The Awe of God

Sold out for God

2025-04-13T21:24:00.004-05:00

Guest post by Paul Ristvedt

The first time I heard God really speak to me personally was when I was a junior in high school. At that time, I was part of a youth group which had just exploded with popularity as around 250 high school students were part of it. It was the first time in my life that I started to interact with God as a young adult in a personal way. I never missed a meeting, I was fairly involved with it, and it helped me make friends.

In the group, there were generally eight to 10 senior leaders. I decided that I should apply for leadership for my senior year and based on my involvement, I had a really good shot! The night came when they were announcing the leaders. During the announcements, I felt God impressed upon me that I wasn’t going to be a leader ... and what he told me happened. I wasn’t in the announcements. My name wasn’t called while other names were called. However, I was at peace during the announcements as I knew God was with me. That feeling would not survive for long.

I was distraught. I didn’t know what to do. My identity, and naturally my popularity, had been tied to the fact that I was going to be a leader (although no one else seemed to think what I thought). This church ... had ... abandoned me. I still was part of the youth group, but one of the best things happened to me after I left the church that had loved me and introduced me to God in a massive way to be open to finding a new place to worship God.

Senior year, a friend had invited me to a new church. I decided to go. I was BLOWN away. People were worshiping God, the music was emotional and the people were “sold out” for God. I decided to attend a small group and dive in despite the potential of getting hurt again. The men in the small group were awesome. The youth pastor, intense. I also was ready to surrender my life.

A funny thing happened when I first asked God if I could surrender my life to his will and be “sold out” for him. The funny thing that happened was, nothing happened. Nothing at all.

Here’s what took place.

I prayed in my small group with our passionate youth pastor and not one thing changed. The part that is a bit ridiculous but really interesting is that the youth pastor said, try again! I can’t imagine telling someone that. So I did. I went back to group the next week. I was ready. I’m not sure what changed or maybe God isn’t a cheap lover (not to be interpreted broadly by theologians), but the second time was very different. God’s presence was in and around me and I felt the presence of the uncreated, immutable, reckless, loving God and his host of angels. I’m not sure why it played out that way, but I was never the same. I had given my life to Jesus and asked him help me to live a “sold-out” life. It was the beginning of my journey. An incredible journey which can be summed up in a quote from C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, “in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Cancer changes perspective

2025-04-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Jackie Eyberg

I hadn’t really heard the voice of God until I received my diagnosis of breast cancer. On Feb. 6, 2020, I was diagnosed. This day changed my perspective on life and my relationship with God.

Before my diagnosis I was busy. I am a mom to three young children and work full time as a teacher. I was trying to do it all and wasn’t doing it all very well. There were times when I was working that I would hear God tell me to slow down, but I didn’t know how. I would rush to get to work, rush to get home and make dinner and then try to spend time with my kids while trying to keep up with my teacher work and the work of keeping a house in order. I wasn’t spending quality time with God or getting filled up in the word. I was rushing through each day and not enjoying life.

After my diagnosis, I took a leave from my teaching job so I could focus on my chemotherapy treatment and getting better. This was hard for me because I love teaching. I feel teaching is my God-given purpose and what I was created to do. But I knew I had to do this to slow down. I was looking forward to spending my days at home reading and spending time with God. Then COVID-19 hit. My kids were home with me and I was their teacher now.

I am finding ways to slow down and be with God. Every morning, I get up early before my kids wake up to spend time with God. My church has been having online devotions which get me into the word. I have also been reading a devotion and reading the Bible in a year. The more reading of the Bible that I do, the more God is speaking to me. In the stories of the Bible, I hear different people going through trials and putting their trust in Jesus more. God is teaching me to trust him more with my future. I am trying to give up the control in my life and let God control every area. I am putting my faith over my fears. Romans 12:12 has been my theme verse during my cancer journey: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

I am learning to take one day at a time and one chemo treatment at a time. I am trying to focus on each day and what is really important in life. Cancer is teaching me to slow down and let God take care of my worries and concerns. I am learning to listen to God more and what he wants for my life instead of what I want. I hope my story encourages you today!

Share your story of God speaking to you

2020-04-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

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The Awe of God

2014-02-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

In September 2007, inspired by the awesome experience of hearing God audibly speak to me, I started this blog. Called The Awe of God, I set out to capture and document instances of God speaking to people.

Here’s what I learned along the way.

