Key Takeaways:

• Understanding God's love is essential to hearing the Holy Spirit, rather than fearing divine power.

• Biblical instances, like Jesus calming the storm, illustrate that fear in the presence of power is natural but not the final response God wants us to have.

• Fear-based obedience leads to external performance rather than internal transformation.

• Jesus redefined our motivation for obedience by emphasizing a loving relationship with God.

• Perfect love drives out fear, aligning with Jesus' teachings that prioritize love over fear for knowing God better.

Notable Quotes:

• “Children ran to Jesus. Sinners flocked around him. Jesus called his disciples friends, not servants.”

• “To fear God is not to know God's love.”

• “When fear is used to motivate, we become externally driven rather than internally led.”

• “The one who loves God keeps his commands. Those who are friends with God do what he says.”

The God of the Bible is a talking God. All throughout the Scriptures, God is seen talking to people. First to the prophets, then most fully in Jesus and today through his Holy Spirit. When we choose to follow Jesus, the Spirit speaks to remind us of all that Jesus established and apply it to our lives.

So how does the Spirit speak? How do we know it’s God? And what happens afterwards? Join Rev Dr Tania Harris as she explores what the Spirit is saying to us. Everyday God Conversations will encourage you weekly to reflect on the God-conversations of Scripture, the ultimate God-conversation in Jesus and to hear from the Holy Spirit yourself. Remember, it was never meant to be a one-way conversation!

Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.

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