Seek the Lord
I read this devotional from the In Touch Ministries site this morning and thought, "This is exactly what I've been praying about and trying to focus on for weeks." This is a great explanation to the conversations that I've been having with several friends and customers about finding their way through tough decisions and difficult times.
There has to be an effort to change our way of thinking, planning and focusing on God's agenda instead of our own. That requires knowing His will. To know His will we have to know His nature. The only way to know His nature is by experiencing Him within our daily lives. We start by getting to know His word.
Take heart to what is shared below:
Seek the Lord by Charles Stanley
My life was radically influenced by the example of my grandfather, who wholeheartedly sought the Lord. I wanted the same kind of relationship that he had with God, and I knew the only way this would happen was if I, too, earnestly sought Him. All these years later, I can truthfully say that the most exciting aspect of my life is getting on my face before God in intimate fellowship.
This kind of relationship won’t happen accidentally. It requires continual, deliberate decisions that reset your priorities in order to make room for the pursuit of God. Intimacy with Him is not something that can be achieved in an inspiring weekend conference, nor can it be accomplished by reading a chapter or two in the Bible and praying for 10 minutes a day. Seeking God is a persevering lifetime commitment—day by day, decade by decade.
Too many believers are satisfied to have a shallow, superficial relationship with the Lord. They’ll approach God for relief from suffering or fulfillment of other needs but are unwilling to sit quietly for an extended period of time just getting to know Him through prayer and His Word. Yet the most important pursuit in a believer’s life is building a relationship with God. To forfeit this great blessing is a tragedy.
God doesn’t need anything from you, but He desires your loving devotion and intimate fellowship. Ask yourself, Is this what I want, too? If your answer is yes, are you willing to make the necessary commitment? Seeking the Lord cannot be something you hurry through. It will cost you time and effort, but the rewards are worth any sacrifice.
Copyright ©2015 In Touch Ministries
The devotional says that developing an intimate relationship with God won't happen by praying for 10 minutes a day; and yet, I will add this to it. If you're not praying at all, even 10 minutes, is a good place to start.
Every believer has to grow into spiritual maturity because when we first decide to believe Christ and accept His sacrifice for our sins, we start a journey not a sprint race. Each hour of life gives us more opportunity to get to know the Lord or to move further away from a deep relationship with Him. The more you get into studying the bible, trusting what God's said is true, and acting like what it said is true, the more insight God will give you regarding the rest of His will and if it starts with just 10 minutes of prayer, it can grow into a daily lifestyle of living for Christ.
In his book, Release of the Spirit, Watchmen Nee explained that we must develop a state of brokenness that allows God to work within us. We must let go of those things that we hold more dearly than our love for God. If we take our queue from Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..." we would dedicate or set aside time with God before anything else. No matter what else is going on in life, we have to start our first thoughts on God. That's not a legalistic, ritual I'm talking about... that is a method of thought that says my mind needs to refocus from whatever else I'm thinking about to seek God's mindset and find His desire for my life, my day, my next hour, and my next step. Therein lies the need for knowing the word of God.
Once we've let go of those things or people that we put ahead of Jesus, then we will create a state of mind where we don't have to retreat to our knees every time we want to pray. We won't have to stop our labor and efforts to be in God's presence. If I'm working in the world, I don't want the world's activities to distract me from God's agenda. If I'm editing pictures, washing clothes, or sitting at my child's game, my soul can find a place to interact with God.
When my soul is broken for Christ's purpose, His Holy Spirit will be able to influence my spirit to hear His direction clearly and distinctly. Then I can make decisions that serve for the best of everyone.
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twh