God connects with each of us uniquely. For some of us, God speaks audibly. For others, it’s through scripture. Visions have been reported. In numerous instances, God speaks through the people around us. Other times, it’s a still small voice inside.
God has a plan for our lives. Whether it’s showing a woman that she has breast cancer in order to educate others or saving a man from suicide, God will speak to us in order ensure that His will be fulfilled.
By following God, things could happen that we never would have imagined. Like Alfonso Fernandez, who followed God to become the Spanish radio voice of the Minnesota Vikings. Or Jennifer Henderson, who left her $100,000-a-year job at a Toyota plant to open a Christian bookstore.
While many people may be reluctant to admit it, they have heard God’s voice. Sometimes people don’t want to disclose that God talked to them for fear of appearing haughty (especially here in Minnesota) or seeming too religious. However, covered by the anonymity of a survey, 20 percent of Americans admitted to USA Today that they had heard the voice of God. Sometimes what God says to us is just extremely personal, and we don’t feel like sharing that with others.
God’s presence is fleeting. I guess that He doesn’t want to overstay his welcome. Or it could be that He just wants to make a short yet powerful statement, such as the time when a grandmother heard a chorus of harps as she was comforting her dying grandson.
God has a sense of humor. Johnny Hart, the creator of the comic strip “B.C.,” felt that God wanted him to do the comic strip as a way to share God’s humorous inspiration. Author John Eldredge shares God’s sense of humor in his book “Beautiful Outlaw” when, asking God why He doesn’t give John hearts anymore, God responds by having John come upon a dried piece of cow manure – in the perfect shape of a heart.

Thank you, God, for your amazing presence. I am still in awe.

At this point, I have decided to sunset The Awe of God blog. I encourage you to join the faith and culture conversation at my new blog, Reflections from the Center.

Getting along with coworkers

2014-02-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Getting along with coworkers can be difficult, especially as people often have different backgrounds.

On page 206 of "The Sacred Romance," author John Eldredge shares a story about his former coworkers:

Several years ago a friend at work took me aside to say, "I don't know if you're aware of this, but you are intimidating your colleagues." I wanted to laugh, because I didn't feel intimidating at work; much of the time I felt small and scared. But his words provoked a search that led me first to the realization that I was in fact a very driven person (the reason my colleagues experienced me as intimidating). As I began to wonder why, I journeyed back to the day I was arrested as a teenager and the Arrow that lodged with the message "You are on your own." Though I had been a Christian for many years and knew all the promises about God always being with me, they had no power in my soul. The Arrow remained defining and I lived from its perspective.

As I entered into that heart-room where this particular Arrow had struck, the wound felt tender and new. With Brent's help, I was able to bring it into the light of the Sacred Romance for God to touch, heal, and reinterpret. Standing again in that place, I had ears to hear Jesus tell me I am not on my own, that he will never leave or forsake me. Faced with a real question, the real answer meant something. The healing process is still underway and there are days when I can be a driven man, but much less so than before. That Arrow has lost its power. But it would still be there if all I had done was tell myself, "Be nicer to the people at work."

It's important to go back in our lives and determine how to dislodge the Arrows that still are causing us pain.

Religion in England

2014-02-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

In "No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare," author Gordon Dalbey shares a compelling story on pp. 200-201 regarding how God told him to pray for England while he was attending a worship service:

Almost as soon as I had greeted my friends and settled into my seat, an overwhelming sense of alertness, openness, and brightness came upon me. A warmth flushed through my body, and before I could sing a note, I began to cry. A moment later, the crying eased – and then came again stronger, deeper, as in waves. As I sat there sobbing – hoping my friends were too busy singing to notice – a voice seemed to speak in my heart, 'Have I not loved you, My son?'

Within moments, I felt strength within me akin to anger, but before I could begin to worry what was wrong with me, I sensed something amiss in the atmosphere. What's wrong here, Lord? I asked. Immediately, the word self-righteousness came to mind; I bound that spirit over the gathering and, sensing the authority, cast it out. As the singing continued, I waited, alert for any further leading from God.

When the song ended, the worship leader began to speak with great enthusiasm about the power of God, and I found myself amazed to hear such unbridled excitement in a British accent. Lord, I thought, why am I so struck by that? I must have a real prejudice against the British. As the next song began, I sang out in praise to God, and I noticed the leader lifting his hands in joyful abandon.

Poor, uptight England! I thought. Imagine the joy they've missed by not letting go and praising God like that fellow! I stopped singing, shook my head, and sighed in dismay.

Suddenly, I heard a voice within me: 'Pray for England.'

What? I almost blurted out loud, sitting bolt upright. I waited and 'heard' nothing more, but the presence and power of those words remained electric within me. 'Me?' I asked under my breath. 'You want me to pray for England?' I felt as if I'd been listening to a symphony and the conductor's arms were now raised, awaiting the musicians. Sure, I'd prayed before for individuals, meetings, even churches. But for a whole nation?

Well… okay, Lord, I thought uneasily. I closed my eyes, and a map or picture of England came to mind. I prayed that the blood of Jesus would cleanse the entire island, and I saw great dark clouds pouring out of it. Emboldened, but careful not to go beyond my anointing, I asked God to identify particular enemy spirits working against Him in England. As the names of their activity came to mind, I asked God to pour out His Spirit on England in specific ways to counter those demons.

Congratulations to Dalbey for following Jesus' request, even though he was a bit hesitant at first.

Helping someone get to know Jesus

2014-02-14T14:28:00.000-06:00

It's not necessarily the easiest thing to help people discover Jesus. In his book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus," author John Eldredge shares a poignant story on p. 192 about a friend who is a missionary in Thailand. This story is from the missionary's perspective:

It was a Saturday morning and I was enjoying a delicious conversation. I looked at my watch and realized I needed to go meet up with a friend of mine, to take her to a women's event at church. She doesn't know Jesus yet but is hungry. I anticipated lame conversation gorging myself on empty carbs. But I had told her I would go. She was taking a risk and I needed to receive her heart well. So I hung up, grabbed a cab, and headed downtown. Our plan was to meet at the station at 8:45. The minutes rolled on. 9:00. 9:15. 9:25. I imagined walking into the brunch late, plates empty, women looking at us trying to scrounge a seat and some leftovers. I stood there, hundreds of people passing me by with every arriving train. My blood started to boil, growing ever more frustrated at how I could be at home enjoying conversation with someone I'm coming to care for quite deeply. But instead, I was standing in a fume-filled, sweaty, rumbling train station waiting for a friend who I knew would be late.

In that moment, I heard the voice of Jesus as clear as anything. So you left intimacy in order to come be disappointed by someone who needed love, huh? He didn't have to say any more. There was no condemnation in his voice, only that of a kind friend who is letting me into a bit more of his own story. What his humanity was like, what his time on earth must have so often felt like. It made me love him all the more.

Jesus really did sacrifice a lot for us, and we can be patient as we help others get to know Him.

The playfulness of Jesus

2014-01-29T16:12:00.001-06:00

If we look, we can see Jesus everywhere, in even the most simple things of life. Here's an example of that from John Eldredge's book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus" (pp. 190-191):

Last night I had a horrible night. I don't quite know how to describe it, but if I even use the word Gethsemane, I lose all by trying to establish a connection. Hours of evil attack, the fruit of which was, I couldn't find Jesus this morning. I felt as though he had abandoned me. Kneeling facedown in my office, worshipping, my face to the floor, I suddenly felt a presence next to me; something dropped by my ear. It was an old chewed-up toy. I looked and there was Oban, waking his tail. Wanna play? The playfulness of Jesus, cheering my heart through my dog. Oban laid down in front of me, and began to lick my hand. It was so merciful, so comforting; the comfort of Jesus.

Look around to see Jesus in your life today.

Pirate hat

2014-01-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

Jesus is often playful. He probably has a better sense of humor than most of us. Consider this passage from p. 190 of John Eldredge's book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus":

My son was having a tough freshman year at college. So many students there are bound under the religious fog. It was a lonely fall, filled with misunderstanding. One afternoon, just after a classmate said something particularly hurtful to him, Blaine returned to his room and slumped into his bed, about as low as a young man can get. He looked over to his desk, and 'saw' Jesus sitting there, in his desk chair, a smile on his face. He was wearing a pirate hat. Then he disappeared. A whiff of the Emmaus road.

Now if Jesus appears to you in a pirate hat, how could you not feel better about your situation?

Hope in 2014

2013-12-27T11:49:00.001-06:00

As 2014 approaches, many people set New Year's resolutions such as losing weight, spending more time with family, quitting smoking, and more.

In a recent letter from author John Eldredge, he said that God has hope in store for us:

A thrill of hope.

