Fall Contest! Start now!

Time to start writing those Fall Contest entries, folks! Here are the categories:

Children’s Fiction – Maximum 1000 words. No pictures.

Drama Script – Maximum 1500 words plus stage directions.

Non-Fiction to Conference Theme “Come to the Well” (John 4:14b) – Maximum 1500 words

Song Writing – 1-2 pages of lyrics with chord symbols, plus an MP3 vocal recording. Instruments optional. Voice quality is not judged.

Poetry – Maximum 40 lines, any style. Please state the style on your submission (eg: free verse, rhymed, sonnet, etc.)

Devotional – Maximum 300 words. Scripture must be included.

As you probably know, the Fall Contest is a 'PERK' of membership so if you are not a member or have let your membership lapse, now is the time to fix that! For more info about the Fall Contest go to our website:
inscribe.org/contests/fall-contest

Believe Not Every Spirit - Bruce Atchison

Whenever I hear Christians claiming that God spoke to them, I get nervous. The cultic house church I once belonged to took 1 John 4:1 light years out of its context by claiming we can hear from departed saints. That's NOT what the verse means.

First John 4:1 (BBE) reads, "My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world."

We see in subsequent verses that John had living people in mind when he spoke of those false prophets. It's those demons who are speaking into the mental ears of lying preachers who are responsible for the spread of false doctrines. The men and women involved are mere extension speakers for demons.

The only reliable message from the Lord is the Bible. As Hebrews 1:1 and 2 (BBE) state, "In times past the word of God came to our fathers through the prophets, in different parts and in different ways; But now, at the end of these days, it has come to us through his Son, to whom he has given all things for a heritage, and through whom he made the order of the generations;"

It's obvious that the author of Hebrews is referencing the established doctrines preached by the prophets and Christ. The letters from the apostles are also "god breathed" because they NEVER contradict what the Holy Spirit has taught.

I don't doubt that we can hear from God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself said in John 16:12 and 13 (BBE), "I have still much to say to you, but you are not strong enough for it now. However, when he, the Spirit of true knowledge, has come, he will be your guide into all true knowledge: for his words will not come from himself, but whatever has come to his hearing, that he will say: and he will make clear to you the things to come."

And as the Bible says in 1 John 4:6 (BBE), "We are of God: he who has the knowledge of God gives ear to us; he who is not of God does not give ear to us. By this we may see which is the true spirit, and which is the spirit of error."

So we see that aural communication and the Word of God are what we must use to test the spirits. Scripture prohibits speaking with the dead. It also warns that Satan can make himself seem to be an angel of light to those tricked by him. This is why we MUST stick with the Bible and test all aural speech against what it says.

How God Speaks (to Marnie Pohlmann)

God has spoken to me since I was a child. From the time He sat with me at a bonfire at Bible Camp to the times I felt His arms around me when evil came to call in the dark night, I have known His presence.

Perhaps it is the untainted trust of childhood or the smallness of a child’s world that makes believing in God and hearing Him so much easier than it is as an adult. Adults are surrounded by such differing ideas, various values, and a multitude of morals. The doubts and questions that must be answered to be firm in one’s own beliefs are not at all like the simple faith of a child.

As much as I continue to know God’s presence in my life, I’m not as good at simply enjoying His company and conversing with Him, as I once was. Yet God does still speak to me about faith, life, and, maybe, especially about writing.

I have continued to learn how God speaks to me, as well as others, in today’s noise-infused world in which we must “adult” whether we want to or not. I am not always paying attention or listening, though. And sometimes I have “selective hearing” where I choose what parts of God’s message I want to hear and what parts I will ignore. Trust me, though, when I tell you that selective hearing never bodes well for me.

So how does God speak to me?

First and foremost, God speaks to me through His Word. Reading Scripture makes God’s voice audible. And yet the words on the surface of the page don’t always mean what we might think they mean. Studying Scripture and the meaning behind the words is what truly makes God’s voice loud and clear. Unmistakable. Compelling.

For example, when questioning whether I could write, whether I should write, and even more so, what I could/should write, God spoke to me through Psalm 26, specifically verse 7.

“⁶ I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:

⁷ That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

⁸ Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” (KJV)

Secondly, I hear God’s voice when being taught, whether by reading or listening to wise Christians expound on God’s Word, God’s character, and God’s actions.

