Q: The bible says don't have a "hardened" heart.. How do you know you don't have a "hardened" heart?
A: I don't believe there is one specific example to prove that you don't have a "hardened" heart. This is something that is between each individual and God. However, one thing that has to take place is that you must have become born again of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. Once that occurs you have become a "new creation." As you begin to grow in Christ, you will begin to have more interest in the things of the Lord. You will start to realize that you have a "heart of flesh" rather than a "heart of stone." As time goes on you will start to bear the fruit of the spiirit with those around you. You will be more patient, loving, kind, forgiving and so on as you realize how patient, loving, kind and forgiving the Lord has been with you. This humbles you to the point that you live a life of thankfulness for all the Lord has done for you. Your selfish pride that once commanded you has been replaced with an attitude of serving others in love in hopes of sharing Christ with them.
Q: What is the difference between "Self Love" and "Loving Yourself"?
A: I can only think of it in terms of selfishness as oppossed to selflessness. Selfishness is putting yourself and your interests ahead of the needs of others. Where selflessness is a sacrificial form of love where you think of others first. Scripture instructs us not to just please ourselves (2 Cor 5:15), not to think only of our affairs (Phil 2:4), to not only think of our own good (1 Cor. 10:24) and to share each others troubles (Gal. 6:2). This only occurs when we are responding to the selfless love God has shown towards us in Christ. Remember, "we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)." Jesus put the needs of the world, forgiveness and the restoration of the life of God, ahead of His own interests when He died and rose for us. Knowing that compels us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31) in hopes that in the process some might be saved or built up in the Lord.
Q: As Christians we didn't "earn" our salvation...So what does it mean when Jesus said faith without "works" is dead?
A: Did Jesus say this or was it James (James 2:26)? Regardless, if we have faith in Christ we will eventually see ourselves bearing fruit. But, we must ask ourselves what is the work of God? Jesus said, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29)." Too often we mistake things like involvement in church activities or our charitable endeavors as the work of God. And while those things may be motivated by the Lord through us to some degree, our work is to be a witness for Jesus Christ. We are called to rest from our self-righteous acts by allowing the Holy Spirit to live His life in and through us. This occurs because we know that everything we try to obtain from God, love, acceptance, meaning and purpose to life, by what we do, can only be received through faith in Christ. In turn we are able to share what we have with the world because we no longer expect it to give us what it cannot provide and the lost will be drawn to the fruit we are bearing for the Lord.
Q: How do "you" know when God is "speaking" to "you"?
A: You know God has spoken to you when the answer to what you are praying about is something you never would have thought of on your own. When I was desperately trying to stop drinking, and all the behaviors that accompanied it, I asked God to help me stop. I had tried going cold turkey and drinking non-alcoholic beverages. Nothing worked. I always "fell off the wagon." Then one night, frustrated and in tears, God spoke. He simply spoke to my spirit by saying, "stop hanging out with your friends." As simple as it seemed, it was something I never thought about. If I wanted to stop my behavior I needed to avoid the environments and the people who engaged in that activity. It was not easy, and I don't say this as an indictment on my friends, but it is what happened. My behavior was not consistent with my identity as a child of God. The flesh is weak and I needed to stop tempting it. Remember to listen more than you speak. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.
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