Excerpts from: INTRODUCTION
“God loves you!” Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one before! Everyone tells you that, but how do I really know for sure that He does?
“Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind” “Love your neighbor as yourself!”
Come on!! How can I possibly do THAT!! Half the time, I’m not really sure what “true” love is anyway! I mean, people are always talking about there being different kinds of love… infatuation, lust, “love at first sight”…what’s what?
“Obey the voice of the Lord, follow His commandments, that it may be well with you.”
“Walk in the Spirit, and not in the flesh… we are under grace”
Ok? So, I’m supposed to follow His commandments, but if I do, I’m under “The law?” And, how do I “walk in the Spirit” instead? Isn’t that really ignoring His commandments and just doing what I “feel” is right… and just claiming it as “walking in the Spirit?” How do I really know if I’m really obeying God and “walking in the Spirit?” Can I know for sure?
Come on! Be honest!! How many of us today are still struggling to understand how all of this works? Of course, we’re not going to admit it, though. We’re all expected to know this stuff by now. After all, how many years have we claimed we’re a Christian?
The truth is that many of us today are “stuck” in our spiritual growth. And, we’re too prideful to admit that we’re “stuck” and we need help! After all, how would it look for Sister or Brother __________(fill in your name) who has been attending church for years to ask, “How do I really know God loves me? I better just ‘lay-low’…pretend like I know …I’m sure I’ll come across the answer someday… somehow.” Or, let’s say you’re a new Christian, just recently saved. You want answers to those questions… but you say to yourself, “But if I have to ask, people might think I wasn’t really saved! AM I really saved if I don’t know this stuff? I mean, don’t you automatically ‘know’ once you’re saved? Everyone else around here looks like THEY know! I better not say anything, for now. I’m sure I’ll come across the answers someday… somehow.”
So, have you come across those answers yet? Well, for everyone out there who hasn’t, but wants to know (and has been too chicken to ask)… read this book!
Before we can get into some of the questions we have, there are some things we’re going to have to understand first about God …and ourselves.
Excerpts from: GOD IS TRUTH!
Boy, how our lives can be affected by misinformation! We can suffer physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And, if we pass along bad information to others, we can cause them to suffer as well. Knowing what is true and accurate from the onset gives us the opportunity to make better choices in life. It frees us from the bondage created by the “quicksand effect” of lies.
Operating under misinformation is like an encounter with quicksand. At first glance, the quicksand looks just like the ground surrounding it. You don’t even notice anything different about it and you assume it will hold you once you step on it. You begin to move on it and at first you don’t notice that you are slowly sinking down. Once you’ve realized that you aren’t on stable ground, you try to maneuver yourself out of it. But the more you struggle to get out, the further down you sink. You’re stuck! You’re trapped! It’s darn near impossible to free yourself from it alone. You’re going to need the help of someone else standing on solid ground to get you free. And that’s how it is when you begin to live your life and make decisions based on false realities.
As we continue to struggle with our issues concerning falsehoods, the whole process takes a great toll on us …emotionally, physically and spiritually. With each attempt to deal with things, we sink deeper and deeper into despair. We begin to question what we know about everything and everyone in our lives. We become exhausted …no longer able or willing to deal with the issues. At that point, we can no longer save ourselves. We need someone standing on solid ground to reach down, grab us and bring us up to where they are. That’s what God wants to do for us …save us from the quicksand of falsehoods and place us on the solid ground of His truth!
Have you ever heard a popular expression that young folks like to use... “Keeping it real?” It means being honest about something and not putting on a facade or putting forth a “false reality” that might be used to deceive others… or even ourselves. That’s what the Truth of God is all about... Keeping it real! God doesn’t want us to live our lives deceiving others or ourselves. He wants us to understand how devastating and limiting that can be. “Know the truth, the truth shall set you free.” [John 8:32] He wants us to know truth and live in that. In fact, He wants us to understand Him as being “Truth” and base the decisions of our lives on Him. He is a sure foundation rich in wisdom and knowledge. [Isaiah 33:6]
Excerpts from: GOD IS TRUTH! (Meditation Exercise) Use the Meditation Exercises you’ll find throughout this book to help guide you into discovering ways to make your personal time with God more meaningful and productive for you. More truth will be revealed to you when you’re “keeping it real” with God.
|