The neurological effects of our digital life are well documented: attention deficits, heightened addictive tendencies and greater dopamine sensitivity.

The implications for our soul are less considered, but Christian counsellor John Eldredge thinks they’re having a profound impact on our wellbeing.

Becoming what John calls “disciples of the internet” we’re trained to expect instant answers, immediate need fulfilment and rapid gratification that’s made “our souls very impatient”.

“Our spiritual forebearers would’ve been appalled at this,” John said.

“Because learning to wait upon the Lord, learning to sit with Him is absolutely essential.

“It’s good for your soul not be in a hurry [but] this internet life has trained us to be distracted and impatient [and] it’s getting in the way of people’s ability to enjoy a deeper life with Jesus.”

In his book Experience Jesus, Really, John draws on the traditions of Christians mystics, using his experience as a counsellor to weigh the balance of our hyper-analytical society with our souls need to lean into the mysteries of what can’t be explained by reason alone.

“There’s a place for critical reason,” John said.

“But we need to put it back in its place and allow the rest of our humanity to participate in our life.”

John’s observed in our doomscrolling and rabbit-trailing online that we’re constantly being told what we believed yesterday isn’t true today.

“Curiosity is really good – the curious soul is an alive soul,” John said.

“The problem is, internet life constantly overturns what you thought was reliable.”

Be it advice on exercise, education, spirituality or politics, we grab on to an idea of truth that the next expert tells us is inaccurate.

“We become really suspicious,” John said.

“We become really cynical, [and] it hurts our capacity to believe.”

The remedy John prescribes to his clients includes creating “a bit of sacred space” where Jesus addresses our anxieties and restores our souls against an uncrowded backdrop.

“Instead of studying, instead of listening to a podcast, or having your music on,” John said.

“You’re going to learn to linger with the presence of God – the old art of union and communion.”

One of the reasons John prioritises this is because “God doesn’t hurry and He doesn’t shout”.

“Out of the connection He’s able to address your fears,” John said.

“Out of the intimacy He’s able to give you guidance – He’ll answer your questions, just not in a hurry – [and] out of this intimacy He literally heals your soul.”

Post-enlightenment we’re living in a society “burned out” by an over-reliance on information, and the realisation it hasn’t offered the control we expected.

“The big offer was that information will help you secure your life,” John said.

“The big disappointment is that it doesn’t really deliver.

“We are underutilising what’s available to us through our Maker and through Jesus.”

Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.

Feature image: Book Publicity Image

About the Author: Laura Bennett is a media professional, broadcaster and writer from Sydney, Australia.

If you are a person of faith, I imagine you find your faith works out differently as circumstances and life chapters change.

I find it helpful to think about the posture that my Christian beliefs invites me to take, and to live more intentionally in light of what lies before me.

If this sounds a little obscure, let me outline what I think are the four most common postures of faith we are invited to adopt – and you might have some others to add to the list. Of course, sometimes there is a mix and match – but let’s not over complicate things.

Posture 1: Faith as intercession.

This is faith railing against difficult circumstances or evil in the world. It is when we ask God to change something. In our better moments, these requests are not only for ourself and our immediate circle, but for others who are impacted by some difficult situation. Often this is an automatic posture – one immediately assumed in the face of threat, danger or calamity. If someone you love is given a heartbreaking diagnosis, you probably swing into prayer, asking God to change the situation and to do the miraculous. Indeed, it would seem heartless to not ask God to change painful situations. Not that all intercessory prayer is urgent. At times we plead with God for promotion, or financial success or some special luxury or kindness. It can be as simple as asking God to help you find a parking bay.

It is one thing to ask God for something, another to accept the answer given. This was underlined for me several decades ago in a conversation I have never forgotten. I was accommodated by a family from a church that had invited me to do some ministry over the weekend. I had never met them before, and in trying to get conversation going, spotted a photo of a young girl and commented on it, asking if it was their daughter. They said it was, and then added two devastating words, “she died”. I rather awkwardly expressed my sympathy, kicking myself for not knowing more about the people who were hosting me.

