One of the questions that I always get from my young people is "how do I get closer to God?" Sometimes they will even ask me "How do I hear God's voice talking to me?" or even "How do I know it's God?" those follow up questions lead us right back to the question of how do I become closer to God?
The reason I say this is because if you are not close to God, there are many things you will not be able to experience in his greatness, glory, and wonder. However once you develop a relationship with Him things become very clear.
A story about me: I had reached a time in my life, at the age of 14, where I realized I was different from everyone else. I rather do good in school get good grades and not get involved with junior high or high school drama. I was extremely introverted and the only thing I did different in high school was join the Soccer team. I wasn't someone who liked to be seen and I was very timid. However, I was always working harder to understand God's word, and I wanted to seek his heart. I finally decided to get baptized, something inside me told me I couldn't wait another moment and after doing so, I believe it took me many years to be baptized by the holy Spirit where I finally felt God!
Now of course you would ask what? why? what do you mean ten years?
Well, listen here, I was praying, I was reading the word, but I NEVER understood what God's love could do in my life. Not to mention many circumstances in my life that I could not control. In my earlier baptized years, I never fully understood how God's love overflowed for me and it was the only love that could make me feel whole. The reason why is because I had holes in my heart, and I held on to so many earthly things that it blinded me and held me back. Let me give you some examples.
Though I was baptized I was still sinning. I was holding on to anger in my heart for friends who left me, I was holding on to lust for others which lead to other sin, I was holding on to envy for why others could do evil and get what they want and I couldn't. Then one day I cried out to God telling him to renew my heart, asking him to change me so I don't feel this way anymore. I actually asked him to "reveal in me the sins that I can not see" and let me tell you God revealed them. I had idols. and my idols were not jewelry, statues, etc. as I had been taught it wasn't even a celebrity but it was regular everyday people.
I wanted to be like them so bad, that it appeared to God that I loved them more than I loved God. and God knows the heart, even if I denied it he knew the truth. Once I allowed God to reveal these things in my life, my life changed instantly. I told myself to let it go, let everything go. God tested me to make sure I had truly let them go and when He did I fell a few times, but then I got back up again and tried again. It was my own inner spiritual battle that I had to try hard to fight off.
Through it all, I learned that God has a great love for me, a great patience, and a great strength that no one in this world will ever have. I allowed him in and he made me whole. I no longer felt something was missing or that I had holes in my heart. Finally! This, for me, is what made me closer to God. I started to hear his voice more, I started fasting more, I started to feel less confused and depressed. I became more positive and for the first time I loved myself and who I was apart from others.
God has a great plan for us all! but there are some things that block us from seeing his Master plan. But if we will just ask him to reveal in us the idols, or the false concepts that block us from getting closer to him, we will finally see his glory in our lives, we will finally see the truth!
What are your thoughts on this devotional today?
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