**This is a good example of using a seemingly simple question to further God’s truth and encourage a questioner in following Him. The response is easy to understand and kind in tone.

Question:I stopped listening to podcasts on a daily basis and only read the Bible now. I have found so much peace, why is that?

Answered by: Julio Cotto, who has been a volunteer with us since March, 2009.

Answer: The Bible is the living Word of God, and as we immerse ourselves in God’s Word, we feel the peace and change that it brings as we set our minds on the things of God. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1) and in Him we find peace, comfort, and joy. Romans 5:1 tells us that those who are saved have peace with God through Christ. The more time we spend with the Word of God, through prayer and reading the Bible, the more at peace we will feel. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

Nothing could ever take the place of the Bible. God speaks directly to our hearts through His Word. Peace is directly related to the actions and attitudes of individuals; but it is ultimately a gift from God (Isaiah 45:7; Leviticus 26:6; John 14:27). The presence of peace indicates God’s blessing on man’s obedience (Isaiah 32:17; Malachi 2:5) and faith (Isaiah 26:3). Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, so, if we are allowing the Spirit of God to rule in our lives, we will experience His peace. To be spiritually minded brings life and peace, according to Romans 8:6.

**This is a good example of providing biblical truth and practical help with logical flow and clarity. The response is individual, easy to understand, and helpful. It also has a kind and genuine tone.

Question:Hello. Sometimes when arguing with atheists, I have problem with “god of the gaps” argument. How to counter it?

Answered by: Vincent Trigili, who has been a volunteer with us since August, 2010.

Answer: Thank you for your question! The God of the Gaps argument is one that is often valid but also often misapplied.

First, we have to admit that Christians over the centuries have in fact done exactly what “God of Gaps” claims. That is, if we do not know how something has happened, it must have been a direct intervention of God. However, natural science has often done the same. For example, there are many gaps in the evolutionary record that they cover with the “Evolution of the Gaps” argument.

For the Christian though, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap “I do not know, so therefore God.” The way we prevent that is we first get comfortable with saying “I don’t know,” and “the Bible does not say.”

Second, we can only stand on things the Bible actually says God did. For example, God raised Jesus from the dead, God parted the Red Sea, God created life, and so on. These things we stand on and do not ever compromise. No place in Scripture does it say God intervened in dog breeding to bring about a poodle, so we should not stand on that and we should allow that the natural system God created could produce a poodle without His direct intervention. That is a silly example, but it illustrates the point.

If we limit claims of God’s actions only to things He has told us He has done (or will do), then we will be able to find and offer proof and our claims will stand the test of time. If we use God like a magic wand to wave at everything we do not understand then we will find our claims lack any proof and fail to hold up over time.

Finally, make sure you listen to how those that try to play the “God of the Gaps” argument against you and gently point out that they are only doing that because they have no counter-answer to give, making their argument by definition, a “God of the Gaps” argument also.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to write in again and one of our staff writers will be happy to assist you.