Better Off without Jesus

by Chuck Bomar

It can be hard to talk about but most of us are insecure in our ability to discern the Holy Spirit's voice in our life.  When the bible doesn't speak directly to our circumstances, we wonder how we can be sure when God is speaking and when He is not.  This ambiguity and seemingly subjective idea of listening to God too often creates a crippling insecurity within us that keeps us from moving forward in steps of faith.  In John 16:7, when Jesus told the disciples they were going to be better off without him, they seemed to struggle with this idea too and were obviously confused as to how Jesus leaving could possibly be to their advantage.  They were used to asking Jesus questions face to face and getting immediate answers.  This is why most of us think we too would be better off with Jesus by our side. 
Through his personal struggle to discern God's voice in midst of trial, Chuck Bomar brings much needed practical understanding to why we are better off without Jesus physically by our side and takes readers on a confidence building journey of recognizing how and when the Holy Spirit is speaking to them.

Genres: Christian Living

155 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2012

Reviews

[Daniel Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title “Better Off Without Jesus” is calculated to grab your attention and for good reason: we truly are better off with the Holy Spirit inside of us instead of Jesus beside us. The book starts by summarizing Jesus’ teachings into two core elements: denial of self and dependence on God. Thus the Holy Spirit’s role is twofold: to remind us of the things that Jesus taught, and to guide us to fulfill the Gospel call. Thus this book focuses on the Holy Spirit, not in a purely academic sense but instead by providing the reader with intensely practical guidance for how to know when we are being guided by the Holy Spirit. The reason these lessons are so practical is because Chuck Bomar has been taught them through experiences in his own life, much of which are shared in the pages of this book.

Throughout the book, the author shares certain questions he asks himself to make sure he’s hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit; questions such as “Does this put me in a position of dependence on God?” I found those questions particularly helpful. As you read through this book, you’ll want to keep a pen and paper handy, so you can take notes and write down much of the guidance provided. Also, due to the powerfully practical nature of this book, you’ll want to read it slowly and savor all the wisdom contained within these pages.

Along with being very applicable, this book is challenging because it calls us to stop focusing on some far-off, distant future and to begin offering ourselves to God TODAY. We are challenged to stop thinking about what-ifs and starting looking for opportunities to embrace what we already know. But we are reminded that God has the heart of a Father and celebrates every step of progress we make, despite set-backs and failures on our part. As a seminary student, I found this refreshing, challenging, and comforting.

I would recommend this book to those who aren’t sure what it looks like to live out the Gospel in their daily lives, who yearn to hear God’s voice, who feel bogged down with head knowledge yet stagnant in their walk with God, or those who are wrestling with a big decision. The bottom line is that if we want to hear God’s voice tomorrow, we need to start obeying what He’s already told us for today.

[Joshua Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very impressed with and challenged by Chuck Bomar’s writing on the Holy Spirit. As a fairly young Christian, I really appreciate the concern he has for readers at different points in their walk and relationship with Christ. He is obviously a man striving to love God with all of his heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). He gives several thoughtful anecdotes that reflect an incorporation of the Spirit in everything he does. I was given this book by a friend who called it “one of the most important books in my walk.” Her lending of this book was especially timely for me and has helped me to rethink the Spirit’s working in matters of discernment. Bomar affirms what he preaches in his writing: each chapter points the reader to evaluate their relationship with Christ and challenges them to better understand the gift of God and strive for greater relationship with Him. This was a long read for me, despite the page count, because of the thoroughness, good reflection questions, and challenging convictions each reading session left me with. A wonderful read that I would recommend to any believer.

[Sarah Fernandes (Badders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a few chapters to get into this one, but there were a few chapters that really made me think about what counsel I listen to as opposed to the counsel of the Holy Spirit, such as the counsel of fear. There was one statement that I actually meditated on pretty heavily for days, and has motivated me to ask a lot of questions and start to seek answers: "With enough time, I guess, we could do just about anything well." I think this statement is absolutely true and begs the question "So what do I want to do well?" I've asked this before, but not like I'm asking it now.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Both a riveting and raw from-the-heart story and a practical and polished series of spiritual tools deeply rooted in scripture. Super impressive, Chuck!

[Mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

really liked reading this after "Forgotten God". puts a lot if the same principles of the holy spirit and adds the authors real life examples.