“Don’t feel embarrassed,” the husband said. “We are no longer at that raw stage – actually, it’s rather wonderful to talk about her, because her life and death was a God story.” 

He went on to tell me that when the diagnosis of “terminal” came through he pleaded with God to change it. “I’ve never prayed so hard in my life. Don’t ever believe anyone who tells you that if you only pray a little harder you will get the answer you want. There was nothing wrong with the intensity and fervour of my prayer, or of my willingness to sacrifice. I even asked God to take my life rather than hers, and I meant it. But there was no breakthrough – just the relentless progression of her very aggressive cancer. Not one thing went right… there wasn’t even one short season of reprieve, a few months where you can draw breath and say, ‘she is in remission – at least for now.’ I was praying again one night (and there weren’t any when I didn’t) when I suddenly broke down altogether. I found myself saying words too shocking to bear, but I had said them, and said them to God. ‘She is going to die, isn’t she?’ And for the first time I heard God answer, ‘Yes, yes she is.’ ‘Why,’ I yelled back? The only reply was silence – not a horrible silence, just a long, peaceful, but non-negotiable kind of silence… the kind you know means, ‘this is the answer. It is not going to change.’ I don’t know how long I sat there – numb, but knowing I had been given the gift of the truth. This was terminal. She was going to die. And then there was the gentlest of whispers, a suggestion that I knew was the way ahead. I heard God saying (and yes, it was God, I have never doubted it), ‘why not change your prayer? Instead of saying ‘heal her, heal her’ why not ask that she would enjoy each of her remaining days and that her life would be remembered and that it would count?’ And I did that. 

“I can’t tell you how difficult it was and at the start I felt as though I was betraying her – giving up on her life. But then I started to notice something… my new request was being answered. She had been having so many awful side effects from the medication she was on – and suddenly that changed. Though she didn’t have a lot of energy, she had enough to do something meaningful each day. She started to laugh again. We had such good days… no, not lots of them, but each was special and still has a place in my heart. And then she died – not when we expected it. We woke up one day and she was gone. We don’t even know the exact moment it happened – she hadn’t even called out for us. She looked so peaceful. And then the stories started to come in – about how she impacted the people who knew her. So many, many stories – we were stunned. She was only 5, but she had impacted people we hadn’t even remembered meeting. This happened 15 years ago, and they are still coming in. So don’t feel bad about asking about my wonderful daughter who died. She is with God, and all is well – all is very well. But I did learn this – sometimes you have to change your prayer to get God’s finest answer.”

“Sometimes you have to change your prayer to get God’s finest answer.” I’ve always remembered that. My host wasn’t speaking about the latest prayer theory – he was speaking about his encounter with the living God. When we intercede, sometimes our posture needs to change from “I know what should be done, now God, please do it,” to “You alone, O Lord, know what is best. Help me to trust you for your answer, whatever it is.”

Posture 2: Faith as Open Hands

This is a posture we adopt when we sense that change is coming. We don’t yet know what it is, but intuitively we sense that something is shifting. Of course our natural response is not necessarily to have open hands – often it’s the opposite, and we fight and resist, for many experience the “change” word as the most threatening one of all. But at our best, when we sense a change of season, we open our hands and hearts and cultivate a quiet expectancy before God. 

How do we know we are entering an “open hands” season? 

Often it’s because we experience a divine discontent… not the ordinary run of the mill, “I’m getting a little bored, I need a change” but a deeper level of unsettlement.

I was at a meeting of pastors a few decades back (so many things are now from a few decades back!) and one of them asked, “how do you know when God is moving you on – when it’s time to accept a call to another church or a new opportunity.” The speaker of the day thought for a while and then replied. “I think it is when you walk around the streets in your area – the place God has located you – and you no longer feel a sense of compassion for the people or a love for the place. It is when it is all so familiar, but it no longer moves you.” I think that was a wise answer – but of course you are probably not a pastor. However, I suspect the principle isn’t that different. When it all seems ho hum, when we are no longer stretched (and no longer care about that) – when we just feel that we have done our dash, and that it’s now time for another. Of course we must be careful not to let some of the normal discouragements of life dominate – often we must simply see those through. But if you sense that you are entering a season of change, why not ask God to help you loosen your grip a little and to open your hands. Once you do that, see if there is something God seems to be placing in them… take time to be open handed and to notice more than you might usually do.

Posture 3: Faith as Daily Faithfulness

There is no special order in the postures I am describing. In fact, number 3 is the most common, and the one that is usually required of us. It is faith getting on with the tasks of daily life. It operates from the assumption that God is involved in all of life, and therefore we are already where God has placed us. As such, we should faithfully get on with what we are doing. It is this posture that helps us to see our work as a vocation – a call from God. Indeed, all of life is call, in the sense that a call is an invitation from God to participate whole heartedly and faithfully in life. Are you an accountant? Then browse through the accounts for the glory of God. Are you a chef? Cook, for the glory of God. Are you a counsellor? Then listen, for the glory of God. Are you a parent? Then raise your children for the glory of God. Are you a friend? Be the kind of friend who makes the love of Jesus a little more real.

This is faith as daily faithfulness. It’s day in and day out faithfulness. It is where the bulk of our living takes place. It might not seem specially glamorous, but it is the kind of faith envisioned in 1 Cor 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.” Is this easy? No. Is it possible? Well, it’s one step at a time, isn’t it? Is it a posture that will serve you well today? Almost certainly, yes! 

Posture 4: Faith As Wonder

I love this one. It is faith not looking for anything in particular, but faith with eyes wide open, and noticing the finger prints of God at unexpected moments. It is the faith of a child – trusting and confident that God is good. It is faith pausing long enough to notice that the breeze is refreshing, the sunset remarkable, and the birds vibrantly alive. Gerard Manley Hopkins poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” exclaims that “Christ plays in ten thousand places.” More particularly Hopkins suggests that it is through the features of people’s faces that we see Christ at work. There is wonder and grace all around – easy to spot if our eyes are wide open, yet often missed. It is possible to see the remarkable and remain unmoved, not because it is ordinary, but because our gaze is inadequate.

I could go on, but this post has already exceeded the recommended limit. Perhaps enough to invite you to examine the posture your faith invites you to adopt this week. Whatever it is, lean in with hopeful and trusting expectancy.

Article supplied with thanks to Brian Harris.

Feature Image – Canva

About the Author: Brian is a speaker, teacher, leader, writer, author and respected theologian who is founding director of the AVENIR Leadership Institute, fostering leaders who will make a positive impact on the world.

“Weren’t the Gospels of Jesus written a long time after His life?”

Well, the final form of the Gospels were most likely written around 30 to 60 years after the events they record.

This may sound like a long time, but it’s actually inconsequential.

The ancient world was predominantly an oral culture. Historical events were commonly and accurately transmitted without being written down. But details of Jesus’ life were eventually written down, 30 to 60 years later, because the eyewitnesses were dying out and the believers wanted to preserve their testimony.

But the fact is, most history is written many decades after the events – and we never think to challenge its authenticity.

Laurence Rees published a book on Auschwitz 60 years after the Holocaust, yet no one suggests that this history is invalid. Otherwise, no history could ever be written.

The Gospels were written later, but this timeframe doesn’t diminish their trustworthiness at all.

Article supplied with thanks to City Bible Forum.

Feature image: Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

About the author: Robert Martin oversees the work of City Bible Forum in Melbourne and is the host of the Bigger Questions radio show / podcast.

“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. (Mark 15:12, NIV)

The crowd asked Pilate to release Barabbas to them instead of Jesus.

This didn’t help Pilate with the problem of what to do with Jesus, and so he asked the crowd.

Pilate was still desperately trying to save Jesus. He was continually throwing the issue back to the people. He didn’t want to deal with it. But he had to. The crowd shockingly chose Barabbas, Pilate seemed well and truly cornered.

