My people will know my voice. And the
(17:05):
same way that we as human beings know the voice
of our parents, our grandparents, you know, our caretakers. When
we hear our name called in a crowd, we know
whether or not that is someone that we know because
we know that voice. And you are so right. The
more we spend time with God, the more we come
(17:28):
familiar with how He is with us, and we will
know the difference between His voice our voice, and then
those those thoughts that we should not pay attention to
that are trying to steer us in the wrong direction.
So you are definitely right there now. For so many people,
(17:50):
when it comes to their spiritual habits or their spiritual practices,
they feel that it's supposed to be easy, that it
shouldn't be hard. And you've suggested that someone does devotional
three times a day. I can already hear mark someone
(18:15):
saying I don't have time for three times a day.
What is the suggestion for the person that really doesn't
have a lot of time for whatever reason, they don't
have a lot of time, but they still want to
spend time with God. What can they do well?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
When you wake up, before you get up, after you
get up, before breakfast, at noon, after work, after lunch,
after supper, you take those little times, and some of
them aren't very long, maybe five minutes before you get
out of bed, but that time can be precious. And
if you keep in contact like that, you are better
(18:53):
able to hear God's voice.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
We're in the eye of a hurricane.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
And as long as you stay close to Christ.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
We're in the eye.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
If we get away from Christ, suddenly we're in the
periphery where everything is going crazy. We need to do
our devotions, even if they're short, little ones, and make
sure that it's just not our mind making us too
busy to do them.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Now, for someone who wants to move forward in their faith,
be it that they are a new believer, or they've
grown up in the church like I have, and they
feel that they might be I don't know, maybe slow
walking things might be a little stagnant for them. How
(19:42):
do they keep that flame going? How do they stay
inspired to continue to move forward on that path?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Oh, that's such a good question.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
I think in doing your devotions faithfully, Christ becomes more real.
It was like your experience that you share, Christ becomes
more real now when he does and you start having
experiences with Christ. Oh, it is so inspirational. Now, I
will admit, before that time comes, you're going to have
(20:14):
to kind of toll the line with your devotions and
try to use your self discipline to stay on track.
But if you do, after a little while, Christ will
start speaking to you by signs and other ways, and
it becomes so exciting. You wouldn't miss your devotions for anything.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
You are so right, Mark. I have shared my story
of the show of Daily Spark with Doctor Angela and
just a little bit of the behind the scenes of
naming the show. And originally when I started, I was
(20:57):
a weekly show. And when I was asked, what would
you like to call your show, Doctor Angela, and I asked,
you know, could I have twenty four hours, I'd like
to pray about it and see what God tells me.
And God gives me the name Daily Spark with Doctor Angela,
and I said, huh, such a curious name. Now I
(21:22):
didn't I didn't go any further or speak against it.
I just said, okay, that's what God said. When I
shared it. She wanted to make sure that I understood
that I was going to be on weekly, just once
a week, not daily, and I said, yeah, that's the
name God gave me. I'm gonna stick with it. A
year later, I ended up being on weekdays with Doctor Angela. Right,
(21:49):
so I ended up being on daily. We fast forward
all these years to today and I am now on
the radio six days a week. Only the day I'm
not on is on a Sunday, because for most people
Sunday you're in church or you're doing something on a
personal type of level. But why did I share that?
(22:10):
Because you're saying, have that stick to itness, do your devotionals.
Trust that in doing that devotional you will hear from God.
God will direct you, God will lead your path. God
will keep you on fire for the things that relate
not only to Him, but that are for your life
(22:31):
and for your purpose. And I could not agree with
you more Mark. The fact that I am on radio
today is an example of that very thing of trusting
and believing and realizing that it is a gift that
we are given. And the fact that I'm able to
share awesome and amazing people like you to a listening audience,
(22:54):
it's not something that I take lightly and realize that, Wow,
this is an answer to a prayer and God is
rewarding me for my diligence in my commitment to doing
what He would have me do with my life. I
love that answer that you gave. Thank you so much
for that. That just reminded me of another reason to
(23:16):
be grateful. Thanks for that now with all that you do,
and I love a person who is busy about living
out their purpose. You are also an author. You have
to tell us about that. What is it like for
you to be an author and tell us about your
latest book.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Well, my latest book is called The Deeper Secret Teachings
of Christ and it is Christian mysticism. And you brought
up the Daily Spark. We mystics believe that is like
a roaring fire of love, and we as souls are
a spark of that love. We are all innately christ
(24:00):
And this book is about how mystics look at everything,
and it's very much like traditional Christianity, but we take
it a little deeper on dreams and on the big picture.
