When I first moved to Indiana, I found I had time on my hands. Options included: renting videos and watching some of the secular movies I had wanted to see, reading entertaining books that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go, or I could get to know God by praying to Him.
The first two choices were really tempting. Have fun. Be entertained. But that last choice was somewhat compelling to me because if, indeed, there was a God, why wouldn't we want to get to know Him? So, though I didn't feel like it, I began to utilize my free time by praying. Having had a God-given talent to write, as I prayed, God would give me subjects to write and when He did, the words would flow like water out of a spigot.
I did not set out to write this book. It came, along with Advanced Christianity, out of my desire to know God. After a time, I noticed there were enough subjects written (and enough chapters) that I could say I had written a book. I fully credit the Lord, though, because of its ease in coming and how each chapter's topic seemed to be not of my own choosing.
As I wrote Extreme Christianity, I seemed to get some chapters that were "deeper" and even more creative. They did not seem to belong in the same book as Extreme Christianity. So was born Advanced Christianity. That book became a place to put the chapters that seemed a little more poetic in nature.
I would like to share with you the importance of regular prayer-time (even if you don't feel like it). This world tempts us to do everything but pray to God. When we do pray to Him, we open ourselves up to His incredible creativity. Perhaps you've seen some of the DVDs we have recommended on this site in the transforming movies section (like this one, Unlocking the Mysteries of Life? The same creativity He used in creating and maintaining the world is available to us. There is absolutely no reason to feel trapped in circumstances or to live a mundane life. Prayer changes things and taps you into God's healing and creativity. Do spend regular time with Him. By the way, this does not mean "reading about Him"--this means praying to Him. We should spend time studying God's Word, the Bible but that cannot be a substitute for going into your prayer closet and closing your eyes to commune with Him. There is not a substitute for that.
Satan will try many tactics to move you from this goal of getting to know God. You will find yourself with an amazing list of projects that you've been meaning to get to as you attempt to pray but do not let Satan change your goal (which is to get to know God personally). Vic