I think it's been quite sometime since my heart felt a thrill of hope. I've certainly had a nudge or two of hope, maybe even a stirring of hope. But wouldn't it be wonderful to feel a thrill of hope, perhaps to feel it in some new way for the first time? Let's see if we can find that, open our hearts to its coming, just as Mary opened herself to the coming of Jesus. . .

As 2014 approaches, my hope for everyone is. . . hope.

The Message

2013-12-16T17:06:00.000-06:00

Often we find other things besides Jesus to comfort us when life gets tough. On p. 166 of "The Sacred Romance," his book with John Eldredge, Brent Curtis shares about his comforters and Jesus as our home:

My 'comforter,' my abiding place, was cynicism and rebellion. From this abiding place, I would feel free to use some soul cocaine -- a violence video with maybe a little sexual titillation thrown in, perhaps having a little more alcohol with a meal than I might normally drink -- things that would allow me to feel better for just a little while. I had always thought of these things as just bad habits. I began to see that they were much more; they were spiritual abiding places that were my comforters and friends in a very spiritual way; literally, other lovers.

The final light went on one evening when I read John 15 in 'The Message.' Peterson translates Jesus' words on abiding this way: 'If you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.' Jesus was saying in answer to my question, 'I have made my home in you, Brent. But you still have other comforters you go to. You must learn to make your home in me.' I realized that my identity had something to do with simply 'staying at home.'

Jesus, please help us to find our home in you.

Prayers for nations

2013-11-30T13:35:00.000-06:00

I have written before about Gordon Dalbey and his self-admitted naivete in challenging the huge demonic strongholds over Los Angeles. On pp. 201-202 of "No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare," Dalbey shares how he felt called to pray for nations, but was understandably gun-shy because of his experience praying against the demons of Los Angeles:

...I recalled the teachings on territorial spirits by Australian John Dawson, which I had received in the pastors' group. I thought also of my guitar and tape deck, stolen after I had rushed to pray against territorial spirits over Los Angeles. Instinctively, I hesitated. Was I rashly exposing myself again to further counterattack and destruction in my life? Yes, I was fasting and expected greater power to overcome the enemy -- but could such prayer for entire nations be overstretching proper caution?

I realized that the most compelling argument for my staying open and continuing to pray this way was simply that I had not sought this ministry of warfare, nor had I in any sense set out with a prayer agenda for England. In the past, I had, for example, focused on Los Angeles out of my own impetus. Now, however, the thrust seemed to be coming from outside of myself. Okay, Lord, I prayed, if You're calling me in this moment to pray for particular nations, lead on -- but I will not pray any further unless You show me.

I sat quietly waiting. Moments later, an outline map of Australia came to mind. I waited longer, and the map remained. All right, Lord, if this is from You, show me the spirits over Australia You want me to pray against. Once again, names of demonic activity came to mind, and I yielded and prayed. Within a half hour, I was led to pray as well for Japan, Nigeria, and Russia. (Later, between 1995 and 2008, I ministered in England on nine visits and in Australia on four.)

Listen to the Lord for guidance in your prayers.

Surviving a breakup

2013-11-27T22:58:00.000-06:00

A breakup is never easy -- particularly one's first. In "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus," John Eldredge recalls on page 190 how Jesus encouraged him to look at Eldredge's first breakup from a different perspective:

Last year, as a wise old sage was praying with me through some of the painful memories of my life, I was immediately reminded of the time in middle school when my first girlfriend broke my heart. These wounds can linger for a lifetime if you let them -- the first cut is the deepest, and all that. We asked Jesus to take me back to the memory. I saw us, the girl and me; it was that fateful summer day. We were in the living room, just as it happened. Then I saw Jesus enter the room. He was quite stern with her, and it surprised me. That mattered to you? I wondered. Very much, he said.

Then Jesus turned to me. I felt his love. I realized I could let the whole thing go. It was so healing. To understand that Jesus is angry about what happened to you is very, very important in understanding his personality but also in your relationship with him and for your healing. What I love about these encounters is that every time -- every time -- Jesus is so true to his real personality. Sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, always generous, and often very playful.

Ask Jesus to take you back to your memories that need healing.

Beautiful front teeth

2013-11-21T10:56:00.000-06:00

The Accuser always enjoys taking our doubts and needling us with them over and over. On pp. 150-151 of "The Sacred Romance," John Eldredge shares the story of his friend Mary, who felt very self-conscious about losing her front teeth during an accident in early adolescence.

