Month: August 2015

How To Hear From God

Posted on by Susan Panzica


In his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, Paul encouraged the church again to stand firm in the face of persecution. He urged them to “keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.” The Thessalonians heard from Paul both in person and by letter.
Supernaturally, by the Holy Spirit, we can experience the presence of God. We sense His leading. We feel His peace. We are strengthened by His power. We can hear from God in person.
We also hear from God through the Bible, His love letter to us, His children. The words in the Word are “living and active.” They are not merely ink on a page. They speak directly to our hearts in miraculous ways.
The danger is when our relationship with God is unbalanced, focused on one OR the other. 

I know some Christians who have an entirely experiential relationship with God. They rarely read the Bible. They don’t memorize Scripture. They attend Christian functions, listen to Christian radio and music, shoot off prayer requests, even serve in ministry. But they depend upon experiences alone to hear from God. Maybe a word from the pulpit or from another Christian hits a nerve. But without reading the Bible on their own, they are like a boat without an anchor. They drift along from experience to experience without any foundation. 

In the book of Acts, Luke tells us that the Bereans were considered more noble than those in Thessalonica because after they heard the word from Paul, they searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true. The Bible calls itself our spiritual food (milk as babes, then meat), necessary to grow into mature Christians. When we speak we use words, when God speaks, He uses His Word. We need to keep a strong grip on His letters.
Then there are Christians who are scholars in the Word. They can cite verse and address and put myself and others to shame. But the danger here can be that it is just head knowledge. An old tract titled, “Missing Heaven By 18 Inches” teaches that 18 inches is the distance between our head and our heart. 

If we know all about God, but lack a heart relationship with Him, we will miss spending eternity with Him. If we store up much information in our brains, but lack love, we are just a resounding gong and will be lacking the other fruits of the Spirit – joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It’s not enough to know all about God. We need to know Him personally as a friend, husband, brother, and keep to the teaching we learn from Him.

Do you need to strengthen your knowledge of His Word or deepen your experiences with Him? Let’s talk about it. 

With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.  2 Thess. 2:15  



Top Ten List: Garden Lessons Learned

Posted on by Susan Panzica


In my last post, I shared about a lesson learned one day last month when I spent the afternoon attacking a garden patch that had been sorely overlooked. The lush green foliage deceptively hid its true identity – a massive pack of weeds. Entering into the belly of beast, I had no idea the many lessons I was about to learn. Here’s my Top Ten in random order:

1. There is no “before” picture. Why? First of all, I wasn’t expecting a spiritual lesson. I was just planning to do a job that I hated, but had to be done. Yet God found me there. When we remain open to hearing His voice, we may hear from Him in unexpected places. 

2. There also is no “before” picture because I’m not too eager to share my mess with the world. I prefer for people to see a lovely facade instead of the true mess. Same goes with my personal flaws. When we display only our “best self,” we run the risk of being dishonest or pretentious.

3. An enormous vine entwined around several trees and bushes to the point that the vine’s leaves looked as if they were the trees’ leaves. Finding the tree inside the vine-web required persistent searching. So does separating truth from lies. In a world where the media spews stories based on innuendo rather than facts, it can be hard to get to the truth.  And in the spiritual realm, Satan is the author of lies masquerading as a tree instead of a life-sucking vine. (John8:44)

4. Separating the vine from the trees required relentless perseverance. But the more I removed, the easier it became to continue on.  Let small conquests along the journey pave the way for future victory.

5. Getting started is the hardest part. Instead of focusing on the hours I’d spend, ending up a weary dirt-covered mess, I focused on just putting my shoes on. Then getting the tools I’d need. Tiny step by tiny step, I moved forward until the job was done. The joke “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” never felt more relevant. (Phil. 3:14)

6. The project became so massive due to one of my best-honed “gifts” – procrastination! The more we delay in facing what needs to be done, the greater the problem becomes. Whether it’s a relationship issue, a job situation, or a physical project, the sooner we address it, the better. Delay only makes a bad thing worse. (Prov. 24:33)

7. As much as it depends on you, do it right the first time. The garden beds where my son generously mulched last year had way fewer weeds to deal with than other areas that were thinly mulched. Great job AJ! It’s worth the extra effort and expense to do a complete job considering it an investment in the future.

8. I gained momentum as I made progress in removing the overgrown vine that had shrouded everything in the patch. Seeing the sun begin to peek through the branches revealed a beautiful Japanese maple I didn’t even know was there -thanks to the benevolence of a neighbor’s giant Japanese maple sharing it’s seeds in the wind. The time and effort invested rendered a great reward, and I’m glad I stuck with it. Too often, I give up before the job is done and don’t know what I’ve missed because of that. (2 Cor. 8:11)

9. I’m a righty but at one point, with my right hand all tied up, I needed my left hand to do a job that it clearly wasn’t suited for. But despite its weakness, it did the job! Sometimes when we feel weak, facing a challenge helps us become strong. (James 1:2-4)

10. Sometimes a little support goes a long way. Wearing a knee brace and lower back support belt enabled me to work longer without getting weary. And going through hard times is much easier with the support and prayers of friends and/or family. (Heb. 10:25) How can you support someone today? 
 I went past the field of a sluggard,
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
 I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.
Prov. 24:30-34

How can you apply one of these truths to your life today?