One such time was when I was asked to help a leader with a skit at a women’s meeting. If I remember correctly, the skit was about how God prompted a lady to consider another’s needs and she said, “I will pray for that need.” Now, we all know prayer is important, but sometimes God wants us to do more than pray, perhaps do something more practical and earthly. In time the lady dies and meets God in Heaven, where He hands her a crown decorated with jewels which He explains were set in place as a reward for her actions on earth. The lady is pleased, but when noticing more jewels on a table, she asks God, “What are those jewels for?” He answers, “Oh, those were for your crown, too, but you did not take advantage of the opportunities when I prompted you.”

What I learned through that skit was when God is prompting me to write something, whether or not I think it is of any value or will make it out of my journal for others to read, I need to write. I am called to write. I am responsible to act, and God will use my writing as He pleases. Just thinking about it is not enough when God prompts me to write. (Yes, dear hubby and friends, I hear what your facial expressions are saying!)

Linked to that experience was a the time I was teaching a Sunday School class of teenagers about gifts and talents. One question a musically talented girl asked was, “If I don’t use the talent that God gifted me with, or if I don’t use it in the way God asks me to, will I lose it?” The ‘use it or lose it’ fear

that we guilt ourselves with made me stop and consider. At the time I had decided I would write anything but Christian content, and certainly not share anything of my own life. The girl’s question made me realize that while I didn’t think God would stop me from writing, not using His gift to me in the way He asked would lessen jewels set aside for my crown. Scripture says we will lay our crowns at Christ’s feet, and I would like my gift to Him to be worthy of Him, not crafted by my own feeble works.

Perhaps the way God speaks to me most often is through my own writing. As I write in my journal or prepare an article to share, I hear God teaching me, helping me to make sense of my thoughts and solidify my beliefs. Even as I go back to read some of my own blog posts of the past couple years, I am often amazed at words I wrote and realize a new depth of God’s character or recognize how He has again proven another truth in recent days.

God has also used family and friends, dreams, and circumstances to talk to me. And like the Bereans of Bible times, I must be careful to discern these messages in the light of Scripture to determine whether I am truly hearing God’s voice and not simply my own wants and desires. I continue to learn to recognize my Shepherd’s voice. I continue to listen to His message, and ultimately to respond with action.

Does God speak to you in these ways as well?

     What does God speak to you about?

          How well do you listen to God’s message or prompting?               What is your response when you hear God's voice?

*photos courtesy of www.Pixabay.com CCO license

Marnie Pohlmann strives to listen and act on God's writing prompts while working and ministering in northern BC. Read more about God's presence in Marnie's life at her blog, Phosphorescent.

God Speaks - Shirley S. Tye

When God calls, do you hem and haw, and wonder who spoke?  “Was that God?  Nah! He wouldn’t pick me for a job like that. I can’t do that - don’t have the education or experience.”  We can come up with a number of excuses not to heed God’s calling just as Moses and Jonah.  

Moses had several excuses.  Some of his excuses were; I’m not good enough (“Who am I … Exodus 3:11); I don’t know what to say (“What shall I say to them?” Exodus 3:13); I’m not an eloquent speaker (“I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Exodus 4:10).  When God called Jonah; “Arise, go to Nineveh.” (Jonah 1:1).  Jonah did arise and go - but in the opposite direction. He outright refused God’s calling. After some persuasion, Jonah relented and did as God had requested. 

We may not have what it takes to carry out some of the missions which God wants us to fulfil when we first set out but He will “…equip us with everything good for doing His will…” (Hebrews  13:21) just as He did with Moses. “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) And I suppose, when God wants us to do something He’ll keep knocking at our door until we answer Him and “arise and go”. He’ll do whatever it takes to catch our attention just as He did with Jonah.

As we carry out God’s calling for us, we might not be aware of the impact we make on others - or shall I say, how God is reaching others through us.  As writers, it may not always be our best work that carries a meaningful message to someone. 

When I had a story ministry a few years ago, I was excited by the invitations I received from churches, ladies’ groups, nursing homes, and a mentally challenged group of adults.  Sometimes story ideas came from God.  When that happened, the story flowed easily onto the paper and it was a joy to tell it.  But when I forced an idea, squeezing words from my mind and juggling them around until they appeared to make a reasonable story, it sounded like gibberish to me when I told it.  Afterwards, in my embarrassment, thoughts rolled about in my head; that was a terrible story; not my best work; and it was too long.  Despite that, there was always someone who came to me to let me know the story had touched them, or reminded them of something, or made them aware of something they had done or should have done.  It didn’t matter whether the story idea came from God or from my own imagination. There was no stopping God’s word from going out to whomever He especially wanted to reach at the time.  I was doing what God had called me to do; to encourage others. He blessed the listener and me.