I don’t feel like praying, am really struggling with this habit, I don’t feel like reading the Bible, I just don’t understand it, .i messed up Big time I don’t think God has airtime to listen to people like me. i have heard these kind of sentiments too many times, of people really struggling to cultivate a close relationship with God due to what they have done, what they are struggling with or how they feel at that particular moment. Too many times we make excuses why we can’t get deeper with God yet all what God desires, is for us to know Him on a personal level and encounter Him personally.
Take this from me,the enemy will not have a field day when you know God personally, he won’t feed you with garbage , when you fully know who you are, whose you are and what God says about you. Knowing God for you is a real headache for the enemy as you won’t entertain his lies.
On this post, I will major on knowing God for you. I’ll be unjust if I ignore one amazing man in the Old Testament, who cultivated an intimate relationship with God during his mountain top moments, as well as his valley moments. In the whole book of 2 Samuel, we have a well laid lifestyle of King David, who cultivated a heart after God’s own heart; He knew God for himself and desired to know Him more, as long as he lived. Despite of blowing it up with Bathsheba, conspiring on how to kill her husband in battle, to endless tough seasons as a leader, King David still seeked God.He still relied on God 101%, he still praised God like crazy, he worshipped God with everything within him and never at any time got intimidated of how people thought about his love towards God.
Trust me on this, despite of your status quo, standing up for God and declaring your love and faith in Him, will get you tested, ridiculed, criticized and at times you will be rejected because of what you believe in,However, God is more pleased when our hearts are after His own heart, as He spoke of King David in 1 Samuel 13:14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
From scriptures, King David demonstrated a life style that honored God’s prophets, the high priests but still pursued God for Himself. Why am I saying that he honored God’s prophets (Samuel & Nathan) and the high priests, yet he pursed God for himself??All that mattered to him was God’s opinion about him because he knew who God was to him and it’s Him who mattered to him most as he wrote in Psalms 33:13-15 The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth.He made their hearts,so he understands everything they do.
Listen!!!No matter how spiritual your best friend is, your parents are, your siblings are, your spouse is or your pastor is, they will never ever know God on your behalf. You can’t bank on second hand faith all the days of your life, to experience the supernatural!!You must cultivate and yearn for first hand faith to experience and encounter God in a deeper and personal way.
When you Know God for you:-
1.Your faith in Him grows on a daily basis
2.Your identity is grounded on His identity
3.You rely on His perfect will over your life, even if things are not flowing the way you had planned out in your mind.
4.Your trust in God becomes extraordinary, as your life solely depends on Him.
5.You barely harbor a complaining attitude during storms in life , you become more aware God has good plans laid up ahead of you Jeremiah 29:11-For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
6.Your heart is full of gratitude for who God is in your life, what He has done ,what He is currently doing and what He ought to do.
7.Your confidence is grounded in Him no matter what, I have blogged on that here Don’t Put God in a Box.
8.You learn how to embrace His unconditional love and your love for Him will never be based on what He will do for you but you will love Him for He is God all by Himself over your life.
Take Note:-Don’t hinder God from revealing Himself to you because of how other people are walking their walk as believers. Failing to seek God, with the notion you have created in your mind that born-again believers are hypocrites, get this from me, this walk is personal, yes you heard me right, this walk is purely personal.God never created us to be judgemental but be the change we desire to see.Choose to see people from God’s perceptive,which is by showing mercy and extending love.I have blogged on how to observe through God’s eyes here.
You shall stand accountable to God and not with the crowd. Despite of how the Pharisees kept the law,judged people,followed all the laid out rules,opposed and ridiculed Jesus,their character/attitude never stopped, our Lord and savior from fulfilling His God given purpose. Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
God is more concerned about the attitude of your heart than your performance. So what do I mean? People are so imperfect for you to allow their actions and opinions to hinder you from pursuing God.
God is more concerned about the attitude of your heart than your performance. So what do I mean? People are so imperfect for you to allow their actions and opinions to hinder you from pursuing God.
Pursue God for you because you love Him,you desire to have fellowship with Him,you desire to have divine encounters with Him and weed out seeds of negativity the enemy is trying to plant in your mind, which will cloud your focus on God. God is not searching for someone with an exemplary performance, but one with a faithful heart-a heart, that is ready to please Him, a heart that is distressed over sin, a heart that believes in Him,His willingness and ability to forgive and restore.
For you who is busy judging people’s actions and patting yourself in the back ,that you are way better off in the world than pursue Christ!!!That’s a deception from the devil, to keep you in yokes and deny you the freedom that Christ purchased for you at the cross.Honey!!!We are all at the mercies of God and His grace is all what we need, to keep on going including you.Choose to pursue Christ for you!!!
Love ReinaBeaty
Photography by Creative Lab Africa
