I had been asked a while ago to consider how I learned to “go
deeper” in God, in the Spirit. I am still learning and yearning for so much
more. But, soon after I had been asked, I woke up during the night and I believe
that God gave me the following that I want to share.
I believe God is always with us;
turned towards us, with arms open; waiting for us to see him, to approach him,
to embrace him, to be embraced by him, to be immersed in him, and to know who
he created us to be.
There have definitely been times,
maybe when I actually just “turned away” from myself and focused on God instead
of MY problems, wants, needs, and desires. Instead, I am turned towards God,
praying to him, communicating with him, praising and worshipping him. In those
times, it seems easier or maybe the “veil” is removed or the “scales” fall off
of my eyes, and I “see” God. I become aware of him, the overwhelming, holy,
fiery, loving presence of the Living Spirit of God.
This is not something that I can
“will” into happening, not something that I can manufacture by doing certain
things; but, it is definitely something that I yearn for, wait for, and believe
that God also desires for me.
God yearns for us to be in relationship with him, but many
times, our human tendency is to complicate things. We overwhelm ourselves with
“to do” lists. We think that we need to first get our lives in order, stop our
sinning, learn and practice a whole list of spiritual disciplines, and THEN we
will truly know God, THEN we will be able to hear his voice and do his will. We
have is SO backwards.
We are told to “love the Lord, your God, with all of your heart,
soul, strength, and mind,” and, then “to love your neighbor as yourself.”
But, that almost feels impossible, harder than following a
bunch of rules.
So, we basically give up. We settle for following as many
rules as we can, repenting when we break them, resolving “with God’s help, of
course,” to do better, trying again, and therefore circle around in an endless,
draining, depressing cycle, with more lows than highs, hoping and praying that
heaven really is all that we want it to be, and that Jesus comes back soon.
We have is SO backwards. Only God can give us the faith and the
ability to “love him with all of our hearts, souls, strengths and minds, and to
love our neighbors as ourselves.” Only God can open our eyes and ears and
soften our hearts so that we can truly know him.
So, “give up”, but give it up to God. Ask him, beg him, plead
with him to open your eyes and ears; to soften your heart; to give you faith;
and to help you see, hear, feel, and know the Lord, your God, right there with
you, holding you, helping you, loving you with all of who HE is, with all of
HIS heart, soul, strength, and mind.
Every day, every time you think of it, pray and ask him to
reveal himself to you, and then believe. Believe the truth. Believe that as you
are asking, as you are seeking, as you are loving; that God IS speaking to you,
guiding you, leading you, answering a prayer that is according to his will and
desire.
If you fail, if as you seek God, he reveals that you moved or
spoke out of your own preferences, thoughts, or desires; make it right. Stand
up, ask forgiveness, and then keep moving. Move, trusting that God is leading.
Speak, trusting that God is guiding. Love, trusting that God is empowering you.
Pray and move, just move. Do something. With practice, comes
a greater knowing. With practice, we learn more easily and more quickly to discern
between the Spirit’s leading and voice versus our own thoughts and logic.
Ask and believe and receive.
I echo what Steve McVey says in his book Grace Walk,
“God has never spoken to me audibly, but at times he has spoken louder than
that.”
And I pray over you, from Colossians 1:9-14, “… [I] have kept
on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do;
asking him to make you wise about spiritual things; and asking that the way you
live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be
doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know
God better and better.
[I] am praying, too, that you will be filled with his mighty,
glorious strength so that you can keep going no matter what happens – always
full of the joy of the Lord, and always thankful to the Father who has made us
fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the
Kingdom of light.
For he has rescued us out of the darkness and gloom of
Satan’s kingdom and brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who bought our
freedom with his blood and forgave us all our sins.”
Amen.
