Remember Christ's courage. Remember his obedience. Remember how his uncompromising cooperation with the Father altered the course of history, affording us freedom and peace with G.o.d. Remember guys like Paul (formerly Saul) and Barnabas, whom G.o.d frequently nudged into enemy territory-but who stayed the course anyway.

It could be that right here, right now, as you are reading the words on this page, G.o.d has something to say to you. He might be telling you that it wasn't only Paul and Barnabas he chose to set apart for something new-he also is choosing you to accomplish something new for him. Is it a new opportunity? A new a.s.signment? A new adventure? A new start in life? Is he asking you to ditch a bad habit; adopt a good one; serve the poor, your spouse, your best friend? If you sense G.o.d is trying to tell you something, let him know your ears are open, your heart is pliable and your hands are ready for action. Tell him you're ready to get gutsier about doing what he says. And commit to him that whatever the whisper, you stand ready-right now-to obey.

CHAPTER 5.

G.o.d'S WRITTEN WHISPERS

DURING A RECENT TEN-DAY PERIOD, I NOTICED A SPIRITUAL pattern in my life that I hadn't reflected on in quite some time. It has been ingrained in me for so long that I sometimes forget it is even there. I'll explain its importance in a moment, but first, to the pattern itself.

It was the final week of an annual three-week initiative at Willow called "Celebration of Hope," when we as a church put our faith into action by directing practical and financial resources toward people in dire need around the world. I had told the congregation that on the final weekend of Celebration of Hope, we would be collecting a special offering to ease the plight of people struggling against extreme poverty in various countries where Willow has ministry partnerships. With that final weekend just days away, I received an email from a man in our church who wasn't too thrilled with the idea of this special offering.

"I'm still gainfully employed," his message read, "but I haven't received a cost-of-living adjustment or wage increase in more than eighteen months " He expressed how ridiculous he thought it was to take money from our church and give it to the poor, when there were so many "real needs" right here at home.

Now, my reflexive reaction to a message like that is to defend the decision of our church leaders (which is laudable) and then-in a move that on most occasions has proven something less than laudable-to inform the sender of such a note that there is a big difference between not getting a raise and watching your children slowly starve to death because of water-borne illnesses they can't prevent, detect or treat.

I wanted to give this guy a piece of my mind. As I framed my thoughts, pulled my desk chair up to my computer and was about to hit Reply, the Holy Spirit sent me a message instead: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one other, even as G.o.d in Christ forgave you."1 Still focused on the cursor that was blinking invitingly on my screen, I pretended I didn't hear what G.o.d so obviously had said. I poised my fingertips above the keyboard and tried to focus on the retributive task at hand. But the whisper crept in again.

"Be kind and tenderhearted, Bill. Kind and tenderhearted..."

I knew the words well, because they form a verse of Scripture I had memorized forty years ago, Ephesians 4:32. I didn't grow up in a very nurturing home, and whatever thimbleful of gentleness I have collected over the years is due to having written that single line from the New Testament on my heart and then playing it over and over again in my mind like a CD on Repeat.

Back in front of my computer, my spirit protested, "But how am I supposed to zing this guy if I have to be kind and tenderhearted?"

No response. Not surprising, given my spirit.

I sighed, pushed my chair back and turned to stare out my window and think. When I re-approached my laptop a few moments later, I tapped out a response that was far different from the one I'd planned. That afternoon, I received a respectful reply from this man. I thanked G.o.d for his whisper, which once again had kept me from doing harm.

ONE EVENING THAT SAME WEEK, LYNNE STOPPED ME IN THE kitchen. "I've been thinking about the gift you and I will give toward Celebration of Hope this year," she said. "Maybe we ought to think and pray about it together, rather than just write out some sort of obligatory check merely because we've been challenging everybody else in the congregation to partic.i.p.ate."

Now I know my wife did not mean to insult me by implying I would just write an "obligatory check." She was merely suggesting we mutually engage G.o.d in our decision-making process. But I had just returned from a multi-city trip and was exhausted. Or at least that's the excuse I'm giving myself to explain the stinging litany of responses that popped into my head. Thankfully, this time, my lips stayed shut. In the split second that those ugly comments festered their way through my brain, G.o.d impressed this verse on my heart: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."2 G.o.d was reminding me through the words of a three-thousand-year-old psalm that he could and would direct our paths regarding how we should partic.i.p.ate in the Celebration of Hope offering. Instead of responding with wisecracks, I said, "Yeah. Let's do that. If you pray fervently and I do too, then maybe G.o.d will direct us toward the specific amount he wants us to give."

Sure enough, several days later-again in the kitchen-I asked Lynne what she was sensing about the direction in which G.o.d was leading us. She stated an amount, and my jaw dropped. It was within two percentage points of the exact number G.o.d had been stirring in my mind. We gave the agreed-upon amount joyfully, confident that G.o.d had directed our path. And I thanked G.o.d for speaking to me through his Word-and for once again saving my marital hide.

DURING THAT SAME TEN-DAY SPAN OF TIME, MY SON, TODD, stopped by the house. He was in the process of rebuilding his own house, which had recently been destroyed by fire. (Thankfully, no one had been hurt). Most of our conversations of late had been centered on riveting topics like foundations, floor plans and finishing materials. On this particular day, the subject at hand was sump pumps; he was having some drainage issues and recalled that I'd faced similar problems with our home, some years back. As I bemoaned those decades-old challenges, Todd asked a reasonable question: "Why didn't you just route a drainage pipe from the sump pump to an external drainage ditch somewhere? Then you'd never have to run your pump at all."

His solution would have made perfect sense except for two minor details: first, if all the homeowners in our area had followed that solution, our neighborhood would have been declared a bona fide floodplain; and second, according to city ordinance, it was an illegal thing to do.

"One of my subcontractors actually suggested we do just that," I said. "We both knew that in function, it would be the perfect long-term fix. But, unfortunately, it was against code..."

"You were that fond of the building code?" Todd asked.

We laughed, but as I dug a little deeper inside myself for the real reason I had followed the rules, a realization came to mind. "You know, Todd, I was twenty-eight when we built this house," I said. "It was a big house for a kid in ministry who had walked away from a family business that would've left him set for life. This house felt like a generous gift to your mom and me directly from the hand of heaven, and the last thing I wanted to do was screw that up. True, it was just a little building code, and no one would have been the wiser if I'd not followed it. But there's a pa.s.sage in the Bible that says obeying the authorities is a big deal to G.o.d,3 so sticking to that code, for me, was a tangible way that I could honor him."

Some thirty years ago, G.o.d had whispered his wisdom to me about obeying authorities, and it had stuck.

Once G.o.d's wisdom gets written on your mind and heart, your actions feel compelled to comply-which brings me to the pattern I mentioned at the start of this chapter. What I reflected on during that ten-day span of time was that throughout the course of my life, on an ever-increasing basis, my actions and reactions (or lack thereof) have been powerfully dictated by promptings that come directly from G.o.d's Word.

The most predictable way to hear from heaven is to read and apply G.o.d's Word. When you increase your biblical engagement, you increase the odds that you'll hear from G.o.d-that's as complicated as it gets. After all, if G.o.d already has written down his advice on the most common dilemmas we will face in this world-things like relationships, communication and money management-wouldn't we do well to take advantage of that? Psalm 119:105 says that G.o.d's Word is "a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." For more than four decades, whenever I've needed illumination in life, the Word of G.o.d has never disappointed.

ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS MY PARENTS GAVE ME AS A child was placing me in environments where I'd be motivated to memorize Scripture. Some of those opportunities panned out better than others-as a kid, those pizza bribes for reciting twenty verses correctly got a little old-but when all was said and done, I was given dozens of biblical sound bites that I still carry with me today.

Recently during a weekend service at Willow, I walked our congregation through many of those verses, which I'd arranged by topic. I'm including those same categories in this chapter, and feel free to add a few of your own. (A stripped-down listing appears in Appendix 1 on page 261 to make it easier to log these verses in your mind.) And I challenge you with the same promise I promised our congregation: The more devoted you become to learning and living G.o.d's Word, the more you'll sense his divine voice in your life.

The Truth about Salvation

In my view, every Christ-follower needs to know at least one key "salvation" verse. Think about it this way: if someone was to ask you about what made you devote your life to Christ, one of the clearest, most compelling ways you could answer them is by citing a pa.s.sage of Scripture related to your spiritual transformation. I've explained how I came to faith in Christ hundreds of times over the years, and the single verse upon which it hinges is t.i.tus 3:5: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit."4 By quoting this verse, I remind whoever is listening that people can't save themselves by good works, that salvation is a gift of G.o.d's grace alone.

What's more, when I miss the mark of perfection in my own life (an astoundingly frequent occurrence), I can come right back to t.i.tus 3:5 and remind myself that my sins have been washed completely clean. I was saved by G.o.d's grace, not by my good works-or lack thereof!

If my choice for a salvation verse doesn't stick in your memory easily then find one that does. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of G.o.d." Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Both of these verses-and others like them-are ideal for people who don't remember a specific date or time when they surrendered their life to Christ, but they definitely recall an era of life when they knew that they needed to be saved. If you have committed your life to Christ, write the words of one of these verses on your heart so that G.o.d's truth will be given a louder voice than any worries about whether or not you're saved.

The Truth about a.s.surance

Next up is "a.s.surance." Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

If you read those words and think, "Okay, so there's no condemnation. Big deal. What does this have to do with me?" then perhaps you've never experienced what it's like to feel terribly, tragically condemned by your own actions and shortcomings.

People who have been closely acquainted with feelings of condemnation understand that "no condemnation" is a very big deal. If you've ever felt the looming certainty of oncoming judgment or punishment, or the sting of guilt and shame after having been caught doing something that violated your own standards of morality (or G.o.d's), then you grasp how utterly sweet it is to be told that you'll never again be condemned.

RECENTLY I SPENT EXTENDED TIME REFLECTING ON ROMANS 8:1, just trying to grasp more fully what this "no condemnation" concept truly means. Around that same time, I received a whisper from G.o.d that I willfully disobeyed. It wasn't a federal case; it wouldn't have made headlines. But on this particular day, G.o.d had clearly asked me to do something-and I had chosen not to do it.

I went for a run later that afternoon. In the solitude of that time, the accuser-the evil one-started in on me: "Bill, after everything that G.o.d has done in your life, you couldn't even obey him in this one, small thing? Why?"

I felt a surge of self-reproach.

"Because I'm a terrible Christian," I thought. "That's why." I continued further down the path of self-incrimination, wondering why G.o.d remains so faithful to me even when I'm deliberately disloyal to him. Example after example of my spiritual shortcomings began to play in my mind's eye like a bad movie.

I rounded a corner and picked up my pace toward home. In the middle of my little shame fest, G.o.d interrupted my thoughts. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,"5 he whispered, straight from that Romans verse. "Enough beating yourself up, Bill. You said you were sorry; now claim my forgiveness. It was purchased for you at the cross. I have no condemnation toward you. Take my hand, and let's move on."

It was a much-needed reminder of truth.

Half an hour later, as I was showering, I sensed G.o.d whisper again, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."6 As the sweat washed off my body, Isaiah 1:18 washed over my soul. Every sin I've ever committed...washed perfectly clean by Christ.

Both verses-Romans 8:1 and Isaiah 1:18-speak to the a.s.surance we can have that we are forever forged into G.o.d's family. Let me give you three more truths about a.s.surance.

First John 5:12 says, "Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of G.o.d does not have life." What this verse means is that everyone who has received Christ-as defined by those verses on salvation we examined-can be a.s.sured of eternal life. If you have surrendered your full self to Jesus Christ, then you are promised a vital relationship with G.o.d here on earth and even more so in heaven someday.

One verse later, in 1 John 5:13, we read additional words of a.s.surance: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of G.o.d so that you may know that you have eternal life."7 You really can live doubt-free, with a rock-solid sense of a.s.surance about your redemption.

Here's another verse on a.s.surance: Romans 5:1 says, "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with G.o.d through our Lord Jesus Christ." When life feels overwhelming and you need a fresh reminder that your connection with G.o.d is unshaken, pull this verse from your memory bank and be a.s.sured that with your heavenly Father, all is well.

The Truth about Fear

I don't know anybody who is fearless all the time, but that is precisely how G.o.d has called us to live. Second Timothy 1:7 says, "For the Spirit G.o.d gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." Romans 8:31 says, "If G.o.d is for us, who can be against us?" Isaiah 41:10 says this: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your G.o.d. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

You and I will benefit from having one of these verses loaded into our brains and summoning it into service often! If you frequently find yourself operating from a spirit of fear, start claiming these realities: G.o.d has given you a spirit of power; he is for you; and you are upheld by your loving Father's right hand.

The Truth about Temptation

I talked to a man at Willow recently who tried to convince me that the reason he sinned so much was that the volume of temptation he received in his life was statistically greater than what the average person received. I kid you not.

Sensing that he could take a little ribbing, I told him that he was off his rocker. Which made his day, I'm sure. "No, I promise!" he protested. "I'm not making this up! I get far more temptation coming my way than any normal Christ-follower."

It was time to pull out the big guns. "Biblically, that's just not true," I said.

"Prove it," he challenged.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all," I replied, quoting 1 Corinthians 10:13.

He seemed unconvinced.

"The temptations you face are common to us all, my friend," I reiterated. "You're not getting a disproportionate share. But there's hope. The verse continues, 'G.o.d is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.'"

This guy wasn't sinning more because he was being tempted more; he was sinning more because when temptations came his way, he was choosing not to take the way of escape that G.o.d provides each of us in every tempting situation.

