A Different Perspective Official Podcast

As we've seen on "A Different Perspective" these last couple of weeks, God speaks to us in all sorts of different ways. But – well, how do we really know when He's truly leading us in a particular direction. I mean sometimes, we have big decisions to make. How do we know that we're truly hearing God correctly? Well, here we are, another Friday and another end of the week and another end of the ser...

The Bible – Old Testament and New – talks about God speaking to His people through dreams and visions. Well, for some of us – particularly those with a rational western mindset – that's a bit freaky. Does God really speak to people that way? Well – what does His Word really say on the subject and what does it mean for you and me, here and now? We've been chatting these last couple of weeks about t...

So often we want to head off in one direction, but other people have different opinions. Different folks, different strokes, I guess. But when we feel God leading us in one direction, and then we receive the counsel of others that perhaps points us in another direction – which one is right? Which one is God speaking? Just the other night I was asked to spend some time facilitating of the elders of...

Have you ever heard a little voice out of the blue? Unexpectedly – this strong impression or this strong guidance just leaps out at you. Sometimes it's just about something small. Other times, it's huge. Many, many people have experienced that. Question is – is it from God? Is that God speaking to us … or not? Have you kind of heard a voice out of the blue and wondered, "Where did that come from?"...

A prophet – a prophet is someone who speaks the will of God. So let me ask you something – are there still prophets in  this world today, or not? Does God still speak prophetically through some of His people today … or not? Well there's only one way to find out – what does His Word have to say on the subject? It's just fantastic to be with you at the beginning of another week and yes, we're contin...

Often in life there are a lot of things going on around us. A thunderbolt over here, a ray of sunshine over there. And we're so busy reacting – we don't have time to step back, survey the landscape and ask ourselves – what is God up to here? What's He trying to say to me? Back in February 2007 a German woman, Ewa Wisnierska was competing in the paragliding competition in NSW in Australia. The wind...

Let me be blunt. Out there in church–land there are two types of preaching. Good preaching and bad preaching. Preaching that brings life, and preaching that sadly, heads off in the other direction. Preaching that's clearly coming from God and preaching that ain't. And it's the preaching that God anoints, that He uses to speak His will into our lives. One enduring memory of being dragged to church...

If only I could hear God for myself. If only I knew what He was thinking. Ever thought that to yourself? I think we all have. And yet let me ask you – how much of your day is set aside to quietly get away – to be alone with Him? How much of your day, do you spend quietly with God? It's just fantastic to be with you again today. We're chatting about how we can hear God speak to us. So many people w...

So many people wish that they could hear from God. What's He thinking? What's He up to? What's His will for my life? How can I hear from Him? And yet so often, these are the same people whose Bibles are gathering dust up on a shelf somewhere. Yesterday on the program we saw in fact, yes, God is still speaking today. Now some people deny that. They say the only place you can hear God speaking is in...

Let me ask you a question – is God still speaking to us here and now Today? And if so – how?  Well – what are the answers? If God is indeed still speaking, shouldn't we be listening? Imagine what a difference it could make in our lives, to know His will for our lives. Now here's a question that these days pretty much divides the church down the middle. Are you ready? Here it is. Does God still spe...

There are so many good things out there in life. And it's great to get our fill. But what's even better, is when we're so full of goodness – that we overflow – right into the lives of other people. I love to see other people doing what God made them to do. Being who God made them to be. It's awesome when they excel at that. A brilliant musician or a sports person or someone who's great at caring f...

Ever been so thirsty you think you're going to die. And then – then you have a deep drink of fresh, cool, clear, living water. Awesome. In fact Jesus talked a lot about water. I remember when I was training to be an officer in the Australian Army. We used to go out on exercises for weeks at a time, war games and we'd be fighting this imaginary army and learning, I guess, how to fight a war. Back i...

Sometimes, it's the things that we can't see, that can have the biggest impact on our wellbeing. Our blood pressure. Our cholesterol levels. The supernatural realm. All things we ignore – at our peril. It's true that the things we can't see are often the things that end up ruining our lives. There are no symptoms for high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels but if we have either of them, wel...

