Dear ______: Yes, I suppose it is hard to just set aside your feeling that hearing God’s call is kind of scary. You’ve come to a fork in the road. You must choose. You might get it wrong. What is the worst thing that could happen? Yes, sometimes there are serious consequences. In my first computer programming class […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: God’s Plan vs. God’s Goals
Dear ______: You ask whether, with all these ways to go astray, if there is a reliable way to find God’s plan for your life. That’s an interesting question. Possibly even more interesting is the question of whether God actually has a plan for your life. Many assume that God does. Some will put that […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: A Reformed Approach to Divine Guidance
Dear ______: Yes, I agree, it would be awfully nice if God would speak up more often and give direct answers to our questions — like whether you are called to ministry. Most of us want divine guidance. We all face serious struggles and deep confusion at times. And it isn’t like God doesn’t care […]
How Do You Find God’s Will? (Heidelberg Catechism, Q91)
If you follow Jesus, sooner or later the question is going to come up: What is God’s will?” We love God. We want our lives to please God. But how on earth can we figure out what God really wants? A full century after the Pentecostal movement drew our attention to the presence of the Holy Spirit, […]