G.o.d never will allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Commit that truth to memory, and you'll save yourself a boatload of grief.

HOW ABOUT TWO MORE, FOR GOOD MEASURE: ROMANS 8:5 says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." And James 4:7 says this: "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." How much simpler can it get? The next time you feel stymied by Satan's deceitful schemes, refuse to play his game, and he will run.

The Truth about Trials

A couple of years ago I picked up some sort of virus during a trip to Asia. After wrestling with it for more than nine months, I finally went to the Mayo Clinic in hopes of finding some answers. Two days before Christmas, I found myself sitting in a waiting room among a group of very discouraged people, all of whom-like me-were at Mayo looking for medical solutions to difficult ailments. I stared at the festive red and green Christmas decorations, thinking, "Nothing good can come from this situation."

Many of the medical reports I'd received to date were very troubling. Nine months of illness had taken its toll, and that particular December afternoon I began wondering if this was the end of the road for me. But as if on cue, G.o.d brought to mind a verse. Romans 8:28 says, "In all things G.o.d works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I wasn't sure what the promised "good" was going to look like (perhaps it was heaven), but I knew that one day it would show up. And many months later it actually did.

By G.o.d's grace I was eventually restored to physical health, but perhaps more importantly I would get stronger on other fronts of my life too. For starters, my illness forged new prayer paths between my family and me. I'd always prayed for my kids, but now on a daily basis I received intercession from them on my behalf. Todd or Shauna would call and say, "I prayed for you today, Dad," or "Here's a verse that I prayed on your behalf just now..." Lynne would do the same, and the c.u.mulative effect of those well wishes and prayers drew our family even closer together and steadied me even more than I recognized at the time.

I grew stronger in heart, as well. For years I've joked that when G.o.d handed out the mercy gift, I must have been sailing that day. Historically, compa.s.sion hasn't exactly been my strong suit. And up until now, I'd been blessed with great health. Over the years, when staff members at the church would call to tell me they weren't coming to work because they weren't feeling well, I'd tell them, "Come on. Suck it up and get in here! We're going to have a ball today." Then I'd hang up the phone thinking, "That lightweight can't even handle a sore throat!" My compa.s.sion level was near-zero.

But during my own illness, I found that it wasn't so easy to just "suck it up." There were days when I literally couldn't get out of bed, let alone charge through my day full bore. As an over-achiever, this reality was tough to bear-and humbling.

Several months after my stint at Mayo, a woman at Willow approached me following a weekend service and explained that she had been struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome. There was a day in the not-too-distant past when I would have believed she was faking weariness just to get some time off work-or that her illness was all in her head. But with newfound understanding of what it's like to really be sick, I put my hand on her shoulder, looked her straight in the eye and said, "I get it. Really, I do. And it must be so frustrating for you to want to go places and do things and not to have the energy to do so. I understand how you feel, and I am going to pray for you right now..."

This woman clearly was not a regular attendee at Willow, or she would have lapsed into a state of sheer shock at my unadulterated display of tenderness. (My reputation for being less than sympathetic precedes me.) As she walked away after our prayer, I added a prayer of my own. "Thank you for expanding my heart, G.o.d. It's part of the goodness that you have generated from this awful ordeal." On the heels of my own debilitating illness, my empathy factor was definitely heading up and to the right.

THERE ARE THREE CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, AND my bet is that you fall into one of them. Today, you might be what I call a "BP." You're "before pain," which means that up until this point in your life, you've been spared debilitating tragedies and heartaches. For you, G.o.d's promise in Romans 8:28 to "work for the good in all things" will be nothing more than theory. I recommend you keep this good theory nearby, nevertheless, because at some point in your life, you just might need it. Which brings me to category two.

You might be an "IP"-someone who is "in pain" right now. In our broken world, pain will eventually find you, and when that day comes-or if you're in the throes of pain as you read these words today-Romans 8:28 is a lifeline, plain and simple. Our G.o.d can redeem even the darkest of days for his purposes. Without this promise, your trials and mine could feel overwhelming, and our pain could feel unbearable.

Or, perhaps you're like me, an "AP," which means you've made it over the most recent of life's painful hurdles in one piece. You're recovering and rebuilding as you navigate the waters called "after pain." For you, Romans 8:28 is a treasure. You now can see evidence of how G.o.d worked the pain for good, and as you face the prospect of future trials, something in you knows you'll make it through.

Wherever you find yourself on this continuum-BP, IP or AP-I encourage you to commit that Romans verse to memory. G.o.d promises goodness for your tomorrows, regardless what realities you're living through today.