If you've ever been interested in Christian mysticism, this book
is only one hundred and thirty pages. It's short, and
it provides an overview of those beliefs. It's available everywhere
(24:25):
and on Amazon.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I love that, and thank goodness for Amazon for helping
our authors out there. So no matter where you are
in the world, you're able to get that book usually
within two days, so I think that is so helpful.
So you can hear it on a Monday, and you
(24:48):
could very well have it by Wednesday or Thursday. That's awesome.
I love that. So glad and congratulations on a new book.
We have had you on before and this is not
your first time writing, so you are a successful author.
And we continue to just support the work that you
(25:09):
are doing and that you are walking in the call
that God has placed on your life, and that you
are leading so many people to our awesome and amazing
God just by explaining it in a way that is relatable,
that is understandable. And I think for so many people
(25:32):
religion becomes so much because they don't understand what are
you asking? What do I have to do? As opposed
to just making it easy for the common person to
be able to have that relationship with God. Make it easy,
don't make it difficult. And I love that you're doing that.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Thank you, Thank you, And you're so right. Do what
you know is right and keep studying what is right
so that you can grow.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Absolutely, And isn't that that's it right there, so that
you can grow. I think that is that is the
point when we when we talk to our elders, like
our grandparents, they are not gonna say, boy, did I
wish I had caught that extra episode of that TV
show uh that I you know that i'd gone to
(26:22):
the mall or purchased one more thing. It is about,
you know, get your life right, make sure that you're
right with God. Your family is important, Love people more,
hate stuff less. Be the best person that you can be.
And everyone regardless of ethnicity, regardless of you know, where
(26:45):
they live in the world, everyone says the same thing,
and I really think that they're onto something. Be the
best that you absolut Yeah, it is. I love that.
I love that you are. You are so ripe. So
I want to say again, thank you so much for
spending some time with me here today, Mark or Daily
Spark with Doctor Angela. I so enjoyed my conversation with
(27:08):
you here today.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Oh it was so fun. I wish we could do
this every day.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
I know we'll have to have you back on the
show much more often. Thank you again.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Thank you doctor that it's not a pleasure tip with.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
You as well, and listeners viewers, thank you for spending
some time with us here today as well. You could
have been anywhere, but you chose to spend it with
us today and I thank you for doing so. As always,
May the Lord continue to shine his face upon you.
May you receive his grace and his mercy in all
that you do. Until next time, everyone remember that you
(27:43):
you are blessed in the Lord. Have a great dare everyone,
Bye bye,
Hello everyone, and thank you so much for joining me
for Daily Spark with Doctor Adela. You guys know who
I am. I'm Doctor Angela bout Chester, and you know
what I like to do on my show, Say it
with me. I want to enlighten, inspire and empower you
to become your best self. No scripture reminds us that
the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches,
(00:24):
but a tiny spark can set a great forest on
a fire. And that's what we want to do today.
