When I got born again in 1972, I began a journey to know God. While there have been some bumps along the way, I have always maintained a hunger to know God and understand His love for me. I didn’t have any religious baggage to get rid of other than the unfortunate cultural/religious concept of “God is in control”.
I became a voracious reader. I read anything “Christian” I could get my hands on. Much of it was not helpful, but in the abundance of reading books and reading my Bible, I began to grow. I didn’t have a healthy church or a mature mentor during my early years. I simply read the Bible and books about the Christian life. I was hungry. There was no internet, no Facebook, and no online messages. It was slow growth, but steady.
Today, with the incredible access we have to good teaching through books, YouTube, webpages, and other Christian media, I struggle to understand why so many seem to be doing so poorly in their walk with God. As I often say, you will pursue what you value. It isn’t necessary to have a personal mentor or even a perfect church. You just need to be hungry enough to read and listen. To this day, I continue to fill myself with faith building reading and online teaching.
I find that hearing God has much to do with how sensitive I am to the Spirit, and my spirit stays sensitive through reading the Word, hearing good teaching, and writing what I feel God is showing me. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth (John 16:13) if you give Him something to work with.
While I want to help people and be a blessing, what truly blesses me is to see believers pursuing God on their own. The resources are there. We have all the time there is. It is simply a matter of desire and commitment. We all pursue what we truly value.
Barry Bennett is an instructor- Charis Bible College Colorado. He is a graduate of Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, and has been serving the Lord since 1972. He and his wife, Betty Kay, have served on the mission field in Mexico, Guatemala, and in Chile, where they spent almost 12 years before returning to Texas in 2001.