Years later, she struggled to finally resolve the issue with dental caps. What should have been a simple procedure took weeks, then months. Appointment after appointment, the caps were either the wrong color, the wrong shape, or the wrong size. When she finally did get a pair that she could live with, the glue didn't hold. Where was the Sacred Romance in such a mundane and yet withering struggle? Why didn't God ride in as hero and provide a beautiful set of caps? Wouldn't that have been the loving thing to do? As the ordeal continued, a major issue of her heart surfaced. Mary's teeth had long been for her a symbol of her struggle with the question of her inner beauty. Her teeth were a source of shameful arrows lodged deep. A seemingly irrelevant nit that God refused to take away became an opportunity to face a fundamental question the heart of every woman asks: Am I lovely? Without the nit, the deeper issue of her heart would never have come up. Once it did, the real battle began.

The Accuser stepped in with a subtle, deadly stream of thoughts: 'Look, just settle for the wrong caps and get on with your life. Your desire for beauty is nothing more than vanity. Things will never change. God doesn't care for your heart or he would have taken care of your teeth.' And finally, 'This is who you really are: unlovely and unlovable.'

Each time Mary looked in the mirror, these sentences urged her to lose heart. Some days, the crisis felt as if it would crush her spirit; on other days, she just felt dumb. Meanwhile, Mary's false lovers took their cue and began offering to help her deal with the pain. Food promised to take away her heartache; busyness lured her to bury it beneath a deluge of Christian service. Even the faith practiced by the charismatic church she attends offered to lift her beyond the struggle if she would only focus on the Lord and worship more frequently.

Thankfully, her True Love was persistent in his pursuit of her heart, refusing to let her take the easy way out. The question of her inner beauty broke to the surface one day, and, fortunately, a friend with eyes for the Romance was there to help her see what was at stake. Once Mary finally turned and faced the core issue, God was able to speak words of loving reassurance: 'You are lovely, Mary, and I want you to offer your inner beauty, your womanly heart to the world.'

Mary's situation was another instance of God using our friends to connect with us.

Climbing Mount Everest

2013-10-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

In John Eldredge's books, he often talks about climbing adventures. On pp. 216-217 of "Wild at Heart," Eldredge shares how God related climbing to the adventures in life:

In the past year or so I've made a number of decisions that make no sense unless there is a God and I am his friend. I left my corporate job and struck out on my own, following a dream I've long feared. I've picked up the shattered pieces of a vision I lost when my best friend and partner Brent was killed in a climbing accident. What feels most crazy of all, I've opened my self to friendship again and a new partner, and we're heading out where Brent and I left off. The battle has been intense; a steep ascent that's taking everything I've got. The stakes I'm playing at now are immense -- financially, sure, but more so spiritually, relationally. It's requiring a concentration of body, soul, and spirit I've never before endured.

What is perhaps the hardest part is the misunderstanding I live with from others on a daily basis. Sometimes the winds howl around me; other times I fear I'll fall. The other day I was feeling way out on the end of my rope, cutting a path across a sheer face of risk. Out of my heart rose a question. What are we doing, God?

We're climbing Everest.

Life indeed can be challenging, but we are bolstered when God is with us.

Finding God in the mountains

2013-10-23T20:35:00.000-05:00

At one point in his life, author John Eldredge was trying to choose between going to graduate school

and accepting a high-paying job in Washington, D.C. On p. 202 of his book "Wild at Heart," Eldredge shares how God helped him to sort things out during a visit to the mountains:

Life makes more sense standing alone by a lake at high elevation with a fly rod in hand. The tentacles of the world and my false self seemed to give way as I climbed up into the Holy Cross Wilderness. On the second day God began to speak. John, you can take that job if you want to. It's not a sin. But it'll kill you and you know it. He was right; it has False Self written all over it. If you want to follow Me, he continued, I'm heading that way. I knew exactly what he meant -- 'that way' headed into wilderness, frontier. The following week three phone calls came in amazing succession. The first was from the Washington firm; I told them I was not their man, to call somebody else. As I hung up the phone my false self was screaming what are you doing?! The next day the phone rang again; it was my wife, telling me that the university had called wanting to know where my first tuition installment was. On the third day a call came from a longtime friend who had been praying for me and my decision. 'We think you ought to go to school,' he said. 'And we want to pay your way.'

