TWO LIES HAVE QUIETLY SHAPED MUCH OF CHRISTIANITY
- Lie #1: GOD IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD. (How can we trust and be intimate when we are scared of what God may do?)
- Lie #2: WE ARE SEPARATED FROM GOD. (We keep looking to breach a gap that is not there with religion and our own efforts.)
Most Christians would immediately reject the first statement. Of course God is good! We sing about His goodness, preach it, and affirm it in our prayers. But do we actually live as though He is good? Why, then, do so many of us fear His displeasure, question His intentions when life becomes difficult, or believe we must somehow earn His favor? And why do we spend so much time trying to get closer to a God who promises never to leave us?
Wm. Paul Young, bestselling author of The Shack, joins a provocative conversation exposing how these deeply embedded assumptions influence our ability to hear God, experience His love, and live in the freedom Christ has already made available.
Young challenges the familiar religious pursuit of trying harder, praying harder, and becoming more spiritual in order to reach God. What if the Christian life was never meant to be a struggle to find Him, but an awakening to the One who has been present all along?
“I don’t want a purpose-driven life. I want an indwelt, mutually participatory, Spirit-filled life.”
This is more than a discussion about hearing God’s voice. It’s an invitation to examine the beliefs that keep us striving, fearful, and spiritually frustrated—and discover what happens when we exchange the illusion of separation for the reality of His goodness, presence, and love.
Perhaps the question isn’t whether God is speaking. Perhaps it’s whether we’re willing to abandon the lies that have kept us from hearing.
Study Notes PDF — Refusing the Lies That Keep Us from Hearing God with Paul Young
Your Turn to Talk!
Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Which false judgment about God or yourself has most shaped the way you hear Him?
What helps you recognize the difference between God’s voice and the accusing or fearful messages you have believed?
How might your relationship with God change if you truly trusted that He is good and is not separated from you?
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