So, last night was our second week of our “7 Weeks” series (Fast/Pray – Bread/Wine – Seek/Find), and we had a great time together. You really need to make it to these wednesday nights if you can, God is moving in our hearts, and i want you to experience it.

There was a question that was texted in to me during the night that i answered, but it was a good one so i wanted to blog about it here.

Here’s the gist of it.

For the past 2 weeks we have been talking about how to love God. I have said that the only way we can truly love God is by experiencing his love for us first! The bible actually says this! It says in 1 john 4.19 that “we love because he first loved us.” Amazing! So, i have argued that we really don’t set out to just love God…he grabs a hold of us and loves us first, THEN, because we have received his love and forgiveness we can’t help but to love him back!

the question was…”What if i am numb to love and compassion?” “How can i receive love?”

Great question!

Here’s what i said. I think you have to be like doubting Thomas. remember the disciple who said he would not believe that Jesus was resurrected until he could see and touch the nail scars? Do you remember what Jesus did? He let Thomas see and touch! Incredible. Jesus didn’t get ticked at him and say he was a terrible person, he let Thomas see and touch. So, if you are numb to love…maybe you have had tons of hurt in your life: abuse, abandonment, rejection, failures etc…Maybe all that hurt has left you feeling you can not trust anyone, even God. But, here’s the cool thing…God knows your hurt and your doubts and your fears. He still wants for you to see and touch Him, that’s how much he loves you!

So, my encouragement to you is: Ask God to show himself to you, ask him to show his love and prove his love. He’s not freaked out that you have trust issues. he’s not mad at you because you are scared to come to him…he loves you so much that he will be gentle and caring to you.

A little doubt never killed anyone…use it to find God, he will let you find him!!!

peace.out.

How can we tell it is really God we are hearing?

Tough question! This is a struggle that Christians have dealt with for years and years. How do we know the voice of God? Let me first say, that it may be different for each person. What convinces me may be different for you.
The Bible says the sheep will know the shepherds voice. I guess the only way this happens is by spending much time with the shepherd. I have 4 kids…when one of them comes in my room and i can’t see them i still can tell which one it is just by the simple clue of hearing them breathe. If you are a parent, you know what i mean. Each of my kids has distinct ways of just breathing! If i can tell my kids apart like that, then surely i can learn to distinguish the voice of God through prayer.
It comes with us spending a lot of time reading the words of God that He has given us in the bible. The more i read the more i can hear the attitude, character, thoughts, and voice of God. Then, as i pray and seek Him, we can hear that still, small voice come through in our hearts and minds. Especially when what we hear lines up with the word of God, then we can be sure God is speaking.

hope that helps…what do you guys think?

Why does it seem that so many abide by these thoughts while contained in these walls (church), but once outside this service it is forgotten? People are completely different out side of church…by being rude or inconsiderate. Why?

I think this is the rubber meeting the rode question!!! I echo your question. Why is it that so many christians don’t act like Christians outside church?!?!? The main thing i would say to this person is, be careful to take the log out of your eye before you take a splinter out of someone else’s. We are to be more worried with our own salvation than others. The more we allow Jesus to transmogrify us then it will spread to others around us. Our job is not to judge, our job is to love and serve, as we do that with a pure heart, then Jesus can show up and begin to change the hearts of others.
My heart for this 7 weeks is that God will do such a huge work in all of us that we are the same people in and out of church!!! Then the community will start to change.

If “to obey is better than sacrifice,” then is fasting really necessary?

This is a great question!
They are referring to Hosea 6.6 where God says He wants our loyalty more than our “sacrifices.” What this means is that God is looking at the heart more than our actions. He sees the motives! Religious actions done with the wrong motives is manipulation! We are to come before God with pure motives.
There is no place that God tells us not to fast, so i believe it is still ok for us to do, but we must do it with pure hearts before Him.