"God promises that He hears your prayers. He may not answer in the exact way you thought He should, but He is there for you." Kathy Spampinato

Mindsets and attitudes are formed from experience, and the beliefs that we hold. There are truths that have shaped my thinking over the years, and consequently, my worldview. I began to read the Bible as a teenager in 1973, not really understanding how it would change my life. It is amazing to me, that it has now been 51 years. Yesterday, I found myself wishing that everyone understood some of the things I have absorbed about the character of God. It isn't a pride in what I think, but a heartfelt desire that others would experience the understanding of who they are, and know the peace and joy that I have.

If I can generalize for a moment, I would say that many people know the basic facts about God. They have heard that God created the universe and everything in it; that He is all powerful, and that He is a loving God. They would say that God had his hand in their creation, and in the world we live in. Yet, a passive agreement with the facts does not impact their thinking, their decisions, their habits, or the structure of their lives. It does not inform their core beliefs.

The first thing that I want others to know is that God is a good God, and that He loves them. He is not a distant and uncaring God, and He is not unaware of their struggles and challenges. People are confused by the evil in the world, and wonder how a loving God lets bad things happen. If God loves them, then why do they deal with stress, heartbreak, and disease? These are good questions. Our world can be a tough place, with difficult challenges. For me, knowing God, has lifted the insecurities, cancelled the competition, and helped me to have confidence in who I am in Him. It has made me comfortable in my own skin. People have heard the message of John 3:16, but let's go a little further to bring understanding about God's motives.

John 3:16-17 ESV "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

The Father's motive is never to condemn the world, or an individual, but to offer salvation. His heart of love compels him to offer a solution to evil and sin. He sacrificed to give us a way out. The world is not a mess because of God's lack of caring or involvement. The world is a mess because of man's actions and the consequences of sin. God chose to give us free will and we are living with the choices people have made, to reject God's love and serve themselves, or the enemy. Man has chosen to use free will to get his own way, and to manipulate others for his benefit. God decided not to violate the choice He has given us, but to offer himself as a loving solution. It is up to us to choose what to do with His gift. If we accept that God loves us, we can welcome him into our hearts and minds. We can repent of our own selfish motives and be born again. We can then change the atmosphere of our lives and that of the world around us. We can see His goodness when we truly believe that He is for us, and not against us.

Jeremiah, 29:11-14a NIV "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back from captivity."

What is the captivity you find yourself in today? Is it bitterness, pornography, addiction, selfishness, or hopelessness? God has a plan to bring you back to himself. He offers you hope and a future without rejection. He offers you a love that can transform who you are.

Another thing I would like people to really understand is that God is active and working on their behalf. He is answering their prayers. If He is invited to work in your heart and mind, you will begin to see that Holy Spirit is doing something. You can rely on it, but He will never force himself on you. He is waiting for you to respond to His invitation. God promises that He hears your prayers. He may not answer in the exact way you thought He should, but He is there for you. Can you trust that He knows what He's doing? For me, the greatest victories have been won over anger, and fear of rejection. They shaped my motivation and self-protection as I was growing up. I wanted to be loved but thought I needed to compete for it. Now I know who I am, and that I am unconditionally loved. There is no more striving for acceptance and respect.

Prayer is a two way conversation. So often we use our prayers like a grocery list. We tell God all the things we want him to do for us, and then say, "Thanks God!" and go on our way. We need to sit and give him the time to respond. We can perceive what Holy Spirit is saying to us, and gain wisdom and strength in listening to his still, small voice.

Psalm 100:4-5 ESV says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

Jesus said He is the way. He is the good shepherd, and we are his sheep.

John 14:6 'Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. "

John 10: 2-5a, 11 "But he who enters the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own by name and leads then out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Jesus is declaring that He will lead you out, and go before you. He did lay down His life to be your shepherd. It is time to sit in his presence and learn to recognize His voice. When He leads, you can follow with confidence. You will not follow the voice of the stranger: the voice of temptation or rebellion, if you recognize His voice of love.

The most profound and life-changing realization I would like to share, is the work of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-16 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."

The world does not recognize or receive Holy Spirit, yet for Christians, He is with you and in you. It is time to grow in your relationship with Holy Spirit. He is not just the end phrase of your prayer. He is God speaking and moving in your life.

John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me."

John 16: 12-13a I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, "

The Holy Spirit is our guide and our counselor. He will lead you on your journey to truth. It is He who helps us communicate with the Father and the Son. It is He who leads you to healing and restoration. Welcome Him, and get to know Him. He will guide you to walk in the truth. Your life will be guided by the very hand of God.

It is hard to describe the profound transformation that these simple truths have brought to my life. They seem like a list of doctrines and religious facts. However, my heart knows they are more. They reveal the power and wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord"