Dear Not:
I'm so glad you are a different man now,
and do hope that you stay true to the
Lord. It will take more than words, though,
to convince your loved ones that you are
changed.
What exactly was your experience? The
word alone is vague and subjective. Many
have spiritual experiences, some--but
not all-- of which result in visible changes
to people's lives. Significant, long�term
and life altering change that results from
a spiritual encounter is actually a deci-
sion. That one decision is the acceptance
of Jesus Christ's payment for your sins,
and making Him the Lord of your life. If
that was your experience, you're on solid
ground for change, and change for the
good. If not, why not give Him a try?
Second, sharing your testimony of this
decision with your loved ones is a good
start, preferably face to face, and individu-
ally. If that is not possible, a sincere short
note would have to do.
Finally, your loved ones have probably
been worn down by your previous poor
judgments. To win them back, it will take
consistent good decisions over a period of
time. Until then, continue to grow in your
relationship with Jesus and take comfort
in the promise of God found in Joel 2:25a,
"I will restore to you the years that the
locust has eaten." The losses you expe-
rienced during your years of destructive
living will be restored to you by our Father
in Heaven.
AUNT SALLY is happy to provide free personal advice and opinions on a variety of subjects.
Need help with relationship problems, spiritual questions, parenting situations?
Ask Aunt Sally!
Send your questions or comments to Aunt Sally via email at [email protected] or by
regular mail at Ask Aunt Sally, Salvation Army Publications, 615 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22313.
Questions appropriate for printing in the War Cry will be answered through this column.
Dear Whose:
Hallelujah! How wonderful that this is
your strong desire. Actually, having ac-
cess to God as well as the ability to know
His will is a priceless privilege of all who
have made His Son Jesus Lord of their
lives.
You would think that the God who cre-
ated the solar systems, populated the ar-
eas of the earth with all manner of living
creatures and brought into being human
life from a handful of dust would have
no difficulty making His will known. The
problem is not with Him, it is with us. We
need to improve our spiritual hearing and
listen more intentionally. The noise of the
world and busyness of our lives get in the
way, dulling our ears to His voice.
It is in the quiet times, the stillness of
the soul that we begin to hear. The fel-
lowship of our spirits with His as we meet
in prayer further improves our reception.
We need to spend time with God. Note:
God will never instruct you to do any-
thing that contradicts the Bible. If you
think it is God speaking but it does not
square with His Word, then you are hear-
ing something else. It is not God.
This is also the key to distinguishing
His voice: having a living, close relation-
ship with Him. Jesus shared, " ...His
sheep follow him because they know His
voice (John 10:4b). "I am the good shep-
herd; I know my sheep and my sheep
know me" (John 10:14). Why do the
sheep know the shepherd so well? How
do they recognize his voice so easily?
Because of the time they spend together.
They become aware of and familiar with
Him, His ways, His voice.
Spending private time with God and
reading His Word is the best way to get
to know Him and His character, to be-
come familiar with His ways, His Mind,
and His holy purposes. There are no
shortcuts or creative formulas for this.
You will also want to weigh the voice
you hear with what is written in the Bible.
God will not guide you to do something
that goes against His Word.
Dear Aunt Sally:
Because of some extremely poor
decisions in the past, my behav-
ior has pushed away people I
love dearly. I have recently had
an experience with Jesus, and
feel that I am now a different
man. What should I say to my
loved ones to convince them that
I'm a changed man?
--Not The Same
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The War Cry |NOVEMBER 2013
Dear Aunt Sally:
I'm at a point in my life where I'm
obsessed with following God's
will. But how do I know if I'm
doing His will or mine? How do I
distinguish His voice?
-- Whose Will?
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