Listening to the speaking Father

We are warmly welcomed into the home of Reverend Geuze. Mrs. Geuze offers us delicious cookies that we simply have to taste. We marvel for a moment at the well-stocked bookcase before beginning the conversation.

Starting at the beginning: What can you tell us about the family you grew up in?

"There was a great sense of seriousness about life in our family. My parents faithfully attended church and fulfilled their duties, but they never came to personally embrace the faith. My grandfather, on the other hand, bore witness he had a living faith."

"I attended a Christian school, where one of the teachers inspired me to pray to God under the covers at night. But during puberty, I drifted from the faith. At fourteen, God entered my life and I felt a longing to know Him. Around the age of twenty, God revealed His Son to me and I came home to Him."

What happened in your fourteenth and twentieth year?

"At fourteen, I was hospitalized with peritonitis. God used that moment to bring me to a halt. I realized that I had felt impressions of Him as a child, but had ignored them. I began seeking Him earnestly reading the Bible and attending church regularly. That was not in vain. Still, I discovered that I didn’t truly know Jesus, even though I loved God."

"Around twenty, I had a profound experience when Christ became real to me. It was Good Friday. The pastor had preached on Ephesians 1: ‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…’ Back in my room, peace flooded my heart. That’s something you never forget."

"Shortly after, God spoke to me: ‘The Father Himself loves you.’ Those words came with such power I knew they were meant for me. I had grown up thinking the gifts of the Spirit were only for the early church, not for today. So I didn’t recognize this as prophecy at the time. Later, I learned more."

“Back in my room, peace flooded my heart.”

 

How did life unfold after your teenage years?

"I got married and became a pastor. In 1984, we changed congregations, and God used that to deepen my journey. In the new church, I did my best, but felt my preaching didn’t connect. I hit a wall."

"When I was younger, I had read a booklet by Andrew Murray about the difference between receiving a new heart and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Back then, I couldn't place it theologically I had been taught to resist the gifts of the Spirit."

"But hitting that wall made me reconsider. Acts 2 seemed to show something different. Then I read a book by Dr. D.M. Lloyd-Jones: ‘When you’re baptized in the Holy Spirit, you know it and never forget it.’ That triggered a difficult season of searching, as I realized I lacked the power of Pentecost."

"I went to a fellow pastor who laid hands on me, but I didn’t feel anything at the time. Not long after, the Lord spoke to me one night: ‘I baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire.’ I received that power and it has never left me."

“One night the Lord said to me: ‘I baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire.’”

 

And your longing for spiritual revival?

"I've longed for spiritual awakening since childhood. One day I read that Rev. H.O. Roscam Abbing, who served in Arnhem from 1915–1939, had prophesied about a revival in the Netherlands. I was intrigued and searched for more. Eventually, I met an elderly woman who had known him. She shared his ministry and writings—he had the gift of prophecy and believed in spiritual gifts. I dove deep into this."

"In 1992, I received a prophecy: ‘Hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ It was a message for the Christian churches in the Netherlands."

How did that prophecy come to you?

"Usually, when I receive a prophecy, it’s been stirring in my thoughts for a while. One night—God often speaks at night—He said: ‘This I have against you, that you have left your first love for Me…’ and the message continued. I wrote it down and shared it with a prayer group. Later, I tested the message and added biblical justification. It was special, because prophecies should especially be tested by others."

"Two years later, in 1994, I received a prophecy about the ‘Together on the Way’ church process. It was a message of humility, repentance, and awakening. Christian magazines picked it up, and a discussion emerged because the prophecy used the ‘I’ form, which people found difficult. 'Can this be God speaking? Can you critique it?' That led me to write a book on prophecy, which was well received."

"Prophecies come in different ways. Sometimes I’m given a message to write down. Other times, I receive a Bible verse for someone while praying with them. It’s important to approach this wisely and carefully so that it brings edification, honors God, and blesses people. That applies to everything in God's Kingdom."

“We must recognize that everything we do is flawed our prophecy, our prayer, our Bible reading, and preaching.”

"That’s why it’s good to ask God for confirmation and to test prophecy against Scripture and with fellow believers."

You mentioned that you often receive prophecies at night. What should we imagine when you say that? And do you still receive prophecies?

"Yes, I often receive messages at night. Sometimes it comes through an audible voice, other times as an inner prompting. Ezekiel said: ‘The hand of the Lord came upon me.’ Because prophecy can bring struggle, I’ve often thought: ‘I’m going to stop.’ But then I feel once again that God’s hand is pressing upon me and He gives a prophecy and you simply cannot ignore it."

"When I speak of prophecy, I prefer to call it a message from God. I believe that we should handle spiritual matters in the most natural way possible, so that we stay close to people."

"Each morning, during my quiet time with God, I make space to listen to Him. That’s when I receive Scripture verses though sometimes more powerfully than other times."

"I’ve come to understand that this belongs to the childlike life with God. Doesn’t a child have the right to hear and know the voice of their Father? Then we can expect the Lord to speak to us! In this way, God teaches us to walk with Him in everyday life in both the big and small things. But it’s all a gift of grace, and so all praise and thanks be to Him!"

“Doesn’t a child have the right to hear and know the voice of their Father? Then we can expect the Lord to speak to us!”