How Can I Go Deeper With God?

One of the great joys is to find Christians who are longing for a deeper and more meaningful Christian life. We sense that the answer is found with God and that the Bible should be able to tell us how to have a deeper relationship with God. This occurs because the Holy Spirit has placed that passion within every Christian to know God and grow spiritually. Sadly, many find their church to be primarily a social gathering, and the preaching shallow or empty. Therefore. How does a Christian dive deeper into spiritual things?

Preparing For A Deeper Relationship With God

The first step is to go deeper in your spiritual life and draw close to God is to confess all known sins to God in prayer. David did this in Psalms 51;4. There we read that he confessed his sin to God and God alone. The scriptures teach that confession of our sins restores a Christian’s relationship with God.

I acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Psalm 32:5

Confession removes guilt if we believe His promises in Psalm 103, Micah 7: 18-19, 1 John.

Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and pleases over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever. Because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread out iniquities underfoot. Yes, you will cast all their sins into the depth of the sea.

Micah 7:18-19

The first step of confession repairs our sun-damaged relationship with God and prepare us for the second step.

The second step to a deeper relationship with God is to pursue Holiness by being obedient to God’s commands. This is, we seek to please Him. (Ephesians 5:10, Hebrews 11:5-6) His commands reveal His will for us. 1 Peter 1:14-16 reveals the God wants us to be holy as He is holy. In 2 Timothy 2:22, He urges us to flee sin. The Old and New Testaments provide us with commands, principles, and encouragement as to how God wants us to live. Hebrews 12:4-11 teaches us that God will discipline us when we are disobedient. His discipline is designed to motivate us to be holy. He does this because He loves us.

But God has not left us alone in our fight with sin. The Holy Spirit will help us if we followed step 1. Confession not only restores our relationship with God, but it enables the Holy Spirit to fill us or empower us moment – by -moment so that we can live a holy life and know our God deeper. The momentary filling of the Spirit is being “filled with the Spirit’ and the repeated filling of the Spirit moment after moment (Ephesians 5:17-18) is called walking in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16)

“How to be filled with the Spirit,” “What are the signs that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit? And “Holy Spirit gives us victory over sin.”

When we are walking in the spirit, we will be having greater victory over sin, and Christ’s promise in John 14:21 will be fulfilled x. In that verse, Jesus tells us that our sins hinder us from knowing Him more. Or stated positively, obedience helps us understand the deeper truths of Christ.

He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.

John 14:21

Notice Christ’s promise that if we want to know God more and deeper, we must keep His commands. That is true because then the Holy Spirit has greater freedom to teach spiritual truths.

Not Of This World

In The World But Not Of The World

Have you ever heard of this phrase? It’s said all too often by Christians.

Home. The word stirs deep sentiment, a subtle longing, nostalgia. We can make a house a home, but the essence of home doesn’t require the support of four walls. At any moment, no matter where we are, that at – home feeling can sweep over us. The lingering aroma of a slow roasting turkey, the gentle caress of a wrinkled hand, a baby’s coos – our senses can spark the feeling of home, butt no single word in the English language can adequately capture the depth of its meaning.

What Does It Mean To Live In The World But Not Of The World?

During His final days of ministry on earth, Jesus was confronted with the question of home. The same world He had spoken into existence now screamed against Him. The vey people He had chosen to call His own chose to disown Him, Jesus stood before Pilate and declared, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)

With that powerful proclamation, Jesus turned the world upside down. Since the beginning of His ministry, Jesus had tried to convey to His followers that the time had come – that time which had been foretold by the prophets – the time when God’s children no longer needed to search for refuge in a sin-laden land that was not their own. The King had come. And with Him came the keys to an everlasting Kingdom they could now call home.

Christ’s Kingdom is the homeland for believers – it’s where we belong. In Him and with Him. We may physically reside on planet earth, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What Does The Bible Say About ‘In The World But Not Of The World’?

As citizens of Heaven, our view of this temporal world matters. What we think and believe about this foreign land helps us find our proper place in it,

Can Your Thoughts Kill You?

How Powerful Are Your Thoughts?

We all know that hanging around complainers causes people to catch their negativity. Bitching, moaning, and general drama are contagious. Buts that’s apparently not the only problems you can catch if you spend too much time with the eternally pessimistic, you might also pick up a host of health problems too.

Negativity has been conclusively shown to rewire your brain, making it easier to see the bad in the world and harder to see the good. (The opposite is also true – positivity is a muscle that grows with use.) Buy science is just as certain that negative feelings like anger, hostility, and cynicism are also terrible for your body.

