Sold out for God

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

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

The Awe of God

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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

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

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

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.