Dr. Patty Sadallah has offered us some great examples of simple "training wheels" for identifying and using the eyes and ears of our hearts. Below are excerpts from Patty’s full article (with a few inserts from Dr. Mark Virkler).

• The eyes of our hearts allow us to see pictures on the screen inside our minds.
• The ears of our hearts allow us to hear the inner dialogue that takes place in our heads.

To surrender your spiritual senses to allow God to communicate with you is to sanctify your imagination. The degree of clarity of seeing and hearing you experience in these exercises is similar to those when you encounter Jesus in journaling. It’s totally normal! The more you do, the more you can. Practice will increase your ability.

Heart Faculties Do Function Easily and Normally: Three Simple Tests to Prove it

1.  Eyes: Your kitchen sink and refrigerator: Let’s practice using these spiritual senses right now.  Here are three simple tests to prove how normal it is for you to use the senses of your heart.  First, close your eyes and imagine your kitchen.  Look around the screen of your mind. Walk up to your sink and turn it on.  Touch the water, feel the temperature of the water, and then shut it off.  And then go over to your fridge and open it. Do you feel the blast of cold?   Examine the contents of your fridge.  Were you able to do that?    You just used the eyes of your heart.  When Jesus is giving you visions, it is the same inner experience, other than the visions are being prompted by the flow of His Spirit within, and not me painting a picture for you to look at. Don’t miss how simple vision is by making it something harder than this!
2. Ears: Now close your eyes and sing Happy Birthday in your mind.  Could you hear yourself singing in your mind?  You just used the ears of your heart.  When Jesus is speaking to your heart it is the same inner experience, except He is talking. A big reason people miss hearing His voice is that they make it harder or different than this experience.
3. Guided images: Now, this time, keep your eyes open.  Imagine that you are holding an orange. Is the skin thick or thin?  OK.  Now, imagine that you are cutting the orange in half, and putting the orange up to your nose, do you smell it?  Now squeeze the orange and touch a bit of juice to your tongue in your imagination.  If you were able to experience any of these senses, you were able to surrender your imagination to my suggestion.  Connecting with God is no different; you are simply inviting God to engage with you through those senses. 

In two-way journaling, you are asking Jesus to show you things using the eyes of your heart and speak to you through the ears of your heart. The Holy Spirit who is joined to your spirit (1 Cor. 6:17) fills these senses with revelation from Jesus.

Overcoming doubt

Hearing and seeing by the spirit is so simple and easy and normal that we are tempted to doubt it and say, “It’s just me.” This is where faith in the promises comes in.

The Lord answered this question in Patty Sadallah’s journaling:

When you call on My name, do you expect Me or a demon to answer?  Let Me tell you the Truth.  No demon would dare answer My call.  Be careful what you expect.  Your expectations reveal your true heart.  If you don’t believe that I can or will answer you, you will not be able to connect with Me.  Not because I am not answering, but because you don’t believe that I am answering.  Confess and repent for this unbelief and welcome Me to answer.  Watch what I will do!

The more you do, the more you can.  Practice will increase your ability.

Use this spiritual home base to meet Jesus regularly and He will always be there to communicate, heal, direct, and comfort you as needed.  Building memories with Him in your special place is a faith propeller that will transform you into your Christ Identity. 

Check out this guided encounter with Jesus to establish your Special Place: http://bit.ly/2g8v8iu

Patty Sadallah’s full article on this topic can be downloaded here.

I (Mark Virkler) would like to add this

If you believe it is just your mind speaking back to you and not Jesus: Bind the demons of doubt and unbelief and rebuke them in Jesus' name and state your confession that you are a believer. You believe the Bible works in you. You are a sheep and Jesus promised that His sheep hear His voice. So you hear Jesus’ voice, period. Fear, doubt, and unbelief be gone in Jesus' name! I am a believer!

Who is Dr. Patty Sadallah?

She is a professor at CLU and the leader of the CWG Spirit Life Circles mentored coaching ministry.  She also leads Spirit Life Workshops which include hands-on, practical, biblically-based, Jesus-facilitated activities and group discussions that move you forward toward your destined purpose. 

Check out the SOAR HIGHER Spirit Life Workshop April 11-14, 2024

Experience Jesus meeting you where you are and taking you to the high places to teach you how to live in sync with His will and clarify your purpose and calling.  Dr. Mark Virkler is our guest kick-off presenter.  https://spiritlifeworkshops.com/upcoming-workshop