"31 Days" ChallengeACBCbiblical counselingdecision-makingGarry FriesenGod's willheartshareStuart Scottthenester.comWord of God Speakwrite31days.com
I am going to share my heart with you today...
I am going to share my heart with you today…
First off, today was a rough day. It wasn't rough in the sense that anything "bad" happened to me. It was rough because it was a full day. And it was rough because there were unexpected kinks in the schedule all day long. If I'm completely honest with myself (and with you!), it was rough because I was being selfish with my time. When I realized this, I repented and tried to walk through the rest of the day in a more unselfish manner...taking time to breathe, worshiping the Lord through song, and spending time with people who matter to me. You know, really being there in the moment with them - not wishing I was doing something else on my crazy busy schedule!
That being said, I did not have time until now (read: 10:41pm) to write this post. But alas, I signed up for 31 Days...and I am here. :)
I am going to share my heart with you today…
My 31 Days writing project is entitled "Word of God Speak." And it's not because I really dig the band Mercy Me and their hit tune from 2002. :) Rather, it is because I have recently been challenged to start rethinking the way that God truly speaks: through His Word...not the "warm fuzzies" through which I want Him to speak. [Are you sensing a "selfish" theme, here? 'Cause I am!]
I am going to share my heart with you today…
I am currently taking a class at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary called "Typical Problems in Biblical Counseling." The professor is Dr. Stuart Scott, a fellow with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (now ACBC, formerly known as NANC) and author of many books on the topic. I've taken Dr. Scott's classes before, so I knew what I was signing up for: unadulterated honesty about deep discipleship in Christ. I also knew I was going to be challenged, pruned, and quite possibly stunned by how the Holy Spirit would use my prof to pry open my heart and receive the Word in new ways that I had not considered in the past.
One month into the course, the hammer fell.
I am going to share my heart with you today...
We have been tackling the following: biblical decision-making. As I began learning about the subject, my eyes were opened to the fact that I often look to feelings, signs/wonders, etc. when I want to "hear" from the Lord. Now, I already considered myself to be quite conservative on the topic of how the Lord speaks...ascribing to Southern Baptist doctrine and being a bit of a theologyphile...but I was challenged to my core. My prof posed the argument that God speaks through His written Word - not just through His Word above all other forms of speaking, but only through His Word.
At first, this was a hard concept for me to grasp. I have often heard (and even taught others) that God speaks through His people, through confirmations, etc. But I am now beginning to understand that that is not the most biblical concept. Also, I am coming to realize that this is often an issue of semantics, since we many times say "God spoke" to us when we really mean something more akin to "God used a godly person or an exraordinary experience to clarify something or provide guidance that is parallel to that already included in Scripture." The second answer just takes longer to say [and doesn't quite sound as "spiritual," if you know what I mean].
I am going to share my heart with you today...
In order to enhance my own learning about this topic, I will be writing about it all month for you to read and interact with. I welcome your feedback. Please know that I do not have this all figured out. I am a lifelong learner, as all believers should be!
I am going to share my heart with you today...
I gotta' admit, I am also a bit scared to approach such a controversial topic with y'all. And I am nervous that my thoughts will come across as judgmental. So please know that we must all tread lightly, here. I will be approaching each day's post with fear and trembling, with humility and an honest/open heart. I will also be using Dr. Scott's notes as a resource. I am making this known because I am crediting him for the topic and the structure of this 31 Days discussion. At times, I will be referencing another resource as well: the book Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View (by Garry Friesen). The thoughts and illustrations, however, will be my own.
Please join and interact with me, as I share my heart daily on this journey through letting the "Word of God Speak."
First off, today was a rough day. It wasn't rough in the sense that anything "bad" happened to me. It was rough because it was a full day. And it was rough because there were unexpected kinks in the schedule all day long. If I'm completely honest with myself (and with you!), it was rough because I was being selfish with my time. When I realized this, I repented and tried to walk through the rest of the day in a more unselfish manner...taking time to breathe, worshiping the Lord through song, and spending time with people who matter to me. You know, really being there in the moment with them - not wishing I was doing something else on my crazy busy schedule!
That being said, I did not have time until now (read: 10:41pm) to write this post. But alas, I signed up for 31 Days...and I am here. :)
I am going to share my heart with you today…
My 31 Days writing project is entitled "Word of God Speak." And it's not because I really dig the band Mercy Me and their hit tune from 2002. :) Rather, it is because I have recently been challenged to start rethinking the way that God truly speaks: through His Word...not the "warm fuzzies" through which I want Him to speak. [Are you sensing a "selfish" theme, here? 'Cause I am!]
I am going to share my heart with you today…
I am currently taking a class at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary called "Typical Problems in Biblical Counseling." The professor is Dr. Stuart Scott, a fellow with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (now ACBC, formerly known as NANC) and author of many books on the topic. I've taken Dr. Scott's classes before, so I knew what I was signing up for: unadulterated honesty about deep discipleship in Christ. I also knew I was going to be challenged, pruned, and quite possibly stunned by how the Holy Spirit would use my prof to pry open my heart and receive the Word in new ways that I had not considered in the past.
One month into the course, the hammer fell.
I am going to share my heart with you today...
We have been tackling the following: biblical decision-making. As I began learning about the subject, my eyes were opened to the fact that I often look to feelings, signs/wonders, etc. when I want to "hear" from the Lord. Now, I already considered myself to be quite conservative on the topic of how the Lord speaks...ascribing to Southern Baptist doctrine and being a bit of a theologyphile...but I was challenged to my core. My prof posed the argument that God speaks through His written Word - not just through His Word above all other forms of speaking, but only through His Word.
At first, this was a hard concept for me to grasp. I have often heard (and even taught others) that God speaks through His people, through confirmations, etc. But I am now beginning to understand that that is not the most biblical concept. Also, I am coming to realize that this is often an issue of semantics, since we many times say "God spoke" to us when we really mean something more akin to "God used a godly person or an exraordinary experience to clarify something or provide guidance that is parallel to that already included in Scripture." The second answer just takes longer to say [and doesn't quite sound as "spiritual," if you know what I mean].
I am going to share my heart with you today...
In order to enhance my own learning about this topic, I will be writing about it all month for you to read and interact with. I welcome your feedback. Please know that I do not have this all figured out. I am a lifelong learner, as all believers should be!
I am going to share my heart with you today...
I gotta' admit, I am also a bit scared to approach such a controversial topic with y'all. And I am nervous that my thoughts will come across as judgmental. So please know that we must all tread lightly, here. I will be approaching each day's post with fear and trembling, with humility and an honest/open heart. I will also be using Dr. Scott's notes as a resource. I am making this known because I am crediting him for the topic and the structure of this 31 Days discussion. At times, I will be referencing another resource as well: the book Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View (by Garry Friesen). The thoughts and illustrations, however, will be my own.
Please join and interact with me, as I share my heart daily on this journey through letting the "Word of God Speak."
2 comments
So excited to see where God takes you in this. Sounds like we have similar Southern Baptist roots that we are striving to plunge even deeper into the truth of who God is. His Word has been coming alive to me in new ways recently as well. He is a good, good God.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! I'm so glad He is working in your heart and life in new ways. Thanks for stopping by...I'm excited to connect with you!
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