growing Closer To God

March 8th – Matthew 6:5-8

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Matthew 6:5-8

Why is it important to pray in secret? And why is Jesus careful to add that when we pray we should seek a secluded place and shut the door behind us? As I thought about that, I thought of the children’s book called, The Secret Garden by, Frances Hodgson Burnett. The story is about two children who are transformed from being weak, sickly, and friendless, to physically and emotionally healthy children in the garden. And I thought perhaps F.H. Burnett might be onto something here. Because like the children in the garden, our souls can be transformed by our time in secret prayer.

Secret prayer is simply a term used to described our time in prayer alone with God. Psalm 91 has much to say about dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

I’d love to encourage you to spend some time reading over Psalm 91. Because I believe here Moses, who walked so incredibly close to God while here on earth, is encouraging us. Moses is saying, if we truly wish to grow deeper in our walk with the Lord, it will be through our time. Time  spent in the “secret place of the Most High.” So if you struggle to make time to spend time alone with God, confess it! Share your heart with Him. And then give the responsibility to meet together each and everyday over to Him! After all He desires to meet with you just as much if not more! God cannot fail. So make it His responsibility to provide time for the two of you to meet in your secret place.

Blessings, Sue

 

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February 27th – 1 Corinthians 13:11

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1 Corinthians 13:11

When dealing with immaturity, the standard response is, “Grow up!” That’s Paul’s response too. When we first receive Jesus as our Savior, we are mere babes. Children with childish views. But we aren’t to remain that way. And Paul tells us it’s time to grow up in our faith and relationship with God. The dictionary definition of growing up means to arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity; to progress from childhood toward adulthood. A perfect description of the Christian walk. Each new day should be a step forward to moving closer to God and our transformation of becoming more like Jesus. And we can only do this when we leave behind our stubborn, foolish, childlike ways. One day when Jesus returns we will reach the “fullness of Christ.” But until then we are to continue growing, learning, and maturing in our faith.

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February 21st – Luke 17:5

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Luke 17:5

We live in a world which has a mindset that “more is better.” But Jesus says to walk closer to Him, we need to value quality over quantity. There were none closer to the Lord than the 12 men He handpicked to walk beside Him. For three years the disciples faithfully followed Jesus as He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. And still they cried out to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Yet it wasn’t actually more faith they were seeking, but rather a deep, genuine faith that empowered them to fulfill all Jesus called them to do.

The disciples understood that faith is the Word of God in action. It is meant to be lived out, not left idle and stale. Because the deeper our belief and trust, the closer we are to God. Even the tiniest bit of genuine faith in the Lord, can produce amazing results in our life and in the lives of others. And that’s the kind of faith the disciples wanted. Because of their overflowing love and gratitude for their Savior, they wanted an active, deep faith. One that not only allowed them to walk closer to Jesus, but as did Jesus. Is that the faith you want? I do! So how can we have that kind of genuine faith?

First through spending time in God’s Word. All relationships need nurturing. By feasting on the scriptures, we get to know who Jesus is and what He teaches. Another is through obedience. When we step out in trusting faith, obeying God’s will in all things, we learn to depend on Him completely. And third, we grow closer to the Lord by living out our faith for all to see. By loving, forgiving, and caring for others as Jesus does, we become living examples of our Savior in action for the world to witness.

 

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February 13th – Psalm 65:4

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Psalm 65:4

One of the hardest things that Christians wrestle with is predestination. How in His sovereignty, before the creation of man, God decided who He would draw to Himself. And although we might not understand His reasoning or methods, we can overflow in gratitude. Gratitude for being one of those God calls His own. Once we were all enemies of the Lord, separated by our sin and sentenced to death. But in His love and mercy, God sent His only begotten Son to redeem and reconcile His beloved children back to Himself. And that includes you and me! How awesome is that! God chose us to draw near to Him and dwell in His courts. To be satisfied abundantly with the goodness of His house. And to His children, our Father in heaven promises an eternity spent by His side, never again to be separated from the God of our salvation!

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February 12th – Psalm 139

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Psalm 139

There is no one who knows you better than God. As our Creator and Father, He has perfect knowledge of every aspect about us. From the number of hairs on our head, to every thought, sin, and word we speak. He knows our dreams, hopes, and fears. And as such, He is the perfect One to go to when searching our hearts. David loved God deeply. So he turned to the Lord asking Him to show David any way in which God was displeased with him. We should do the same. Because if we want to grow closer to God, we need to rid our lives of anything that keeps us distanced from Him. So ask God to search your heart and mind. Pray to be open to any areas in your life that need work. And out of His great love, God will lovingly guide, instruct, and lead us on a closer path to Him.

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February 11th – Jeremiah 23:23-24

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Jeremiah 23:23-24

I remember playing hide and seek with my son when he was little. And I always got a chuckle out of how he’d hide in plain sight. His thoughts were that as long as his eyes were closed and he couldn’t see me, I couldn’t see him. And that’s the same kind of reasoning we tend to do with God. We mistakenly think that if we refuse to see or acknowledge Him, God will just forget about us as well. But as Jeremiah tells us, there is not a single place where we can hide from God. He is everywhere, and His glory fills everything. And as our Creator, God knows us intimately; even when we refuse to know Him. He knows everything thing about us. Every hurt, tear, sorrow, happiness, and deed. The Lord knows our thoughts and our hearts. And even when we try to hide from Him, God will never hide from nor stop seeking us!

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February 5th – Psalm 73:28

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Psalm 73:28

Do you ever get frustrated trying always to do the right thing only to see the wicked prosper? Asaph, who was a mighty worship leader, felt the same. And he too wondered if walking with God was really the route to happiness. Christianity isn’t an easy path to follow. And when we see the sinful living joyfully and well, our human nature can fall into the temptation of wanting to live the same. But as Asaph realized, growing closer to God is always the path to victory. For unlike unbelievers, we have a mighty fortress, a place of refuge, and a rock of salvation in the Lord our God. And there is no better place to be than sheltered in Him. And so like Asaph we too can declare, “it is good for me to draw near to God.” We can trust in the Lord for our safety and declare boldly all of God’s marvelous works!

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February 1st – Esther 4

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Esther 4

Esther was a young queen in over her head. Told by her cousin Mordecai about the prime minister’s plot to kill the Jews, the fate of her people laid heavy on her small shoulders. Yet Esther knew where to go; straight to God. For three days and nights Esther sheltered in His presence through prayer and fasting. And as she grew closer to the Lord, Esther received the wisdom and courage she needed to save her people.

Life is hard. And trying to do it on our own is near impossible. But thankfully, as Christians we never have to face anything alone. Because God is there welcoming us to come to Him. To spend time in His presence, bathing in His strength, mercy, and guidance. A place of refreshment, the arms of the Lord is where we experience His perfect peace. Where we find the answers we seek, the wisdom of God’s counsel, and the warmth of His unconditional love.

That’s why it’s vital we make our relationship with God a priority. For it’s the most important one we have. So today I challenge you to be intentional. Set aside some quiet time for just you and God. Soak in the rays of His presence and make it a ritual. Did you know science now says it takes around 66 days to form a habit. Through perseverance and consistency we can make growing in our relationship with God not just a habit, but second nature!

 

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