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.

I Want More Intimacy with God

 

I want more intimacy with God. I do not want more of His power to do great works, or more of His blessings to enjoy a better life, or more of His authority to hold a position of importance. I just want more intimacy with God Himself. As Desert Skies sings, “I want to feel His hands on my soul, molding me into grace, to be a reflection of His holy face.” The key is to spend continual, uninterrupted and undivided time with Him.

We do not have to perform some task, but simply sit at His feet (Luke 10:38-42). We can “be” instead of “do”. We look into God’s benevolent face and whisper words of love or shout our gratitude from the rooftops. We praise Him and give Him all the glory. We follow the example of the psalmists and sing of His excellence (Psalm 89:1, 59:16, 100:5). The list is endless.

We live in continual gratitude for all that He did, is doing and will do for us (Psalm 100:4). We note specific things, and before we know it, the list is several pages long. We also spend time interceding for others, praying for our country and world issues and asking God to fulfill His will and purpose in the earth, using us as He deems best (Ephesians 2:10). We can also pray the Psalms and other key Bible verses.

One way to have more of God is to give God more of our self. We can have fun as a child of our Father and enjoy spending time with Him. We chat with Him 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 about personal relationships.

As we follow the leading of God’s Spirit, even our most insignificant acts of kindness or service can make the biggest difference in the eternal destiny of our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors. Regardless of our circumstances, we can spend time worshiping our Creator and God, our Savior and King and our Comforter and Guide. This may not always resolve our issues, but it changes our attitude and our focus.

Prayer:

Father God, 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 and surrender to You as You draw us ever closer to Your presence. In You we live, move and have our entire existence (Acts 17:28).

Thought for the Day:

God rejoices over His loved ones with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

  

Desert Skies: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Desert-Skies/56135996899

Our Five Sense Impact Our Life

Our five physical senses impact our body, soul and spirit in both negative and positive ways. They influence who we are and how we mature in Christ (Romans 8:5-8). Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting are powerful persuaders on our thoughts, beliefs and actions. Pursuing our fleshly impulses diminishes our spiritual’s maturity and our impact for Christ on society. A carnal mind is hostile toward God, because it does not surrender to God’s will (Romans 8:7).


It is incongruous to think that carnality will bear any fruit toward righteousness. When we dwell in the fleshly realm, there is no way that we can please God. The eye is the lamp of the body. If our eye is healthy and views only wholesome objects and scenarios, our whole body, soul and spirit will live in better health (Matthew 6:22; Proverbs 15:30; Psalm 100:3; Job 31:1). It is important to walk in the Spirit and to reject the temptations of the flesh (Romans 5:15,25).


What we hear also influences our thoughts and formulates what and who we are. Music causes our brain to produce serotonin with feelings of joy and well-being; or it produces pessimistic, sad or angry emotions, which affects our mood negatively (1 Samuel 16:23). What we smell influences how we eat, think and act. What we feel with our senses may lead to godly or ungodly behavior. The five senses are very strong persuaders of our thoughts and behaviors.


Authentic Believers are blood-bought children of the Most High God. We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and conduits for the Spirit of God to impact us, as well as the world around us. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  As we examine what we see, hear, smell, taste and feel, we use the Spirit’s discretion for what to walk away from in our life. Living in the Spirit gives us life and peace (Romans 8:6). Our loving and pure life impacts the world for Christ.


Prayer:

Father God, we do not want to tarnish our reputation or Yours by living in sin. We want to bring You pleasure with all five of our senses. Your purpose for us is our main focus in life. We want to glorify You in our body, spirit and soul – our mind, choices and emotions. Please align us with Your will and create a clean heart in us (Psalm 51:10). Allow us to live for your purpose today and always.

Thought for the Day:

Our spirit is dead in sin, until the Holy Spirit regenerates us and continually sanctifies our responses to our five senses.