We want to get you fired up about our topic
and our guest. Today we will be talking about when
God leads quietly, trusting the whisper, not the noise, and
our guest Mark ka Olsen. So you know what I'm
(00:46):
gonna tell you to do. Go on, get comfy, get cozy,
get your coffee or get your tea because we are
about to get started. Hello Mark, Thank you so much
for joining me here on Daily's Spark with Doctor Anela.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It's always a pleasure to see you, Doctor Angela, and
even to talk with you.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Absolutely. I love our conversations and our listeners enjoy our
time together as well, So thank you for being a
guest with us. Now our topic today when God leads quietly,
trusting the whisper and not the noise. You know, sometimes
(01:29):
God doesn't shout, He whispers, just like a really good
parent with you, right, We don't always need the loud
and booming. Sometimes we knew the stillness and the calm
voice instead, And especially in a world filled with noise,
that could be hard to follow sometimes. But what if
(01:50):
the quiet moments are more powerful moments than the loud
ones are? And today we are going to talk about
what it means to be in that space where God
leads us quietly. And you are such an awesome guest
for this topic, so I cannot wait to explore how
(02:11):
we can recognize His whisper, how to move forward in that,
and to make sure that we are clear on the
path of where how we can anchor ourselves and our
faith in God. So I love it. Now, before we
get started, I just realized I don't want to be
a bad host here. That there may be some new
(02:33):
listeners that we have with us today and they're unfamiliar
with who you are. Mark. So first question to you
is tell us just a little bit about who you are,
what makes you you?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well? I grew up in Minnesota in a Christian home.
I went to high school and college. I was draft
and sent to Vietnam, and then when I got back,
I started a real pursuit of Christ. I have found
out that when the good things are happening with me,
it's Christ coming through me, and when the bad things
are happening, it's me getting in the way.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Absolutely, I think that's true for most of us as well.
I love that answer. I love it. So my first
question for you is when God leads quietly the first
part of our talk today, what does that mean to you?
What does that sound like? What does that look like
(03:32):
to you?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, when I saw this question, I immediately loved it
because it's just a topic I love to talk about.
Sometimes you have to be still to hear God's voice.
In the Psalms, it says, be still and know that
I am God. In Mark, Jesus says peace, be still,
(04:00):
Psalms that Beloved twenty third Psalm. He leadeth me beside
the still waters, and to be still.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
We have to slow.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Down our mind, because our mind is the thing that's
churning and getting in the way of picking up God's guidance.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
That's why.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I love contemplation where you can kind of reflect on
something and there's little pauses in there, and that's when
God's guidance comes through. Now let's say you've done that
and you've contemplated it and there's still nothing coming through.
Then you might have to go by your wisdom pool
(04:39):
because sometimes God wants us to figure out ourselves what
to do so that we grow. If we were always
just told what to do, we wouldn't grow. So sometimes
He leaves us in kind of limbo and we have
to decide based on our study of the Word and
what we we've learned is the right thing to do
(05:02):
to the best of our knowledge, and do that and
we will know after that if it was right or not.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
God will show us.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
M hmmm hm oh. I like that. Well, let's look
at the other part of that. The whisper right sometimes.
You know, when we were little kids, we were taught
that you don't whisper and mixed company because it was rude. However,
I think as adults we find that many times God
(05:34):
does whisper to us. How is that a powerful way
of God communicating to us, as opposed to speaking more
loudly or more directly, you know.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
I believe in signs. A friend of mine was asking
God what could she do.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And a little sparrow landed on a branch right by
her and started singing, that's God telling her what she
could do. I've had the horn hawk right after a
specific thought, and somehow I knew God was telling me, yes, Mark,
do that, or a lightning strike once right after a
(06:14):
thought about God and spirit and God talk to us
in those little ways with signs, dreams, little things that happen.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
And it's kind of funny.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
We've rather just said it in our mind, but I
don't think it happens that way very often. And if
we can be still, sometimes it'll come up from our
soul into our mind and we have this feeling that
God has laid something on our heart or something we
haven't even thought of, and suddenly, oh, my Lord, that's what.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
I should do.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
One time I was looking to get out of giving
an apology, and the Lord led me to give one
to the effect. And so sometimes the guidance is hard
to take. But once you know your guidance, that decision
is over.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You have to do it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
There's no decision to be made once you know what
God has left you to do.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
You are You are so right there, and I love
your your bringing in the animals. I've heard so many
times from my client base that, especially when they were
having those those very troubling times, not necessarily negative, but
(07:42):
just they were worried, they were really going over something
in their spirit, trying to make a decision, or sometimes
it was grieving and trying to get to the forward
movement in the grief process of moving past the the
shock and the hurt and the denial of the person
(08:03):
being no longer with us, and trying to move on
to the stage of acceptance. And I find that many
times people make that very same correlation that you know,
I went for a walk, I went to the park,
I went to the beach, and there was always some
animal that did something that was not necessarily out of
(08:28):
the ordinary, but seemed directly correlated to what they were thinking,
or that that animal was in that person's personal space
just enough for anyone, you know, even walkers by or
passers by, to say, hey, I think that squirrel's talking
to you, man, I think that bird is singing for you, lady,
(08:50):
Like even a stranger would be able to pick up
on that in your rate. I think I'm like that too.
I looked at how God talked to us in not
the loud and booming ways, but in the in the
very gentle ways as well. And one of those people
you don't have to yell at me to get it,
you know you can. You can just tell it to
(09:12):
be plain, and it's like, gotcha, not a not a problem. Now,
speaking of those times that we that we have with God,
has there ever been a quiet time in your life
where you know that that was definitely a God moment
in that quiet.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
You know? That's interesting you should say that, because when
these things happen.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Like an animal coming.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Up to you or a bird or something, you know,
somehow you know that that's from God. The timing is perfect,
and it's just amazing. With it comes that feeling that.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
The this is right, This is God talking to you.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I don't know how or why, but it comes up
from soul and spirit, and oh God, thank you you are.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
You are so right. And I've had it happen to
in my personal life as well, especially when I am
thinking about a loved one that has passed on and
and I miss them. You know something awful. It's usually
within like that first year of them passing, and you
(10:34):
know how your heart still kind of it hurts a little,
or you think of picking up the phone and calling
and sharing your good news with them, then you remember
that you can't do it like that anymore. And so
many times God has sent me just the cutest little
butterfly that for me. Again, I'm not trying to make
(10:54):
it more than what it is, but just for me,
and how I understand God, how send us cute little
butterfly buy and it just makes me smile and it
just tickles my soul and I'm like, thank you for
that God, like the reminder of they're fine, it's okay.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
That's right, Yes, that's fre And you know, when these
things happen that are challenging, we can.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Look at them any way we want.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
And even with loved ones passing I've lost almost everyone,
you have to if you can have God help you
to look at it with joy and to send them
good vibes and thanks for all the joy they brought you,
and to look for those good positive viewpoints of it,
because you can look at it any way you want,
(11:47):
and who wants to look at it in a in
a sour or negative way. We want to be in
joy even during the challenging times, and see that way
where it's not it's not a Pollyanna or making it up.
It's true that person that went on is happy and
(12:09):
leading a great light, and they want us to keep
being happy. So I think we can choose some of
these events we can't get in the way of they happen.
We can look at it the best way we can
and ask Christ for help in doing that.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Agreed, Agreed, and thank you for adding that line. It
is not Pollyanna. It is true. And yes, I'm sure
someone listening watching right now I can raise their hand
and say, yep, it has happened to me as well.
I love it. I love it well. It is time
for us to take a very short break, but don't
you worry. We are going to come back and continue
(12:50):
this conversation of when God leads a quietly, trusting the
whisper and not the noise. We'll be back right after this.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
There's something I need to tell you. This relationship isn't working.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
It isn't good for me.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
I'm breaking up with you.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
It's not me, it's you.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
I became dependent on you and You were always there
for me, even when I was at my worst.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
But I didn't realize the damage you were doing. You
created a toxic environment, not just for me, but others too.
You were suffocating me.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
We're just no longer compatible. Also, there's one more thing.
I met someone else. I'm respected in public, I'm making friends.
(14:21):
I feel like I can breathe again.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
That's how I deserve to be treated one.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
And it's a healthy relationship.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
You can't stop singing.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I love you and we are back. Thank you so
much for joining me for our daily Sparker, Doctor Angela.