Getting away from the busyness of life really can help us to slow down and contemplate decisions. I find the shores of Lake Superior particularly peaceful.

Becoming myself

2013-10-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

God accepts us. He loves us. In the words of Stasi Eldredge, he "embraces us." By that, she means trusting God and "embracing the goodness of God's creative work in us."

Elredge recently shared in a letter from Ransomed Heart a touching experience with God:

About twenty years ago, I was at church and in a very low place. I felt hideously ugly. I was telling myself that I looked like Jabba the Hutt. (Not very nice words to say to oneself.) Kneeling in prayer, I asked God, 'How do you see me?' In my sanctified imagination, I immediately 'saw' a woman kneeling. The sun was filtering through the window and streaming a golden beam of light on her head. She was wearing a lovely fitted white satin dress. Her hair was softly yet ornately done up with seed pearls in it. She was beautiful, clearly held in the gaze of her God, and a Bride.

God saw Stasi as beautiful. And He sees all of us as beautiful. Read more of Stasi's work in her new book, "Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You."

Spiritual warfare and deeper communication with God

2013-09-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder what things in my life are spiritual warfare and what are not. On pp. 119-120 of "The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God," Brent Curtis writes how spiritual warfare brought deeper communication between him and God.

On the other hand, once we begin thinking of all the deceptions the enemy is about with regard to our lives, we have a tendency to become obsessed with him, fearful of what he is going to do next. Once we take him seriously, he switches from his tactic of 'I'm not here' to one of having us worry about him day and night, which is almost a form of worship. God graciously showed me this several years ago while I was in the midst of an intense, three-year spiritual battle on behalf of a client who had spent years in the control of a satanic cult.

One night, David (not his real name) called me on the phone at three in the morning, in the midst of painful spiritual torment. We talked and prayed and I began to read from the Psalms. Finally, I could hear by his deep breathing that he had fallen asleep. As I lay on my dining room floor, pondering whether to leave the phone off the hook and build up a huge phone bill or hang up and risk having the beeping of the phone-off-the-hook signal wake David, something wonderful and strange took place.

In my heart, I heard a voice say, 'Brent, forget about the battle. You're here with me now. Rest.' I looked up, actually expecting to see God in some way, or perhaps an angel. What I did see was the light in the room change. I find myself wanting to say it grew more distinct, almost more personal. I only know I discovered that my hand was raised in the air in worship. I didn't decide to raise it. I am not, by any means, an expressive person in the charismatic sense of the word. It was simply as if there was no other appropriate response and my hand acted accordingly. For several minutes I basked in what I can only describe now as God's warmth and love toward me. The epiphany ended with me reading the Twenty-third Psalm and others it seemed the Lord had chosen to assure me that I was not alone in the battle.

Through spiritual warfare, Satan tries to separate us from God. God, on the other hand, wants to draw us closer.

Psychology and religion

2013-09-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

By having empathy for people, we can gain insight into how to pray for them. Take, for example, Gordon Dalbey's story from his book "No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare" (pp. 193-194):

I had tickets to hear a speaker on the subject of psychology and religion. During the break time, I happened to wander outside. Off to one side, I was surprised to spot the speaker leaning up against a wall, cigarette in hand, shaking noticeably. Instinctively, my heart went out to him, but I found myself too intimidated by such a personality to approach him.

Quickly I prayed for guidance, and an unexpected picture came to mind: a young boy with wings, flying upward, then plunging to the ground. I asked the Lord for understanding and at once remembered the Greek myth of Icarus, the boy whose father fashioned wax wings for him with which to reach the heavens; as he approached the sun, however, his wings melted, and he plummeted to his death. Icarus could be seen as a pagan example of the prototype Adam, who aspired to be like God and fell into sin -- and therefore death -- by eating the forbidden fruit.

I decided to bind a spirit of pride over the speaker, then pray for humility within and protection without. A few years later, I read a newspaper interview in which that speaker discussed circumstances under which it might be 'helpful' for a therapist to have sex with a client.

Today, I would be more likely to continue praying for him, and if that same word of danger through pride persisted, I would make an effort to contact him, simply to pass on the warning as I had received it, allowing him to draw his own conclusions. That night, however, I was aware only of a special alertness in my spirit and a sense of power as I prayed for the speaker.

