Are you an effective evangelist? You are familiar with the Great Commission. Do you carry it out? How do you go about it? You consider doctrine to be important, so do you start there? Yet instruction typically proceeds from the known to the unknown, and your audience may not be able to relate to your doctrinal positions. Yet I have put a spiritual yearning in the heart of every person, a longing to seek and live in relation to a self-transcendent horizon. You have this in common with every person even if you have nothing else.

Have you experienced the peace that surpasses understanding? The Bible refers to this, so this is a commonly used and understood phrase among believers. You see this peace as divinely provided because it cannot be explained in terms of circumstances, and you are right. Is there anything else that surpasses understanding? Or to reverse the logic of the question, is there any aspect of your life that isn’t touched by divine influence? So do you also have provision that surpasses understanding? Insights that did not originate with you or visible sources? How long would the list be?

Have you ever been involved in a war of nerves? Even without physical violence, threats and oppression and intimidation can cause real hindrance and harm. Have you ever been on the receiving end of this? Have you ever been the oppressor? This can occur between groups of people, and those on the receiving end are more aware than those with the upper hand. How do you defend against such an attack? It will not serve you to fight fire with fire, to attempt manipulation of your own. Stand firm in your own identity and ask of me the peace that surpasses understanding, and you will receive.

How flexible are you in the practice of your faith? Is this your highest priority that takes precedence over all your other activities? Could there be anything more important? I told my followers that if they came to give a gift on the altar and remembered that their brother had an issue with them, that they should set their gift aside and go to seek reconciliation with their brother before returning to offer their gift. Have you ever practiced your faith in such a way that inconveniences other people?