I am wired more as a thinker and theologian, rather than an intuitive seer. If I were to use words common to some, I would say, "I lean more left-brain, while my wife leans more right-brain." I prefer to think things through, while Patti prefers being intuitive and sensing her heart for the right solution.

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Christian spirituality requires us to yield the eyes and ears of our hearts to the Holy Spirit within us and to live as Jesus did, out of what He hears and sees His Father doing (see this blog: Jesus Sets the Pattern for Living Out of Divine Initiative).

Patti got A's in college

Patti got A's on all her tests in college, and just yesterday told me how she did it. Note: She has a brilliant mind, graduating magna cum laude in a class of about 200. She would study hard the night before the test, and the secret she just shared, after 50 years of married life, was:

"I would usually complete answering the test questions before the time limit was up, so I would go back over my answers, asking, ‘God, please show me any answers that are wrong, and help me leave alone those that are right.'"

Hm. Easy, but I don't remember ever praying that prayer as I reviewed the tests I was taking in college. I did review them, but with my mind rather than with my heart. I would be asking myself, "Is this right or wrong?" — trusting in my own knowledge rather than asking for insight from the Lord.

I'm glad Patti finally let me in on her little secret, after 50 years! I have forgiven her for holding out on me for so long. This tiny piece of information changes everything! I was leaning on my mind for truth, and Patti was leaning on her heart for truth. The result of these two postures is self-effort versus grace, natural ability versus words of knowledge and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, limited understanding versus illumined thoughts. Wow! Unbelievable!

So now I know how to intentionally and purposely take the step Patti took in everything I do, in everything I write, in every project I undertake. I had largely moved in this direction over the years, but now that I hear the way Patti clearly stated it, it is easier for me to purposfully embrace it into my lifestyle.

I find that when I can state a principle precisely and accurately, I can more easily live by it. The principle I have been living by for years when I write is: "Review several times until peace in my heart leaps and says, 'That's IT!'" I like Patti's statement better, which I may paraphrase as: "Lord, show me what must be changed in my writing to make it clearer, more anointed and more powerful, and don't let me change anything that is already pure revelation from You."

The day I was shocked beyond belief

I couldn't believe the Bible never told me to "study." Note: 2 Timothy 2:15 in the KJV is a mistranslation which the NKJV corrected. Rather than saying "study to show yourself approved unto God," it says, "be diligent to present yourself approved to God." Study versus be diligent. That is a huge difference, and it changes how I read every other "study" passage.

God showed me that His counterpart to Western study is meditation (Josh. 1:8). Meditation is where we yield all faculties of our mind and heart to the Lord, asking Him to use them, to grant us insight and revelation (see this blog:How Do I Meditate on a Scripture Verse and Receive Revelation).

What does it mean when the Bible says, "reason together with God"?

I was amazed to discover that the Hebrew word behind "reason" in Isaiah 1:18 — yakach (H3198) — occurs about 59 times in the Old Testament, but the King James only translates it as "reason" twice. Most of the time, it is rendered "reprove" or "rebuke." Same word. Very different feel.

So when God says, "Come now, let us reason together" (Isa. 1:18), He is not inviting me to a Socratic debate. He is inviting me into a conversation where He reproves, corrects, and clarifies my thinking. The Holman Bible softens it: "Come, let us discuss this, says the LORD." That feels closer to the heart of it.

I chose to honor Isaiah 1:18 by inviting the Lord to guide my reasoning process — asking for insight and tuning to flow (Jn. 7:38), allowing God's voice to grant me revelation just as He did for the disciples on the Emmaus Road (Lk. 24:13-35). This caused the process to incorporate the whole brain and the heart, not just my left-brain analysis.

Did you notice in Isaiah 1:18 that God goes straight to picturing when He reasons? "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow." Picturing is right-brain. Not something I initially did during the years when I was married to left-brain logic.

Habakkuk shows us what reasoning together actually looks like

Here is a working example. In Habakkuk chapter 1, the prophet complains to God in his journaling, listing the reasons he believes God is not fair. He is angry. He is honest. He is not polite. He sounds like me on my worst day.

Then in chapter 2:1, he says: "I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved." The word for "reproved" here is from the same Hebrew root as "reason" in Isaiah 1:18 — yakach.Habakkuk knew God would correct him, and he sat down and waited for it.

In chapter 2, God speaks. God lays out truth as He sees it, and by doing so, He is reasoning together with Habakkuk — reproving, illuminating, replacing Habakkuk's limited understanding. This is what the Bible means when it invites me to reason together with God, or to argue together with God.

So is this different from my Western concept of left-brain reasoning? Yes. Should I lay down my left-brain concept of reasoning and replace it with this biblical example? My answer: yes.

Is it OK for me to freely express my honest thoughts to God concerning my anger, frustrations, and challenges? Will He be offended, insecure, fall off His throne, attack me back? God will be fine. He is secure. He understands and can handle my limitations, brokenness, frustrations, and weaknesses. He responds with amazing grace.

Once Habakkuk shared his complaint with God, he listened to God's response using the 4 Keys mentioned in Hab. 2:1-2: (1) becoming still, (2) beholding God, (3) hearing God's voice, and (4) writing out what God spoke back. As God clarified his thinking, Habakkuk responded with "Yes, Lord."

This is my new way of reasoning — interacting with God through two-way journaling. It replaces the trusting of my own thoughts and strength. Instead, I seek out and receive revelation from the Lord. I have an Emmaus walk. I have a walk in the Garden in the cool of the day. I hear His voice, and I come alive — whole, healed, loving, and kind. A light to the world, because He has enlightened my heart and my mind.

So thank you, Patti, for giving me a more precise vocabulary to use when I am tuning in to the flow of the Holy Spirit:

"God, show me any answers that are wrong, and help me leave alone those that are right."

I love my mind when it is receiving revelation knowledge from Almighty God! I have set completely aside the practice of thinking on my own.

My Emmaus Road Experience (Lk. 24:13-35)

Lord, what would You speak to me concerning yielding my mind to You?

Hearing God's voice is as simple as: (1) quieting down (Ps. 62:1-5), (2) beholding Jesus at my right hand (Ps. 16:8; Acts 2:25), (3) asking for His revelation and tuning to spontaneous thoughts and pictures (Jn. 7:37-39; Jer. 2:13), and (4) recording what flows (Hab. 2:1-2; Rev. 1:9-11). I then test it, ensuring it lines up with Scripture (Ps. 1:2; Jn. 10:35; 1 Thess. 5:19-21) and is affirmed in the hearts of my three spiritual advisors (2 Cor. 13:1; Prov. 11:14).