Have you ever, at any time in your life, had a desire to serve God?  Many people have, even those who are not in churches today.  Some have tried the Christian life, and found that it didn’t seem to work for them.  Others have been offended by church people, or even pastors, priests or ministers, and have given up in disgust.  This book will help you to understand, or re-capture, the true nature of Christianity as life in its fullness, rather than a religion with rules and regulations.

The truth is that God is still God, regardless of how people behave, and He does have a call on your life.  Not only does He love you more than any person could, but He earnestly does not want you to miss out on an eternity in heaven.  Why not take another look.  Try again to find a good, Bible believing church.  Give up your frustrations, anger, grudges, mistrust – whatever is holding you back, and return to the One who gave everything for you.

How awesome were those early days of a beginning relationship with God! What amazed delight we found in every answered prayer!  What a sense of wonder filled us, with each new discovery dawning in an awakened mind and heart! The experience of the divine presence touching our lives with love, kindness and understanding brought a holy fear and reverence for God. His Word was new, fresh, and thirst-quenching to a weary soul.

God puts within us a desire to know Him more, and the more we stir up that desire and act upon it by seeking His presence, the greater our desire becomes.

Now you know Him. Now you hear His voice. You listen for His call. You seek Him in the early hours and late at night. Your earnest desire is to please Him, to love Him, to serve Him. This is the right way to begin serving God. Nothing for self; everything is for Him, and through Him, and from Him.

He knows exactly what makes you tick and all the ways you are uniquely you. He’ll treat you as an individual and respond to you as openly as you respond to Him. A relationship with God is the most satisfying relationship you can ever have.

The day has come!  “THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE to pursue the call of God” is ready and available.  I believe this book is a ‘must have’ for all Christians.  It is very much a ‘How To’ manual, for finding satisfaction and fulfillment in the Christian life.  Many people have dropped out of churches over the years, often because they haven’t understood the call of God, and how God works in a person’s life to bring to pass His wonderful plans and promises.  This book should help people from all walks of life and be a reference point for all those who are serving God in some capacity.   

Have you ever noticed that just when you have learned a particular lesson, or gained a victory in your Christian life, you will be tested on that very thing. 

 Just when you thought you had triumphed over your bad temper, someone pushed you to your limit.  You thought you had finally learned patience, when some drawn out trial brought you to the end of yourself.  You received your healing after a long illness and just when you thought you were totally free, the symptoms returned.

 Don’t be discouraged.  Stand your ground.  Resist the enemy and he will flee from you, but if you show signs of weakening, he will push the point and make you miserable.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”.   Galatians 5:1 NIV

Keys are important to every one of us.  How often do you hear someone say:  ‘I won’t get very far without my car keys’?  And isn’t it frustrating when you’re ready to leave for work, and you can’t find your keys?  Keys give us access – a way in – to the house, the car, the office.  Of course not just any key will do.  It must be the right one.

Jesus spoke about the keys of the Kingdom, and how we should use them to unlock or release, the provisions of the Kingdom of God.  God has provided for His children, truth, freedom, healing, wisdom, grace, and all that is needed for abundant life and health and well-being.  He has also given us the authority to use those keys.

The keys of the Kingdom are found in the Word of God and are freely available to God’s children, but they are hidden from those who don’t belong to God.  It is our responsibility to seek out those keys and use them for the glory of God, for the salvation of souls, for the benefit of the church, and for the improvement of our own lives.  Let’s take every opportunity to discover God’s keys and use them well.

In the court of Alexander the Great, there was once  a philosopher who found himself in great financial need.  When he appealed to his great commander for help, the instruction was given to the treasurer to give the man whatever amount he requested.

When he boldly asked for 10,000 pounds, the treasurer refused and went back to tell Alexander of the unreasonable request.  ‘Pay it’ was the reply.  ‘This man has done me the honour of showing how highly he considers my standing, my ability to pay such a large sum and my generosity in doing so’.

 Our God is a great God.  Let us never ‘sell Him short’ or doubt that He is able and willing to grant even the largest and seemingly most impossible request as long as it fits His purposes.

How quickly the year is passing!  I’ve found it’s useful to do a personal stocktake a couple of times a year, just to see how life is progressing.  The Christian life is meant to be an exciting journey of change and transformation and there are questions we should be asking.

 Have I grown in my relationship with God this year?  Am I living more by the Word of God and less by feelings?  Are my relationships with others based on God’s kind of Love?  – A selfless and giving love?  Have I dealt with past offenses and am I keeping my heart open and tender toward God and people?

 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?                           1 John 4:20

 But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him.          1 John 2:5

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!             – 1 John 3:1 NIV

The KJV says, Behold what manner of love….which is really saying we should take a good look at the kind of love God has for us.  We know it is very great love, because God is love (1 John 4:16 NIV), and God is very great.  We know it is unconditional love, because He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8 NIV).

The kind of love God gives brings us peace and joy, because it gives us total security!  We can trust this kind of love, because there are no hidden agendas.  We can relax in this kind of love, because we know that we are totally accepted by God, regardless of our faults and failings.  If something is broken, the child does not worry, because ‘daddy will fix it.  Daddy can fix anything’!

God truly wants us to have this kind of dependence on Him!  This is hard for most of us to accept, because we know we have a brain and can figure things out for ourselves.  Nevertheless, God wants us to trust Him more than our own reasoning, and to come to Him first with every problem or need.  If you will only trust your heavenly Father in this way, you will see Him work in amazing ways on your behalf!

Each new day is a gift from God, a blank sheet upon which we are invited to write a story of faith and righteousness, goodness and love.  We can fill the page with happy moments, wise words and good choices.

Of course there is always an option.  We can drag across the page the smudges and blots of our yesterdays.  We can spoil the opportunity with selfishness, meanness, unkind words and unworthy thoughts.

When God is calling on us to take on something new, tackle a fresh challenge, or step up a level, how often we respond with all the negatives. I can’t do it.  It won’t work.  It’s too hard.  I don’t know how.  These weak excuses are so dishonouring to God!  The fact is, without Him we can do nothing of eternal value, but with Him we can do and achieve everything He calls us to do.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”   Joshua 1:9 NIV

In a world plagued by insecurity and mistrust, injustice and unfaithfulness, what a wonderful reassurance it is to know that our God is, by His very nature, the opposite of all these things. We can come to Him confidently, knowing that He will listen to our appeal fairly and judge it righteously. When we feel we have been misjudged, or unfairly treated, He will come to our defence.

 He has experienced the pain of being unfairly blamed and misunderstood.  He knows what it is like to have His best friends turn their backs on Him. In our dealings with others, let us be imitators of Christ.  Let His love, grace, mercy and forgiveness demonstrate to the world that Christians are different.