I'm your host, Doctor Angela, but's Chester. My guest today
is Mark ka Olsen, and we are talking about when
God leads quietly, trusting the whisper, not the noise. Mark,
(15:23):
My next question for you is one that I know
that I get asked this question a lot, especially when
we're doing webinars or we're doing some type of speaking engagement,
and that is, how do you know the difference between
your own voice for people who have that internal dialogue,
(15:44):
how do you know the difference between your voice and
God's voice? How do you know you're not just talking
to yourself?
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Well, it's a great question because we all wonder that
The answer for me is devotions three times there more
a day, and practice makes perfect And if you practice
listening for the Lord's voice, you're going to get better
and better at recognizing it. Christ points this out in
(16:13):
the Word. We know that when Elijah was being talked
to by God, it was a still small voice. And
if you practice, and you're doing your devotions faithfully, you
will get better at picking up that voice. Excuse me,
this voice doesn't come from your mind. It comes from
(16:35):
deep within you, your intuition. It has a different feeling, and
if you practice listening for it, you can hear it.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That is that is so that is so true. You know.
I love that you're reminding people to spend that time,
that devotional time with God, and it is so helpful.
These scripture reminds me. You know, my sheep will know
my voice, My people will know my voice. And the
(17:05):
same way that we as human beings know the voice
of our parents, our grandparents, you know, our caretakers. When
we hear our name called in a crowd, we know
whether or not that is someone that we know because
we know that voice. And you are so right. The
more we spend time with God, the more we come
(17:28):
familiar with how He is with us, and we will
know the difference between His voice our voice, and then
those those thoughts that we should not pay attention to
that are trying to steer us in the wrong direction.
So you are definitely right there now. For so many people,
(17:50):
when it comes to their spiritual habits or their spiritual practices,
they feel that it's supposed to be easy, that it
shouldn't be hard. And you've suggested that someone does devotional
three times a day. I can already hear mark someone
(18:15):
saying I don't have time for three times a day.
What is the suggestion for the person that really doesn't
have a lot of time for whatever reason, they don't
have a lot of time, but they still want to
spend time with God. What can they do well?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
When you wake up, before you get up, after you
get up, before breakfast, at noon, after work, after lunch,
after supper, you take those little times, and some of
them aren't very long, maybe five minutes before you get
out of bed, but that time can be precious. And
if you keep in contact like that, you are better
(18:53):
able to hear God's voice.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
We're in the eye of a hurricane.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
And as long as you stay close to Christ.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
We're in the eye.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
If we get away from Christ, suddenly we're in the
periphery where everything is going crazy. We need to do
our devotions, even if they're short, little ones, and make
sure that it's just not our mind making us too
busy to do them.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Now, for someone who wants to move forward in their faith,
be it that they are a new believer, or they've
grown up in the church like I have, and they
feel that they might be I don't know, maybe slow
walking things might be a little stagnant for them. How
(19:42):
do they keep that flame going? How do they stay
inspired to continue to move forward on that path?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Oh, that's such a good question.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
I think in doing your devotions faithfully, Christ becomes more real.
It was like your experience that you share, Christ becomes
more real now when he does and you start having
experiences with Christ. Oh, it is so inspirational. Now, I
will admit, before that time comes, you're going to have
(20:14):
to kind of toll the line with your devotions and
try to use your self discipline to stay on track.
But if you do, after a little while, Christ will
start speaking to you by signs and other ways, and
it becomes so exciting. You wouldn't miss your devotions for anything.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
You are so right, Mark. I have shared my story
of the show of Daily Spark with Doctor Angela and
just a little bit of the behind the scenes of
naming the show. And originally when I started, I was
(20:57):
a weekly show. And when I was asked, what would
you like to call your show, Doctor Angela, and I asked,
you know, could I have twenty four hours, I'd like
to pray about it and see what God tells me.
And God gives me the name Daily Spark with Doctor Angela,
and I said, huh, such a curious name. Now I
(21:22):
didn't I didn't go any further or speak against it.
I just said, okay, that's what God said. When I
shared it. She wanted to make sure that I understood
that I was going to be on weekly, just once
a week, not daily, and I said, yeah, that's the
name God gave me. I'm gonna stick with it. A
year later, I ended up being on weekdays with Doctor Angela. Right,
(21:49):
so I ended up being on daily. We fast forward
all these years to today and I am now on
the radio six days a week. Only the day I'm
not on is on a Sunday, because for most people
Sunday you're in church or you're doing something on a
personal type of level. But why did I share that?
(22:10):
Because you're saying, have that stick to itness, do your devotionals.
Trust that in doing that devotional you will hear from God.
God will direct you, God will lead your path. God
will keep you on fire for the things that relate
not only to Him, but that are for your life
(22:31):
and for your purpose. And I could not agree with
you more Mark. The fact that I am on radio
today is an example of that very thing of trusting
and believing and realizing that it is a gift that
we are given. And the fact that I'm able to
share awesome and amazing people like you to a listening audience,
(22:54):
it's not something that I take lightly and realize that, Wow,
this is an answer to a prayer and God is
rewarding me for my diligence in my commitment to doing
what He would have me do with my life. I
love that answer that you gave. Thank you so much
for that. That just reminded me of another reason to
(23:16):
be grateful. Thanks for that now with all that you do,
and I love a person who is busy about living
out their purpose. You are also an author. You have
to tell us about that. What is it like for
you to be an author and tell us about your
latest book.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Well, my latest book is called The Deeper Secret Teachings
of Christ and it is Christian mysticism. And you brought
up the Daily Spark. We mystics believe that is like
a roaring fire of love, and we as souls are
a spark of that love. We are all innately christ
(24:00):
And this book is about how mystics look at everything,
and it's very much like traditional Christianity, but we take
it a little deeper on dreams and on the big picture.
If you've ever been interested in Christian mysticism, this book
is only one hundred and thirty pages. It's short, and
it provides an overview of those beliefs. It's available everywhere
(24:25):
and on Amazon.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I love that, and thank goodness for Amazon for helping
our authors out there. So no matter where you are
in the world, you're able to get that book usually
within two days, so I think that is so helpful.
So you can hear it on a Monday, and you
(24:48):
could very well have it by Wednesday or Thursday. That's awesome.
I love that. So glad and congratulations on a new book.
We have had you on before and this is not
your first time writing, so you are a successful author.
And we continue to just support the work that you
(25:09):
are doing and that you are walking in the call
that God has placed on your life, and that you
are leading so many people to our awesome and amazing
God just by explaining it in a way that is relatable,
that is understandable. And I think for so many people
(25:32):
religion becomes so much because they don't understand what are
you asking? What do I have to do? As opposed
to just making it easy for the common person to
be able to have that relationship with God. Make it easy,
don't make it difficult. And I love that you're doing that.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Thank you, Thank you, And you're so right. Do what
you know is right and keep studying what is right
so that you can grow.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Absolutely, And isn't that that's it right there, so that
you can grow. I think that is that is the
point when we when we talk to our elders, like
our grandparents, they are not gonna say, boy, did I
wish I had caught that extra episode of that TV
show uh that I you know that i'd gone to
(26:22):
the mall or purchased one more thing. It is about,
you know, get your life right, make sure that you're
right with God. Your family is important, Love people more,
hate stuff less. Be the best person that you can be.
And everyone regardless of ethnicity, regardless of you know, where
(26:45):
they live in the world, everyone says the same thing,
and I really think that they're onto something. Be the
best that you absolut Yeah, it is. I love that.
I love that you are. You are so ripe. So
I want to say again, thank you so much for
spending some time with me here today, Mark or Daily
Spark with Doctor Angela. I so enjoyed my conversation with
(27:08):
you here today.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Oh it was so fun. I wish we could do
this every day.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
I know we'll have to have you back on the
show much more often. Thank you again.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Thank you doctor that it's not a pleasure tip with.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
You as well, and listeners viewers, thank you for spending
some time with us here today as well. You could
have been anywhere, but you chose to spend it with
us today and I thank you for doing so. As always,
May the Lord continue to shine his face upon you.
May you receive his grace and his mercy in all
that you do. Until next time, everyone remember that you
(27:43):
you are blessed in the Lord. Have a great dare everyone,
Bye bye,
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