After I had finished praying for the anxious speaker, I felt as if I had done such as a good job that I wanted to celebrate and even reward myself. The others with me at the event were going for pizza afterward, and I prayed, 'What about it, Lord?' The only sense I received was, 'Good job, My son! Enjoy!' And so I did, having several slices.

Dalbey provides an excellent example of someone in tune with the Lord.

Finding purpose in life

2013-09-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

For many people, finding your purpose in life is challenging. John Eldredge, on pp. 200-201 of his book "Wild at Heart," shares a story about how God communicated to him related to his life's purpose:

Several years ago I was thumbing through the introduction of a book when I ran across a sentence that changed my life. God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts -- not just through the Bible, but through the whole of creation. To Stasi he speaks through movies. To Craig he speaks through rock and roll (he called me the other day after listening to 'Running Through the Jungle' to say he was fired up to go study the Bible). God's word to me comes in many ways -- through sunsets and friends and films and music and wilderness and books. But he's got an especially humorous thing going with me and books. I'll be browsing through a secondhand book shop when out of a thousand volumes one will say, 'Pick me up' -- just like Augustine in his 'Confessions.' Tolle legge -- take up and read. Like a master fly fisherman God cast his fly to this cruising trout. In the introduction to the book that I rose to this day, the author (Gil Bailie) shares a piece of advice given to him some years back by a spiritual mentor:

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs in people who have come alive.

I was struck dumb. It could have been Balaam's donkey, for all I was concerned. Suddenly my life up till that point made sense in a sickening sort of way; I realized I was living a script written for me by someone else. All my life I had been asking the world to tell me what to do with myself. This is different from seeking counsel or advice; what I wanted was freedom from responsibility and especially freedom from risk.

We cannot rely on others to tell us who we should be. We need to rely on God and his plans for us.

Preparing for your children

2013-08-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

I recently took my son on a canoeing trip with some other dads and their sons on the Namekagon River in Wisconsin.

I have been deliberate about helping my son along his journey to manhood. One book that has been helpful in my teaching is "Boyhood and Beyond" by Bob Schultz.

According to the book, Schultz recommends that boys start to think in their teenage years about what they want their kids to be like. Schultz learned this from God when asking what to teach his daughter:

On January 11, 1978, God gave us our first child. That evening my wife went to bed early. Our daughter Molly lay beside me on the couch. I watched her like any new dad would, thoroughly amazed that she belonged to me. I knew that I was responsible for her life. She was under my care, to protect, to provide for, and to train. Never having children before, I felt somewhat overwhelmed. 'What will become of her life?' I wondered. I purposed at that moment to plan her education.

I picked up my Bible. Beginning in Proverbs, I read, looking for things to teach her. After an hour I was getting nowhere. I couldn't put my random thoughts into any sort of plan. 'God,' I asked, 'what do I teach my daughter?'

He gently answered in my heart, 'Be what you want her to be.' I didn't expect that answer. I was thinking about molding her; God was thinking about molding me. 'She will be what you are, not what you try to teach her.'

In general, children act the way that their parents act. They follow their parents' example. It's never too early to think about the example that you want to make for your children, as that will influence their children and beyond.

Conflict at a wedding reception

2013-08-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

Weddings can be glorious and exciting. Marriage, however, can be downright difficult. On p. 195 of "Wild at Heart," John Eldredge shares how both he and his wife felt hurt and disappointment resurface while at a friend's wedding reception. Rather than succumb to Satan's attack, John prayed about his marriage:

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the wave began to lift. My thoughts and emotions quieted down to a more normal size. Clarity was returning. The campfire was just a campfire again. Jesus, you know the pain and disappointment in my heart. What would you have me do? (The bar was no longer an option, but I was still planning to just go straight to my room for the rest of the night.) I want you to go back in there and ask your wife to dance. I knew he was right; I knew that somewhere down deep inside that's what my true heart would want to do. But the desire still seemed so far away. I lingered for five more minutes, hoping he had another option for me. He remained silent, but the assault was over and the bonfire was only embers. Once more I knew the man I wanted to be.

John went back to the wedding reception and asked his wife to dance. They had a glorious -- and exciting -- evening.

