My Online Faith Journal

     I've been doing some zoom sessions with a group on Sunday mornings looking at the book "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby.  Henry talks a lot about how we can hear and know the voice of God.  He talks about how we can hear from God by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, prayer, circumstances and through the church.  The key to the whole thing is that we work on building a strong, intimate relationship with God and stay near Him, so that we can hear Him.  There are no shortcuts to hearing from God.  I have to spend time with Him and in His Word and in prayer.      In John 10:27 it says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."  This passage also talks about how the sheep know the voice of the shepherd.  They know the voice of the shepherd because of their time spent with Him.  They know that the shepherd cares for them and protects them from harm.  The shepherd guides them in a loving way and goes before them.     It is incredib

    Years ago, when I was involved in Campus Crusade for Christ, a book called "The Search for Significance" by Robert S. McGee was really popular.  The idea in that book that we are made to believe certain lies about ourselves.  These lies are something we need to be freed from.  One of those lies is that in order to feel good about myself I must meet certain standards.  One of the others that I identified with was "I am what I am: I cannot change; I am hopeless."      Paul tells us in the book of Romans that the law with all its rules and regulations held us down in its grasp.  In other words, the more you try to live your life by the law the more you realize that it truly is impossible.  This leads to frustration and a feeling that your never going to measure up.  Look in Romans 7:6     "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter."