God in Three Persons Speaks to Us

Gail Goolsby always challenges my thinking, and in this article, she doesn't disappoint. Her Biblical Thinking UPGRADE encourages us to consider how the three persons of God are speaking, so we can find guidance in the tough questions of life.

“The concept of the Trinity is confusing and denied by many religions,” Gail said. “While living among Muslims in Afghanistan, I avoided this theological topic altogether.”

At first, I (Dawn) was taken back by Gail's words. Why would anyone avoid the topic of the Trinity, one of the basic foundation truths in scripture? But then Gail clarified—we can teach the concept without saying the word, "Trinity."

Gail continues . . .

While the Bible doesn’t use the word Trinity specifically, we find many references to God as Father, Jesus as His son, and the Holy Spirit—separate persons.

The occasion of Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17) identified all three as the Father spoke from the heavens and a dove symbolizing the Spirit descended on Jesus.

Needing to Hear from God

My husband and I sat at a picnic table on the lovely grounds of CBN University (now Regent University) in Virginia Beach in the early 1980’s. We were with a group of prospective graduate students.

The outdoor BBQ supper allowed guests to meet casually with faculty to ask questions and see if this was God’s plan for their further education.

The dean of the newly acquired law school at CBNU was Herbert Titus, a former ACLU lawyer now radically transformed as a Christian.

He sat before us in his tailored suit, French-cuffed white shirt, and yellow silk tie. With an inviting smile, he patiently listened to our life stories and present wonderings about a major life change.

“I first considered seminary about three years ago,” my husband related, “but it wasn’t the right time for us in many ways.”

With two young children and another on the way, I was still wondering if the time was right.

“How do you know when God is directing, and not our own wills?” my husband eventually asked Dean Titus.

I have never forgotten his reply.

"The Trinity Speaks in Unison."

Dean Titus shared with us how he and his wife of three decades made their decisions since embracing Christ as Savior:

“We look for answers from each person in the Trinity, and wait until the three parts line up in harmony.”

1. God, the Father of All Circumstances

He started by pointing to creation, God’s divine plans for the children of Israel and the sending of His Son, Jesus. 

“I don’t subscribe totally to the open door-closed door method of decision-making, because situations change. It can be dangerous to depend on circumstances alone,” he explained.

“But we absolutely look wisely and thoroughly at what is happening around us, the needs of our family and finances.

"God speaks through our environment which He determined for us.”

2. God, the Son—the Living Word

Dean Titus went on to remind us that Jesus is Truth and represents God’s will and word for us in the flesh.

“Having the written Word for us to study, memorize, and refer to at any time is a gift to knowing God and His will for our lives," he said. "My wife and I read it together and separately, sharing what God shows us. These pages offer powerful and trustworthy help in black and white.

“Be specific in asking for such guidance and let the Word speak to your heart and mind.”

He encouraged us: “Write down the verses that come to the surface and investigate them in prayer.”

3. God, the Holy Spirit

Here our mentor told us a bit more of his faith journey and newfound understanding of the role of the supernatural.

“God is clearly a spirit beyond our human understanding and our ties to the physical world," he said. "The power and importance of the Holy Spirit is embraced around the globe more so than the science-based, senses-determined culture of the West.

"My wife and I are late-comers to this knowledge but appreciate the confidence that comes when the Holy Spirit speaks to us.”

Our mentor invited us to not only look for affirmation from the other two leadings—from circumstances and scripture—but also to look for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

And sometimes that comes in unusual ways.

Moving Forward with Confidence

Following our visit, my husband and I did as Dean Titus prescribed and came to believe we were indeed directed by God to pursue seminary training. Those years were extremely difficult and caused us to depend on God in new, sometimes painful ways.

Having the strong, unified message from all three persons of God helped us stay the course until the end.

After working and going to classes full time for four-and-a-half years, my husband earned his MDiv. We left our time in Virginia Beach without debt, with a storehouse of life lessons and more trust in God than ever before.

God is always speaking and offering us guidance. What questions would you like to ask the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit today?

Gail Goolsby, MA, MEd, ACC is a lifelong educator, including past leadership at an international school in Afghanistan, and credentialed life coach with the International Coach Federation. Gail and her pastor husband of 40 years live where the wind blows over the prairie in south Kansas. She counsels and coaches using God’s Word to help others learn to live well. Find out more about Gail on her website, gailgoolsby.com.

4 Steps to Dealing with Disappointment

I have no doubt Kathy Carlton Willis is qualified to teach us on the subject of disappointment in this Biblical Thinking UPGRADE. I was on her prayer team last year when she experienced what she calls, “back-to-back-to-back disappointments.”

"I started the year in the hospital for a post-surgical infection," Kathy says. "It required additional surgery, going home with a PICC line, and a change in plans to allow time for recovery."

I (Dawn) think most of us would struggle with just that, but Kathy's tale of struggle and disappoint went on and on. And so did her commitment to deal with those struggles in a "grin with grace way.

Kathy continues . . . 

I was so disappointed in how that impacted my year. I had to cancel contracts with clients and postpone a writer’s getaway.

My diet and exercise plans were on pause, too. Everything just felt off kilter.

Then, when I finally got back in the swing of things, I had four disappointments hit almost simultaneously.

• I developed a urinary tract infection that wouldn’t go away.
• The antibiotic I took for it caused a tendon injury.
• Hurricane Harvey hit.
• And if that wasn’t enough, it flooded a home we had in contract.

Notice I said, “had.” Harvey nullified the purchase.

Oh, and somewhere in all of that, I received a book rejection from a publishing house.

I’m not going to bore you with all the other commonplace disappointments, but these were the biggies!

You’ve had years like that, right? How did you handle the disappointments? Maybe you are going through a frustrating setback right now.

I’ve learned it doesn’t work to ignore the loss, and it’s not healthy to stay stalled out.

Each disappointment requires a process.

Here’s my 4-Step Process for Dealing with Disappointment.

1. Rightfully MOURN the loss.

Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. (Lamentations 5:15 NLT)

Disappointments stem from losing something we had or not getting something for which we hoped. Either way, we experience sadness.

Grieving is a painful process, but if we try to avoid it, we only manage to delay healing. When we mourn, the sadness subsides, and we are ready to move on.

2. Receive more of God's COMFORT and peace.

Look up the words "comfort" and "peace" in the Bible and you’ll see it is the Holy Spirit’s role to soothe your soul. Don't feel guilty for needing it—we all do!

Will you invite God’s Spirit to embrace you, rock you, and sing songs of consolation?

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT)

3. Ask God’s DIRECTION for something new or something to renew.

Once you’ve received God’s comfort, it’s time to look around to see what God has next for you, rather than continue self-reflecting.

It’s possible He will use your story to help someone else.

God helps you gain closure from your hurt so the pain no longer blinds you from your purpose.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

4. Move on with a RENEWED passion or project in something bigger than yourself.

There’s nothing like a new project to keep me going despite the let downs!

I anticipate seeing God at work, producing lightbulb moments.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT)

These are my four steps to deal with disappointment. Which step are you ready to take?

God’s Grin Gal, Kathy Carlton Willis, shines the light on what holds you back so you can grow. She’s a speaker and author with over a thousand articles online and in print, as well as her Bible study, Grin with Grace. She’s a bi-monthly columnist with CBN and a devotional writer for Todd Starnes. She and her husband Russ live in Texas with Jazzy, their hilarious Boston Terrier.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Geralt at Pixabay.

Helping Kids with Their GPS (God Positioning System)

Some women, like Deedra Scherm, seem to have been born with a parenting creativity gene. In this Parenting UPGRADE, she offers practical counsel for building spiritual insight into children’s lives.

“I was driving in downtown Dallas, trying to find my way to have lunch with my cousin Cathy,” Deedra says, “when I had to pull over to call my husband.”

Like Deedra, I (Dawn) often get turned around in the car. (OK, I get totally, horribly lost.) I used to feel terrible about that until I read somewhere that Einstein, a genius, often lost his way too. (Maybe that’s a myth, but I’m sticking with it!)

Deedra continues …

“I’m LOST!” I said with great frustration. “And I’m already 10 minutes late for lunch!”

“Okay," my husband said. "Just tell me where you are.”

“If I knew THAT, I wouldn’t be LOST!”

Shortly after that my husband gave me a GPS (Global Positional System) to help me navigate the roads. Is it too much to say I love my GPS? Because I do. I no longer have anxiety when I have to navigate new roads. I just turn it on and enjoy the path I’m driving.

My spiritual life needs a lot of guidance at times.  Over the years I have learned about the importance of reading God’s Word, prayer, and wise counsel, because I’ve discovered, “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NAS).

I wanted to start teaching my children at a very young age how to understand the importance of God’s desire to guide their lives. 

Their “God Positioning System.” Their own “GPS.”

I thought I’d share a few easy ways to help plant seeds in young children on how to seek God’s guidance for themselves. The hope is that as they get older, seeking God’s guidance will become a natural part of their lives.

1. RECORD family prayers.

It seems like such a simple thing, but it can have such a great impact when you take the time to pray as a family and write down the requests and answers. The visual of written requests and recorded answers can make a lasting impression on a child about how God listens and responds.

When you record family prayers, it not only shows kids the importance of prayer, but it encourages them to seek prayer for themselves as they face decisions in their own lives. 

2. RECALL the times God has personally guided you.

Find ways to share moments where God has guided you and your family to where you are now.

When the boys are enjoying playing at the park next to our house, I like to say, “I remember when we were looking for a place to live and we just couldn’t find anything. Then we prayed for God to open up a house near this park. What a wonderful blessing He gave us with our house.” 

When you recall how you sought God for a decision point in your life, it will encourage them to seek His guidance when they are faced with decision in front of them. 

3. RELATE your child’s story to the story of someone in the Bible.

The Word of God is one of the main paths of guidance for us as Christians. Whenever we can direct our children to find connections to scripture, it will help them be able to relate as they get older.

When your child is experiencing fear, tell them about the story of Daniel and how God will take care of them in the scariest of circumstances.  When they are worried about if they are good enough, tell them the story of the boy with five loaves and a couple of fish and how Jesus can take what you have and use it for His glory. 

When you relate your child’s story to the Bible, it will encourage them to seek the Word for guidance when they are faced with challenging circumstances before them.

4. REMEMBER to show God’s provision in the “less-than-what-I-hoped-for.”

I remember circling a parking lot with my three boys in the car when the “front row” spot opened. “It’s the favor of God!” said one boy.  

At first, I was a little proud at his response. But as I thought about it, I realized that if I only thank God for the good things, when things get tough the kids could believe it’s because God has no hand in it. 

The next time we got the back-row spot, I said, “Oh, it would have been great to be in the front row, but maybe God knew I needed some extra exercise. Or maybe someone who has trouble walking needed that spot more than we did.” 

After time, I saw the boys applying this principle to all sorts of areas in their lives … from when they didn’t win the prize in the raffle to when someone else at church got the starring spot in the spring musical. 

When you remember to show God’s provision in tough times, it will encourage kids to trust God’s plan even when things don’t go their way.

What a great gift you can give to your kids if you teach them to have their own “GPS.” Then they can stop worrying about being lost, and really start enjoying the journey!

Can you think of a teachable moment when you recently taught a child (or a mentee or a friend) how to trust God for guidance? Which of Deedra’s four points could you use in the days ahead?

Deedra Scherm lives in Dallas with her husband and three boys. Between homeschooling and writing, she’s on constant watch for “parents night out” so she and her hubby can get one of those things called a date night. You can find Deedra’s  bestselling book, The ABC Bible Verse Book, and other books and DVDs at lemonvision.com or amazon.com.