Sinners die every day and go to hell. You must be supernaturally touched by the Spirit of God. Your salvation experience is powerful and life-changing and you want to share it with others. Even newly converted believers can and should share their experience with Jesus Christ, but at the same time your Christianity must go far beyond sharing the Gospel, you must work on your spirituality. When we are saved and have a relationship with Christ, we do not lose our faith, nor do we question our theology or doctrine. When we are saved we immediately begin to desire something more with God. We want to begin to know God on a deeper level every day. As Christians, people need to know and understand when God leads and directs us. Part of this is maturing in Christ and realizing our growth is a daily practice and must happen throughout our lives. The book Satisfy Your Soul, written by Dr. Bruce Demarest, draws attention to the fact that we must combine our conversion and spiritual growth as we walk the path of a deeper knowledge of God. Demarest states that as early as the day of Pentecost Christians understood that conversion was only the beginning of the walk with God (Demarest, 1999, p. 23). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As Demarest proceeds through his book, he takes his readers on a journey to learn what it means to hunger for God and how important the need is for discernment in our lives. As AW Tozer once said, “You can be theologically straight as a gun barrel and spiritually empty as one” (p.63). In other words, you can know your beliefs backwards and forwards without ever wavering, but you can be empty inside because you have never experienced the power and pleasure that is in Christian spirituality. Having that empty feeling or void in life can sometimes be difficult to fill. As you read Demarest's book, the reader gets this feeling of needing to talk to other people about their spiritual journey. Whether or not that was Demarest's intention, a strength of this book is that it pushes the reader to talk to other people and to God about what is happening in their journey with spirituality. Communication is a fundamental part of every person's spiritual life. Every person will need people in their life who can accompany them through the good times and the bad, through their mistakes and their victories. By having these people to talk to, as Demarest states, you can begin to sense the spiritual aspirations and longings of others (Demarest, p.61). These aren't just the people Demarest recommends you talk to. He is clear and correct in pointing out that God must have a complex role in your life, especially in your prayer life through intimate communication. Demarest points out that we often get caught up in doing things for God, fulfilling our responsibilities in things like going to church and paying tithing. But where we have fallen is where the Bible tells us we must walk with Christ and conform to His image (Demarest, p.93). Along with communication comes a second force in Demarest's book; know the obstacles that prevent the Christian from walking with God. These two things go hand in hand. When you have communication and intimate time with God, you will be able to hear Him talk about your weaknesses and what things you have failed at. One obstacle Demarest will surely point out is that unconfessed sin can erode a connection with God Christ (Demarest, p.108). These sins can take over a person's lifeif left unchecked and unconfessed. Humans do not have to live a sinless life because that is impossible, God created humans with free will and with that free will comes choices that turn into mistakes. But part of bringing a person's spirituality to light is being honest with themselves and with God about their sins. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “If we claim to be living a shared life with him and continue to stumble in the darkness, we are obviously lying outright—we are not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, the Son of God, cleanses all our sins” (The Message). Demarest does a masterful job of teaching that a connection with Christ is more than just works, but a daily intimate walk with God that requires communication and confession. Part of Demarest's writings on communication involve meditation to know and love God. If there is a weakness in Demarest's book, it would be his ideas in mediation. Purely because of a theological and doctrinal difference, I simply cannot completely agree with Demarest's explanations of meditation. While Demarest makes valid points about calming ourselves in the presence of God to listen to Him speak to us; some of the techniques Demarest suggests are unbiblical and Demarest attempts to support these ideas through past practitioners (Demarest, pp. 163-167). Involvement in what could be described as mystical practices such as meditation, if not careful, can become a counterfeit of the work of the Holy Spirit. Being involved in mystical practices arises from a motivation or desire to go beyond the word God to find sources of insight, understanding, or knowledge contrary to what the Bible reveals as truth. I am well aware that meditation and mystical practices can come in all sorts of different packages, some biblical and some not. We must be careful about what we read and practice and hold it against the Scriptures to see if these practices follow the truths of the Bible, and we must also not take verses out of context to support ideas that a person wants to be supported.Christian's must be careful not to let yourself be drawn into something that becomes human-centered. The word of God is more than adequate to provide inspiration and direction in the life of a Christian. Philippians 4:19 gives us the promise that believers can be confident that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity surpassing even yours in the glory that flows from Jesus (MSG). That promise can be trusted with greater certainty than any mystical or man-made power. Beyond this personal weakness, I believe there are things I can put into practice in the ministry I am currently a part of. It's clear that Demarest wants his readers to have a true experience with God that goes beyond our daily works. For me, my preaching is rooted in my experiences with God. As preachers, we must know God ourselves if we want our listeners to know Him. Knowing that God has forgiven my sins can allow me to enthusiastically preach salvation and forgiveness. Thomas Brooks once said, “There is nothing that makes a man so capable of preaching Christ to people, as carrying Christ within himself.” While I don't necessarily agree with all of Demarest's suggestions on how to do this, I still agree and believe it is clear that we need an intimate relationship with Christ. Part of my job as a pastor is teaching, preaching, and discipleship. I can't do any of these successfully until I have Christ.