Pilate asked the most important question, “What shall I do with Jesus?” But he asked the wrong people! He asked the crowd, when it is a question that he should have answered only by listening to his conscience and no-one else.

The other striking thing about this question is that the answer centres on the issues of life or death. It is either crucify Christ or let him live. A half-hearted answer is not enough.

Put yourself in Pilate’s shoes. The last thing he needed was a riot during Passover. He needed to keep the Jews happy. His career and reputation were on the line. From a worldly point of view, he had no choice.

The crowd will always crucify Jesus. Never rely on the crowd for advice about how to live or how to believe. And you should never ask the crowd what you should do with Jesus!

The question Pilate asked is the most important question we will ever face. It is a question that no one who has ever lived can avoid answering.

Reflection: What should you do with Jesus? What will be your answer?

Article supplied with thanks to Dr Eliezer Gonzalez.

About the Author: Dr Eli Gonzalez is the Senior Pastor of Good News Unlimited and the presenter of the Unlimited radio spots, and The Big Question. Sign up to his free online course called Becoming a Follower of Jesus to learn about Jesus and His message.

Feature image: Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

What language does God speak? Hebrew? English? ‘Australian’?! Or perhaps, the one we best understand… 

Leigh’s God Conversation

Leigh had a high-profile career in the recruitment industry. In his role as National Accounts director, he was responsible for overseeing 2000 staff across multiple client accounts. It was a face-paced and high pressure position that involved strategic meetings, contract negotiations and frequent travel around the world. Though it was demanding and often stressful, Leigh thrived – at first. But after 13 years, Leigh began to experience a deep sense of un-fulfilment. Life was still good, but something was missing.

In the midst of his growing dissatisfaction, Leigh had a vivid dream. This was unusual since Leigh rarely remembered his dreams. In the dream, Leigh saw himself at the office, standing in front of his treasured whiteboard. Leigh was a big fan of whiteboards. He used them all the time to train and manage his staff and had multiple boards installed in his office. He even had a portable board for his travels.

In the dream, there was writing on the whiteboard. Written in the centre was Leigh’s job title: “national account director.” Then in a circle around his job title were written other areas of his life… “family”, “friends”, “God” and “church.” These were all written in non-permanent marker that was easily erased, but for some reason his job title was written in permanent ink. No matter how hard Leigh tried, it couldn’t be erased.

When Leigh woke up, he knew what God was saying. His job had become the most important area of his life and everything else had been relegated to second place.

After a heartfelt conversation with his wife, Leigh began to reorder his priorities. Later they began to explore a new path for his career—one that would eventually lead to full-time ministry.

God Speaks “Whiteboard”

Leigh’s God conversation shows us what language God speaks. The Holy Spirit spoke in a language Leigh was familiar with. In order to get the message across, God spoke “whiteboard!” The language God used communicated specifically to Leigh’s situation.

This is the beauty of hearing from the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Holy Spirit speaks to remind us of Jesus and then to apply his teachings to our unique situations (John 14:26, 16:13). On earth, Jesus had already spoken to the disciples about how to order their life priorities. God’s kingdom was to be sought first and then all the other areas would be provided for (Matthew 6:33).

Back then of course, Jesus spoke the language of Aramaic using the idioms and metaphors of first century Jews, but in Leigh’s life, the Holy Spirit took those truths and applied them using the language of a 21st century executive! In other words, the Holy Spirit acted as a kind of translator for Jesus.

Perhaps now we can see why Jesus said it was to our advantage that he left! (John 16:7)

The same Holy Spirit that spoke to Leigh has been given to each one of us. As in Leigh’s life, the Spirit takes the universal truths of Jesus and translates it to our personal situations so that we can respond to it. What language does God speak? The one we best understand. 

Article supplied with thanks to God Conversations.

About the Author: Tania Harris is a pastor, speaker, author and the founder of God Conversations.

Feature image: Photo by Slidebean on Unsplash