Journey into Faith
Knowing God Better: Understanding The Unfathomable-Part 1
To write a series on knowing God is a lofty undertaking indeed. How does one approach a subject that is, by its very nature, unfathomable? Yet, the desire to know God runs as deep in the believer's heart as the longing of someone who has never known their parents and yearns to discover their origins. That connection provides a sense of identity and gives roots that bring stability. How much more does knowing our Creator take us back to our original identity and most fundamental roots?
Hearing the Voice of God: Navigating Life's Big Decisions-Part 8
There comes a time in everyone's life when major decisions must be made—decisions that will shape the course of our lives for years to come. Whom should I marry? When do I start a family? What career should I pursue? Which spiritual path should I follow? The list goes on. At such moments, we stand at a crossroads, looking first in one direction and then another, aware that our choices will greatly affect our future.
Hearing the Voice of God: Deep Calling unto Deep-Part 7
There is something innate within the human heart that longs for what is eternal. It is a yearning for communion with the Creator. Blaise Pascal, the 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher, described this longing as "a God-shaped vacuum." It is a place within us that no one and nothing else can fill but God Himself. This deep desire was placed within us from the very beginning, because God "has put eternity in their hearts." (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV)
Hearing the Voice of God: Through Circumstances-Part 6
Sometimes an unexpected opportunity presents itself, or a door once shut suddenly opens. In moments like these, believers may ask, "Is this God? Is He leading me in this direction?" Scripture shows that God does work through circumstances—but also that circumstances must be discerned carefully.
Hearing the Voice of God: In Everyday Life-Part 5
From the beginning of this series, we have seen that hearing the voice of God involves far more than hearing audible words with our physical ears. God communicates with His children in countless ways. These varied communications are what we are referring to as His voice.
One of the more "creative" ways in which God reveals Himself is through the ordinary circumstances and pictures of everyday life.
Hearing the Voice of God: Dreams and Visions-Part 4
In this series, we have been looking at different ways in which God speaks to His children. Now we turn to dreams and visions.
Everyone dreams, but many believers ask, “Does God actually speak to me through my dreams—and, if so, how would I recognize a dream that comes from Him?”
Hearing the Voice of God: The Inner Voice and The Inner Witness-Part 3
Elijah, a prophet of the Old Testament, was a powerful servant of the Lord. When Israel fell into idolatry, he prayed that it would not rain, and for three and a half years the heavens were shut. (James 5:17 NIV) At Mount Carmel, he stood alone against the prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven, demonstrating that Yahweh alone is God.
Yet despite these victories, fear overtook him, and he fled for his life. As James reminds us, Elijah "was a human being like us." (James 5:17 NAB) In his moment of exhaustion and disorientation, he needed what we all need—to hear from God.
Hearing the Voice of God: The Word and the Spirit-Part 2
In our series on Hearing the Voice of God, a foundation was laid in the first article, The Foundation-Part 1, in which we saw that the first witness of God's voice is found in creation—the heavens and the earth. It is a silent one, "no speech, no words...Yet their voice goes out into all the earth." (Psalm 19:1,3 NIV)
We also learned that in order to begin hearing God's voice, we need to be born into his family. (John 3:3 NIV). This birth brings us into a personal relationship with the Father. From there we begin the natural process of spiritual growth.
Finally we saw that we must become intentional in our practice of hearing His voice. We open our spiritual ears and listen for Him in everyday life. We expect Him to speak, and in our expectation, He does speak.
In this article, we will begin looking at specific ways in which God speaks to His children.
Hearing the Voice of God: The Foundation (part 1)
Most believers have asked this question at some point: Is God really speaking to me—or is it just my own thoughts? Some even ask if God still speaks at all. Still others, who believe that He does speak, wonder how they can recognize His voice. These are questions that have been in the hearts of seekers for generations, because the longing to hear God is as old as humanity itself.
When God Invites us into His Heart
Most Christians would say that to know God is the deepest desire of their hearts. Jesus Himself defined eternal life in these terms: “Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3 NIV) But what does it really mean to know God?
Meeting the Untamed God
“Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.”
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The truth of Lewis’ words became reality to me one summer afternoon in my late twenties. That morning I had been teaching English at a local high school, a career that I loved and had dreamed about since my childhood. When I arrived home around noon, I intended to go straight to the kitchen to prepare my lunch, but as I was entering the house, I felt a gentle yet unmistakable tug in my spirit. A very clear thought came to my mind—skip lunch and pray.
Is There a Difference Between Reality and Truth?
What do we do when everything we can see, hear, and measure seems to contradict what God has promised? This tension—between what feels undeniably real and what God declares to be true—is one of the great stumbling blocks in the Christian walk.
Can anything good come out of suffering?
It has been said that suffering is the strongest argument that Satan has against the goodness of God. At first glance, that argument seems to have some merit. After all, we know from our own human experience that it would be unnatural for loving parents to allow their children to suffer if they could prevent it. How much more, then, would a good and loving Heavenly Father, the Creator of all things, desire to abolish suffering by a simple act of His will? Yet, suffering remains an undeniable reality of life on earth.