Fathers are funny animals. They want the best for their kids. But when their children rebel, when they don't play the game, that blessing dries up quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. I was listening the other day to a well known actor, Alan Alda, being interviewed by an equally well known interviewer called Michael Parkinson in the UK. Now Alan Alda, of course, became famous as the character H...

Let's face it – life can be a bit dry. A bit on the parched side. Maybe we have an inkling that it shouldn't always be like that, but somehow that can be so hard to believe. I don't know if this has ever happened to you but sometimes we feel like we're running out of steam. You know what I mean, whatever it is we do in life, at home or at work or maybe at some community group, we give and we give...

It's easy for someone to say, "You should be a blessing to other people." But what if we're too busy, or we just don't have anything to bless other people with?  Really – then what?!! When we talk about God's blessing, what we discover is that it's a two sided transaction. Jesus made it really clear that when God blesses us, the whole point is that we're meant to be a blessing to other people. We...

One of the things that Jesus always managed to do – was turn everything on its head. Love your enemy, is just one of his startling sayings. And the same is true, when He talked about God's blessing. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to a man called S D Gordon. Sometime in the late 1800's or early 1900's he wrote a book called Quiet Talks on Power. In that book he uses a simple and powerful example to...

When we hear someone talking about God's blessing, it's easy to think "You beauty" – and we unroll our shopping list for God. But if we want to experience God's blessing, we need to understand how He works. We're talking this week on the program about God's blessing. And I've called this week's series, "Blessed to be a Blessing" . We can get a crazy mixed up view of what blessing actually is. You...

They say that God is a God of Blessing. Hmm. So how come there's so much suffering in the world? What went wrong? How come I have to suffer? Where's God's blessing then? The classic dilemma when we talk about God's blessing is, "Well okay, so if God is a god of blessing, how come there is so much suffering in the world? How come I've had to go through this and this and that? How come there are nat...

They say that God is a God of Blessing. Is He? I mean – does God really want to bless you and me and if He does, how does that happen? The words "God" and "Blessing" somehow seem to go naturally together. In fact, God is a God who wants to bless us … or is he? Each one of us can look back on our lives and point to some times of great joy and blessing, and times of hurt and disappointment and sorro...

It's one thing to be an Ambassador of Christ – that's what those who believe in Jesus are called to be. But there are Ambassadors …. and then there are Ambassadors. You know what I mean. And the thing that makes the difference – is what's going on in their hearts. In fact, it makes … all the difference. Over the last almost two weeks I guess, what we've been doing is taking a look at the different...

When we have a need – a real need – something we can't do or fix or resolve for ourselves – what we need, is a helping hand. And if we get that helping hand – the person who's attached to that hand, well, they go up in our estimation. They earn the right to say things that others can't to us. Funny thing happens through a helping hand. Whenever there's a disaster somewhere in the world, a tsunami...

Have you ever met someone and … all they do is talk. They never seem to stop long enough to listen – only to figure out what they're going to say next. They're … well, boring.  Sometimes I think though when we're telling others about Jesus, we think we have to be like that – all talk.  If only we could learn to preach with our ears. It never, never, ever, ever ceases to amaze me how differently tw...

If someone believes in Jesus – they're called to be an Ambassador of Christ. Now – the stock in trade of an Ambassador is diplomacy. But what does that mean and how do we use it – when God is making His appeal to a lost and hurting world – through us. Now I don't know about you but most of us have blind spots. In fact the reason they're called blind spots is that we can't see them. I know that in...

Anyone who believes in Jesus – is also meant to be an Ambassador of Christ. Now – that's not an easy role. Sometimes being Ambassador requires some tough talk.  Other times it's about diplomacy – the question is, knowing when to call a spade a spade, and when to be more … circumspect. One of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen as a Christian and I've seen it a few times, is some guy standi...