Negativity Can Kill You…

Take anger, for example. Being with people who tick you off wastes precious mental energy, but it can also take a toll on the body in the form of high blood pressure, stress, anxiety, headaches and poor circulation. Research also shows that even one five – minute episode of anger is so stressful that it can impair your immune system for more than six hours. All of those health issues can lead to more serious problems such as heart attacks and stroke,

Distrust is also harmful. Research shows that high levels of cynicism later in life… to a greater risk of dementia compared to those who were more trusting. A study that was done a few years ago showed data from nearly 100,000 women and found that the most cynical participants were more likely to have heart disease that least cynical individuals.

One study of Chinese Americans even found that those who believed in Chinese astrology and whose birthdays were considered “inauspicious” actually died earlier than non – Chinese Americans born at the same time taking in account lifestyle factors and other variables. It’s not because there’s anything to astrology. It’s because negativity and pessimism can quite literally hasten your death.

…And negativity is catching

All of which is completely terrifying. But it’s even scarier if you consider just how contagious these feelings can be.

The more time you spend with negative people around you, the more you will become like them. Psychologist Elaine Hatfield has done research. She has found out that we start to imitate facial expressions, posture, and even tone of voice of those we spend a lot of time with. Most importantly, we adopt their mental state as well. Since we’re empathetic people, we feel with them. If they’re in a bad mood, so will we be.

The most reasonable conclusion to reach from all this science is that it’s past time to ditch the more negative people in your life. Or if you’re pretty much stuck with some of them, take pre-conscious measures to neutralize their negativity and learn to channel your own anger in a more healthful way. Finally, if you have to complain together, opt for the only kind of complaining that’s actually good for you.

Plan Of Salvation:

What Do You Understand It Takes For A Person To Go To Heaven?

Let’s consider how the Bible answers this Question. It’s a matter of Faith.

F is For FORGIVENESS. We cannot have eternal life without God’s Forgiveness.

A is for AVAILABLE. Forgiveness is available.

I is for IMPOSSIBLE. It is impossible for God to allow sin into Heaven. Because of who He is: God is loving and just. His judgment is against sin. Because of who we are: Every person is a sinner.

But how can a sinful person enter heaven, when God allows no sin?

H is for HEAVEN. Heaven is eternal life. Here. Hereafter.

T is for TURN. Turn means to repent. Turn From something: sin and self. Turn to someone: true Christ only.

How can a person have forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as a personal Savior and Lord? By trusting in Christ and asking Him for forgiveness. Take the step of faith described by another meaning Faith: Forsaking All I Trust Him.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and have displeased you in many ways. I believe You died for my sin and only through faith in Your death and resurrection can I be forgiven. I want to turn from my sin and ask You to come into my life as my Savior and Lord. From this day on. I will follow You by living a life that pleases You. Thank You, Lord Jesus for saving me. Amen.

After you have received Jesus Christ into your life, tell a Christian friend about this important decision you have made. Follow Christ in believer’s baptism and church membership. Grow in your faith and enjoy new friends in Christ by becoming part of His church. There, you’ll find others who will love and support you.

Reference Scriptures:

  • Ephesians 1:7
  • John 3:16
  • Matthew 7:21
  • James 2:13
  • Romans 3: 23
  • Luke 13:3
  • Romans 10:9
  • John 10:10
  • John 14:3

May God Bless You And Keep You.

Asking For Wisdom

We often find ourselves walking in circles. Our to-do list is long but we end up accomplishing nothing. Nothing except shifting messes from place to another and getting increasingly frustrated with ourselves. Many days we just plod along, hoping that somehow we will pull ourselves together and move forward. Sadly, our success rate with that approach is pretty low. Just doing more doesn’t help when our mind is scattered. Often when our mind is scattered. Often our biggest foe is our cluttered mind. When we don’t think straight, we can’t solve problems.

We become frustrated at our circumstances, confused about what to do, discouraged and defeated. It’s a downward cycle. Sometimes I think we never think to ask God for help with making little decisions. Maybe we will bring Him in on the big decisions, but the little ones we could figure we could handle ourselves. When this happens we miss out on so much clarity and focus.

If you are having trouble thinking ask God to clear your mind and direct your decision-making. Then trust He is doing just that. Once you ask God, expect it to happen. This expectation is crucial to hear from God. James writes that “if any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” We should expect to receive from God.

If you do start to doubt, then take that thought captive and choose to trust God has spoken. Listening and trusting are important parts of prayer, because prayer is not always to get God to move.

Many times, prayer positions us to hear God’s direction clearer. Is the clutter in your mind making it hard to think clearly? Perhaps one of the problems is that you’re trying to figure things out on your own. We’ve been given the mind of Christ and we are offered the wisdom of God. So let’s ask and receive it.

