The Guidance and the Voice of God - by Phillip D Jensen & Tony Payne

This was a nice easy read over just a few hours. As an update from the original I haven't seen, I would recommend all Christians should read this, particularly those seeking His path in their lives and those who have long been faithful and wondering what's next or if this is as good as it gets.

When I opened the book, I thought the beginning was simply repeating all we know and ironically I reached page 40 the writer confirmed just that. This was the point at which I thought we are of like minds and it bears staying with. From thereon it just got better.

Divided into three parts the first lays the foundations for the book and relies on a faithful reader who believes rightly that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

The second part then looks at the right and pitfall responses to His Word in both Biblical history and today.

The Third part deals Gods guidance to the world and us in the critical areas of Church, Work & Marriage. It doesn't pull any punches when exploring these subjects. This is the meat of the book and for me the most useful part with many applications to other areas or struggling to live a Christian life.

There were many areas of reassurance and I was gladdened when I read on page 128 the personal verse given to me at the start of my ministry - Hebrews 10:24&25 'encourage one another and help them to do good’, which I have kept close to my heart, ever since. Throughout the book the authors have a nice habit of summarising the text so far and this helps collectively to put the overall message of the book into context.

Here you may expect me to spill the beans and tell you the ending message but other than, to say it wasn't the butler - it was Jesus who did it! - you just need to buy and read it for yourself.

If not for yourself, why not buy a copy for someone in your family or Christian brother or sister.

Do not expect a thank you from those gifted this book and that don't put the Bible, Jesus and God as the centre of everything - I am sure it will ruffle a few temperaments and hopefully draw them into the light.

Yes, this is very much recommended provocative, good & encouraging read.

My husband and I read this book together. We found it easy to read, full of encouragements to faith and the use of common sense and has reassured us about reading our bibles and trusting the good shepherd to lead his sheep!

What is God's will for my life? How should I discern his voice and respond? What is God's plan for us? How do we find it? How does he communicate it to us? How do we hear his voice? Is God concerned with the trivial details of life (such as what sort of car we buy), or is he only interested in the 'big' decisions like marriage and career? What if I should step outside God's will for my life?

The good news, God does have a plan, He promises to guide us, and we have a part to play. This is what the book explains.

The writers then go on to apply the principles they explain in the book to the Church, Work and Marriage.

I found the book to be enormously helpful and very easy to read, and I recommend it to everyone who wants to understand God's plan for them.

I thought this book was quite well laid out and clearly written. It sets out to demystify the concept of (divine) guidance. In my opinion it succeeds in this, as the authors encourage us to use God's s revealed moral guidelines and common sense to make decisions. However we may perhaps be left slightly disappointed as we do often prefer to wait for a clear sign (even though we rarely get them and interpreting 'signs' is far from obvious) as to what to do. The authors point out that this way of thinking about guidance (which is biblical according to their interpretations) takes away some of the unnecessary anxiety with which Christians might approach key decisions in their lives, as if their is only one right way to go, and if they choose wrongly, then have moved out of God's reach. Instead the writers emphasise that some choices may have more than one right response and God just wants us to do the right thing by the right principles with the right attitude.

I found this book really helpful in understanding that many times when you are making decisions and wondering which choice is "God's will," the answer is quite easy if you just consider what the Bible says. If you have the desire for your will to be in line with God's will, it often turns out to be pretty clear and obvious figuring out what the right decisions are. It also addresses a common misconception that if you make the "wrong" decision, your bad choice might mess up God's plan! Understanding that this is not the case really helps makes decision-making (and your life) much less stressful!

this book is absolutely brilliant. I read it when feeling bogged down by finding 'God's perfect will' for my future. I wanted it to tell me what career to follow. Instead, it pointed me to the Bible, that God's will is for us to be sanctified and offered practical ways to follow Him. A must read, it gave me immense peace.

A well written and readable book. The last few chapters were particularly useful.

This is the most accessible, biblically accurate, introduction to the pastorally important topic of how God guides that I've read. As a trainee pastor leading a study evening on Guidance in the local church, this is so helpful. The main message is simple: do what the Bible says, and make decisions with Bible-centred wisdom. How liberating!