Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Preface

God said," Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer?" (Isa 50:2)

He could ask that same question today. People everywhere sturggle to know clearly what God is saying to them. Everywhere we go, we meet Christians who tell us they do not hear God speak to them. Even more alarming are those who conclude they do not hear from God because he does not speak to people.

God
is speaking. The problem is people have become disoriented to his voice. Christians all over the world longed to know and to experience the Person they claimed was most important in their lives. God is a Person who relates to people by speaking to them and by guiding them into his will.

Every Christian must know how to
recognize God's voice; otherwise, how can we obey him? Apart from God's personal involvement in our lives, our life experience will be no different from that of nonbelievers. We may have some extra rules and a stricter moral code to follow; but unless we communicate regularly with our Lord, we'll miss out on much that God desires for us. Moreover, we'll rob others of gifts God wanted to give them through us.

Fundamental Issue:
  • Does God speak to people today?
  • If so, how does he do so?

It is impossible to read the Bible without seeing a clear pattern of God speaking to people. Yet because some have not heard God speak to them personally, they conclude that God chooses not to speak today. They are choosing to view Scripture from the vantage point of their experience. Instead, people must learn to view their experience against the backdrop of the Bible. When we do not experience the truths expressed in the Scripture, it is our experience that is in question, not the Bible!

Some arque that God revealed in Scripture all we need to know about his nature, his ways, and his purposes. We fully agree! You will not discover a truth about God that he has not expressed through his written Word. So why does God speak to us? He takes the revelation found in his Word and applies it to our lives. When he does, we not only
know about him from his revelation in Scripture, but we also know him by experience. Thus we know from the Scripture that God is love. But we also experience that love personally, so "God loves people" becomes "God loves me."

We have both heard God speak to us many times. That does not qualify us as "super saints." We believe it makes us normal Christians. We simply testify that we know God speaks to people because he has spoken to us.

Topics and Chapters of the book

Contents
  • Preface
  1. The Question: Does God Speak to People Today?
  2. For the Record : God Speaks
  3. God Speaks : His Way
  4. The Holy Spirit : God's Presence in Our Lives
  5. The Bible : God's Word
  6. Prayer : What It is and What It Isn't
  7. Circumstances: A Time for God to Speak
  8. God Speaks to People through People
  9. Lies and Half-Truths
  10. A Historical View
  11. Learning to Respond to God's Voice
  12. Questions Often Asked

Introduction

There have been many interesting events happening in my life currently. Some miraculous, others just concindental. But I believe these are things orchestrated by God. One of the things that happened by concidents was me finding a book in the church library. I was wanting to read a book called "Enjoying simplicity", but i cant find it, instead another book spoke out to me. It is titled "Hearing God's Voice" by Henry and Richard Blackaby. They co wrote "Experiencing God". I am currently on Chapter 7, and each chapter impacted me really strongly.

I really want to share this with all my friends, but learning from the past week, I have decided not to do so through emails. I always mucked it up. Everytime, I want to share about what God told me or taught me or shown me to others, I never end up showing Glory to God through my sharing. I understand and know my weakness and faults.

I am not one that is eloquent or talented with words, adding to the fact, that i am always write straight from my heart or speak straight from my heart. This action always gets back negative response or even worst, i hurt people with my words. Even when I never meant it to happened.

So this Blog is just to highlight the things i read in the book that honestly impacted me. They are not easy truth to accept because i see all my faults in an event clearer view. And after seeing them, I struggle so much with them. Which is hard to explain without quoting huge chuck of the book.

So below are the summaries of the book, chapter by chapter.

God Bless

Susan