Fear Is A Liar

I was saved at forty- four years old. I was addicted to pain medicine, filled with fear, anxiety, worry, and depression. I was living, but I wasn’t alive. Just going through the motions. Living on borrowed time. There was no Emotion or Love . I had put a defense wall so high around me, no-one was getting in and I couldn’t get out. No Emotions and no feelings meant no -one could hurt me anymore.

One morning I had a nervous breakdown grabbed a bag of clothes and left my house. I drove for hours shaking like a leaf, not know where I was going or where I would end up. I ended up at my sisters home five hours away. That night I feel to my knees and said ‘God, I can’t do this anymore. The way I’m living my life isn’t working . I even tried living like others thought I should. That’s not working either.’ I wanted a new plan for my life. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I was just done. I had hit rock bottom. I didn’t know God, but I knew His plan for my life had to be better than anything that I had come up with. I gave Him my life. I asked Him, “Lord I give you my life, the life of this messed up woman, and if you can do anything with my life, to do it.” After He did, He delivered me from addiction, anxiety, worry, and depression. I had lived my life in fear every waking day for forty – four years. He delivered me, from panic attacks. I had been in-prisoned by fear, and anxiety but now it was over. Psalm 34;4 says, I cried out to Him and He delivered me. After I prayed the prayer of salvation and truly meant every word shackles fell from me. From that point on. I had to renew my mind according to the Word of God. As I did I became able to maintain my deliverance.

Fear is called by different names: worry, anxiety, and panic. The dictionary calls it a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain; whether the threat is real or imagined. Fear can be rational or irrational. God defines fear as useless, a waste, the enemy of faith, and in direct opposition of Him. Fear makes things appear one way when God’s Word says something completely different. Fear is a deceiver. As believers, we are not to take part in any of it.

There are consequences if we allow fear into our lives. It wastes time, potential, and destinies. Fear paralyzes you. It stops you from following God’s call on your life, either, it becomes a generational curse, it infects children, grandchildren, and so on until someone decides to stop it. The delivered will lose their deliverance. Allowing even a little fear in your life allows Satan into your life.

There are some beliefs about fear that are absolute lies. First fear is a natural part of life. It’s believable because there are many who make fear a way of life. It’s not normal for believers though. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…” Reading that, we see two things: fear isn’t of God and it’s a spirit. Therefore it’s not natural m but supernatural. To a demonic spirit that stops you from fulfilling God’s call on your life.

The second lie is that rational and irrational fears. The American Psychiatric Association lumps fears into two groups of fears that makes sense and fears that don’t. God doesn’t group fears because there are no rational fears. All fear is irrational. It’s not logical to be fearful when you claim to trust God. There is no one fear that makes sense in the eyes of God.

The next lie is a good amount of fear is healthy. Philippians 4:6 answers this by saying “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything; by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God commands us to not worry about anything. He means it. We’re not to worry about the future. The unknown, our children, our jobs, our finances. The Scripture says that if we ask it of God, we will receive peace.

Another lie is fear and worry are ways to show love and concern. Living this lie will destroy your children. Satan will take your good intentions, distort them, and still your children’s destinies. If they don’t draw the bloodline of Jesus, they can expect it to continue down the family line.

Jesus’s words in Matthew chapter 6 commands us not to worry about our futures. He compares us to the birds of the air and the grass in the field. They don’t worry about their futures, but God sustains them. He goes on saying, “So do not worry saying, “what shall we eat?” Or “what shall we drink?” Or “what shall we wear?” For the pagan run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father know that you need them. But first seek His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you as well. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Pagans – the unGodly – act in fear. When believers respond to situation with fear, we’re teaching others that fear is acceptable and that God can’t be trusted. We’re the redeemed of the Lord and have nothing to be anxious about.

The final lie is there are people who are attacked with fear more than others. This is absolutely false. Satan delights in attacking believers. The difference between defeated and victorious believers is the defeated give in to fear while the victorious stand again fear. When we live in defeat, we’re not making decisions based on faith.d contrariwise, when we live in victory, we’re only making decisions asked on faith. Even if fear is still present, the victorious believer will continue on. They take up their faith shield, hold it high, and follow after God.

They enemy will do anything he can to delay you. It’s possible to have peace in your spirit. But have anxiety in your mind. You can also experience peace in your while you have turmoil in your spirit. Learn the discern between the two. If your mind is at peace and your spirit is in turmoil, though, your heading down a path of devastation. Too often people wait until they get their head wrapped around a situation to move forward in life. And they never get anything done. Always be sure to check your spirit.

There’s a song written by Zach Williams called Fear is a Liar. Zach says it’s for anyone who struggles with fear or going through something. I hope this song gives them hope, to call the devil out.