Struggling with unanswered questions about God, Jesus, Christianity, and the Bible can feel a lot like wandering in the wilderness. In the Old Testament, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before they entered the Promised Land. It was a journey that could have taken only 11 days. How long have you been on your journey?

The 11 Day Path hopes to shorten your spiritual journey to complete belief by addressing nine key questions that have perplexed those seeking God, those new to Jesus, as well as some who have been Christians for some time.

Be forewarned!
Some of the answers may be startling to you. Some you probably won't hear in a sermon on Sunday mornings. None are a rehash of the pat answers and cliches you've seen and heard elsewhere. But all the answers are Biblically based, logically sound, and resonate with the revealed truth of God.
So don't be surprised if The 11 Day Path challenges you...forces you to rethink previous beliefs...sends you back to the Bible.
In addition to providing answers to help guide you around these stumbling blocks, The 11 Day Path also provides some practical guidance for your spiritual journey. The principles shared can be applied to any stumbling block to belief.

Turn your stumbling blocks to belief into stepping stones to faith.

Visit The 11 Day Path

There seems to be a quirk of human nature-fallen human nature-concerning things we can be sure of. When it comes to the things we can never be sure of, those are the things we want most to be sure of. And when it comes to the things we actually can be sure of, we often act as if we're not sure at all. It's called insecurity.

What's wrong with a little insecurity? For one thing, legalism is born and nurtured with insecurity. We aren't sure about things and we want to be. Worse, insecurity leads to Sin. Satan is a master at playing on our insecurities. Ultimately, though, insecurity is a direct contradiction of Jesus and what he teaches.

Jesus knows exactly the kinds of things we are insecure about: we worry about what we'll eat or drink, our bodies, what we'll wear, money, our lives, what will happen to us tomorrow. He urges us not to worry because he knows the potential pitfalls. (Matt 6:19-34)

How much sin can be traced back to these insecurities we feel?

All of it. Starting with Adam and Eve, right up to you and me and everyone else. Because insecurity actually separates us from God.

We know that, even at an unconscious level. We want a close relationship with God, but we're not sure-we're insecure-about how to have it. So we create rules to follow. The rules can give some of us the illusion of security. And I'm speaking about more than the legalists within the church. Most of us have a tendency to make our own little rules that we try to follow-tithe each week, pray regularly, serve at church, etc. Of course, the rules fall short of the mark. And we fall short of the rules. Our insecurity increases. So does Satan's influence in our lives.

The Good News Jesus preached in the 1st century is just as true today as it was then. He modeled for us what total security in the Heavenly Father looked like. That life is something we all need to strive for even though few of us will attain it this side of heaven.

If we were totally secure in Christ-as he invites us to be-we wouldn't be a victim of worry. Nor would we be prone to sin. Satan would have a difficult time having any influence over us. All we need to do is believe the promises of Jesus.

Words are words. Beliefs drive our actions. To see what someone really believes, we need only watch what they do. What do our actions say about what we really believe? Are there any worries in our life? Any insecurities? This is not an invitation to act irresponsibly.

Hearing from God is often missing from the lives of otherwise active Christians. To be in relationship with someone--God included--means to have two-way communication. You speak; the other listens. The other speaks; you listen. When you hear from God, you are no longer in a one-sided relationship.

There are four key parts of truly being able to hear from God. They are belief that it can happen; being properly positioned; getting confirmation; and faithful persistence. In this article I'd like to share information about how to hear from God so that more Christians can enjoy a meaningful, vibrant relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Belief is the foundation for hearing from God. He did not stop speaking to us thousands of years ago with the completion of the Bible. The gift of the Holy Spirit ensures our relationship with God and assures us that we will hear from Him. All we need to do is listen.

A quiet mind positions us to better listen. Begin with quieting your surroundings-going into your "prayer closet"-and shutting out the world as much as possible. Music helps many quiet their mind. Meditative prayer, especially based upon scripture, can also get you into a receptive state of mind. Be sure to have pen and paper ready to jot down what you hear. Chances are, it won't be an audible voice.

Thoughts come into our minds from only 3 places: God, Satan, or ourselves. Our own thoughts are typically strung together in a more or less logical fashion, one thought building upon another. A thought that just pops into your head, not part of your "train of thought," will be from God or Satan. It's easy to tell the difference. Loving, affirming, life-giving thoughts are from God. Even if we're being corrected for something. Write down those thoughts.

Even with good intentions, sometimes it's possible to mix our own words with those from God. So it's best to get confirmation. That can come from other mature Christians you trust. And you can compare what you've heard to what you read in the Bible. God will never contradict Himself.

Faithful persistence is the final key to hearing from God. Most Christians experience periods of "silence" from time to time. Recognize that this is not God pulling away from you. You may have inadvertently pulled away from Him. Perhaps He wants you to work on something on your own. Just continue to knock. He has assured us He will answer.