You alone will answer God’s call in Heaven at the top of your life. Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” No one else can try this job for you.
I believe it’s essential that we let that truth sink in since it’s easy to seem to know and love God but have a heart removed from him. The unavoidable truth is that simply going through the motions of our religion just isn’t enough to avoid wasting our souls. It’s also not similar to having a private relationship with Jesus.
The excellent news is that having a relationship with Jesus is commonly much easier than jumping through all of the hoops of faith. All it requires is an easy prayer of religion that invites God in to be your Lord and Savior. From there may be a baby step forward and one other step towards the leading of the Holy Spirit. As long as your heart is committed to following his lead, you might be His.
Growing Closer to God is a Process
If you end up stuck in a heartless religion, undecided what you think, and scuffling with questions, you are in an amazing place to start out your journey of growing closer to God. Feeling the stress of our circumstances can push us to confront the routines and rituals we have now relied on and evaluate in the event that they are leading us where we’d like to go. Our discontentment is an invite to look beyond easy answers and half-hearted religious participation. We grow closer to God after we confront our questions, lean into His Word, and ask him to disclose more of his character to our hearts.
I experienced this sort of faith crisis after I became a recent mom. I had been a churchgoer for my whole life, conversant in the usual Christian verses, but after I became a mother, the world suddenly transformed right into a terrifying place. I struggled to consider I could trust God, as evil gave the look of too significant a threat for my beautiful children. Not to say the thought of them dying struck fear into my heart.
My fear, anxiety, and questions set me on a journey to know God more truly and completely for myself. I had inherited the religion of my parents but had not yet owned it for myself. I also realized that only I could decide to trust God fully; nobody else could try this for me. I brought him my questions, my fears, and my frustration. He gently led me closer to him, and I’ve seen God do abundantly above and beyond all I could ask or imagine as we’ve grown closer these past 13 years of motherhood.
Don’t be afraid of doubts. Bring them to Jesus. God can draw us closer and show us who he’s in order that we are able to trust him more fully. James 4:8 says,
“Come near to God and he’ll come near to you. Wash your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Spiritual formation is a strategy of growth that requires an open heart and a commitment to knowing God. If we only look for straightforward answers and a convenient faith when things get tough, when religion becomes inconvenient, or after we lose interest, we are going to fall away from our faith. But a real desire to know God and to know his way results in a deeply rooted faith that may last a lifetime. Commit your heart to the strategy of knowing him, being patient for him to disclose his truth into your life in his time and his way.
God Responds to Our Faith
Matthew 17:20 says, “He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you’ve faith like a grain of mustard seed, you’ll say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it’s going to move, and nothing will probably be unimaginable for you.”
As we come to Jesus with our faith, at the same time as small as a tiny mustard seed, he brings things to life in our stories. He may give us the breakthrough, change our hearts and circumstances, wash us clean of our sin, and direct our paths with open doors and access to his miraculous peace. All we have now to supply him is our faith.
If you desire to know God, offer this morsel of religion as much as him. Ask him to point out up in your story in a fresh way. Take a step of religion and watch him show up together with his miracle-working power.
Sometimes, that step of religion is praying, telling Him you recognize religion alone just isn’t enough; it’s worthwhile to know Him. It can change your life for His glory, trusting He will provide for you. It’s believing that He can heal you or someone you’re keen on. It’s telling the reality about your actions, believing He will walk you thru the fallout and lead you towards healing.
Faith steps could be selecting to serve others in a recent way. Maybe it’s offering forgiveness while you’ve been determined to be bitter. It’s reading the Bible with an open heart, asking the Spirit to point out you who God is thru its pages. Agreeing to counseling when it’s worthwhile to make amends in your marriage. Deciding to not drink since it’s getting in the way in which of you living a complete life and determining to point out up at church and get entangled, even in case you’re undecided how you are feeling about God.
Whatever faith step God is leading you towards, as you faithfully take that step, God is faithful to point out up in your behalf.
Spiritual Rhythms Help Build Our Relationship with God
While we don’t must be strapped to spiritual regimes that lack meaning, creating spiritual rhythms in our lives does help construct our relationship with God. The key to intimacy in every relationship is time shared, and the identical is true regarding knowing Jesus.
Each person connects with God in another way, but there are some staples of the Christian faith that we are able to all profit from incorporating into our each day routines.
7 Pillars to Spiritual Growth
-Prayer (Colossians 4:2)
-Worship (Romans 12:1)
-Gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
-Community (Hebrews 10:24-25)
-Generosity (Luke 6:38)
-Bible Study (Psalm 119:105)
-Rest (Psalm 37:7)
As we seek to like Jesus, thoughtfully incorporating these practices into our lives is vital. Diligence is an element of a sturdy faith, but we don’t need to feel as if we have now to be perfect in our practices. We meet Jesus each day by his grace, nevertheless we are able to, and truly every moment is holy when all we’re is given as a living sacrifice to our Savior.
We Must Follow His Lead
John 8:12 says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I’m the sunshine of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but have the sunshine of life.”
If we would like to know God, we should be willing to follow him and give up to his way. Thankfully, his way is the one path to an abundant life, so the reward for surrendering our pride is a great one! He is the great shepherd (John 10:11), leading us away from death and danger that seeks to devour our souls. God doesn’t force us to follow him, though; we must select him and his way.
Growing closer to God requires our participation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who find themselves called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and switch from their wicked ways, then I’ll hear from heaven and can forgive their sin and heal their land.” We must humbly seek Him, repent, and he’ll hear us and respond with love.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen
