Clinging to God

We tend to cling to God more during trials than when things are running smoothly. God uses the negative aspects of life to strengthen our soul, to increase our spiritual vision and to give us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

As we take the focus of life off our self and place it on Christ in us, we are much less earthly minded and much more spiritually minded. God's influence increases in us as we decrease and get out of His way (John 3:30).

God replaces the negative character traits of our personality with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We are no longer self-reliant, but we depend on the Holy Spirit to direct our steps.

We learn to depend on God instead of our human understanding and reasoning. People will fail us, but God never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He never changes and He is always reliable (Hebrews 13:8).

Pursuing peace, which the world gives, is elusive and fleeting. Only peace found in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is deep and dependable (John 14:27).

There is no requirement in order to form this personal relationship. We simply sit at His feet (Luke 10:42). We abide, motionless and clearing our mind and heart of clutter.

We give Him praise and glory for all He does for us each day. We pour out our gratitude to Him for His benevolence, grace and love.

Prayer:

Father God, let us follow the example of the psalmist and sing of Your excellent love and impartiality (Psalm 89:1), Your power (Psalm 59:16) and Your goodness (Psalm 100:5). As we give You a more intimate place in our heart and life, we gain more intimacy with You.

Remind us to have fun as Your child and to enjoy spending time with You. Our soul thirsts for You, our Living God (Psalm 42:2). Our flesh cries out for You and we attentively seek You (Psalm 63:1). You are so real to us that we can almost taste and see that You are good (Psalm 34:8). We love you with our whole heart.

Thought for the Day:

We can chat with God throughout our day even about the mundane issues we are facing or the most boring of chores or responsibilities; we ask His advice about hurdles we encounter, the best way to perform a task and for wisdom about issues with our personal relationships.

The Blessings of God's Law

God did not give Moses the Law in order to restrict and burden the people with too many rules to keep. He gave the Law as wisdom and enlightenment of how we can live a healthy life in body, soul and spirit. Our Heavenly Father developed the Law in order to protect us from our self and from people who desire to perpetuate evil on others. The Law also leads us to our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24-26).

As we read His Word and meditate on His Law, God uses these words to caution and instruct us during our daily life. This keeps us from breaking the laws of our nation and ending up in jail, it stops us from contracting illnesses from other people, it prevents us from getting enslaved by addictions, it averts disasters in our personal relationships, etc.

God will circumvent His law in certain cases when He divinely intervenes in the circumstances of our life. For instance, if two cars are heading toward one another on a collision course, God can send His angels to prevent a wreck. We usually reap what we sow in life. Although because of God's mercy and grace, He often protects us from our own, or someone elses choices (Galatians 6:7; Isaiah 63:7-9).

In addition to His Word, God also uses His Spirit to speak to His Saints and to direct our choices (Proverbs 3:5-6). However, if we are not committing our way to the Lord and walking in His Spirit, then we will often harvest the results of our humanistic decisions. As we walk in God's will instead of our own, we are filled with peace and joy, and our life is much more fulfilled.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your Law, which gives us the wisdom to live productive and blessed lives. You do not want us to make our plans and ask You to bless them. Instead, You want us to hear from You and to accomplish the works You created us to do (Ephesians 2:10). In order to hear from You, we need to quiet our body, ignore the thoughts and emotions in our soul, and focus on Your still, small voice communicating with us through our spirit. Show us Your ways, and teach us Your truths as we wait on You all through the day (Psalm 25:4-5; 27:11; 86:11).

Thought for the Day:
There is no conflict between the law and promises of God; the law shows that we are all controlled by sin, but those who believe in Christ will receive God's promises. - Galatians 3:21

Connecting with God

People often wonder why God will not answer their prayers. They accuse Him of not caring about them (1 Peter 5:7). It could be that we do not have a personal relationship with Him and He does not know us (Matthew 7:21-23). Sin may be blocking God from hearing our words or tainting the message of our prayer. Possibly, we do not spend enough time listening in order to hear His voice.

God answers our prayers with a "yes", "no", or "wait". Our Father knows the end from the beginning and knows what is best for us (Isaiah 46:10). He is not spiteful or vindictive. He does not punish us. He will discipline His children; but though He wounds, He always heals (Job 5:18). He will also heal our land, if His Saints will humble themselves and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14; Ezekiel 22:30).

A lack of a personal relationship with God (John 3:18), sinful behavior or a hectic lifestyle with little prayer and devotion hinder our ability to connect with God (Isaiah 59:2). Only repentance cleanses us as we confess our failings (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2). With intimate times of prayer, we have more power to stand against spiritual warfare, trials and temptations (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

King David realized that God did not want sacrifice from us as much as He wanted obedience and devotion (Hebrews 10:8-9). God would rather have us praying than working for Him without His Spirit's direction. He created works for us to do, but we will only know what they are as we pray (Ephesians 2:10). God's truest desire is that we love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Luke 10:27).

Prayer:

Father God, we ask You to fill us with a deep desire and hunger to know You more and to connect with You through our prayer life and Bible study. Our heart thirsts after You, like the deer pants for water (Psalm 42:1). Fill us with Your Holy Spirit every day and cause us to hear Your loving kindness each new morning (Ephesians 5:18-19; Psalm 143:8). Teach us to use Your Word to pray effectual prayers.

Thought for the Day:

If we remain connected to God, we will bear fruit for His Kingdom; but apart from Him, we can do nothing. - John 15:5-8