Battling demons

2013-07-31T14:49:00.000-05:00

As we draw closer to God, we also put ourselves on the spiritual warfare battlefield. While Jesus gives us authority to cast out demons, it might not be our place in certain instances. Consider Gordon Dalbey's story from his book "No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare" of trying to counter the demons in Los Angeles:

When I dashed downstairs 20 minutes later to drive to the nursing home, to my shock I found that my car had been burglarized. My $300 guitar (that's in 1979 dollars) and recently repaired car stereo were both gone. I called the police at once, but they could offer no help by that time; in fact, when I reported my address, the dispatcher was surprised. 'We hardly ever get a theft call in that neighborhood!' he declared.

Hanging up in anger, I realized that the enemy had taken away two important weapons that I had been wielding against him: the tape deck with which I played praise songs, and my guitar with which I was even then writing more musical ammunition. How could this have happened, Lord? I cried out.

Simmering quietly, I sensed the answer: 'Don't ever again step out beyond your calling as you did last night.' For an individual to challenge the huge demonic strongholds over Los Angeles, as I had done, was at best naive and at worst suicidal. I was blessed only to have lost a guitar and tape deck for such foolhardiness. That night, I encouraged the speaker to clarify this point in order to save others from my jarring experience.

Since that time, Dalbey has been asking God if he has authority in an area before challenging demons. Dalbey has discovered that he has authority over his family and over people who give him authority by calling for counsel, asking for prayer, or attending one of his conferences.

Jesus Is everywhere

2013-07-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

As Jesus is omnipresent, it shouldn't come as a surprise when he talks to us. He's infinitely creative, though -- which often takes us off guard. Consider this experience related by John Eldredge in his book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus" (p. 184):

Another friend, Leslie, was traveling in Germany and had the privilege of seeing the renowned Oberammergau Passion Play. 'All the villagers play parts in the story,' she explained. 'For nine years they are woodcarvers and then the tenth they take on a whole new part; the men grow beards and let their hair get long.' The play is three hours in the morning, followed by a long break, and then it continues in the afternoon. She wrote this account to me:

During my break I spent quite a bit of time in one particular shop. The woodcarver himself gave me a detailed explanation of his carvings. He had a head full of long brown hair and some woman asked him if he was in the play. 'Yes,' he replied. I thought, To whom am I speaking??? Peter, James, John, Judas...Jesus?! The moment I thought his name is was as if the Lord was saying to me, You recognize me on the stage in the part you know so well, but do you recognize me in the shop? Have you so compartmentalized your life between sacred and secular, church and business, Sunday and the rest of the week that when I am out there you no longer recognize me? I realized at that moment that I could walk into church on Sunday and know what to expect because I know the story. I could see Jesus in that setting. Then I would leave and go out into my own world and leave him in first-century Palestine. I couldn't recognize him in the shop.

Expect to encounter Jesus in your life. . .not just on Sunday, and not just at church.

Pray for men

2013-06-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

I'm always curious how authors come up with ideas for their books. I recently started reading "Healing the Masculine Soul" by Gordon Dalbey. In the introduction (pp. xxii - xxiii), Dalbey shares how he felt that God was encouraging him to minister to men:

I first realized this following a church showing of the antiabortion film 'The Silent Scream.' Deeply touched by the film, the audience of perhaps a hundred men and women moved into prayer. When the pastor invited individual prayers aloud, one person prayed for the young pregnant women; others prayed for the parents of these women, for the doctors and nurses at abortion clinics, for the unborn babies themselves, and for the nation's conscience. As I sat, head bowed, my spirit agreed with all these prayers. And yet a restless uneasiness prodded me. Something was missing, overlooked. Father, I prayed, is there something else, something maybe even more key to the issue than what's being mentioned?

Almost at once the words burst forth in my mind: Pray for the men! No one is recognizing that without a man to impregnate the woman, the abortion issue would not exist. The men are the problem, and no one even recognizes the need for My transforming hand upon them. Even if a woman agrees or even seeks sexual intercourse, she cannot force herself upon the man. It is he who has the ultimate responsibility to say No, and it is he whom I therefore hold ultimately accountable.

OK, Lord, I prayed. How shall I pray for the men?

In my heart, I sensed a clear answer. The men are not submitted to Me. They have become passive in the face of responsibility. They are not living in response to Me; they have given up the ability to respond, that is, their response-ability. Pray that the men surrender to Me, that they would receive My heart of caring for women, that the spirit of passivity would be bound in them and they would walk in responsibility.

When I spoke this prayer aloud, a unanimous murmur of approval and Amens! swept the room.

So, in Dalbey's case, God encouraged Him to pray for men. I'm thankful that Dalbey followed God's word and took it even further by writing his books.